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Got one series exactly right last round and erred on the other, leaving us with a Cup Final that's quite intriguing. Both of these teams have been picked by experts (and even non-experts like yours truly) in years past to hoist Lord Stanley, only to end up (2009 aside for Pittsburgh) coming up short.
I can find reasons to be happy for either team here, but I'm largely rooting for the Sharks because that's the team without a single Cup win and numerous players deserving of having their names etched on it. For San Jose, this could very well likely be the last chance for many of the the team's players while I've got every reason to believe many Penguins will be back and contend again next year.
Both goaltenders have been good, but I wouldn't call either unbeatable. Pittsburgh's forwards have been aggressive on the forecheck, but the Sharks have sparkled on the power play. I'm going back and forth as I type this, debating whether I side with what I believe is the probable favorite (the Penguins) or going with the team I'll actually be rooting for (San Jose).
At 8-6 so far in these playoffs, it's not like I've got a perfect predictions mark on the line. So ...
Guess I can't blame any injuries on my incorrect guesses last round, as I only got two of the four series right. That brings me to 9-3 thus far in the playoffs with four of the series predicted in the right number of games.
I did watch more of the second round than I did the first, and it seems likely that I'll probably find reason to watch even more in the conference finals. Well, in the West, at least.
While the first round was something of a formality with a few competitive (but still pretty bad) series sprinkled in, the second round finally gave us the first compelling series with the otherwise favored Spurs being knocked off by the much more dangerous Thunder. We'll get what could possibly be another close series in the Western Conference, but the year indeed seems to be shaping up to live up to the subtitle of my pre-season NBA predictions post.
Maybe we'll get some surprises this round, but my guess is that the best will not come until the last series of the year. And maybe that's exactly as it should be, seeing as I (and many others) had been thinking that a Golden State-San Antonio series this round (which obviously isn't happening) should have been the Finals.
I got three of my four second round predictions right, bringing my total for the playoffs to 7-5 with two series finally called in the correct number of games. So I'm above .500.
While the Eastern Conference features the defending conference champion taking on a team that won a Stanley Cup seven years ago, the Western Conference features two perennially underachieving clubs that have routinely disappointed their fans. One team will finally break through and reach the Cup Final.
Aside from maybe the Penguins, I don't think league executives are particularly excited about what any of these teams are going to do as far as bringing eyes to television sets. While people inclined to watch any kind of postseason hockey regardless of whom is involved (such as, you know, myself) can find reasons to be intrigued by the possibilities, I doubt the same can be said for most casual observers around the country.
Both series this round have clear potential to be tightly fought contests that go the full maximum number of games, so perhaps there's a chance that highly-entertaining games lead to increased interest from the general public. Somehow, I doubt it though. Not when you've got a record-breaking NBA team and LeBron possibly about to meet over in the other league.
