Stanley Cup Playoffs: Third Round Predictions

Maybe I'm not as hockey-smart as I thought I was. After going 7 for 8 with my first round predictions (although I didn't get any of the series lengths correct), I took a nosedive with my second round predictions, going 2 for 4. Of course, since I picked against the Flyers in the second round, it's a 2 for 4 that I can live with. Still, after failing to correctly predict the length of any playoff series so far, I am not sure how much credibility I really have, but here are my predictions for the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Click the link for the complete rundown on both series. Here is a preview of my Flyers pick:

Eastern Conference Finals

Pittsburgh (2) vs. Philadelphia (6)

Pittsburgh in Seven

Believe me, I want the Flyers to win, and part of me really wants to pick them. The series will be a classic match-up between two rivals who clearly can't stand each other. The problem is, the Penguins are just too deep. They have their two big guns, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Since they play on different lines, it will be up to Flyers coach John Stevens to figure out which one will play against the Flyers shut down unit of Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn. The problem is, the Penguins go so much deeper than that. They have Petr Sykora, who scored 28 goals this season. Ryan Malone added another 27. Then, you have Marian Hossa and Jordan Staal to worry about. Does anyone really think Jason Smith or Randy Jones is going to be able to slow down Hossa or Malone? Couple all that scoring with a goaltender who has been just as good as Martin Biron, and the Flyers have a big challenge ahead of them.