JetsNation Makes Our Second Round Picks

After a couple of days off where we’ve all had a chance to recover from the late nights of hockey watching and all the overtime magic we could handle, tonight the NHL gets back underway with round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Seems like as good a time as any for us at JetsNation.ca to reveal who we think will make it to the conference finals and why.

We would have done this for round one, but to be honest we were still triggered by bad round one memories, which were not helped as we watched the Calgary Flames have pretty much the same kind of series against the Ducks that the Jets had in 2011.

Anyway here with your “expert” picks are Alec Beatty, Jeremy Wiebe, Cam Farquharson, Garret Hohl (who to be honest is just using averages and probabilities for his picks) and yours truly…

Art: Oilers in 6 – The Oilers got past a tough San Jose team pretty much without McDavid scoring a ton of goals even after experts thought that was the only way they’d move on. Edmonton is going to have a ton of confidence now.

Jeremy: Ducks in 7 – The Oilers speed will cause the Ducks problems but teams with a nasty side usually have an advantage come playoff time. Expect everyone’s least favourite player, Corey Perry to be the difference, unfortunately.

Alec: Ducks in 6 – The Ducks had 3 of the top 10 centres in Faceoff% in the Western Conference first round (Vermette, Thompson, Getzlaf, all above 55%), while the Oilers best faceoff man in round 1 was Mark Letestu at 47.6%. The Ducks will control the puck, and unless Cam Talbot stands on his head, the Ducks veteran experience will lead them to the Conference final.

Cam: Ducks in 6 – I think the Ducks are better geared to handle a team with speed than the Sharks were. As well, it looks like Cam Fowler will be ready for the second round. On top of that, there are whispering that Hampus Lindholm is getting closer to being ready to play. That’s two top defenders that the Ducks will potentially be getting back for this round.

GETNYOLO (Garret): ANA 57.1%

Art: Blues in 6 – What goalie implodes first? I still don’t trust Rinne myself and I like the Blues depth a little bit more than the Preds.

Jeremy: Predators in 6 – Unlike Art, I don’t trust the Blues goaltending. What Jake Allen did in the first round was remarkable but unsustainable. The Blues had horrendous possession numbers against Minnesota and that will catch up to them this round.

Alec: Predators in 6 – A battle of two hot goalies, the edge goes to Rinne for two reasons. He has a significant edge in playoff experience, and the defense in front of him is coming off of a series where they dominated the Blackhawks, while the Blues needed every save they got from Allen in the series with Minnesota. This could be the wildest series of the 2nd round.

Cam: Preds in 5 –  I like Rinne more than Allen, but I think we’re going to see Arvidsson really shine this series and he will be key for the Preds. On top of that, they have Forsberg, Johansen, Josi, etc. The Preds are dangerous.

GETNYOLO (Garret): STL 57.3%

Art: Rangers in 5 – The only reason I say 5 is because I personally never like to predict a sweep. Unless Anderson can pull off a miracle and match King Hank save for save, this will be over quick.. And yes I do realize this means I am saying the Rangers win two of three in Ottawa. It’s Ottawa.. not exactly the most intimidating place in the world to play.

Jeremy: Rangers in 6 – Pure and simple. Henrik Lundqvist will steal the series. Plus, I haven’t trusted the Senators all season.

Alec: Rangers in 6 – Erik Karlsson was brilliant in the first round, even with an injury, but I just can’t see him sustaining his level as the playoffs go on. Add to that the fact that the Rangers have the better goalie in the series, and I don’t see Anderson outplaying Lundqvist.

Cam: Rangers in 6 – Henrik Lundqvist is putting the team on his back and going to drag the Rangers to the Conference Finals.

GETNYOLO (Garret): OTT 56.8%

Art: Capitals in 7 – This has to go seven right? I truly feel the Caps have been battle tested with that series against the Leafs and made better by it. I may be foolish for trusting a notorious playoff choking team, but this is the Caps time.

Jeremy: Pens in 6 – Until proven otherwise, I don’t trust the Caps. I want the Caps to win very badly but I’ve been burned by Washington in the past so trust issues are a factor.

Alec: Pens in 6 – Pittsburgh looked dominant at times in beating Columbus, while Washington had their struggles with the Leafs in the first round. Add that to Washington’s history of failing at this stage of the playoffs, and the Penguins advance.

Cam: Capitals in 6 – Penguins do not have Letang, which was fine against the Blue Jackets, but against the Caps this will be an issue. I think the team is playing better as a team and they survived the Maple Leafs.

GETNYOLO (Garret): WAS 59.2%