After fifteen days of action, the field still in the running for the Stanley Cup has been cut in half. For the most part, the first round was full of unpredictable action. Despite how oddly the post-season started, only wins by Philadelphia, Boston, and Montreal could be considered upsets. After going seven for eight in the opening round of the playoffs, I try to maintain my stellar record as I preview and predict the NHL’s conference semi-final round.

Eastern Conference

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 Montreal Canadians (TV: CBC, Versus, RDS)
In the most unexpected second round matchup, the defending Stanley Cup champs are taking on the upset kings. Sidney Crosby (of Golden Goal fame) was the unquestioned best skater of the first round of the playoffs. Jaroslav Halak was the unquestioned best goalie of the first round. That’s the matchup that everyone will be watching. The Pens can pour on the pressure just as well as the Caps which means that Halak will have to stand up to an absolute deluge of shots. This will be a very intriguing series but the long and short of it is that it will be a battle of Pittsburgh’s offense against Halak’s goaltending. I think I’ll take the offense.
Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6

 #6 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers (TV: TSN, Versus)
Two teams that were expected to be good at the start of the season took made it farther than they looked like they would at the start of the year. The Bruins struggled for offense while the Flyers were plagued with some major locker room issues. Now, after failing to achieve the high expectations of them in the regular season, they’re destined to meet in round two. The question is now which of the regular season underachievers will over achiever in the post-season. The goaltending and defensive edges clearly go to Boston. However, those are the same disadvantages that Philly was able to overcome against the Devils. The offensive advantage clearly lies with the Flyers as well. The B’s were the worst offensive team in the Eastern Conference, after all. For the Flyers, it’s like facing New Jersey all over again. However, the Bruins will be more of a test as they have more drive than the Devils and those intangibles will make it a very close series.
Prediction: Philadelphia in 7

Western Conference

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings (TV: TSN, Versus)
Well, this ought to be an interesting one. Every year is supposed to be the year that the Sharks finally outrun the ghosts of playoffs past and win the Stanley Cup. After their first round against Colorado, nobody is ready to buy into San Jose. Mind you, I’m not sure how many people are buying into the twice-defending Western Conference champs. Needing seven games to defeat a team that had no right to even play this season, let alone be in the playoffs, is not the greatest demonstration of being a championship threat. However, the Wings have a few things going their way in this series. They finally looked like a threat in game seven against Phoenix. Better late than never doesn’t count if you’re eliminated but here the Wings are. Detroit dominated the season series between the two teams 3-1 with that one loss coming in a shootout. Finally, San Jose’s big three of Thornton, Heatley, and Marleau have done their annual playoff vanishing act. Secondary scoring bailed out the Sharks against the Avs but they were a young team and not a legit title contender.
Prediction: Detroit in 6

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks (TV: CBC, Versus)
There’s one word running through the minds of Canucks fans: Revenge. A lacklustre game seven against Chicago in last year’s conference semi-finals by Roberto Luongo left the Canuckleheads pondering what might have been. This year, Luongo’s road to redemption will run through the Blackhawks again. While Luongo may have been the backstop for Team Canada’s gold medal performance at the Vancouver Olympics, he still has to prove himself to Canucks fans which means that the pressure on him has to be astronomical. However, the pressure isn’t much lower on the Blackhawks who were many pundits picks to win the Cup. The main difference between these teams is the goaltending. Vancouver should be able to rely on theirs while I’m not sold on Antti Niemi. Well, there is one more thing that sways my opinion on this series. The Canucks penalty kill is beyond abysmal. If the Kings got the man advantage in the first round, they were nearly guaranteed to score. The Blackhawks have more firepower and are more dangerous than Los Angeles. That can’t bode well for Canada’s last hope.
Prediction: Chicago in 6