The Blue Jackets celebrate their game seven victory over the heavily-favored San Jose Sharks.
Even though the first round seen the number of teams cut from 16 to eight still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, there are three more grueling rounds left for the remaining teams to fight through.
One massive upset was recorded in the first round, as the Columbus Blue Jackets, the eighth seed in the West, knocked off the top-seeded San Jose Sharks in seven games. The defeat was so stunning to the Sharks; General Manager Kurt Fulmore said changes could be on the way for a team that has faced huge playoff disappointments in recent years.
Unless the Blue Jackets continue their high level play, the Western Conference will see a team try and win their second WCHL Cup. Of the four remaining teams from the West, only the Blue Jackets have not won the Cup.
In the east, only the Pittsburgh Penguins stand as former cup champions of the remaining four teams, though both the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers have reached the finals. The Buffalo Sabres remain as the lone team with no WCHL Cup finals experience from the east.
Who will advance to the semi-finals? Read on to find out who I predict will move on.
Western Conference
(2) Calgary Flames vs. (8) Columbus Blue Jackets
Talk about unexpected. The Blue Jackets were supposed to just be happy to make the playoffs, but not so fast. Rather, they hit the playoffs running, rolling out to a 2-0 lead and then bounced back from back-to-back home losses to record a 4-3 series win over the San Jose Sharks in a series that seen the road team win every game.
Calgary meanwhile went the polar opposite of San Jose. While the Sharks struggled in a series in which they were heavily favored, the Flames absolutely destroyed the St. Louis Blues in four straight games, many of which weren't even close. If Calgary's top line of Daniel Briere, Mike Richards and Steven Stamkos combined for 12 goals and 30 points as they destroyed the Blues.
Columbus, as inexperienced as they are, proved they shouldn't be taken lightly. Calgary proved they aren't about to take anyone lightly this year, which means they should escape with a series win. Prediction: Calgary in five games.
(3) Anaheim Ducks vs. (4) Colorado Avalanche
The Anaheim Ducks had an early hiccup against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, losing games one and two at home. Unlike the Sharks however, the Ducks rebounded to roll through the Kings in four straight after that, allowing them to hold bragging rights over their archrival Kings as well as the entire state of California.
The Avalanche meanwhile also won four straight after dropping the first game and appear to be in great shape to repeat as Cup champion this year with the Sharks out of the way. No cup champion has repeated since the Sharks won two straight WCHL Cup's in Seasons 2 and 3 and Colorado would love to buck that trend this year.
As odd as it sounds, the Avalanche enter this series will no pressure to win. After the huge deal that sent Sidney Crosby packing to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ducks immediately sent the message that this season was win or bust, so a loss in round two would be considered an underachievement. Never let the defending Cup champions go through a series pressure free. Prediction: Colorado in six games.
Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres
The Penguins faced a David and Goliath situation in round one and came through with flying colors, destroying the Ottawa Senators in four games. Now they face a slightly better team in the Sabres in round two. While Buffalo is a bit better, Pittsburgh should have a major edge in most areas again.
Buffalo is making sure this season is better than last year, where they failed to even make the playoffs. Now, they are into the second round and eyeing up a conference finals appearance. Expect them to try and slow down the high-flying Penguins who certainly have much more firepower than the Sabres.
While Buffalo will fair better than the Senators, its likely Pittsburgh will continue to roll forward. Expect some closer games, but also expect Pittsburgh to be on the better end of most nights. Prediction: Pittsburgh in five games.
(3) New York Rangers vs. (4) New York Islanders
The Rangers looked like they would get through their first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers easily, taking a 3-1 lead. After the Flyers roared back, the Rangers finally put them away in overtime in game seven, narrowly escaping with a series win.
That close victory could be costly in this series as the Rangers may have wanted the extra time to rest up for the Islanders. This year is looking to familiar for the Islanders, who parlayed a seven game series win in the opening round last year, a series which pitted the fourth and fifth seeds against each other as well, into a dramatic run through the playoffs, losing in the WCHL Cup finals in seven games to the Avalanche.
This is the second time the Islanders and Rangers have met up in as many years. Last year, the Islanders ran out to a 3-0 series lead before winning the series and defeating the Penguins in the third round. Things are shaping up that way again for the Islanders, defeating the Canadiens in seven games in round one. The Rangers are going to try to buck history but it will be tough. Prediction: New York Islanders in six games.
ACHL Cup predictions:
Western Conference
(1) Abbotsford Heat vs. (7) Worchester Sharks: Abbotsford in six games
(3) Oklahoma City Barons vs. (4) Milwaukee Admirals: Milwaukee in seven games
Eastern Conference
(1) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Norfolk Admirals: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in five games
(2) St. John's Icecaps vs. (4) Albany Devils: St. John's in seven games
