Hockey: Conference Finals Preview; The West

THE WEST

Series Result: Detroit Red Wings over San Jose Sharks in 6
My Prediction: San Jose Sharks over Detroit Red Wings in 6

The series certainly lived up to its expectations. Both teams fought hard, goals were hard to come by, and it easily could have gone either way. But the bounces went in Detriot's favor. Don't get me wrong; they deserved to win this series and did at points in the series outplay the Sharks (look no further than games 5 and 6) - but a little luck never hurt anyone, either, and the Wings made the most of it.

Series Result: Anaheim Ducks over Vancouver Canucks in 5
My Prediction: Anaheim Ducks over Vancouver Canucks in 5

What can I say that I haven't already said? Did I not say that the Ducks were the better team, and that Luongo would steal one (and only one) game in this series? Did I not say that the Ducks are the best team in the West? The Wild turned out to be no match for them, and then they got Vancouver, who was the weakest team left in the West. Give one of the league's most talented teams easy match-ups, and this is how they will turn out.

Conference Final:
#1 Detroit Red Wings VS. #2 Anaheim Ducks
Well, one thing appears pretty clear; I underrated the Red Wings. I really didn't think they'd be able to step up to the challenge of beating the Sharks, but they certainly did, and they didn't even need all 7 games to do it, swiping two games on the road from them. And now they find themselves with home ice; something the Ducks haven't had to face until this point. I predicted that a long series against the Sharks might do some damage, and it sure did - losing Mathieu Schneider, who not only gets the job done on defense but more notably has a blast from the point that bolsters Detroit's powerplay. The Ducks meanwhile are completely healthy. In the Wings, the Ducks will face an offense like they haven't seen before; TWO (not just one, Minnesota and Vancouver) very capable scoring lines, and two gritty checking lines that were built for playoff hockey. They also face a team that has waited a long time to get back to this point; knocking on the door of another Stanley Cup final. This will be the Ducks' hardest challenge yet; and I think they will overcome it. With Neidermayer and Pronger healthy, there is never a hole in their defense; with Giguere in net, the tone is always very calm and reliable; and with an offense full of young guns that can pitch in, especially on the power play, this Duck team will be a little too fast up front - and a little too strong down low - for the Red Wings to handle.

ANAHEIM IN 6.