Eastern Conference Finals
(8) Montreal Canadiens vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers
Players to Watch:
Mike Cammalleri, LW, Canadiens - Amazingly, the diminutive speedster is “rocketing” (get it? Maurice Richard? No? Ok.) up the Canadiens’ all-time playoff scoring charts as he scores goal after goal to keep this Cinderella train rolling. He better keep it up against the best and most intimidating back end left in the playoffs or it’s pumpkin time for the bleu, blanc et rouge.
Chris Pronger, D, Flyers - Mike Cammalleri, meet Chris Pronger. Just as Cammalleri is the key to the Canadiens offense, Pronger is the key to the Philly defense because his job is to stop Cammalleri. If Pronger can bring his trademark nastiness and physicality against the tiny Montreal wingers while continuing to be a point per game presence from the blueline, the Flyers are headed to the finals.
How I See It
It’s tough to call a series between two teams who absolutely nobody saw meeting in the conference finals. Both teams have been scoring at opportune times as the Canadiens gutted out a tough series against the defending champs and the Flyers fought back from an 0-3 deficit against Boston to become only the third team in NHL history to win a series in that fashion. The Habs have the obvious advantage in goal with the living legend Jaroslav Halak coming off another fantastic series. But the way the Flyers crash the net and unload shots from all angles off the offensive zone, will his heroics be enough? The way Danny Briere is piling up goals and points for Philly, it probably won’t be. Speaking of Danny, where are all the folks who called him a bust and a bad signing now? Thought so. Both teams have excellent special teams, but the Flyers physicality and refusal to quit seems to be the difference here. That’s tough to say when Montreal has shown an incredible amount of fight in this postseason as well. The difference is that while both teams are playing with house money, how can Montreal be anything but spent after going to distance against the two biggest titans of the Eastern Conference? Simply put, the Habs are running out of fuel and the Flyers are playing without a shred of fear. After looking death in the eyes and rebounding from an 0-3 hole, I have a hard time picking anyone to beat them at this point. Flyers in six.
Western Conference Finals
(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks
Players to Watch:
Jonathan Toews, C, Blackhawks - With 20 points thus far in the playoffs, the Toews legend continues to grow. “Captain Serious” as he is called in the Windy City, is putting on a virtuoso performance that would make everyone from Steve Yzerman to Mark Messier proud. It doesn’t matter if it’s a divisional game, the Olympics or the Stanley Cup playoffs; Toews is the definition of a big game player and there isn’t anything to suggest that is going to change this round.
Joe Thornton, C, Sharks - It’s tough to call Thornton a playoff bust after his second round performance against Detroit. He scored, he assisted, he played both ways and he was incredibly physical which is what a player of his size and skill set should be every game. He is the key cog to the San Jose offense and they won’t be able to get past Chicago without a fantastic performance. It’s really that cut and dry. Let’s see if he’s up to the task.
How I See It
As the two “worst” teams in the eastern playoff picture battle it out, the exact opposite is taking place in the west as the Sharks and Blackhawks finally realized the dream Western Conference Finals matchup that pundits were hoping for all year. This is extremely tough to call, just as the other series is. That’s what’s making these playoffs so memorable and exciting. Each series has been extremely close from the opening drop of the puck. It’s been truly compelling to watch. What a year for hockey. What strikes me right from the get-go is that both of these teams are puck-possession monsters. The best way to prevent the other team from scoring is to hold onto the puck and routinely deposit it into the opposition’s net. The team who controls the play, the puck and the flow most effectively and most often will win this series. Both of these teams are bursting with offensive depth, defensive chops and a puck-controlling mindset. The Hawks have nine fantastic forwards as opposed to six for San Jose, but I still see a back and forth series that will go the distance. Take a look at their prior series and their rosters. How can it not? There will be plenty of speed, creativity and sacrifice in this series and one team is going to skate away bitterly heartbroken. Honestly, you can’t go wrong picking either one of these teams. Here it goes; after seven extremely entertaining, fantastic games, Chicago heads to the dance to face the Philadelphia Flyers.
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