We're down to four in these NHL playoffs and we've seen it all, it seems.
Big lead changes, big upsets, bad blood, and great plays.
After an opening round in which we saw 10 multi-goal deficits erased, leading to wins, we saw a second round where teams that scored first went 26-1.
We almost saw a repeat of last year's conference final matchups with the Kings, Blackhawks, Penguins, and Bruins, but the Eastern Conference underdogs had something else in mind. The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers played inspired hockey and were able to pull the upset, making an interesting series out east.
I've had pretty solid predictions so far so I'll those in at the end. My second round predictions sit here.
MONTREAL CANADIENS VS BOSTON BRUINS
I predicted Canadiens in 6
Canadiens won in 7
Game 1: Mtl 4 Bos 3 2OT
Game 2: Mtl 3 Bos 5
Game 3: Bos 2 Mtl 4
Game 4: Bos 1 Mtl 0 OT
Game 5: Mtl 2 Bos 4
Game 6: Bos 0 Mtl 4
Game 7: Mtl 3 Bos 1
Montreal wasted no time in showing everyone why Boston got so frustrated when playing them. They sucker the Bruins into playing dirty hockey and then capitalise on the powerplay. They scored 2 powerplay goals thanks to the great play of PK Subban. Subban was booed all night and withstood racism afterwards but game 1 will be a game he won't soon forget.
Boston attempted 98 shots that game (30 of which blocked, another 30 missed the net) but couldn't beat Carey Price one last time for the win.
Thomas Vanek was signed by the Montreal Canadiens just to beat the Boston Bruins. Vanek is a noted Boston killer. With his former club, the Buffalo Sabres, Vanek accumulated 30 goals and 31 assists in 53 games against Boston. The Canadiens wanted a step up against the Bruins and snagged him at the end of the deadline.
Vanek had 2 powerplay goals in game 2, showing he was going to do what they hoped for. But the Bruins responded with 4 goals in the third, just two days after they had 3 goals in the third.
Montreal was electric on home ice in game 3 and catapulted to a 3-0 lead including a gorgeous kick save by Mike Weaver which led to a Dale Weise breakaway goal. Milan Lucic speared Alexei Emelin (again) proving to everyone, for the zillionth time, that he's a complete A-hole.
Matt Fraser ended a crazy goalie duel in overtime in game 4 in his first ever NHL game.
Game 5 we saw the Canadiens forget their gameplan. They retaliated to Boston's shennanigans and took too many stupid penalties which Boston finally capitalised on. Boston scored their first playoff powerplay goal against Montreal since April of 2008. This stretch spanned 3 series, 14 games, and 38 powerplays.
PK Subban was yet again surrounded in controversy late when Shawn Thornton sprayed him in the face DURING PLAY from the bench. Just in case you thought Bostonians were decent human beings yet, they're not.
Subban in game 5 scored an intense goal with just minutes to go on the powerplay. He was alone at the point and jumped while calling for the puck before lasering it in.
With a must win game on home ice, the Canadiens attack Boston early with their speed and it works to perfection. They scored on transition and Boston just couldn't keep up. David Krejci guaranteed he'd score his first of the playoffs that night but nobody was scoring off of Carey Price in game 6. The Bruins also hit their 10th post of the series that night, something which I tweeted about.
And that set up game 7.
Montreal sold out the Bell Centre in Montreal for the viewing party. The Canadiens gave them what they came for as the Canadiens once again agitated Boston with their speed and grit. Carey Price was money, Lucic threatened to murder someone then bitched about it, and PK Subban kissed Pierre McGuire.
Great night.
Bottom Line:
Montreal knew exactly how to play the Bruins. You let them throw their body around and you don't retaliate. Let them take the stupid penalties and then capitalise on the powerplay. They did this to perfection and in a series of speed vs size, speed was victorious.
Play of the Series:
Just a nasty, clutch deflection by Patrice Bergeron.
