One Round Down...Three To Go!!!

That was a pretty exciting first round. I could've done without the hockey marathon between Vancouver and Dallas but it was a good finish. With the Vancouver win I was 6 and 2 with my predictions. I lost with my Minnesota pick and, of course my Penguins pick. Not too shabby.

Some notes worth mentioning from the 1st round.

• Mikka Kiprusoff - in the six games against Detroit he faced 255 shots. That's an average of 42 per game!!! He let in 16 goals during that span and without him the Flames wouldn't have won the 2 games they took at home!!! He kept them in every game...if anyone deserves a raise it's this kid!!!
• Sidney Crosby - Anyone want to guess how many Stanley Cup rings this boy will have before he retires??? I'm guessing he'll be in the 5 or 6 range before he's done. This man-child played with the heart and determination of a true competitor. I don't care what Don Cherry says Sidney is one of the most dynamic players in the league. His future is very bright and so is the Canadian Hockey program.
• Anton Volchenkov - The Human Wall. This guy will do whatever it takes to block shots and find a way to deliver a body-crunching clean hit to the unsuspecting. He laid so many pastings on Gary Roberts that I'm sure Gary is still looking over his shoulder while he reaches for his 9-Iron!!!

There's probably many more highlights that I'm missing but those are the ones that stand-out for me. I can only remember so much!!!

Let me know what some of your highlights were!!!

So, as promised, here are my predictions for round # 2...

In the East

The New York Rangers vs The Buffalo Sabres (NY in 6) - The battle of New York State continues into round 2. After Buffalo dumped the Islanders in 5 games they're now facing another cross-state rival. The Rangers won't be as easy as the Islanders however. Buffalo will have a tough time with these guys. This promises to be a very exciting series as the offence on both teams are very exciting and their goaltending is very solid. The Rangers are tougher than they have been in the past and they won't give the Sabres too much room to showcase their fine passing skills. There will be alot of Buffalo turnovers that will more-often-than-not lead to goals. I'm picking the Rangers in 6.

The Ottawa Senators vs The New Jersey Devils (Ott in 7) - I was extremely impressed and surprised to see how the Senators played against the Penguins. They were hitting with passion, they were getting goals from just about anybody, and Ray Emery was solid in goal. I was still waiting for them to play a heartless game but they came to play every night. I think they have what it takes to beat the Devils this time. I think they will probably lose the 1st game in NJ but they will get their legs and fight back to get the split before coming home for game 3. The Devils are a pretty solid team and won't go down easy but I think the depth and determination of the Sens will win in the end...Ottawa in 7!!!

In The West

The Vancouver Canucks vs The Anaheim Ducks (ANA 4) - Two words...BRIAN BURKE!!! Burke used to the GM in Vancouver...he's now the GM in Anaheim. He was fired by Vancouver so he wants to take them out!!! Also worth noting is that Vancouver just finished a marathon series with Dallas. Three games went to overtime with the first one being decided in the 4th overtime...they get a day-off today and they're back at it tomorrow night. They'll be done in 4!!!

The Detroit Red Wings vs The San Jose Sharks (Det in 6) - The Red Wings are too powerful and they're not showing any signs of slowing down. I think the Sharks will keep it interesting and close but they can't match the talent on this Red Wings organization. This team will be in the Stanley Cup final and may even take the whole thing. You have no idea how much that hurt me to say that...I'm definitely not a Red WIngs fan!!!

So that's my picks for round 2...let me know what you think...let me know if you agree or if you think I'm full of it!!!

Good luck on your pools...you can't hold me financially responsible if you lose.

Keep it real...

CHEERS!!!

The Rokpig