place your bets...

what a great first round! especially for all the canadian teams! i hope they haven't beaten each other up so much that they're going to burn out in the next round. surprisingly, i actually came close to getting all 8 matchups correct. i just didn't expect NJ to get thumped like that. oh well. 7 out of 8 ain't too bad! i should have entered a pool!

(1) TB v (7) MTL	Head: TB, Heart: MTL I'm sure every Canadian is dreaming of a Leafs / Habs matchup. I actually think MTL has a pretty good chance at upsetting TB. Both teams are pretty even in terms of first line scoring and goaltending. Still, TB seems to have more offensive weapons, and how can you not love St. Louis? I hope MTL proves me wrong though. Out of all the Canadian teams left, I think they have the best chance of moving on. TB in 7.
(3) PHI v (4) TOR	Head: PHI, Heart: TOR The Leafs showed grit and determination to get out of the first round. Now, it's their turn to face their nemesis. PHI breezed by the 1st round, so they've had plenty of rest. They also no longer have a goalie named Chechmanek. :) On the other hand, the Leafs must be tired, battered, and bruised. Sundin is probably out for a while, although Nolan might be coming back. Can Belfour steal another series for us? Or will he lose his cool? I have a pretty bad feeling about this series. It could get ugly. Fast. PHI in 5.
(1) DET v (6) CGY	Head: DET, Heart: CGY On paper, DET should be the better team. They have plenty of experience and skilled players. But can Cujo do it? However, I just love watching CGY. After seeing him agains VAN, Iginla is now my favourite player. He hits, fights, and scores. I think CGY's coaching and heart will make this an extremely close series. I wouldn't be surprised by an upset. DET in 7.
(2) SJ v (4) COL	Head: COL, Heart: Don't care either way. I think COL is hitting their stride now and Forsberg seems to be healthy. COL in 6.

I think everyone wants to see the FINAL FOUR of DET vs. COL and TOR vs. MTL. This way, everyone would be happy: the NHL, CBC and ABC. I don't think that's going to happen though, and we'll just have to keep dreamin'. :P

Of course, we can't forget about our beloved Maggie the Macaque...she didn't do too well this time around going only 2-6. She almost got fired on the Ape-rentice! haha. Still, here are her Second Round Predictions. :)

Source: CTV.ca

TB

TOR

CGY

SJ