NEW YORK RANGERS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
I predicted Rangers in 6
Rangers won in 7
Game 1: Nyr 3 Pit 2 OT
Game 2: Nyr 0 Pit 3
Game 3: Pit 2 Nyr 0
Game 4: Pit 4 Nyr 2
Game 5: Nyr 5 Pit 1
Game 6: Pit 1 Nyr 3
Game 7: Nyr 2 Pit 1
Pittsburgh continued their first round trend of coming back from down 2 but it wasn't enough as the Rangers pulled their best Chris Campoli impression as it appears that they scored twice in overtime. Derick Brassard was credited with the goal.
The Rangers powerplay woes continued in game 2 as they managed to go 0-3 on the pp just 7 minutes into the game. Despite being crowned with the "playoff choker" tag, Marc-Andre Fleury got the shutout and became the 17th goalie in NHL history to reach 50 playoff wins.
Game 3 was the Rangers 6th game in 9 nights because of the scheduling of Madison Square Garden. And although Alain Vigneault at first said it wasn't a problem, he later used it as an excuse after losing game 3.
Crosby got his first goal of the postseason and the Rangers got shut out for the first time in back-to-back playoff games since 1937 vs Detroit. The Rangers didn't score again on the powerplay, making it 34 straight unsuccessful attempts.
And can we all agree that Fleury is an actual good goalie again? K thanx.
The Rangers in game 3 gave up 2 goals right after their powerplays expired. Everybody joked that these powerplays were starting to hurt them. Well in game 4 they actually gave up a short handed goal so, ya. They were.
The Penguins forced 25 Ranger turnovers and brutally outplayed the Rangers and went up in the series 3 games to 1.
Then came the turning point of the series. I know I'm going to come off as an asshole for saying this but it's the truth.
The turning point of this series was Martin St. Louis' mother passing away.
And the Rangers took the inspiration and it catapulted them to victories.
Game 5 was the complete opposite of game 4. With St. Louis playing emotional and with the Rangers riding along with that emotion, Henrik Lundqvist played incredible, they scored 5 goals (after scoring 5 in the first four games combined), had 17 shots in the first period (after having 15 in total in game 4) AND EVEN SCORED A POWERPLAY GOAL.
The New York Rangers were a completely different team that night.
Then came Mothers Day and I would have bet all of my life savings that St. Louis was going to score that night.
And of course he did.
Best moment of the playoffs, hands down.
St. Louis flew in his father and sister for Mothers Day and he scored the first of the night.
The Rangers went back to their old ways on the powerplay by going 0-6. But another complete team victory as they climbed back to force a game 7.
In game 7, we saw Brad Richards score a the game winning goal after last year's playoff debacle in which coach John Tortorella healthy scratched him in big games. The Rangers were the more passionate team and Henrik Lundqvsit stopped 102/105 shots in the 3 straight victories.
Bottom Line:
In game 4, the Rangers looked tired and terrible, mustering up just 15 shots on net and letting the Penguins have their way. A completely unmotivated team. In game 5 they came out flying.
Hmmmm what giant change occurred in this team?
Martin St. Louis' mother passed away.
Don't be ignorant. These things happen and players use it for inspiration. They needed something to change their play and used this.
Play of the Series:
Malkin had another nice 360 goal this series but this one showed great individual effort.
MINNESOTA WILD VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
I said Blackhawks in 6
Blackhawks won in 6
Game 1: Min 2 Chi 5
Game 2: Min 1 Chi 4
Game 3: Chi 0 Min 4
Game 4: Chi 2 Min 4
Game 5: Min 1 Chi 2
Game 6: Chi 2 Min 1 OT
A repeat of last year's Western Conference Quarterfinals, nobody was really giving Minnesota a chance. They were great on home ice versus a young, inexperienced Colorado team but the Blackhawks were going to show them who was boss.
Kane started out the series with a third period outburst that quieted the Wild's upset bid. Crawford and the penalty kill was very, very strong.
