2009 Playoff Preview - Conference Finals

The teams are set, the ice is fresh, and there's a much clearer picture of who could very well be hoisting the Stanley Cup in a few weeks. After some surprises in the first round, the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs played out mainly as expected, with only one major upset down the line.

Eastern Conference Final
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes
Anyone that said at the start of the playoffs that they expected to see the Hurricanes playing in the conference final was either incredibly wishful, or incredibly psychic. And yet, the 'Canes have done what few thought possible, first disposing of the New Jersey Devils, and then sneaking past the Boston Bruins in thrilling fashion. Cam Ward needs to keep being the stud of a goaltender that he's been so far through the playoffs, having already outplayed both Martin Brodeur and Tim Thomas. Meanwhile, the 'Canes need to keep the perspective that they have nothing to lose if they want to challenge.

On the other side of the ice, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew exactly what to expect from their past opponents, and, until Game 7, the series against the Washington Capitals played out as many expected. Evgeni Malkin seems to have woken up, and Sidney Crosby has led the team to within one series of trying to get the Cup for the second year in a row.

The Penguins come into the series a little less banged up, and definitely more talented, than the Hurricanes. That hasn't stopped Carolina yet, though, as they've shown incredible composure (with at least one notable exception) throughout their first two rounds, and they may continue to have luck resting on their side. Ultimately, though, expect 'Canes to lose their first playoff series with Ward as a goaltender, as they fall to the Penguins in six games.

Western Conference Final
#2 Detroit Red Wings vs #4 Chicago Blackhawks
There were plenty of people who didn't give the Blackhawks much of a chance against the Vancouver Canucks, but those people obviously hadn't seen the way that the Blackhawks have shifted gears ever since Joel Quenneville took over the coaching job. Chicago has a ton of young talent, and, unlike Boston, they kept applying the pressure throughout the playoffs. They shut down Vancouver's Sedin twins, and opened up their chances at an Original Six match-up.

Meanwhile, Detroit needed to survive against possibly the luckiest, and one of the most brutal, teams in the league as they were pushed to Game 7 by the Anaheim Ducks. Detroit is normally able to dictate the pace of the game from the first drop of the puck, but the Ducks used their physical presence and knack for finding the puck after strange bounces to almost knock off their second series opponent. Chris Osgood was just good enough to stop the Ducks offense, but he definitely wasn't as strong in net as Detroit would like. To make matters worse, the Red Wing offense was in disarray, needing some luck of their own to advance to face Chicago.

The defending Stanley Cup champions have experience and determination, both required to have a good chance to repeat as the NHL's best team. However, the Blackhawks are willing and able to play a physical game like the Ducks did, they have more offensive power, and they're catching Detroit after a grueling series. Top that off with incredible familiarity between the teams, and Detroit could find themselves in for more than they can handle. Chicago should take this series in seven games.