It's now down to four teams left in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Two of the second round series were rather lacklustre, with the two Western semis creating the most interest. After being taken to the mat in the opening round by Chicago, Vancouver had another tough time dispatching Nashville to the off-season. And, the seven game barnburner between San Jose and Detroit was close to being a classic.
Look for the Sharks to have benefitted from that tough series with the boys from Motown as they will be ready to take on the Canucks. Vancouver has had a great year, but its an overall consistency that has seemed to bog down in the post-season. I'm thinking this has the makings of a real battle for the Western conference title, and I think the Sharks will prevail.
The Eastern face-off between Boston and Tampa could be just as good. The Bruins are deep, and the Lightning is one of the hardest-working teams on the ice. Goaltending is going to be the key, and I like Boston's Tm Thomas over veteran Dwayne Roloson.
Three series left, until we have a new Stanley Cup champion, and that means almost another month of hockey.