2nd Round Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

May 2, 2014 by Nick Kazos

Late in the third period of game 7, Colorado led 4-3 and San Jose led one nothing in their decisive games. Poised to go 7-1 in my first round predictions I was ready to quit my job and become a professional sports gambler but a funny thing happened… Minnesota would rally late in the third and Jonathon Quick shut down San Jose and LA rallied and became the only the 4^th team in the history of the NHL to win a series after being down 3-0. Although 5-3 is a respectable record I’ve decided to keep my job, eat a slice of humble pie and see if I can improve upon my 63% winning rate, which in gambling terms is still a good win rate. I’ve posted my results at the bottom of this page for your reference, but now here are my second round predictions:

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

Boston v Montreal

Boston dominated game 1 but Carey Price stole the show and PK Subban scored two goals including the winner in double overtime to propel Montreal to an exciting 4-3 victory. This is a classic historical matchup which pits a legitimate Stanley Cup champion in Boston versus a young up and coming team in Montreal. Price could very well steal this series, but I suspect Boston will wear them down in a long physical and entertaining series. As a Leafs fan, I hate to admit it but I’ve come to really enjoy watching the way Montreal plays but not enough to win this series. Boston is too deep, tough, battle tested and Tuuka Rask may not be playing at Price’s calibre but he still is among the best in the NHL.

Prediction:

Boston wins in 7

Pittsburgh v New York

Pittsburgh found a way to eke out a series win against Columbus, but goaltending continues to be a major question mark for Pittsburgh. The play of Marc Andre Fleury continues to be questionable and had it not been for his mediocre play Pittsburgh could have swept their first round opponents. The Rangers grinded out a victory against the Flyers, but will they have enough left in the tank to do the same to highly skilled Penguins? Despite my lack of confidence in the Pens their skill in their top six forwards is among the league’s best and Crosby is due for a big series after being stymied in the first round. The great neutralizer of course is goaltending and the Rangers due have a decided edge with Lundqvist. I expect goaltending will stretch this series into a long but not be decisive enough to stop Pittsburgh from advancing to the Conference finals.

Prediction:

Pittsburgh wins in 6

Western Conference Semi-Finals

Anaheim v LA

Over the years, this has become a very entertaining and heated rivalry and I expect this series to be no different. As I suggested in my Western conference picks I expected Anaheim to win easily and for a tough seven game series to occur between LA and San Jose. No one could have predicted how LA would win their first round but it’s clear that as long as Quick goes so do the Kings. Additionally, Anze Kopitar has emerged as one of the game’s top two-way centreman and the depth of kings lineup will challenge the Ducks in a way Dallas simply could not. I think Anaheim is good enough to win this series, but I have serious question marks about the stability of their goaltending. I just don’t see how either Ducks goalie can outshine Quick and the Kings have enough offensive talent to win this series and get another chance to play the defending Stanley Cup champs in the conference final.

Prediction:

LA wins in 6

Chicago v Minnesota

Minnesota won their proverbial Stanley Cup in the first round by beating the Colorado Avalanche. Their a tough well coached team with a couple of elite players in Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.  Rightfully they shouldn’t have beaten Colorado, but give them credit for finding a way to get to the second round. The problem they face is that must now face last year’s Stanley cup Champs. After losing the first two games to St. Louis, the Blackhawks were impressive in coming back to win and they look unbeatable quite frankly. I’m not sure anyone can beat Chicago in a seven game series this year. I am sure that an Ilya Bryzgalov led Minnesota Wild team isn’t one of them. I expect a short series and this would definitely be my sure bet of the second round.

Prediction

Chicago wins in 5

 

First round Predictions

Eastern Conference

Record 3-1

Boston v Detroit

My prediction: Boston wins in 6

Actual Outcome: Boston won in 5 √

Tampa Bay v. Montreal

My prediction: Montreal wins in 5

Actual Outcome: Montreal won in 4 √

Pittsburgh v Columbus

My prediction: Columbus wins in 7

Actual Outcome: Pittsburgh won in 6 Fail

New York v Philadelphia

My prediction: New York wins in 6

Actual Outcome: New York won in 7 √

Western Conference

Record 2-2

My prediction: Colorado v Minnesota

Actual Outcome: Colorado won in 6 Fail

Minnesota wins in 7

St. Louis v Chicago

My prediction: Chicago wins in 6

Actual Outcome: Chicago won in 6 √

Anaheim v Dallas

My prediction: Anaheim wins in 4

Actual Outcome: Anaheim won in 6 √

San Jose v Los Angeles

My prediction: San Jose wins in 7

Actual Outcome: Los Angeles won in 7 Fail

 

Final Record 5-3