NHL Eastern Conference Final: (7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

Philadelphia:

Philadelphia is a different team than both Pittsburgh and Washington, instead of being a very offensive team Philadelphia is more of a physical team still with some scoring abilities. These two way offensive players such as Mike Richards can play physical and has scoring abilities. The game plan for the Flyers is to be very physical and to shoot the puck into the Montreal end and chase the puck. By spending a majority of the time in the Montreal end Philadelphia will wear the defence down and sooner or later score a goal. Also the Flyers are going to try their best to get traffic in front of Montreal goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, in order to put pucks in the net. Overall the Flyers are a much different team that both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals because they have the size to push the Canadiens around.

Montreal:

Montreal was “lucky” to make it past the first two rounds in my opinion as they are not that skilled and the only reason they made it this far is goalie, Jaroslav Halak. From what I have seen so far he has been amazing in the playoffs, but I believe that this series will be too much for him as he will be too tired. Also the Canadiens are very small and do not have the size that the Flyers have. I believe the Canadiens will be trapped in their end about 80% of the game and will take a lot of penalties resulting in goals. Many people are going to be cheering for the last Canadian team to make it on to the Stanley Cup Finals, but the way I see the series happening they will be packing their bags soon.

Prediction:

I think the size, grit and determination of the Flyers will force the Canadiens to play their type of game. Montreal will be taking too many penalties which will result in goals, as well as goalie Jaroslav Halak becoming fatigued. Overall the Flyers are going to be too much to handle for the last Canadian team, sending them packing.

Philadelphia wins 4-1.

NHL Eastern Conference Semi-Final: (4) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Montreal

Pittsburgh Penguins:

They are the Stanley Cup champions for a reason, but can they repeat again this year? Forwards such as Avenge Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal need to step it up in order to win the series. Goaltender, Marc–Andre Fleury needs to be excellent which he has been throughout the Ottawa series, but can he keep it up. In my opinion, no, as he has not been the best in some series in the past and it may come back to haunt him. The Pens are a high flying offensive team with also power on the blue line with players such as Gonchar and Letang. If these superstars are unable to score the series may not last long as Montreal has great goaltending. The outcome of this series will be determined by Montreal’s goaltending versus Pittsburgh offence.

Montreal Canadiens:

The Canadiens upset the first seed Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs which most people did not think would happen, but the real question is can it happen again? With their streaky goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, they could go a long way as he is the soul reason why they have gotten this far. With Halak stopping the Alexander Ovechkin it raises the question of if he can do it again for Crosby and Malkin? Overall, the Canadiens will have to play well defensively and score when opportunities present themselves. Defensemen such as Hal Gill will have to play against Crosby and make sure he does not record his name down on the score sheet. Finally, the Canadiens will not be able to take penalties as the Penguins will make them pay.

Prediction:

The deciding factor regarding this series will be if Halak can keep the puck out again and again. If he able to make the Pens frustrated and shut down players like Crosby and Malkin he will give his team a chance to win. Montreal will need to score when chances present themselves and not miss these golden opportunities. I believe that Halak will continue to shut down other team’s offence, ultimately winning the series by himself.

Montreal wins 4-3.

NBA: Eastern Conference Semi-Final: (4) Boston vs. (1) Cleveland Game 6 Prediction

If you recall, I made a blog regarding the Boston and Cleveland series, where I predicted that Cleveland will win. Well I have been proven wrong. Boston took an unexpected turn of events, where they actually are winning the series 3-2. I now believe that Boston will win. Why? Well, they have the heart, the pieces and the desire to win.

There are reports of the change of Lebron James’ attitude. This might be the sole reason they are losing. The normally fiery James was seen as dejected and in his own world while in the locker room. This might have worn off on his teammates. In game 5, the Cavs showed no passion, no defense and no desire to win. They ended up being blown away by 30 points.

With the rise of Rajon Rondo, getting a triple double in game 4, Boston should take care of the Cavs at home, today in game 6. Their home crowd will be hostile, and will make it hard for the Cavs to win. Upsets happen; it AGAIN isn’t the Cavs year. The only way I see them winning is the Cavs winning on the road, and going back to Cleveland for game 7, but I don’t see them winning on the road. Like I said, the crowd will be on their feet and extremely loud for the home game. If anything, James might be more motivated, but if he keeps the same depressed attitude as before, they have no chance.

NHL Western Conference Semi-Final: (2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

Chicago:

Two high-powered offensive teams meet in a return clash from last year's quarter-final series. The Blackhawks were given a scare by Nashville in the opening round. They lost the opening game and were on the ropes in Game 5 but turned the series around with a remarkable come-from-behind overtime win. The BlackHawks are led by Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith but are one of the few teams that have four lines that can score.This can lead to many opportunties as the Canucks have to be on their toes at all times. One area though were the Blackhawks lack in is goaltending with former Montreal Canadien, Cristobal Huet. Huet this season has not been the greatest and with his injuries he may also be not fit.

