How am I doing?

I don't think many would have anticipated the route some of the Stanley Cup Conference Quarter Finals are taking.

Let's begin with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.

The Caps began by allowing themselves frustration at the hands of Fred Lundqvist. He was stellar and I was impressed with his overall play. He kept his team in it, and the Capitals seriously upped the tempo whenever they had a favourable match up on the ice. When the game went to overtime, there was only ever one winner. Semin's goal was excellent and the Caps were deserving winners.
Let's remember that game 1 winners are series winners about 62% of the time. Game 2 winners are series winners 70% of the time. Those are positive stats for the Capitals who took a 2-0 series lead before heading to New York.

Last night's match in NYC was a different affair, with Washington forced to come back to tie the game on two occasions. The third time proved too many, and they lost by a 3-2 score. It was probably exactly what the Rangers needed, to taste victory on home ice. Will they will the fourth game? If not, the Capitals are well placed to win this at home in DC. Could be Capitals in five games.

The Philadelphia and Buffalo series is another intriguing one. The first game was a bit of a crap shoot, and a terrific commercial for missed chances. Goaltending was quality though, and Ryan Miller truly earned his shutout in a 1-0 win. The second game went to the Flyers, with a quality victory at home that probably went a long way to building their confidence for the long haul. Having won game 2, it is important to point out that with the Flyers win in game 2, they now have a 70% chance of winning the series. Good odds. Game three goes tonight.

The Boston and Montreal series is something to behold. I truly like the Bruins game. They are so fast, so big, so tough to play against. They shoot the puck quite a bit (despite having Kaberle on their team) and they have been up against their absolute nemesis.

Montreal, somehow, are just resilient. They don't play a super positive attacking style of game, they just maintain poise, look for opportunities and take them. I don't think that Montreal is one of the best teams in the league, and I'd be surprised if they don't get knocked out in 5 in the next round, but irregardless of that they are about to make it to the next round. I think winning both games in Boston has actually knocked the stuffing out of the Bruins. I think Julien will be out as head coach, that Thomas Kaberle will be playing in Florida, and that major changes will be made to Boston's defensive forwards.

Having said that, let's remember again that winners of game 2 are 70% guaranteed to make it to the next round.

The final Eastern Conference matchup began exactly as I felt that it would. Pittsburgh's superior goaltending and defensemen took over the game and finished witha 3-0 score. Tampa's frustrated forwards maintained some poise and took it to the Penguins with a total onslaught in game 2. That's a sign that there's a 70% chance that Tampa Bay will make the second round. Game three goes tonight and could be a second chance to Pittsburgh to regain composure, while the Lightning will be looking to to take a stranglehold in the series with a second game to come in St. Petersburg.

So, looks like our second round clubs will be: Washington, Philadelphia, Montreal, Tampa Bay.

At the West Coast, things are looking a little bit different.

As much as the Canucks were highly touted, I don't think anyone expected them to sweet aside this much-changed Chicago team. I am not a proponent of the cap system when it forces wonderful, impassioned teams to dump players for their salaries and acquire cheaper, makeshift substitutes. I loved Chicago last year, and it's sad to see them coming to an end so quickly here. Vancouver is up 3-0 in the series, and only a tragedy will see them lose the whole thing.

In the second series, the Sharks got off to a good start. Their victory was what just about every hockey pundit prognosticated and all was well in California. Except the Kings just didn't care what anyone said about them and pasted the Sharks in game two, meaning that they now have a 70% chance of progressing. It's amazing to see such a turnaround. Most expects said that in order to have a chance in this series, the Kings would need contributions from Williams, and their two stud defensemen, Drew Dought and Jack Johnson. They got just that, and a good performance from Jon Quick too. Johnson's goal, and Doughty's two goals combined with Quick's shutout just about shut up everyone outside of Los Angeles, myself included. With the series headed back to LA for two games, we could see some interesting games here.

The third series has a funny tinge to it, as Detroit is playing against a stubborn and plucky Coyotes club. They hold a 2-0 series lead, but it didn't come easy. I am hoping that the Coyotes can at least push them all the way to seven games, but Detroit won game two and now holds a 70% chance of making it to the final.

Last but not least, there's a little series going on between Anaheim and Nashville. The Predators, as advertised, came out swinging and got the victory. Their defensive style and quick counter attacking makes them the Montreal of the West, though they do have superior defense corps. Anaheim's goalscorers were quiet, with the exception of game two. Anaheim's game two win means that they hold the 70% chance of progressing, but they are now down 2 games to 1 in the series after Nashville's utterly dominant showing in game three, where they limited the Ducks to just 16 shots.

So, looks like there's a 70% chance that the final four Western Conference teams are going to be: Vancouver, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Anaheim.

Game three is going tonight in a couple of series, and things could look very different.