Bryan Bickell reminded us why we thought he was so good last year. After a mediocre season, he netted 1 goal and 2 assists in game 2 making it 7 points in 5 games for him.
The scores in the first two games showed a different story than what was taking place. The Wild WERE putting up a good fight but the Blackhawks eventually would open the floodgates and the game would get away from Minnesota.
But then they were going home for game 3.
Minnesota took control in game 3, not giving the Blackhawks not much room to work. They were hard on the forecheck and Ilya Bryzgalov played a great game in net. Through the first two rounds, Minnesota allowed just 3 goals in 4 games on home ice.
Minnesota showed yet again that they're a completely different team on home ice. After mustering up just 3 goals in the first 2 games of the series, they responded with 8 in the next two. The Xcel Energy Center just lights a spark under them and they skate harder and play better there.
Matt Cooke played his first game since his suspension and earned an assist.
But it's too bad they couldn't play the rest of the series there.
The Blackhawks changed their strategy of attack almost, to one of skillful play to one of grit and dirty goals. They're not the most gritty team out there but they realised they'd need to make this their form of attack if they wanted to score off this Minnesota team. So they scored twice from in the blue to take the series lead.
This also marked the only time in the second round that the team that trailed first went on to win.
In game 6 Minnesota nearly outplayed Chicago all night and it seemed that it would take a whacky bounce for the Hawks to win
It did.
The Wild played the Blackhawks closer then most people expected and you gotta show them respect for the solid performance.
Maybe they should consider working on winning games on the
road though (1-6 record)
Bottom Line:
The Wild were a nice young team to cheer for. They have many likeable players and their goaltending carousel was a fun story to follow with many inspirational tales. But as Ryan Lambert pointed out on Deadspin, the combination of Parise and Suter plus the young talent may not add up to a Stanley Cup after all.
Play of the Series:
I love the Erik Haula goal from the great feed by Fontaine in game 3, but I can't not go with the goal that started Kane's whole "Showtime" thing.
LOS ANGELES KINGS VS ANAHEIM DUCKS
I said Kings in 5
Kings won in 7
Game 1: Lak 3 Ana 2 OT
Game 2: Lak 3 Ana 1
Game 3: Ana 3 Lak 2
Game 4: Ana 2 Lak 0
Game 5: Lak 3 Ana 4
Game 6: Ana 1 Lak 2
Game 7 Lak 6 Ana 2
The Kings just love their elimination games, don't they.
A series after their historic comeback, the Kings yet again make a push late in the series making them 6-0 in elimination games this postseason.
This series was going to be huge for hockey in California as the 2 SoCal teams took centerstage.
Anaheim didn't feel like a road game for the Kings as the crowd erupted in cheers on the game tying goal by Marian Gaborik. Heck, if you look closely, it looks like Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf raises his hands in celebration also. Interesting.
Also, the Kings allowed as many goals in game 1 as they did in the last three games vs San Jose.
The Kings had their way with the Ducks in game 2 as the Ducks just couldn't figure out a way to get to Jonathan Quick. They all said they needed more traffic in front and more movement in the offensive zone.
Once again, the King fans flooded the gates in Anaheim.
Rookie goalie Frederik Andersen started game 3 for the Ducks after it appeared Jonas Hiller took over for good in the first round. Well, Andersen got hurt and was replaced by Hiller anyway who gave the Kings their first loss since April 22nd.
Next game we saw rookie goalie John Gibson start for the Ducks. Many remember Gibson from USA's World Juniors win from a year before. Now Gibson was starting just his fourth NHL game and his first in the playoffs.
And he was unflappable. Gibson shined, stopping all 28 shots, making him the youngest goalie to ever register a shutout in the playoffs at just 20 years and change.
The Kings pulled Quick in the second to try and spark a comeback. It almost worked as they outshot Anaheim 19-3 in the final two frames but just couldn't solve Gibson.
In game 5 we saw a better Anaheim secondary scoring than we thought they had. They pressured the Kings and scored 3 goals in a span of 7 minutes in the second period all on Kings mistakes.
