The first two second-round series in the NHL got underway over the weekend. The Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche both continued their strong starts to the postseasons with Game 1 wins after sweeping their first-round series.
Carolina kicked off the Eastern Conference second round on Saturday night with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. On Sunday night, Colorado and the Minnesota Wild put on an offensive show in Game 1 of their Western Conference series with a 9-6 victory.
On Sunday night, the final first-round series was decided when the Montreal Canadiens picked up a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the second round against the Buffalo Sabres. After we picked the winners of the first two series that began in the second round, it's time to pick the final two that begin this week.
Canadiens vs. Sabres
This has all the makings of a great series. Buffalo dispatched the Boston Bruins in six games, while Montreal won a Game 7 in Florida despite only getting nine shots on the net. NINE. Talk about an insane stat for a Game 7 on the road.
The Canadiens were playing some of the best hockey in the league down the stretch of the regular season and did enough to beat the Lightning. The Sabres are a great story this season with the turnaround they had, but Montreal seems to have that "it" factor right now.
Prediction: Canadiens in six games
Ducks vs. Golden Knights
Vegas survived the Utah Mammoth in the first round after firing former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy late in the regular season. They are a talented team, but they are a team that won a Pacific Division that isn't very good.
Anaheim, on the other hand, is back in the playoffs and took down the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in six games. The Ducks are an up-and-coming team that might be a little ahead of schedule. After watching the way Game 1 went between the Avalanche and Wild on Sunday night, it feels like the winner of this series will be up against it in the next round.
Prediction: Golden Knights in seven games
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