After round one, there were a few surprises but by and large the teams that were supposed to get through to the second round did so.
The defending cup champions, the Calgary Flames, were knocked off by the Deroit Red Wings while the Anaheim Ducks bested the third seed San Jose Sharks in six games. Neither can be described as a major upset however, and the Wings actually held home ice advantage in their series with Calgary.
As such, it's doubtful there will be anything considered as an upset this round either, but a few teams with longstanding cup droughts are certainly hoping so.
The following is predictions for round two of the WCHL playoffs:
Western Conference
(1) Dallas Stars vs (6) Anaheim Ducks
The Stars and Ducks series features a match up of two teams with recent WCHL Cup titles to their credit, and the core of both teams is based on veterans from those seasons.Dallas has built their team around two scoring threats in Alexandre Ovechkin and Brian Gionta, and arguably the best goaltender in the game today in Roberto Luongo. After that it's a ragtag collection of supporting players who do enough to not mess things up for what might be best trio of players in the WCHL this past season.
Anaheim meanwhile is a dynasty in the making and are eager to reestablish that after a shocking upset in the playoffs last year by the Vancouver Canucks. Anaheim struggled for much of the season, explaining the sixth place seeding, but were one of the hottest teams down the stretch and pushed the Sharks aside in six games in round one.
This series will be a high tempo and likely high scoring one, but with the Ducks struggling in net, it could be a bit much to overcome Luongo's ability. On the flip side, if the Ducks can shutdown Ovechkin and Gionta, they might not need to.
Prediction: A close series, but Luongo should be able to steal a game, and that will be enough. Stars in seven.
(2) Colorado Avalanche vs (4) Detroit Red Wings
The Wings are about as close to a cinderella team as there is in the WCHL playoffs still playing. The Wings one season ago were a mess, finishing dead last in the Western Conference with 55 points and looking for direction. ne year later and the Wings doubled their point total and bested the defending champions in just five games in round one. Detroit can already label their season a success and have no pressure on them. Anything from this point on is pure gravy for a frnachise long suffering from failure.
Colorado meanwhile has failed to make much noise at all in the playoffs despite several strong regular seasons and the pressure is on them to not have the same fate face them yet again. Colorado is looking to reach at least the third round, a land which has alluded them almost every year in the WCHL despite some impressive line ups over the years.If Colorado can get some offensive support from a deep line up and get to Evgeni Nabokov, they should be able to topple the upstart Red Wings, but it won't be an easy task.
Prediction: Nabokov will get some saves, but it will be hard to shutdown a very determined Avalanche line up. Colorado in six.
Eastern Conference
(1) Atlanta Thrashers vs (4) Pittsburgh Penguins
There just isn't a team hotter than the Thrashers. The New Jersey Devils did win game four of their first round series, but that was the first loss for Atlanta in 20 games. How did they respond? By winning game five, eliminating the Devils and moving on to round two.
It's not likely the Thrashers will be running up another 19 game winning streak any time soon, as the Pittsburgh Penguins stand in their way. The Penguins are a team which, much like Colorado, has been a long time WCHL playoff disappointment and just last year were ousted in the first round after finishing with the best record in all of the WCHL. Needless to say, motivation is not a factor.Plenty of firepower can be found in this series and it will be interesting to see who outscores who; the Sedin brothers or the veteran duo of Teemu Selanne and Patrick Marleau.
Prediction: Pittsburgh's going to make it tough but the Trashers are just to hot right now. Atlanta in six.
(2) New York Rangers vs (3) Philadelphia Flyers
One year after making it to the WCHL finals the Rangers are trying to earn their third straight trip to the third round, a task never acheived before in the Eastern Conference. To do so they'll need to get past the Flyers, whose line up boasts the regular season scoring leader Jeff Carter.
Much like Pittsburgh and Colorado, the Flyers are trying to push past some playoff demons, and looking for a rare appearance in the third round. A change in net from past seasons see Chris Mason between the pipes for Philadelphia, who are hoping that change will lift them to the promised land for the first time in franchise history.
Prediction: Staying motivated this playoffs seems to be a difficult thing for last eyars top clubs and it will likely be the same this time around for the Rangers. Philadelphia in seven.
Next: Round three predictions
