NHL Jeff's Round 2 Predictions

Ryan Miller and the Sabres hope to extend
their journey to Lord Stanley's Cup

As usual, the first round was full of surprises and disappointments...now the winners move on and the losers head to the golf course.

Click here for the full Round 2 Schedule.

NHL Jeff's take on the 2nd Round Match-Ups:
Eastern Conference Semifinals

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) New York Rangers

Regular Season Series: BUF 4-0

BUF Key Players: R. Miller (G), D. Briere, C. Drury, T. Vanek, B. Campbell, but really, with this team, each player plays an important role.

NYR Key Players: J. Jagr, H. Lundqvist (G), M. Nylander, M. Rozsival, S Avery, B. Shanahan

First of all, don't let the season series fool you because all four of those games were played before the all-star break, which was when the Rangers turned their season around. The Rangers have been hot, and they showed that in the first round by upsetting the Thrashers. While the Sabres won the President's Trophy as the league's top regular season performer, they showed some flaws in their series with the Islanders and will definitely have to step up to take on this Rangers team. Miller-Lundqvist is a great goalie match-up especially considering how much fire power each of them will have to face in this series. Michael Nylander lit it up for New York in round 1 and Jagr played to form. Sean Avery was a huge part of New York's first round success, and was arguably the most valuable player. He was able to stir up the Thrashers to the point at which Ilya Koalchuk fought. If the Rangers are to get by the Sabres, Avery will be a huge part in agitating, the young, skilled, graceful Sabres. Buffalo is capable of getting scoring from each of their lines and they have more defensive depth than they are given credit for. In the end, I'm thinking Buffalo's depth will prevail over the Rangers' hot streak.

Prediction: Sabres in 6.

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (4) Ottawa Senators

Regular Season Series: NJ 3-1

NJ Key Players: M. Brodeur (G), P. Elias, B. Gionta, S. Gomez, B. Rafalski, Z. Parise

OTT Key Players: R. Emery (G), D. Alfredsson, D. Heatley, J. Spezza, W. Redden, A. Volchenkov

Ottawa showed vs. Pittsburgh that, like the Devils, they too can play a strong defensive system. So, assuming both teams try to utilize this ability, it seems the winner would come from who is able to generate more of an offensive spark. The Sens, despite playing more of a defensive system than usual, still did some great scoring in the first round, and if Dany Heatley (who was rumored to be nursing an ankle injury) returns to form, the Devils will need to watch out even more so. And, don't forget that Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson has stepped up his game back to where it used to be... Part of the offensive strategy for the Sens requires getting by NJ star goaltender Martin Brodeur. While Brodeur didn't start the first round at his supreme level, he rebounded and ended the series with strong play. Ray Emery was remarkable for the Senators, and for some reason I don't think he is going to let up. He doesn't have to be the best goalie in the league, he just has to beat the best goalie in the league 4 times in 7 games, and I think it can happen. Their triumph in the first round will likely be a huge boost to the Sens, and not in the over-confident sort of way. Zach Parise and Scott Gomez had great first round numbers for the Devils and will look to continue that. really either of these teams could take this series and possibly win the cup, but ultimately, I think the offensive depth (and overall depth for that matter) of the Ottawa Senators will breakthrough the brick wall that is Martin Brodeur, but it will be close.

Prediction: Sens in 7.


Western Conference Semifinals

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) San Jose Sharks

Regular Season Series: SJ 3-1

DET Key Players: P. Datsyuk, D. Hasek (G), N. Lidstrom, H. Zetterbeg, J. Franzen

SJ Key Players: J. Thornton, P. Marleau, E. Nabokov (G), C. Rivet, M. Michalek, S. Hannan, J. Cheechoo

