Anyone watch the games last night. I took in the Caps Rangers game... I hate Avery so much, but Lunqdvist is really solid. Hope the caps start Varlamov.

Look, kids! San Jose's already choking!

I must say i'm pretty impressed the Rangers have a 3-1 advantage. Winning the first 2 at Washington was just incredible. And yes that game 4 was amazing with Lunqdvist being flawless. Avery almost cost them that game, but he's at least given the Rangers somewhat of a boost especially a few games later in the season.

I wasn't expecting so many sweeps in the first round. First St. Louis, than the Habs, and now the BJ's. I knew San Jose was going to fold again, but not in the first round.

Well, I went 6-2 in the first round; the Jersey-Canes could've gone either way, and I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record, but I wasn't expecting San Jose to fall apart this quickly in the playoffs. Quite frankly, the Ducks deserved to win that series; the Getzlaf line simply overwhelmed the Sharks' D.

Here's my conference semifinal picks:

Boston over Carolina in 5 (all you need is a hot goalie, and Tim Thomas is just that)
Washington over Pittsburgh in 7 (this series will be worth the hype)
Detroit over Anaheim in 5 (as much as I hate the Wings, they put together a strong team year in and year out)
Chicago over Vancouver in 7 (if you love a good fight, this is your matchup)

The excitement has been great so far. The Pens just won three sraight and are up 3-2 in the series. The Red Wings and Ducks are tied 2-2 and are playing right now. Carolina is up 3-1 and plays tonight and the Canucks and Blackhawks lead their series 3-2.

Ovechkin is scoring at a rapid pace but the rest of the Caps are quiet. Sid the Kid has done some damage but last night he was rather quiet. Gonchar did not play last night and I haven;t heard any news on him since but his knee must be bothering him after the collision with Alex.

I think the Blackhawks close out Van tonight, but Washington keeps it alive against the Penguins. I'm looking for the Capitals to come out on fire tonight looking to get something going. First team to score wins that one.

I tend not to predict sweeps unless I'm absolutely confident that it will be a lopsided series, yet I didn't expect the 'Canes to fold so quickly. Carolina put up a good fight in Game 4, but Pittsburgh outmatched them in the first three games. Kudos to the Penguins upon their second consecutive conference title.

So Pittsburgh will face Detroit again in the Stanley Cup Finals. Should we discuss this in the "NHL 2007-08" thread?

Five years ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were on the brink of bankruptcy. Tonight, they're Stanley Cup Champions. A well-played game and an thrilling series. I tip my hat to Sid the Kid and Malkin et al., but also to Henrik, Crank, and all the marvelous Detroit Red Wings players that brought the team this far.

I wasn't happy to see Pittsburgh win, but they sure played well and learned from last year.

As for the offseason, I sure hope the Panthers can improve their roster, hopefully adding scoring. I don't know if Bouwmeester will return, but I hope so. We shall see.