Happy with the Bruins so far this playoffs. Honestly, the Red Wings and Canadiens give them more difficulty than maybe any other teams in the league, so if they can deal with both of them, it'll be absolutely huge. Not the best stylistic match-up, but there won't be any wear and tear on the bodies going through those two.
Dougie Hamilton (while a solid top 4 guy for the Bruins already) has just taken off this postseason. Reminds me of when Seguin broke out vs. the Lightning, although Hamilton has been impressive for nearly one and a half rounds now instead of just two games.
I feel like they're completely controlling the play against the Habs, although that never seems to matter against Montreal. They do so much damage on the PP (of which they get a ton) and are just a very opportunistic team otherwise. Still a bit nervous about Rask vs. Montreal, but he was more steady in game 2.
I thought it would go the distance coming in, and still think that now. Split in Montreal, both teams win at home in games 5 and 6, then Bruins in 7.
And please give this man the Selke:
Other thoughts from around the league:
Kings - That was just disturbing if you're a Sharks fan. When I witnessed it happen for the Bruins, nearly all of the games in the series were closely contested, so while technically there was a 3 game winning streak followed by a 4 game losing streak, you still got the feeling that all the games were up for grabs, there wasn't quite as much momentum prominent, and a couple bounces here or there and it's a different series (not just for when the Bruins were losing, but also for when they were winning). With the Sharks, all but one game was lopsided. I give a lot of credit to the Kings for turning it on, but I don't know how a team can collapse that hard.
On another note, Kopitar is the Conn Smythe favourite at the moment, and I like the Kings to come out of the West. I did before the playoffs, and this run they're on certainly doesn't sway my opinion on that.
Wild - Probably my best call of the first round (I had the Wild in 7). It's amazing how often history repeats itself when you see similar teams year after year. Colorado was just that inexperienced team that had everything clicking for them throughout the season. That NEVER lasts in the playoffs. I thought with the way the Wild played, it could have been over quicker. Tough draw with the Hawks though; they just don't have the scoring talent to compete, and ****ing Ilya Bryzgalov is in net.
Ducks - I just don't like this team for the playoffs. Coached by Boudreau and they aren't very difficult to match-up against. Yeah, the scoring depth is there, but it's still shallow overall in the sense that they only have two gamebreakers.
Blackhawks - Not too much to say; they should still be considered the favourites.
Blues - What a disappointment. I like this team so much, but, while they've drawn some extremely tough match-ups over the years, you simply can't lose 4 straight games to close out the playoffs 3 years straight. They need to change something up, nothing too huge, but maybe shake up the core a bit.
Rangers - Rangers/Flyers was one of the least entertaining series I've ever seen. Still, I like the Rags, and think they'll make it past Pittsburgh to the ECF. Everybody gets on Nash but the guy has looked really good to me. There's no way he doesn't pot one if he keeps this play up. Solid forward depth, a couple guys that can be gamebreakers, one of the best shutdown pairings. A lot to like.
Penguins - I have to say as a Bruins fan that I'm a lot less intimidated by them this year. I don't think there's any way they'd sweep them again, but this team has so many holes. Their defensive coverage is abysmal, they obviously have goaltending questions, and their stars aren't at their best right now. You definitely have to respect their special teams, but if you can keep them to 5-on-5 for most of the series, they just aren't that great of a team.