Round Two, Welcome.

So I went 1-7 in the first round. Honestly, I think 0-8 would have looked a bit better- at least miss the mark completely, ya know? But thank God for the Chicago Blackhawks, that's all I have to say. Anyway, the matchups for Round Two look like this:

Eastern Conference

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Montreal

After a crazy Game 7 upset of No.1 seeded Washington, the Habs take on yet another offensive powerhouse in the Penguins. Unlike the Caps, this Pittsburgh team is unafraid to score by any means necessary- though they will have to contend with monster shot-blockers and a stone wall in net by the name of Jaroslav Halak, which is what they were able to avoid in the first round against Ottawa. They start off tonight at 7.

(6) Boston vs. (7) Philadelphia

Now this is going to be good. After knocking off the number 3 and 2 seeds, respectively, these two teams match up in what will surely be a rough-and-tumble kind of series. Should be interesting. Though the Bruins have gotten some rest, the Flyers have been kicking back for about a week or two now since handily disposing of the NJ Devils in five. Also an interesting goalie duel- Tuukka Rask vs. Brian Boucher.


Western Conference

(1) San Jose vs. (5) Detroit- SJ leads, 1-0

So, these two teams have already started business, with San Jose just getting by with a 4-3 win last night thanks to two goals by Joe Pavelski (including the game-winner). The Red Wings have gone straight into this series after winning Game 7 against the Coyotes 6-1. Look for fatigue to be a factor.

(2) Chicago vs. (3) Vancouver

There's already some bad blood between these two teams, stemming back (I believe) from last year's playoffs in which the Hawks dispatched the Canucks in the second round, 4 games to 2. With an incredibly strong team this season, Vancouver will look to exact revenge- though much of that rests on the pads of one Roberto Luongo. He'll have to be dynamite against the hot offense that Chicago has.

Kick back, relax and enjoy the semi-finals- one step closer to finding out which team will hoist the Stanley Cup. (And as long as it's not Pittsburgh or Detroit, we'll be juuuust fine. :D)