However, the Ducks were outshot 14-2 in the third period, marking the second straight game that they were massively outplayed down the stretch. A bad sign of things to come.
The Kings came out to play in game 6 as they played a tight defensive game while playing a strong possession game as well. We saw Gibson's first weak goal surrendered and we were getting a game 7 climax between these 2 SoCal teams.
Anaheim once again sounded like a home game for the Kings as they piled on the goals early and often. It got so bad that the LA chants of "This is our house" were heard through the broadcasat. The Kings were the more experienced teams and jumped on the nervous Ducks, sending LA to their third straight conference finals.
Bottom Line:
The Kings were hot after the San Jose comeback and were too experienced of a team to surrender the series to Anaheim. These guys know what it takes to win the in the postseason and their 6-0 record in elimination games gives them the appearance that they can win at will.
Play of the Series
Remember the name Devante Smith-Pelley.
PREDICTIONS:
NEW YORK RANGERS VS MONTREAL CANADIENS
This is a kind of series where if either goaltender gets hot, the series is over. These two guys will go toe-to-toe for however long it will take for the other team to figure it out.
Montreal might be physically beat by Boston and might look worn down. Both teams are quick and like playing in transition. The Rangers have the edge defensively and might be able to stop the Montreal attack.
In the end, I like Montreal's depth and the way they've been playing. NewYork has been playing off emotion ever since the passing of Martin St. Louis' mother and there's no telling how they'll come out for game 1.
PK Subban and Carey Price have been hot and can keep it up. Home ice will be huge this series as it might go the distance.
CANADIENS IN 7
*important sidenote*
Okay, we all know that the Canadiens traded the rights of Ryan McDonagh to the Rangers for a package that included Scott Gomez. But if anybody brings that up during this series they get a punch in the face. It's the most beaten-to-death storyline that ever existed and the whole world is sick of hearing about it. Even Ranger fans.
Here's why:
MCDONAGH NEVER PLAYED A SINGLE GAME WITHIN THE MONTREAL ORGANIZATION.
Prospects like that get dealt all the time and just because this one became a star and Gomez sucked ass, doesn't mean we should constantly mention this mistake. Because it wasn't a mistake.
Thank you.
LOS ANGELES KINGS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
A rematch of last year. It's the skill of the Blackhawks vs the size and strength of the Kings.
Last year the skill was the Kung Fu that reigned supreme as the Kings couldn't stop the onslaught. There's no reason why we won't see the same thing this year. The Kings got down in 2 consecutive series igniting inspiring comebacks but there's no telling if they can keep that up. Crawford has been divine in net for the Hawks and this Chicago team is just too good to be denied another chance at the Cup.
BLACKHAWKS IN 6
Big lead changes, big upsets, bad blood, and great plays.
After an opening round in which we saw 10 multi-goal deficits erased, leading to wins, we saw a second round where teams that scored first went 26-1.
We almost saw a repeat of last year's conference final matchups with the Kings, Blackhawks, Penguins, and Bruins, but the Eastern Conference underdogs had something else in mind. The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers played inspired hockey and were able to pull the upset, making an interesting series out east.
MONTREAL CANADIENS VS BOSTON BRUINS
I predicted Canadiens in 6
Canadiens won in 7
Game 1: Mtl 4 Bos 3 2OT
Game 2: Mtl 3 Bos 5
Game 3: Bos 2 Mtl 4
Game 4: Bos 1 Mtl 0 OT
Game 5: Mtl 2 Bos 4
Game 6: Bos 0 Mtl 4
Game 7: Mtl 3 Bos 1
Montreal wasted no time in showing everyone why Boston got so frustrated when playing them. They sucker the Bruins into playing dirty hockey and then capitalise on the powerplay. They scored 2 powerplay goals thanks to the great play of PK Subban. Subban was booed all night and withstood racism afterwards but game 1 will be a game he won't soon forget.
Boston attempted 98 shots that game (30 of which blocked, another 30 missed the net) but couldn't beat Carey Price one last time for the win.
