Buffalo vs. PhillyBuffalo comes storming into the post season while the Flyers have bottomed out and crossed the finish line skidding flat on their faces.
Some might explain the Flyers' recent slump by reasoning that Philly was just in cruise control for the past 20 or so games. Be that as it may, it does not excuse or explain such a dismal performance down the stretch. Even if they were in cruise control I feel that they should have performed better considering the soft schedule they had during this period. This looks more like an implosion of sorts. I see this Flyers team entering the post season with negative momentum and nothing really working for them. While they can obviously be a very dangerous team, as seen in the first three quarters of the season, I'm not convinced that they are in that space right now.
Buffalo has done the opposite of Philadelphia having started off slowly and turned it on down the stretch. They have played winning hockey when it has been needed and they enter this post season with momentum and confidence.
On paper these two teams match up well although I'll give Buffalo the edge in the goaltending department. My bet is that Buffalo will catch Philly phlat phooted.
My series pick: Buffalo +140ish-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nashville vs. AnaheimOk. I'll admit it, I'm a Canucks fan and as a Canucks fan it was the Ducks that I wanted to avoid in the first round. These guys are dangerous, tough and have all the components needed to make a bit of a playoff run. Nashville will have their hands full with the likes of Getzlaf, Perry and Moses' old buddy Teemu Selanne.
One stat that I have a hard time ignoring is that Nashville has fared very well against Anaheim having won 3 of 4 this season. In fact, a couple nice Anaheim streaks were stopped at the hands of the Preds.
Goaltending will be a big factor and I'm going to give the edge to the Preds. Pekka Rinne has been lights out this year and is one of the biggest factors in Nashville's success.
This is going to be a great series and I expect a strong performance from Rinne and the Preds. The thing is, I expect that Anaheim will physically wear the Preds down over the course of the series and the Anaheim snipers will prevail. Look for a few Pred players to not go the distance in this series.
My series pick: Anaheim -125ishI also love the Sharks but not the price.
Good Luck on all of your picks.