Vancouver:

Vancouver had a battle against Los Angeles but prevailed in six and were led by Mikael Samuelsson's seven goals. The Sedin twins -- Daniel and Henrick -- and Roberto Luongo also stepped up at key times that made the difference. Expect Ryan Kesler, one of the game's best two-way centres, to have a big series. Also in order to win the series the Cancuks must play defensive for the high scoring Blackhawk offense which can score at any time. This means that goalie, Robeto Luongo must be at his best. Current top goal scorer for the Canucks Mikael Samuelson needs to light the lamp again in this series or at least help out by being in the score board.

Prediction:

One has to like Chicago's depth up front but no team has been better five-on-five then the Canucks. If they keep their discipline, Vancouver will move on to the Western Conference finals, with there defensive and offensive abilities. Although the Canucks lack playoff the experience the new tools that they have aquired during the off season and NHL season will help push them through to the next round of the playoffs.

Vancouver wins 4-3.

NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Final: (1) Cavaliers vs. (4) Celtics

The Cavaliers and the Celtics have proven themselves some of the best contenders in the NBA. With the addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in 2007, the Celtics won their first championship in over 20 years. They proved their worth to the world for that year, but they would disappoint fans in their failure to achieve a dynasty. In the years to come, they would be overshadowed by the success of Lebron James and the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers proved to be the highlight of the NBA for years to come, with their young star, Lebron James. In 2009, the Cavaliers were the favourites to win the Championship, but like the Celtics, they failed to prove their worth. Both the Cavs and the Celts are underachievers, and capable to do amazing things, but they finally meet in this 2010 playoff series. Who will win? I’m not sure, but I DO have an opinion. In following blogs ahead, I will analyse, predict, and hopefully give good insight to this playoff series, including some others. Make sure to stay tuned – I hope you enjoy.

Celtics vs. Cavaliers – Matchups

The Celtics are known for their number of experienced players, but their age limits their athleticism. A fast, athletic and grindy, defense should be more than enough to out shine the Celtics offence AND defence. The Cavaliers on the other hand have their mix of older and younger players, featuring NBA star Lebron James. Lebron is athletic, fast, and strong – he will be a VERY tough matchup for the Celtics. Not one person can stop him alone, but a tight and grindy team defence may be hinder his ability to create. The Celtics must remember to abuse their ability to spread the floor with shooters such as 3 point specialist, Ray Allen and their fast young point guard who is able to take people off the Dribble: Rajon Rondo. We must not forget about the addition of Shaquille ONeal to the Cavs, who brings toughness to the team. In his era, he used to be unstoppable, but now, his effectiveness has greatly deteriorated. Another newer addition was Antawn Jamison, who brings defensive toughness and another scoring option to the team.

In my opinion, the Cavaliers got this. There is no way they can effectively stop Lebron James, and trust me, he wants this more than anything. With the MVP award on his back for two straight years, Lebron James is as motivated as ever. Don’t get me wrong, the Celtics will put up a good fight. They simply cannot keep with the new tools Cleveland has.

My prediction: 4-2 Cavaliers.

Western Conference Semi-Final: (5) Detroit Red Wings vs. (1) San Jose Sharks

(5) Red Wings:

First of all, the main reason the Red Wings are ranked fifth is because the first half of the season the current roster was not healthy and therefore, they were not able to perform to the best of their abilities. Now that the playoffs are here, they are well rested and ready to go. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are playoff monsters, scoring timely goals, stickhandling past people, backchecking better than any other forwards in the league and never afraid to battle in high-traffic zones. Some of the Red Wings secondary players such as Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom are going to be impossible to move in front of the net, making life hard for the San Jose goalie, Evengi Nabokov. How could we possibly forget about the Captain, Nick Lidstrom and his offensive abilities, as shown by his two goal perform in Game 7 against the Phoenix Coyotes. Although the Red Wings have had experienced goal tending this year is different with rookie goalie, Jimmy Howard. The dynamic rookie looked amazing in the opening round of the playoffs, posting a .919 save percentage against the Coyotes. Though Detroit fared well against Phoenix, they are playing a different hockey team in the San Jose Sharks.

(1) San Jose Sharks:

Chokers or not, they are a great hockey team. Some that stood out in their first round win was the amount of depth that they showed. Their go-to line of Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton actually failed miserably against Colorado, combining for one goal in six games, but it didn’t matter. Secondary guys like Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi delivered in a big way. Dan Boyle was his usual winning self and goalie Evgeni Nabokov was steady even though he wasn’t tested often. If the Sharks supposed stars get going, it’s scary to imagine what they can do.

Prediction:

People in this series may feel bias towards the successful history of the Red Wings in the post season, but I don’t see it going this way. It’s true that the Wings have a massive advantage in savvy and big-game performance from their stars. But I believe the Sharks can finally break through. Thornton/Marleau/Heatley merely have to be average to support the rest of the team – a group that is actually starting to look “clutch.” San Jose was really quite dominant its Western Conference quarter-final series. Also, funnily enough, as experienced as Detroit is, Howard’s inexperience may sink the Wings. He was hot/cold against Phoenix but that won’t cut it against a team that generates as many scoring chances as San Jose does. Howard must be able to perform well as if San Jose shoots a lot, he can not be a background player. He’ll have to be Detroit’s most important player and I’m just not convinced he’s ready to do that yet. Overall I think the goaltending advantages of San Jose will give them a win in the end and send Detroit home packing.

Sharks win (4-2)