Lost in Skates went 3 for 4 in the second round–and we were not surprised by Montreal’s advancement. Maintaining our 75% success rate. Again, not too shabby!
NY vs Mtl, LA vs CHI
We were a little slow out of the gate for round 3, so will dispense with predictions in the two (NY/MTL, LA/CHI) series. It is amazing how quickly things fell apart for the Habs, and now down 2-0 with the series headed to NY, their goose is cooked! Going into it we would probably have said Montreal in 7. It is remarkable how strong the Rangers look. They would seem to be combining the size and strength of the Bruins along with the speed of the Canadiens. Truly difficult to gauge how teams will match up. We’ll never know, but New York probably would have taken the series, even with Carey Price in nets. They are forcing Montreal to play in their own end of the rink waaaaay more than the latter had to against Boston. Rangers are very good on the fore check and cycling down low. And a lock in goal with King Lundqvist.
As for CHI/LA, as we write Chicago is up 1-0. Another instance where gauging how these teams would match up can be deceptive. Haven’t seen any of the play yet, but would have thought LA would carry the day in 6 games. LA seems prone to slow starts, so this may in fact end up happening. But with Cory Crawford looking stronger with each series, who knows! LA is relentless and should break, through. However, it would be great to see a classic Original 6 (NY/CHI) final!