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The NHL Conference Finals are set as Buffalo will match up against Ottawa and Detroit will face Anaheim. The close of the season should leave nothing to be desired as these have been the four best teams in the league all year.
Buffalo galloped out of the gate to a fast start and never looked back withstanding injuries on their way to the Presidents Cup. Ottawa started off slowly but played very well through the second half of the season to finish with over 100 points. For Buffalo, this may be there best chance as they are likely to lose either Daniel Briere or Chris Drury to free agency in the off-season. For Ottawa, with all their regular season success over the last decade, it is only their second trip to the conference finals. For each team no matter how good the regular season was, they have been there and done that already and anything short of winning this series and the season will end with a bad taste.
The match up in the West is similar as the up and coming Ducks had one of the fastest starts in recent memory buoyed by their Hall of Fame defensive duo of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. After adding Pronger over the summer, the Ducks were immediately installed as one of the favorites in the West and they did not disappoint as they won a difficult division. Meanwhile the Red Wings are a team similar to the Senators in that they are used to incredible regular seasons, but are coming off recent playoff disappointments that lead them to resign legendary goalie Dominick Hasek. The Wings somehow quietly managed to accumulate the most points in the conference and got past their first round hiccups of recent years.
Too add to the intrigue, if Detroit is to advance it will match up Hasek with one of his former teams, both of whose fans are still upset with Hasek over the way he left town. Fans in both Buffalo and Ottawa carry animosity towards “The Dominator” for what they perceive to be selfish decisions he made while on their teams. If nothing else Hasek has shown a flair for defying critics throughout his career and is no doubt aware of the potential drama in the finals if Detroit is to advance. The Red Wings in a match up with one of Haseks’ former teams is also one that could gain the NHL some mainstream media attention and be best for the league.
It was my pick from the day the playoffs started and I’m not changing now
NHL Finals Detroit defeats Ottawa 4-2