In the first round, the Sharks revealed a lot of weaknesses in an extremely talented Nashville team that was supposed to put up a tremendous fight, if not win. Expect San Jose's drive to be equal or greater than that of their first round win. Big guns Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau had great series, and Milan Michalek continued his vast improvement. Sniper Jonathan Cheechoo cooled off from his tear at the end of the regualr season, but that could possibly attributed to his injury in the first game of the series. Veteran defenseman Craig Rivet stepped up his game and appeared on the scoresheet on many nights and Evgeni Nabokov was solid in net. The Sharks' special teams should have a major impact on this series. Their powerplay was not spectacular against the Predators, and as a team with a great powerplay during the regular season, San Jose will need to improve to beat a Detroit team that is very strong 5-on-5. The Wings surprised many, myself included, and stood the test of the strong, gritty Flames. They proved to be tougher than many gave them credit for. Captain Nicklas Lidstrom showed why he truly is one of the best defenseman in the league by leading the team in points while also anchoring their blueline corps. Most importantly, Pavel Datsyuk learned how to score in the playoffs, and Henrik Zetterberg even contributed some as well. Johan Franzen went from being a minor producer in the regular season to a reliable scorer, but we'll have to see if that was just first round luck. Finally, veteran defensemen Chris Chelios, 45, and Mathieu Schneider, 37, showed that skill can definitely be maintained with age, and don't forget another veteran, goaltender Dominik Hasek, 42. Hasek was spectacular in round one, but we'll have to see if his groin will hold up with the long playoff grind. Both teams are well-rounded, but I have to give the edge in depth to San Jose. If they're young defense can withstand the playoff pressure, I see them taking this one.

Prediction: Sharks in 6.

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

Regular Season Series: ANA 3-1

ANA Key Players: S. Niedermayer, C. Pronger, T. Selanne, J.S. Giguere (G), R. Getzlaf, F. Beauchemin

VAN Key Players: R. Luongo (G), D. Sedin, H. Sedin, M. Naslund, M. Ohlund, K. Bieksa, T. Linden

The main question in this series is whether or not Roberto Luongo can steal it for the Canucks, because with the way their offense has been (not) playing, that is what's going to have to happen if they want to win this series. When the Sedin twins get on the scoresheet, the Canucks can win, but they'll need an offensive boost all around to beat a Ducks team that is well rounded with a fire-powered offense and the best defensive tandem in the league. While Niedermayer and Pronger are the key to the Ducks' defense, don't count out Francois Beauchemin. The game he missed in round one was the game Anaheim lost. He has been contributing in many ways for the Ducks, including on the scoresheet. Anaheim didn't generate all that much offense in the first round, but that was due to their changing their system to compete with the defense-first Wild. In this series, look for the Selanne, Kunitz, McDonald line to really step up their production. Ilya Bryzgalov had a great start to the series for Anaheim and Giguere had a great finish and seems to have reclaimed his number one role after missing some time due to family issues. Look for the Ducks to play a similar style to the one they played against Minnesota (a defensive team like the Canucks). They will be sure to capitalize on all of Vancouver's mistakes. I think Luongo has the ability to make this a very close series, but the Ducks well-rounded game will surpass Vancouver's defense-first system.

Prediction: Ducks in 6.

Round 1 Results and how NHL Jeff did with Predictions

Even with Marty Turco's 3 shutouts, the Stars
couldn't get past Luongo and the Canucks.

A quick look back at round 1's winners:

Eastern Conference Results
Buffalo vs. NY Islanders
Prediction: Sabres in 5.
Outcome: Sabres in 5.

New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay
Prediction: Devils in 6.
Outcome: Devils in 6.

Atlanta vs. NY Rangers
Prediction: Thrashers in 6
Outcome: Rangers in 4
The Thrashers' stars just didn't play like stars. Bob Hartley didn't do a great job managing his goaltenders, but the real problem was Marian Hossa. If the Thrashers were going to win this series, he had to be the MVP, and with just 1 point in 4 games, he wasn't even close. Kovalchuk and Kozlov also failed to impress. Atlanta GM Don Waddell is sure going to regret everything he gave up at the deadline only for a first round falter. I should add, the Rangers were hot coming in, and Henrik Lundqvist continued to be amazing. Nylander shone brighter than ever before and Jagr and the rest of the Rangers contributed as well.

