The conference finals are here at last…..the East starts tonight and the West tomorrow night. All four teams undoubtedly deserve to be in this position. My second round predictions were a disaster so I will try and improve here. Here’s what I got.
First up………..
#1 Buffalo Sabres vs. #4 Ottawa Senators
This one is actually the toughest for me to pick. Honestly, I have reasons for picking neither team. The Sens well because they beat my Devils honestly and the Sabres because well, I have a hard time believing they can win a Stanley Cup without some physical presence on defense. Both teams have a wealth of speed but the Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson line is so good…its scary…23 pts last round alone…between the 3 of them. The problem is the Sabres had been in a five game slumber till Game 6 when they woke up for 5 goals against the Rangers to close them out in six games. Ottawa really didn’t score that much against a tired Jersey team…and that may in itself be a blueprint for their own demise. Heatley and that first line will get their points but score enough and that may just be the ticket. The Sabres with their many scoring options may just ultimately wear down the Sens and their tough, physical defense. What you can’t hit…makes you that much more tired (old Chinese proverb).
So with a heavy heart and a hungry stomach, I will go with the prediction I made at the start of the season…for my Eastern Conference Representative in the Stanley Cup Finals…I pick the Buffalo Sabres in six games.
Last Up But Not Least……………
#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #2 Anaheim Ducks
Old versus young. The Ducks are the younger, faster team for the most part…no question. The Wings are like the wily veteran gunslinger ready for action…..expecting anything. However, that gunslinger has taken a sizable punishment in getting to this point…two brutal six game series…first vs. the Flames and then the Sharks. The old goalie for the Wings has stood tall…Hasek has gotten better as the postseason has worn on…and can probably match Giguere save for save and he’ll have to….as I don’t expect the Wings to outshoot the Ducks in this series. The Ducks have gotten to this point with two fairly easy five game series against the Wild and then the Canucks. The Ducks have also not played their best…which is a scary proposition for a Wings team that is a little injured and battered heading in.
That depth and speed by the Ducks will likely prove to be the reason they get past the Wings and will be my Western Conference Representative in the Stanley Cup Finals as they will dispatch the Wings in six games.