Thomas Vanek was signed by the Montreal Canadiens just to beat the Boston Bruins. Vanek is a noted Boston killer. With his former club, the Buffalo Sabres, Vanek accumulated 30 goals and 31 assists in 53 games against Boston. The Canadiens wanted a step up against the Bruins and snagged him at the end of the deadline.
Vanek had 2 powerplay goals in game 2, showing he was going to do what they hoped for. But the Bruins responded with 4 goals in the third, just two days after they had 3 goals in the third.
Montreal was electric on home ice in game 3 and catapulted to a 3-0 lead including a gorgeous kick save by Mike Weaver which led to a Dale Weise breakaway goal. Milan Lucic speared Alexei Emelin (again) proving to everyone, for the zillionth time, that he's a complete A-hole.
Matt Fraser ended a crazy goalie duel in overtime in game 4 in his first ever NHL game.
PK Subban was yet again surrounded in controversy late when Shawn Thornton sprayed him in the face DURING PLAY from the bench. Just in case you thought Bostonians were decent human beings yet, they're not.
Subban in game 5 scored an intense goal with just minutes to go on the powerplay. He was alone at the point and jumped while calling for the puck before lasering it in.
With a must win game on home ice, the Canadiens attack Boston early with their speed and it works to perfection. They scored on transition and Boston just couldn't keep up. David Krejci guaranteed he'd score his first of the playoffs that night but nobody was scoring off of Carey Price in game 6. The Bruins also hit their 10th post of the series that night, something which I tweeted about.
And that set up game 7.
Montreal sold out the Bell Centre in Montreal for the viewing party. The Canadiens gave them what they came for as the Canadiens once again agitated Boston with their speed and grit. Carey Price was money, Lucic threatened to murder someone then bitched about it, and PK Subban kissed Pierre McGuire.
Great night.
Bottom Line:
Montreal knew exactly how to play the Bruins. You let them throw their body around and you don't retaliate. Let them take the stupid penalties and then capitalise on the powerplay. They did this to perfection and in a series of speed vs size, speed was victorious.
Play of the Series:
NEW YORK RANGERS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
I predicted Rangers in 6
Rangers won in 7
Game 1: Nyr 3 Pit 2 OT
Game 2: Nyr 0 Pit 3
Game 3: Pit 2 Nyr 0
Game 4: Pit 4 Nyr 2
Game 5: Nyr 5 Pit 1
Game 6: Pit 1 Nyr 3
Game 7: Nyr 2 Pit 1
Pittsburgh continued their first round trend of coming back from down 2 but it wasn't enough as the Rangers pulled their best Chris Campoli impression as it appears that they scored twice in overtime. Derick Brassard was credited with the goal.
The Rangers powerplay woes continued in game 2 as they managed to go 0-3 on the pp just 7 minutes into the game. Despite being crowned with the "playoff choker" tag, Marc-Andre Fleury got the shutout and became the 17th goalie in NHL history to reach 50 playoff wins.
Game 3 was the Rangers 6th game in 9 nights because of the scheduling of Madison Square Garden. And although Alain Vigneault at first said it wasn't a problem, he later used it as an excuse after losing game 3.
Crosby got his first goal of the postseason and the Rangers got shut out for the first time in back-to-back playoff games since 1937 vs Detroit. The Rangers didn't score again on the powerplay, making it 34 straight unsuccessful attempts.
And can we all agree that Fleury is an actual good goalie again? K thanx.
The Rangers in game 3 gave up 2 goals right after their powerplays expired. Everybody joked that these powerplays were starting to hurt them. Well in game 4 they actually gave up a short handed goal so, ya. They were.
The Penguins forced 25 Ranger turnovers and brutally outplayed the Rangers and went up in the series 3 games to 1.
Then came the turning point of the series. I know I'm going to come off as an asshole for saying this but it's the truth.
The turning point of this series was Martin St. Louis' mother passing away.