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
Prediction: Penguins in 7
Outcome: Senators in 5
the Penguins showed their lack of experience in this series. Crosby and Pit's other young stars all continued to play well, but they just didn't have that extra edge and depth to overcome such a strong Ottawa team that was playing a great defensive system to shut down the Pens' explosive offense. Other than game 1, Fleury was great, and the Pens have a bright future ahead of them. Ray Emery was extremely sharp for the Senators, while Captain Daniel Alfredsson returned to his elite form.

Western Conference Results
Detroit vs. Calgary
Prediction: Calgary in 7
Outcome: Detroit in 6
Calgary definitely had their fair share of chances to take some more games in this series, but they just couldn't capitalize and were still terrible on the road. Miikka Kiprusoff, often hung out to dry during the series, was the only consistent performer on a team that never really reached its true potential. First year coach Jim Playfair's future is up for question as it should be. At numerous times during the series (such as the Jamie McLennan incident) he failed to maintain control of his team. Hasek was great for Detroit and Datsyuk and Zetterberg finally produced in the playoffs. We'll see how long it lasts.

Anaheim vs. Minnesota
Prediction: Anaheim in 6
Outcome: Anaheim in 5

Vancouver vs. Dallas
Prediction: Vancouver in 6
Outcome: Vancouver in 7
The Stars can thank Marty Turco for making this a long series. He was beyond spectacular and the 3 games that they won all came in the form of shutouts. Luongo was also amazing and as expected this was a goaltender's duel. The team that was able to bring a little bit of offense was able to pull off the win. Vancouver will have to find a lot more offense and find it fast if they want to put up a fight against Anaheim.

Nashville vs. San Jose
Prediction: San Jose in 7
Outcome: San Jose in 5
Nashville was very inconsistent. Forsberg was not what GM David Poile hoped for when he traded away a large portion of the Preds' future. He began the series with intensity, but was easily frustrated and took too many bad penalties at the wrong times. Injuries to Steve Sullivan and Martin Erat hurt them, but San Jose just plain outworked Nashville, showed more depth, and better offensive ability.

NHL Jeff's Record: 5-3 (2 wins with exact game counts)

'Tis the Season to be Jolly: NHL Playoff Season

It's been a long break, but NHLNow.com is back for the most exciting season of the year: NHL Playoff Season. The battle for Lord Stanley's Cup is on, and with the depth in this year's playoffs, it seems to be any of the 16 playoff contenders' to lose. For each round of the Playoffs, NHL Jeff will analyze every match-up and follow with his prediction of the winner and in how many games.

Rod Brind'Amour's 'Canes won't get a

chance to defend their championship.

NHLNow.com: The one stop for all of the Stanley Cup Playoff info you need!

Click here for the full Round 1 Schedule.

NHL Jeff's take on the 1st Round Match-Ups:
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) New York Islanders

Regular Season Series: BUF 3-1

BUF Key Players: R. Miller (G), D. Briere, C. Drury, T. Vanek, B. Campbell, but really, with this team, each player plays an important role.

NYI Key Players: R. DiPietro (G) (should he return form injury), W. Dubielewicz (G) (should DiPietro not return), R. Smyth, J. Blake, M.A. Bergeron

Buffalo is a team that many see as having a great chance to win the Cup, and with their league-leading offense and superb goaltending from Ryan Miller, I am one of the many. The Isles had a great stretch-run and an exciting final victory over the Devils to squeak into the playoffs, but I think their luck ends there. If they want any chance to surpass the mighty Sabres, they will have to hope for concussed star goaltender Rick DiPietro to return, or Wade Dubielewicz will have to be this year's Cam Ward.

Prediction: Sabres in 5.

