Halfway home
Eight wins down, a tough eight to go 
Two rounds down, two to go and for the remaining clubs none have been the road team to start a series. That will change for Pittsburgh and Colorado, who will give up home ice advantage, but in those cases it might be the least problematic for the clubs facing starting out on the road. For the Penguins, they are arguably the most veteran team still in the playoffs with all due respect to the Colorado Avalanche and they have been unquestionably the best this post-season. After falling behind 2-0 to Ottawa in round one, Pittsburgh has rattled off eight straight wins and is back into yet another conference final. Colorado meanwhile has basically started on the road all along, falling behind 2-0 to Edmonton in round one and 3-0 to Minnesota in round two before rallying to win both series. They are equally good -and equally bad- no matter what ice they are on. Two epic series will determine the conference champions and the contenders for the WCHL Cup. Here's my prediction for whom will win: Western Conference (1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche - Anaheim has had some tough games but far more often than not they came out ahead, benefitting from some odd line up moves in round two against Nashville. In round three the Avalanche won't make such mistakes but they will also need to stop falling behind early. San Jose and Nashville feel behind the Ducks and they are both somewhere between hole one and 18 on the golf course right now. 
It won't be all hugs and kisses in this series Paced by Patrice Bergeron up front and Tuukka Rask in the net, Anaheim is about as deep as they come and that depth will play out well for them as the long haul of the playoffs is sure to ramp up in round three. Colorado meanwhile paid big to get high-end firepower before the season in Martin St. Louis and Marian Hossa. St. Louis has paid off in the post-season but Hossa has only two goals so far, so he'll need to get moving to help Colorado move on. Prediction: This series won't be easy but Anaheim is just too consistent and Colorado is anything but. Anaheim in six games. Eastern Conference (1) Washington Capitals vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins - This series looks like a battle of the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. Washington has been pushed to the brink in both round one and two, winning five straight elimination games to stay alive. They've shown they can bend a lot without breaking. 
Someones going to be golfing after this series But bending for the eighth seeded New Jersey Devils and seventh seeded Philadelphia Flyers is one thing, doing so against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who actually only finished nine points behind Washington in the standings and had the same number of regulation and overtime defeats as Washington, is another. Pittsburgh boasts firepower from line one to four and is a well rounded and proven club. If Washington wants to wait until they are facing elimination to get going, they may not be afforded that chance from Pittsburgh. Prediction: Washington is well on its way to being a perennial powerhouse, but you need to learn to lose in order to learn to win. Pittsburgh in six games. ACHL Western Conference (1) Abbotsford Heat vs. (2) Norfolk Admiral - Abbotsford in seven games. Eastern Conference (3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (7) Adirondack Phantoms - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in five games.
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