And the Rangers took the inspiration and it catapulted them to victories.
The New York Rangers were a completely different team that night.
Then came Mothers Day and I would have bet all of my life savings that St. Louis was going to score that night.
And of course he did.
Best moment of the playoffs, hands down.
St. Louis flew in his father and sister for Mothers Day and he scored the first of the night.
The Rangers went back to their old ways on the powerplay by going 0-6. But another complete team victory as they climbed back to force a game 7.
In game 7, we saw Brad Richards score a the game winning goal after last year's playoff debacle in which coach John Tortorella healthy scratched him in big games. The Rangers were the more passionate team and Henrik Lundqvsit stopped 102/105 shots in the 3 straight victories.
Bottom Line:
In game 4, the Rangers looked tired and terrible, mustering up just 15 shots on net and letting the Penguins have their way. A completely unmotivated team. In game 5 they came out flying.
Hmmmm what giant change occurred in this team?
Martin St. Louis' mother passed away.
Don't be ignorant. These things happen and players use it for inspiration. They needed something to change their play and used this.
Play of the Series:
MINNESOTA WILD VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
I said Blackhawks in 6
Blackhawks won in 6
Game 1: Min 2 Chi 5
Game 2: Min 1 Chi 4
Game 3: Chi 0 Min 4
Game 4: Chi 2 Min 4
Game 5: Min 1 Chi 2
Game 6: Chi 2 Min 1 OT
A repeat of last year's Western Conference Quarterfinals, nobody was really giving Minnesota a chance. They were great on home ice versus a young, inexperienced Colorado team but the Blackhawks were going to show them who was boss.
Kane started out the series with a third period outburst that quieted the Wild's upset bid. Crawford and the penalty kill was very, very strong.
Bryan Bickell reminded us why we thought he was so good last year. After a mediocre season, he netted 1 goal and 2 assists in game 2 making it 7 points in 5 games for him.
The scores in the first two games showed a different story than what was taking place. The Wild WERE putting up a good fight but the Blackhawks eventually would open the floodgates and the game would get away from Minnesota.
But then they were going home for game 3.
Minnesota took control in game 3, not giving the Blackhawks not much room to work. They were hard on the forecheck and Ilya Bryzgalov played a great game in net. Through the first two rounds, Minnesota allowed just 3 goals in 4 games on home ice.
Minnesota showed yet again that they're a completely different team on home ice. After mustering up just 3 goals in the first 2 games of the series, they responded with 8 in the next two. The Xcel Energy Center just lights a spark under them and they skate harder and play better there.
Matt Cooke played his first game since his suspension and earned an assist.
But it's too bad they couldn't play the rest of the series there.
The Blackhawks changed their strategy of attack almost, to one of skillful play to one of grit and dirty goals. They're not the most gritty team out there but they realised they'd need to make this their form of attack if they wanted to score off this Minnesota team. So they scored twice from in the blue to take the series lead.
This also marked the only time in the second round that the team that trailed first went on to win.
In game 6 Minnesota nearly outplayed Chicago all night and it seemed that it would take a whacky bounce for the Hawks to win
It did.
The Wild played the Blackhawks closer then most people expected and you gotta show them respect for the solid performance.
Maybe they should consider working on winning games on the
road though (1-6 record)
Bottom Line:
I love the Erik Haula goal from the great feed by Fontaine in game 3, but I can't not go with the goal that started Kane's whole "Showtime" thing.
LOS ANGELES KINGS VS ANAHEIM DUCKS
I said Kings in 5
Kings won in 7
Game 1: Lak 3 Ana 2 OT
Game 2: Lak 3 Ana 1
Game 3: Ana 3 Lak 2
Game 4: Ana 2 Lak 0
Game 5: Lak 3 Ana 4
Game 6: Ana 1 Lak 2
Game 7 Lak 6 Ana 2
The Kings just love their elimination games, don't they.
A series after their historic comeback, the Kings yet again make a push late in the series making them 6-0 in elimination games this postseason.