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning

Regular Season Series: TB 3-1

NJ Key Players: M. Brodeur (G), P. Elias, B. Gionta, S. Gomez, B. Rafalski

TB Key Players: J. Holmqvist, V. Lecavalier, M. St. Louis, B. Richards, D. Boyle

Whenever Martin Brodeur (3 Cup Rings) is in a playoff series, it's hard to bet against him. The Lightning are lacking in the goaltending department, with Johan Holmqvist beating out Marc Denis for the starting position. If Holmqvist can show signs of greatness, the Bolts offense, led by "the Big 3" will carry them. They have a steady blueline, anchored by Dan Boyle, but play a much more open system than that of the Devils. Lecavalier and St. Louis both had career years and were each in the top 5 in scoring. If they can keep that up against the likes of Brodeur and Brad Richards turns it on for the playoffs, the Lightning will have a chance.
The bottom line of this series: Will Tampa Bay's scorching hot offense be able to prevail over New Jersey's seamless defensive system and their rock-solid goaltender?

I think not.

Prediction: NJ in 6.

(3) Atlanta Thrashers vs. (6) New York Rangers

Regular Season Series: ATL 3-1

ATL Key Players: M. Hossa, K. Lehtonen (G), I. Kovalchuk, S. Kozlov, N. Havelid, A. Zhitnik

NYR Key Players: J. Jagr, H. Lundqvist (G), B. Shanahan, P. Mara

While the Rangers and King Henrik have been hot lately, I can't bet against the Thrashers' offense. Marian Hossa had an MVP-worthy season. Kari Lehtonen may not have shown great consistency this year, but I'll go out on a limb and say that it's his time to shine. Jagr had an off year for his standards, but he is healthy and ready to go. If the Rangers want to stand a chance they'll have to count on his and Brendan Shanahan's leadership and Lundqvist's goaltending. I haven't seen the same passion in Jagr this season as last, and ATL gave up way too much at the deadline not to make it past the first round.

Prediction: Thrashers in 6.

(4) Ottawa Senators vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins

Regular Season Series: PIT 3-1

PIT Key Players: S. Crosby, M. A. Fleury (G), S. Gonchar, R. Whitney, E. Malkin, G. Roberts, M. Recchi, J. Staal

OTT Key Players: D. Heatley, R. Emery (G), D. Alfredsson, J. Spezza, W. Redden, A. Volchenkov

This is a tough call and by far the most exciting first round match-up. I can't see Crosby faltering under the pressure, and while I think Fleury's inability to hold the leads will hurt the Pens in future rounds, I can't see them heading out this early. Ottawa has a lot of fire power, but so do the Pens. If Heatley and Spezza continue where they left off in the regular season, and Alfredsson comes back to life, the Sens can easily match if not better the Penguins' offense. That said, the most important thing in this series may end up being goaltending. If so, I'd say Emery wins, but with all the passion in Pitt's locker room and veterans like Recchi and Roberts to hold things together, I can't see them letting up in the first round. This may be a prediction from the heart as opposed to the mind, but I'm gonna have to roll with it:

Prediction: Pens in 7.


Western Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Calgary Flames

Regular Season Series: Tie 2-2

DET Key Players: P. Datsyuk, D. Hasek (G), N. Lidstrom, H. Zetterbeg (pending injury status), T. Bertuzzi

CGY Key Players: J. Iginla, M. Kiprusoff (G), A. Tanguay, D. Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr

It's may be hard for some to imagine the Wings faltering again after their last few playoff appearances, but they just don't have a team built for the playoffs. Drawing a team like Calgary for the first round is not good for Detroit. Calgary is a very tough, gritty team that will likely wear out the somewhat soft Red Wings. Bertuzzi is a key because he is a tough guy GM Ken Holland brought in to try to toughen the team up. This is where we'll see how he did. A huge factor in this series will also be goaltending. This year, both of these teams can score. Miikka Kiprusoff didn't have the career season that he did last year, but he is still one of the best goalies in the game and has shown that he is capable of carrying a team through the playoffs. If Dominik Hasek can maintain his health, he could win this series for the Wings. Either way, when I see these two teams on a sheet of paper, despite the Wings amazing record, I just don't think they'll last in a seven game series with this Calgary team.

Prediction: Flames in 7.

