Questions ahead of the National Hockey League play-offs - Part 12
The best first round play-off series?
There are many interesting match-ups during the first round of the play-offs. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning is one of the interesting games where both teams are expected to come up with quite a show. Another one of the interesting series
from which a lot is expected is the defending champions Chicago Blackhawks up against the favourites Vancouver Canucks. However, according to the experts the most interesting and entertaining ties in the first round is going to be the Boston Bruins squaring
off against the Montreal Canadiens.
This series will see the fans pouring out in numbers to support their teams and to continue the long rivalry. It is more of a matter of pride as these two teams face each other. The Canadiens will be remembering the time last year when they were the last
seeded team in the Eastern Conference that knocked-out the Conference winners, Washington Capitals coming back from a 3-1 deficit.
On the other hand, the Bruins will be pumped up as they will be looking to win and avenge their exit in the semi-finals the last time out. They were splendid during the regular season and in the play-offs that saw them establishing a 3-0 lead against the
Flyers, as they were well on the road to the Conference Finals. However, the Flyers astonishing come-back out of nowhere to win the series 4-3 in the end.
The two teams have had some decent runs during the regular season with the Bruins maintaining the position at the top and the Canadiens staying in the last few positions of the play-off cut. There were several occasions where their spot was in jeopardy,
but they managed to get out of the situation with some impressive performances.
Unfortunately, the play-offs are the beginning of a new story and what happened in the regular is now history. The teams need to make a fresh start and the concentration level is the same as seen from last year’s first round clash of the eighth seeded Canadiens
up against the Conference winners Washington Capitals.
This tie will be very close especially considering the fact that both teams are flooded with talent and have shown that they are capable of coming up with quite a physical show on several occasions. The Bruins have been responsible of injuring quite a few
players during the regular season, while the Canadiens are hopeful of catching Boston off guard with the skill that they have.
The most important question, who will take home the 2011 Stanley Cup?
The Canucks are one team that has shown diversity and depth in their squad. This has been one of the key factors that have brought about a lot of success for the team. The offence of the Canucks is brilliant, which is coupled with an even further impressive
defensive line.
If they continue to do what they did in the regular season then the answer to the above question is “Vancouver Canucks” without hesitation. The goal-keeping department has also been quite brilliant as expected since Roberto Luongo is one of the highest paid
NHL players.
Though it is still early to predict but if they continue to do what they have done so far then expect them to be the dominating force in the play-offs as well.
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