This series was going to be huge for hockey in California as the 2 SoCal teams took centerstage.
Anaheim didn't feel like a road game for the Kings as the crowd erupted in cheers on the game tying goal by Marian Gaborik. Heck, if you look closely, it looks like Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf raises his hands in celebration also. Interesting.
Also, the Kings allowed as many goals in game 1 as they did in the last three games vs San Jose.
The Kings had their way with the Ducks in game 2 as the Ducks just couldn't figure out a way to get to Jonathan Quick. They all said they needed more traffic in front and more movement in the offensive zone.
Once again, the King fans flooded the gates in Anaheim.
Rookie goalie Frederik Andersen started game 3 for the Ducks after it appeared Jonas Hiller took over for good in the first round. Well, Andersen got hurt and was replaced by Hiller anyway who gave the Kings their first loss since April 22nd.
And he was unflappable. Gibson shined, stopping all 28 shots, making him the youngest goalie to ever register a shutout in the playoffs at just 20 years and change.
The Kings pulled Quick in the second to try and spark a comeback. It almost worked as they outshot Anaheim 19-3 in the final two frames but just couldn't solve Gibson.
In game 5 we saw a better Anaheim secondary scoring than we thought they had. They pressured the Kings and scored 3 goals in a span of 7 minutes in the second period all on Kings mistakes.
However, the Ducks were outshot 14-2 in the third period, marking the second straight game that they were massively outplayed down the stretch. A bad sign of things to come.
The Kings came out to play in game 6 as they played a tight defensive game while playing a strong possession game as well. We saw Gibson's first weak goal surrendered and we were getting a game 7 climax between these 2 SoCal teams.
Anaheim once again sounded like a home game for the Kings as they piled on the goals early and often. It got so bad that the LA chants of "This is our house" were heard through the broadcasat. The Kings were the more experienced teams and jumped on the nervous Ducks, sending LA to their third straight conference finals.
Bottom Line:
The Kings were hot after the San Jose comeback and were too experienced of a team to surrender the series to Anaheim. These guys know what it takes to win the in the postseason and their 6-0 record in elimination games gives them the appearance that they can win at will.
Play of the Series
PREDICTIONS:
NEW YORK RANGERS VS MONTREAL CANADIENS
This is a kind of series where if either goaltender gets hot, the series is over. These two guys will go toe-to-toe for however long it will take for the other team to figure it out.
Montreal might be physically beat by Boston and might look worn down. Both teams are quick and like playing in transition. The Rangers have the edge defensively and might be able to stop the Montreal attack.
In the end, I like Montreal's depth and the way they've been playing. NewYork has been playing off emotion ever since the passing of Martin St. Louis' mother and there's no telling how they'll come out for game 1.
PK Subban and Carey Price have been hot and can keep it up. Home ice will be huge this series as it might go the distance.
CANADIENS IN 7
*important sidenote*
Okay, we all know that the Canadiens traded the rights of Ryan McDonagh to the Rangers for a package that included Scott Gomez. But if anybody brings that up during this series they get a punch in the face. It's the most beaten-to-death storyline that ever existed and the whole world is sick of hearing about it. Even Ranger fans.
Here's why:
MCDONAGH NEVER PLAYED A SINGLE GAME WITHIN THE MONTREAL ORGANIZATION.
Prospects like that get dealt all the time and just because this one became a star and Gomez sucked ass, doesn't mean we should constantly mention this mistake. Because it wasn't a mistake.
Thank you.
LOS ANGELES KINGS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
A rematch of last year. It's the skill of the Blackhawks vs the size and strength of the Kings.
Last year the skill was the Kung Fu that reigned supreme as the Kings couldn't stop the onslaught. There's no reason why we won't see the same thing this year. The Kings got down in 2 consecutive series igniting inspiring comebacks but there's no telling if they can keep that up. Crawford has been divine in net for the Hawks and this Chicago team is just too good to be denied another chance at the Cup.
BLACKHAWKS IN 6
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