(2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7) Minnesota Wild

Regular Season Series: Tie 2-2

ANA Key Players: S. Niedermayer, C. Pronger, T. Selanne, J.S. Giguere (G), A. McDonald

MIN Key Players: N. Backstrom (G), M. Gaborik, B. Rolston, K. Johnsson, P. Demitra

Ever since July when Ducks GM Brian Burke traded for Chris Pronger, the Ducks have been looked at as a very strong Stanley Cup contender, and they played that way during the regular season. They have, arguably, the 2 best defensemen in the league and have the ability to have one on the ice at all times. With all of that said, the Ducks still have offensive punch and great goaltending, with J.S. Giguere solidifying himself as the team's number one. If the young guns can take something from the experienced veterans, the Ducks will be in the finals. The Wild are looked at by many as a dark horse if they can get by Anaheim. They will try to ride hot goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who was great down the stretch, and if he falters, Manny Fernandez is more than capable of re-grabbing the reins. Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra have great chemistry, and Brian Rolston has become the heart of this team, but I think their time is up.

Prediction: Ducks in 6.

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Dallas Stars

Regular Season Series: Tie 2-2

VAN Key Players: R. Luongo (G), D. Sedin, H. Sedin, M. Naslund, M. Ohlund, K. Bieksa

DAL Key Players: M. Turco (G), S. Zubov, M. Modano, B. Morrow, M. Ribeiro

There probably won't be too many goals in this series. Both of the teams have become extremely defensive-minded this year and are two of the 3 lowest goal-scoring teams in the playoffs. If one of these teams' offenses is able to show some extra spark in this series, that team is likely to win. The Stars will look for increased contruinution from Mike Modano and continued production from Mike Ribeiro and Ladislav Nagy while the Canucks will look for the Sedin twins to maintain their levels of play. Canucks captain Markus Naslund must return to the prolific scorer he once was if this team is to go far in the playoffs. Most importantly though, both teams rely heavily on their elite goaltenders. Marty Turco is a great goaltender, and I would say that this is his year to finally show that he can be the same goalie he is in the regular season during the playoffs--if he wasn't playing Roberto Luongo. Luongo, with his Vezina-worthy season, is the reason the Canucks are where they are. Battle of the goaltenders.

Prediction: Vancouver in 6.

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks

Regular Season Series: NSH 3-1

NSH Key Players: P. Kariya, S. Sullivan (pending injury status), K. Timmonen, T. Vokooun (G)/C. Mason (G), J.P. Dumont, D. Hamhuis

SJ Key Players: J. Thornton, P. Marleau, E. Nabokov (G), S. Hannan, J. Cheechoo, M.E. Vlasic, K. McLaren, M. Carle

If Joe Thornton can keep up his production during the playoff grind, that will be huge for the Sharks. Jonathan Cheechoo has started to come to life at just the right time, and the possibility of bringing back the magic between he and Thornton is a remarkable one. Captain Patrick Marleau will be counted on in all aspects of the game. This team has two great goaltenders. It seems that Vesa Toskala's injury led to Evgeni Nabokov claiming the number one spot in goal, and Toskala is more than capable of filling in. SJ also has a well-rounded defense and added some veteran depth with Craig Rivet. Kyle McLaren will be looked to in the physical department to rough up some of Nashville's skilled players. The Predators are a team that led the Western Conference for a large part of the season--and then to top it off, they added Peter Forsberg. If Forsberg remains healthy, he could tear up the playoffs and be the team's MVP. In 2002, he took off the whole season due to injury, then led the playoffs in scoring despite his team only making it to the Conference Finals. Paul Kariya can definitely score as can Steve Sullivan if he returns from injury. While the team's defense corps has no stars, Captain Kimmo Timonen, Dan Hamhuis, and youngin' Shea Weber have played with consistency. The Preds have two number one goaltenders in Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason. Their numbers are nearly identical. Coach Barry Trotz will likely go with the more experienced in Vokoun, but should he lose even one game (with more than a couple goals against), I would imagine Mason will be given a chance. Overall, Nashville has a great team, and another early playoff exit seems like it will be a step back, but I can't bet against San Jose. They've been hot and have such a well-rounded team.

Prediction: Sharks in 7.