Round 3

If the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have proven anything, it's that I really suck at picking the winners of these series.  I said that Pekka Rinne might single-handedly win the Cup for the Predators.  So much for that.  I thought the Kings had absolutely no chance against the Canucks.  Or the Blues.  All they did was go 8-1 against the two best teams in the Western Conference.  Phoenix?  I can't be the only person who didn't see that one coming.

Even though I'm probably going to be way off once again, I'm going to keep at this picking the series winner thing.  And I don't think I'm going out on too far of a limb to say that it'll be a New York-area team against a team from the West Coast in the Finals.  (I also love it how both matchups are two teams from the same division, offering further proof that the playoff format proposed by the NHL earlier this year before it was vetoed by the players was incredibly stupid.)

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Rangers vs. Devils-The last time the Rangers played the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals was 1994.  That, of course, is a year us Rangers fans hold near and dear to our hearts.  That one went seven, with Stephane Matteau scoring the memorable series-clinching goal at the Garden in double overtime.  Hopefully this series will be as memorable as that one.

After back-to-back Game 7's, I have a new approach towards them.  I'm completely fine with the Rangers playing four Game 7's at the Garden.  Win them all and Ryan Callahan is skating around the Garden ice with a big silver Cup.  As long as you get 16 wins, what difference does it make how many losses you have?

One of the reasons I've made my peace with a Game 7 is because I think there's a very strong possibility this series will have one.  Against the Flyers, Martin Brodeur looked like the Martin Brodeur of 10 years ago, when he was in his prime and the Devils were winning three Stanley Cups in nine years.  Henrik Lundqvist, meanwhile, has been the best goalie in the NHL all season, and it's not as if he's been a slouch in the playoffs.  He is, after all, 2-0 in Game 7's.

But the goalies aren't the only reason I see this series going seven.  Any series between bitter division rivals is destined to be a long one.  These teams know each other so well, and since they're in such a close proximity, they hear about (and see) each other all the time.  (Think about it, all 228 hockey games involving the three New York teams were televised, giving them each plenty of opportunity to scout.)

The Rangers have been winning because of their defense.  The offense is dynamic, but hasn't really clicked beyond the Gaborik-Richards-Hagelin line.  They'll need to continue that solid defensive game against Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalcuk and Co.  The Devils offense has been slightly better thru two rounds, but I think that Rangers defense is the X-factor.  And if it goes seven, that crowd at Madison Square Garden will be the difference.  When these two met in the Eastern Conference Finals 18 years ago, the Rangers won a classic series en route to the Cup.  With the way these playoffs have gone for the Blueshirts, I like the chances of history repeating itself.  Rangers in seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE: Coyotes vs. Kings-That whole "Pekka Rinne might single-handedly win the Stanley Cup" thing is now moot.  Change "Pekka Rinne" to "Jonathan Quick."  Because the play of Jonathan Quick is the only conceivable reason I can think of as to why the Kings dispatched of both the Canucks and Blues so easily.  However, I also think this could simply be a case of a team peaking at the right time.  Every year, you see a lower-seeded team make a deep run into the playoffs, sometimes leading all the way to the Finals.  The LA Kings are certainly that team this year.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes have been just as much of a surprise.  They won a grand total of two playoff series during their entire time as Winnipeg Jets 1.0.  Both of those came against Calgary.  Coming into this season, they'd won a grand total of zero playoff series since moving to Phoenix.  Now they've gone and won two rounds to move into the Conference Finals for the first time ever.  The reason?  Their goalie, Mike Smith.  I don't want to give Smith all the credit, since the offense has been very good, as well, but he outplayed Pekka Rinne in the Nashville series.  The Coyotes have also been one of the luckiest teams I've ever seen in a playoff year.  Four of their eight wins in the first two rounds came in overtime.

So now we're left with one of the most unexpected Conference Finals matchups ever.  Either the Kings' run or the Coyotes' run has to end here.  (Sidebar: it's great to see people actually in the stands in Phoenix.  Sidebar No. 2: the Kings, Lakers and Clippers all hosting Games 3, 4 and 6 will really cause some scheduling headaches for both the NHL and NBA.)  I honestly have no idea how this series is going to play out.  The Kings are riding a ton of momentum and are clearly the hottest team in hockey.  Plus, LA's a very underrated offensive team that has really come into its own during the playoffs.  But I just can't count Phoenix.  That offense is way too good, and it would be so great to see Shane Doan finally get a chance to play for the Cup.  He deserves it.  The Coyotes want to give Doan that chance, and that just might be enough to push Phoenix over the edge.

But I like the Kings.  I don't know what it is about this team, but they easily beat the top two seeds in the West.  The winners of the Central and Northwest Divisions didn't seem to provide much of a challenge.  For some reason, I don't think the winners of the Pacific Division will, either.  Go ahead and call me crazy, but I'm jumping on that Kings bandwagon.  They haven't been to the Finals since Gretzky.  I think that changes within the next two weeks.  Kings in six.