SECOND ROUND
Well that first-round was absolutely amazing. We have three more rounds to go! We hit a couple picks which was nice, since the clear majority of the hockey community whiffed on most everything. Let’s try and get some more right in round two.
Boston v. Columbus – Boston played a back-and-forth seven game series with Toronto, while Columbus has been off for a week since their sweep of Tampa. This newsletter will be released right before game 1, so I know it might be hard to get that bet in, but try. I have a side. I will say this: teams coming off a long break after a sweep have generally not performed as well as expected. With that in mind, I believe in this Columbus team. Their strength was clear against Tampa Bay, and while the Lightning did indeed collapse, at least half that victory was attributed to the Jackets’ ability to contain Tampa’s best players. The Bruins are deep, and they’re now the Cup favorites, but Bobrovsky showed he can show up. And he’s about to be a free agent. Make no mistake, Sergei plays for Columbus. But he also plays for himself. If the Jackets go on a run and he’s the one to lead them there, the price for him skyrockets in his next contract. Look for the Bruins to take game 1, and possibly a play on Columbus winning the series after that fact at a very juicy plus price.
Columbus in 7.
New York Islanders v. Carolina – The ‘Canes were one of our two successful picks, and that series is the one I’m most proud of. They were able to hang in there just like we thought, and pulled it off in the second most interesting game 7 of the first round. Just like the series above, the Isles come into this series off a hefty break. But unlike the series above, I believe the script flip flops. Carolina beat the Caps, but barely. The Islanders are different than Washington mainly on defense. They have bruising talent that can contain the top lines for the Hurricanes, and they provide a much better matchup on paper. This is unfamiliar territory for both teams in many years, so look for the better matchup to come out on top.
New York Islanders in 5.
San Jose v. Colorado – What a difference these two teams had in the first round. Say what you will about the major penalty in game 7, the Sharks win was aided due to that but caused by a variety of factors. One such factor was one I mentioned in the first round playoff primer, and he showed up in Games 5 and 6, especially. Martin Jones, and the Sharks D started to play more cohesively. That’s not to say they didn’t make lots of mistakes or give up some soft goals, especially early in the series with Vegas. But in Game 6, when Jones had 58 saves, the D around him stepped up too. Meanwhile, the Avalanche come off a domination of Calgary in which Grubauer and the Avs first line just destroyed everything Calgary worked for in the regular season. I like this Colorado team a lot, but in these situations (especially as we get deeper into the playoffs), two intangibles remain king; experience and depth. The Sharks have Colorado beat on both regards, and they’re now playing for both Joe’s (if they weren’t before). Look for the Sharks to return to the WCF for the second time in four years.
San Jose in 6.
St. Louis v. Dallas – St. Louis beat Winnipeg in a series that saw the home team win just once (game 6). Dallas comes in off a game 6 win against Nashville (we had that series backwards). This is the hardest one for me to predict, and as such, I see it going 7. Dallas doesn’t seem like the team to make it to the conference finals, but then again, St. Louis doesn’t really either. They are the NHL equivalent of Hanzel, though (they’re so hot right now!), and momentum from the first- to the second-round is much easier to translate than momentum from the regular season into the first-round. And yet the Blues did that. I just don’t think Dallas can ride Bishop’s hot hand through another series, while the Blues played the Jets very physically for six straight games, which I did not see coming. Winning this series means St. Louis is going to have to win at home, though, something that has not been as easy as might be expected. They’ll get there though.
St. Louis in 7.
As for the picks? I have some game 1 picks I like, and series picks too.
Game 1
Boston -1 (+125) 3units
San Jose ML (-130) 2units
Series
WAIT ON COLUMBUS UNTIL AFTER GAME 1
New York Islanders (-125) 3units
New York Islanders in 5 (Exact Result) (+550) 1unit
San Jose Sharks (-130) 3units
