Bmwolf21 Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Eastern Conference No. 1 Montreal vs. No. 6 Philadelphia SERIES SCHEDULE Game 1: April 24 @ Montreal; 7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS Game 2: April 26 @ Montreal; 7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS Game 3: April 28 @ Philadelphia; 7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS Game 4: April 30 @ Philadelphia; 7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS Game 5: May 3 @ Montreal*; 7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS GAME 6: May 4 @ Philadelphia*; 7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS GAME 7: May 6 @ Montreal*; 7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS * if necessary CRYSTAL BALL Montreal will win if -- It gets its power play untracked. Montreal was dominant with the man advantage during the regular season, finishing with a League-best 24.3-percent conversion rate. But Montreal had just three power-play goals against Boston, explaining in large part why it couldn't put away the less-talented Bruins in less than seven games. Philadelphia has been known to take a few penalties and Montreal must make the Flyers pay. Philadelphia will win if -- It continues to go hard to the net. The Flyers made life miserable for Cristobal Huet in the first round by crashing his crease at every turn and putting traffic in front of him at all times. You're not going to score too many pretty goals on Carey Price, so the Flyers will have to put on their work clothes and absorb punishment to get the dirty, in-close goals that changed the face of the first-round series. No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. No. 5 New York Rangers SERIES SCHEDULE Game 1: April 25 @ Pittsburgh; 7:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC Game 2: April 27 @ Pittsburgh; 2 p.m. ET, NBC, VERSUS Game 3: April 29 @ NY Rangers; 7:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC Game 4: May 1 @ NY Rangers; 7:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC Game 5: May 4 @ Pittsburgh*; 2 p.m. ET, NBC, VERSUS GAME 6: May 5 @ NY Rangers*; 7:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC GAME 7: May 7 @ Pittsburgh*; TBD, CBC * if necessary CRYSTAL BALL Pittsburgh will win if ? It plays to its strengths. The Penguins may be young, but they are loaded with talent at every key position. There's a reason they were the Atlantic Division champs and finished five points ahead of the Rangers. Pittsburgh needs to dictate the matchups and play its style, not get sucked into countering what the Rangers try to do. It's also advisable to keep Sean Avery as disinterested as possible. New York will win if ? It can counter Pittsburgh's scoring depth. The Rangers were so successful in the first round because they were able to shut down New Jersey's offensive threats. But in reality, New Jersey's offensive talent was centralized on one line. The Penguins have two legitimate scoring lines and a third line that can be dangerous, as well. Will the Rangers be able to handle that unrelenting attack-zone pressure? Western Conference No. 1 Detroit vs. No. 6 Colorado SERIES SCHEDULE Game 1: April 24 @ Detroit; 7:30 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN Game 2: April 26 @ Detroit; 3 p.m. ET, NBC, TSN Game 3: April 29 @ Colorado; 10 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN Game 4: May 1 @ Colorado; 10 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN Game 5: May 3 @ Detroit*; 1 p.m. ET, NBC, TSN GAME 6: May 5 @ Colorado*; 10 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN GAME 7: May 7 @ Detroit*; TBD, TSN * if necessary CRYSTAL BALL Detroit will win if -- It stays patient. There will be valleys in this series, which will be played at an emotional pitch. Detroit must weather these setbacks and lulls without becoming too emotionally invested, much in the same way it survived a rough patch in the first round against Nashville. Detroit's talent should be allowed to tell the tale here. Colorado will win if -- It gets superior goaltending from Jose Theodore. Nashville's Dan Ellis put a healthy scare into the Wings in the first round by standing on his head and stealing back-to-back games. Theodore is a better ? and more experienced ? goalie than Ellis. He stole the last two games in the first round against Minnesota and is playing his best hockey in years. No. 2 San Jose vs. No. 5 Dallas SERIES SCHEDULE Game 1: April 25 @ San Jose; 10:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN Game 2: April 27 @ San Jose; 9:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN Game 3: April 29 @ Dallas; 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN Game 4: April 30 @ Dallas; 9:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN (JIP) Game 5: May 2 @ San Jose*; 10:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN GAME 6: May 4 @ Dallas*; 9:00 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN GAME 7: May 6 @ San Jose*; 10:00 p.m., TSN * if necessary CRYSTAL BALL San Jose will win if ? It uses its size and speed to chip away at Dallas the way it did against the Flames. If Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau can continue to contribute on the score sheet, the Stars will have a difficult time keeping up with San Jose's high-powered attack. The Sharks also must establish themselves quickly on home ice ? which Anaheim failed to do against the Stars in the first round. Dallas will win if ? The Stars' defense can find a way to keep San Jose's large forwards away from the goal mouth. If Joe Thornton, Ryane Clowe and Marleau are allowed within three feet of the net, Dallas will be in deep trouble. But if the Stars stand their ground ? and if Sergei Zubov can get healthy and contribute on special teams ? Dallas may pull off another upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted April 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Interesting column on ESPN.com - 10 Burning Questions for the Second Round... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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