In all honesty, I’d like to say that my playoff predictions for the first round were way off base, especially the Leafs-Bruins series, but they didn’t stray to far from reality for the Eastern Conference at least. I might have erred on the length of each series, but I did successfully predict every outcome.
The Western Conference, however, proved more elusive. Apart from the Chicago-Minnesota series – which I’m sure everyone predicted accurately – I got every series wrong. I still cannot believe that the Canucks were swept at the hands of the Sharks and I thought Jonathan Quick’s struggles during the regular season would surely sink the Kings come playoffs. Anaheim was my favourite to ultimately win the West, but Detroit had different thoughts.
It’s a whole new series.
The Toronto Maple Leafs escaped elimination on Friday only to find themselves facing the same challenge tonight. This time, however, they’ll have to defy the odds at home – a place where they’ve yet to win a game in these young playoffs. You can catch all of the action at 7:30 pm EST on Hockey Night in Canada.