NHL Playoffs Round 3
Published May 19, 2006
OK, I'm now 8-4 for the playoffs, since Edmonton has shown they have a lot more resilience than I thought. So now it's time for my predictions — who's going to the Finals?
In the East:
Sabres/Hurricanes: This is going to be a fun series. Lots of scoring, fast-paced — definately a seven-game series. I'm going to go against conventional wisdom on this one and go with Buffalo in seven. Buffalo has shown they can hang with teams that have a deeper bench than they have.
In the West:
Ducks/Oilers: I should go with Edmonton in this one; after all, they've shown me up twice so far in the playoffs. This is going to be a rough series with hard-hitting, checking defenses for both teams. And we saw what having an extended break did for Jersey in the last round, so Anaheim should be an underdog. But I'm still picking the Ducks in this one. They're 7-1 in their last 8 games, including an impressive series against Calgary. Edmonton reminds me of all those cartoons I watched as a kid, where the Coyote would run off a cliff, and just keep running and running until someone pointed out to him that he couldn't fly. I see Anaheim pointing down to the Oilers in this round. Anaheim in six.
So I'm predicting a Sabres/Ducks Stanley Cup Final. And I'll tell you who's going to win that one in a few days.
Let the flame-fest commence!
- NHL Playoffs Round 3
- Published: May 19, 2006
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sports
- Filed Under: Sports: Hockey
- Writer: Warren Kelly
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- Warren Kelly's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
I agree with you RJ.
-The Ducks don't have a great record when playing the Oilers and I don't know if they can match the grit that Peca, Smyth and Pronger inject into the Oilers' line-up.
-And Buffalo, well they blew past my team (Ottawa) and made them look like a group of Junior B cast-offs. They did it by playing a complete team game and I really can't find any reason to want to hate these guys! Damn! I don't think Carolina can stop this team.
Oilers in 5. The Ducks have an atrocious record against Edmonton and haven't won in Rexall Place since 1999. Furthermore, the Ducks, just like the Sharks have a lot of rookies that they rely on and the Oilers made them pay for that kind of reliance on suspect rookies. See the thing is that Anaheim faced no real adversity so far this year just like San Jose and they'll lose the series because of it. If you think that the 7 game series against Calgary was adversity then you're dreaming. Why? Because Calgary CAN'T SCORE and they couldn't score all year and we all know how easily the Avalanche folded. The Oilers will both score and remain resilient. We've fried the Wings and followed it up with some seafood, now it's time for some fried duck. Oil in 5
Pronger is one of the greatest playoff performers I've ever seen. If he doesn't get into the HoF, it's a damn shame...
It's still a long road ahead, but Sabres 1-0 is a step in the right direction. I know that Montreal went up 2-0, so I'll keep the champagne chilled.
I hope RJ contines his 50% pace, and we get Sabres v Ducks so I can go to a couple of Stanley Cup games at the Pond.
Well, if the Ducks are going to win, it's going to be in seven. I have this feeling I'm going to be wrong on that one ...
Now I'm 8-5. Congrats to the Oilers, especially their defense. Outshot all the way through, but the Ducks couldn't get enough into the net. phenom had it pegged.
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My record through these playoffs so far is 6-6, I think. In other words, pretty bad.
But, what the hell. I'll keep going.
Buffalo in 6
Oilers in 6