Hockey Falls Gazette

The Division Finals

We’re on to the Division Finals after a highly entertaining Round Two. Your clueless forecaster picked two out of the four eventual series winners, losing out on the Ottawa/New Jersey and picking San Jose. Once more "Big Joe" proved his mettle come springtime as the Sharks fell in six. He's put in a decade's worth of time in the NHL. Surely, only an idiot would have traded him for the package Boston received. However, it's getting to the stage where it's questionable to build a team around this guy.

As always, the difference in playoffs is goaltending. Ray Emery of the Senators stood the Devils on their ears while Martin Brodeur was uncharacteristically shaky when it counted. Right now, Ottawa appears to be this year’s Cinderella story.

The choices in this round will be tough to determine, because any of the four teams have a legitimate chance of moving forward. All it takes is a hot goalie and one of these teams could be hoisting the Cup in a few weeks.

(1) Buffalo vs (4) Ottawa: It’s great to see two great hockey towns battling it out for the Prince of Wales. On paper, Sabres are a better team overall. However, Ray Emery has the upper hand in goal. So, the burning question is how well Ryan Miller will perform in goal for Buffalo. Based on Buffalo’s season-long dominance in the East, and the overall talent disparity, look for Buffalo to take the series in six (could easily go the distance).

(1) Detroit vs (2) Anaheim: When will the NHL move Detroit (an Eastern Time Zone city) out of the Western Conference? The Red Wings are the modern day equivalent of those veteran talent-laded Cup teams of yore. Older guys like Stevie Y hang ‘em up and the Wings seem to reload without missing a beat (just like Bruins used to). The Ducks are no strangers to the dance either, having gone to the Finals a few years ago. Hockey purists may rightly believe that the Cup Final belongs in Hockeytown, not in Orange County. Brian Burke has built a powerhouse in Anaheim, he brought in Chris Pronger, who is eerily reminiscent of “Drago” the Russian robot who duked it out with Rocky. Red Wing fans are not going to agree, but from this perspective, experienced, talented youth generally prevails over experienced talent on the back nine of their careers. If Dominik Hasek is on the top of his game, he could literally steal the series for Detroit. That may happen. The more likely result is that the Ducks will take the series in six.