2010 NHL Playoff Predictions: Semi Finals

Well, I went 5/8 in the quarter finals. I was not expecting any upsets in the Eastern Conference, with the top teams being such power houses full of offensive skill, great goaltending, and talent. The under dog teams in the East showed resilience and determination. You could sense that some of the top teams did not know what it took to win, take for example Ian Laperriere's blocked shot, which required 50-60 stitches above the eye.

So, which team now has the better chance winning their series? (Note, I have made these predictions before this post, but I was too busy to post this). Let's start in the Western Conference.

[1]San Jose Sharks vs. [5]Detroit Red Wings
The Sharks disposed of the Avalanche in six games and were well prepared for the Wings, especially in game 1. San Jose must continue to count on scoring by committee, because I am still unsure about Nabakhov's ability to win a game. Can Nabakhov play well with the Red Wing's net presence? Holmstrom and Franzen will drive and screen the net, making his life miserable. I do not believe the Avs tested him in this area, but we will see how he prevails.

On the other side of the coin, no matter where the Wings are in the standings, I do not think they will ever be the under dog. The Wings faced the surprising Coyotes in the first round, but only in game 7 did they seem to step up their game. The Red Wings success will stem from rookie goalie Howard and the Wings offensive talent.

Both teams are so evenly matched that I believe this series will go to game 7. It is very hard to figure out who will win this, but I believe the Wings know-how to win will give them a slight edge. Wings in 7. Expect a high-scoring series as well.

[2]Chicago Black Hawks vs. [3]Vancouver Canucks

Last year, Vancouver was eliminated by Chicago in the semi-finals and how fitting that the two teams will face each other again in this year's playoffs. Luongo had told Kane in the Olympics when shaking hands at the end of the gold medal game, "See you in the playoffs." Luongo admitted it was a spur of the moment thing, but funny how fate works. We must now wait and see how this series turns out and if the Canucks can finally reach the third round, something they have not achieved since 1997.

The Black Hawks questions in goaltending were answered, temporarily, in the previous series. However, it was clear that Niemi was not playing at a Stanley Cup Champion calibre. He allowed weak goals, and was unable to make the timely save. Niemi can prove the doubters wrong by shutting down the Vancouver Canucks offensive talent. Secondary scoring will be required for Chicago to move on and getting in front of the net will pay dividends in the series. Vancouver's large defensive core will have their work cut out moving guys like Byfuglien, who loves going to the net, evidenced by last year's performance against Luongo.

The Canucks don't have much to worry about. Good offense, good defense, and good goaltending. Luongo has been able to step up his game, but his inconsistency has been a problem this year. He has allowed almost 4 goals a game against the Hawks this year and if that is to continue, the Canucks will be shown out the door.

Another series that will go down in seven, but I select the Hawks to triumph again over the Canucks. I'm going to select over in this series as well.

[4]Pittsburgh Penguins vs. [8]Montreal Canadiens
Wow! What an underdog story. The Habs beat the Capitals in 7 games, and did it trailing 3 games to 1. The Habs have a good shot at making the Finals if they can dispel the Penguins. The remaining two Eastern teams are ranked 6th and 7th. In 2006, the Oilers were able to make it to the finals when the top four teams were eliminated in the first round, allowing them an easier route, but an impressive run nonetheless.

The Penguins have it all. Scoring from three lines, hard working players like Guerin, a proven goalie, and a strong defensive core. There isn't much the Penguins need to do differently against the Habs, except beat Halak.

The Habs success will only continue of Halak has a strong performance. He did not do well in game 1 of this series, but rebounded in game 2. However, the Habs have lost significant man-power on the back-end, with Markov out most likely for the rest of the season. Subban, Begeron, and O'Byrne will need to rise to the occasion and allow this team to succeed.

This series will go the distance, with the Pens winning game 7. I believe that the fatigue will set in for the Habs and their back-end will not hold against Crosby, Malkin, and Staal.

[6]Boston Bruins vs. [7]Philadelphia Flyers
With the Eastern division leaders all eliminated, what's left? Two mediocre teams that won with grit, heart, and determination. I am a huge Flyers fan, so it pains me to say this, but the Flyers have almost no chance with half their all-stars gone.

The Bruins got some good news in the return of Savard, and how fitting if Savard can play against the Penguins in the Conference Finals and do some damage to Cooke? The Bruins offense will improve drastically with the addition of Savard. Rask must continue to play strong and Chara just has to be himself.

The Flyers have a strong core as well, but without three good forwards, their days are numbered. I would love to see the Flyers win, but Boucher may not be able to out dual Rask. You can only beat the best goalies so many times without run support.

I am not confident the Flyers offense will be strong enough to beat Rask, and Savard's return is both a moral win and offensive uprising. Sadly, I predict the Bruins in 7.

The great thing about all the series is that they will be extremely close, and one laps in the brain could change the respective series. Don't be surprised if all my predictions were wrong, because one mistake changed the momentum in game 4, or a lucky bounce won the triple OT of a game 6. For now, let's just leave it at that and get ready for round 2. The games shown already have all been good to watch.