The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is in the books and while the Western Conference series went the way most pundits predicted they would, with the exception of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there were upsets all over the place in the East.

With that in mind let’s take a look at the second round matchups.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Pittsburgh (4) vs Montreal (8)

The only obstacle that would seem to be in the way of the Penguins making a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup finals would seem to be overconfidence. The Penguins have the most talent up and down their lineup by far out of the remaining four teams. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are playing like the superstars they are, Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin are giving the Pens the second line scoring they need to keep teams from keying to much on the aforementioned Crosby and Malkin. Just as important for Pittsburgh is that young blueliners Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski have stepped up their play in the playoffs alleviating some of the pressure from veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar. The question mark for Pittsburgh remains in net where Marc-Andre Fleury was less than inspiring with his play in the first round. Fleury had an average season and can probably get by in this series with being average as well, but sooner or later he will need to step up his play. As for the Canadiens, they are where they are for two reasons. First, goaltender Jaroslav Halak was simply outstanding, stopping everything the Capitals threw at him. This goes for his defenders to who sacrificed their bodies to block a truck load of shots. Second, the Montreal penalty killing was on fire, only allowing one power play goal in the series. The Canadiens will need Halak and their penalty killing to be just as good versus Pittsburgh if they wish to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

Pittsburgh in six.

Boston (6) versus Philadelphia (7)

No one can be more shocked than the Bruins that they will have home ice advantage in the second round of the playoffs. A sixth seed is just not supposed to have that, but that’s how the dominoes fell. The Bruins relied on goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has played outstanding since the Olympic break to get them this far and there is no reason for them to stop riding that horse now. Even better news for the Bruins is that their best offensive player, Marc Savard, may be ready to return to action after being out over a month with post-concussion syndrome. Savard could give the Bruins the offensive jump they will need to fight their way past Philadelphia. While the Bruins are getting healthier, the Flyers will limp into the second round, and I do mean limp as they will be without Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne who both suffered broken bones in their foot in the first round. What makes the injuries even more painful is that both players were hurt due to shots by their own teammate, Chris Pronger. While Gagne may be able to return if the series were to go the distance, Carter may not be able to return unless the Flyers make the cup finals. The story for the Flyers has been the play of goaltender Brian Boucher. He was terrible during the regular season, but outplayed future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur during the first round, to help the Flyers eliminate the Devils in five games. One would think the Bruins wouldn’t pose as big a challenge, but one would also think that Boucher could turn back into a pumpkin at any moment.

Philadelphia in seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose (1) versus Detroit (5)

The Sharks were able to shake off the first round bug a boos in their six game victory over the Avalanche. Now comes the real test. When you think about the Sharks and their playoff problems, you worry about goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. He has often come up small in big games. He struggled in the first couple of games against Colorado, even allowing a game winning goal in overtime that was shot into his net by his own teammate, but he was able to shake it off and come back strong to lead the Sharks to a first round victory. Another question for the Sharks is the play of their top line. Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau had an incredible first season together but were close to invisible in the first round, leaving the scoring to second liners Devin Setoguchi, Joe Pavelski, and Ryan Clowe, this won’t due in the second round. As for the Red Wings they have questions in net themselves. Jimmy Howard had a great season for Detroit after being named the starter over Chris Osgood in November, but he is still a rookie, and had a few shaky moments versus the Coyotes in round one. The Sharks are a much better offensive team than the Coyotes and will make Howard pay if he is not at the top of his game. The good news for Detroit however is that three veterans, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Niklas Lidstrom, who had so-so regular seasons, have come up big so far in the postseason.

San Jose in seven.

Chicago (2) versus Vancouver (3)

Chicago has the same problem as Detroit when it comes to goaltending, a rookie goalie in net who had his ups and downs in round one. Antti Niemi was the big question for the Hawks, and after allowing a bouncing puck to beat him in Game 1 of the conference quarterfinals, he rebounded nicely to prove to the team and himself that he can handle the pressure of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The return of defensive leader Brian Campbell to the lineup was also a boost to a Chicago blueline that had missed the veteran defender ever since his injury suffered at the hands of Alexander Ovechkin a couple of months ago. Campbell got the last laugh however as Ovechkin’s Capitals were sent home on Wednesday, while he gets to play on. The Canucks will need Roberto Luongo to be the Luongo of old if they want to continue on their path to the cup. The Blackhawks are a talented offensive team and will put plenty of rubber at the net, while the Canucks are a much improved offensive team over past years; they don’t have the depth of Chicago and will need Luongo to be at his best. Something he hasn’t been all season long.

Chicago in six.

Tags: Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy NHL, Hockey, NHL, NHL Fantasy Hockey