First Round Predictions Wrap-Up
The first round is officially over with tonight’s game. Let’s see how my predictions did:
Buffalo vs. NY Islanders
My prediction: Buffalo in 5
Result: Buffalo in 5
Exactly as expected. Rick DiPietro came back earlier than I expected and helped draw out the series, but not much. Tim Conolly makes Buffalo even deeper, something I would have sworn was not possible.
New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay
My prediction: New Jersey in 4
Result: New Jersey in 6
Tampa gave the Devils more trouble than they should have, probably because New Jersey failed to put pressure and expose the weak Tampa blueline. Oh, and Holmqvist played great, which came out of nowhere. Still, the end result shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Atlanta vs. NY Rangers
My prediction: Rangers in 6
Result: Rangers in 4
Who could have predicted Hartley would play musical chairs with his goatenders, or that Hossa and Kovalchuk would disappear so completely? With the way Lundqvist played in the second half of the season, I was expecting the Rangers to have little trouble here, but the sweep certainly surprised me.
Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
My prediction: Ottawa in 7
Result: Ottawa in 5
The youngsters had more trouble than expected getting their play up to another level, and the Senators are better than I thought they were. If Mike Comrie keeps up his play, he adds another level of depth to this team that so far seems determined to end their tradition of playoff failure.
Detroit vs. Calgary
My prediction: Calgary in 7
Result: Detroit in 6
I suppose I should have realized just how bad Calgary was on the road. I’m still not convinced about Detroit riding Hasek all the way but I do think I’ll have to take a closer look at Detroit heading into round 2.
Anaheim vs. Minesota
My Prediction: Anaheim in 6
Result: Anaheim in 5
Minnesota just isn’t deep enough to take on the Ducks. I figured they would have stolen a second game, but Anaheim just rolled over them. I didn’t get to see as much of this series as I would have liked.
Vancouver vs. Dallas
My prediction: Vancouver in 5
Result: Vancouver in 7
Marty Turco proved me wrong and matched Roberto Luongo save for save, but it still wasn’t enough. In some ways that’s almost worse than knowing Turco just doesn’t have it in the second season. However, I think Dallas fans can breathe a sigh of relief over their starting netminder. Unfortunately, he won’t get a second chance for another year.
Nashville vs. San Jose
My Prediction: Nashville in 7
Result: San Jose in 5
The series that surprised me the most, both in terms of result and length. Nashville never came together as a group, and San Jose’s big, strong forwards punished their opponents relentlessly. Nabokov was absolutely stunning.