The Puck Stops Here

The semi-finals are upon us and I will make my predictions. In the second round I went 2-2 which combined with my first round predictions gives me a record of 7-5, which is acceptable, but not particularly wonderful. Here are the semi-final predictions:

Detroit Red Wings defeat Dallas Stars Detroit is the team to beat in the playoffs this year. They have a talented team that has played very well. They have only been stronger since switching goalies from Hasek to Osgood. Dallas is a surprise team that did a lot of the "heavy lifting" for Detroit by eliminating Anaheim and San Jose, but they are not a team that has the talent to have a great chance at a trip to the finals. Look for Detroit to end Dallas's run.

Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Philadelphia Flyers The battle of Pennsylvania series is a surprise for the East Final. Philadelphia is not a strong playoff team. They have survived largely on the strong goaltending of Martin Biron. Look for that to not be enough to stop the high octane Pittsburgh firepower built around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.