Round Two or the Stanley Cup Quarter-Finals or for modern fans, the Conference Finals have begun last night with Colorado pouring an avalanche of 54 shots at the St. Louis netminder that inflated the Blues save percentage and blocks statistic, and still this game went to overtime.
In a contest where numerous Colorado legit scoring chances were not cashed in, the Blues would have considered themselves lucky to get a loser point during the regular season but all for naught on the road in the first game of this playoff series.
No NHL playoff series was ever won in the first game or Toronto would have moved on after a dominating 5-0 win in the first game of the last round, this is something the Panthers can hang their skates on after dropping the first game of “The Battle for Florida”.
Two Eastern teams that should have and did win their opening rounds, Carolina and New York are ready to faceoff at seven o’clock this evening in Raleigh North Carolina where the temps are rising to 87 F today for fans to bask in before the teams hit the ice.
The Hurricanes are enjoying Aunty Raanta’s invaluable play as Mr. Andersen is out and New York’s twenty-something Mr. Shesterkin is having exemplary playoffs as well, so goaltending should not be an issue for either team.
Both teams seem evenly matched except for the goal differential which goes to Carolina and the Rangers one advantage is the now useless shoot-out statistic so this series will come down to the Hurricanes offense and the Rangers goaltending and everyone knows you cannot win nothing to something.
Prediction: Carolina in seven
The two remaining Canadian playoff teams are matched up and begin to play at nine-thirty this evening and Buffalo Winter’s favorite, the Calgary Flames are hosting the Edmonton Oilers and after more than a decade the “Battle of Alberta” is back with a very confident Flames fan base.
Prediction: Calgary wins in six
Buffalo Winter 