Apparently my San Jose pick is looking decent right now - what with the way the game went last night. Of course I don’t expect the whole series to go like that. I’ll explain my picks now

Carolina (3) vs. Montreal (8) Montreal played their guts out against Boston, and I expect that to continue against Carolina. They’re playing their best hockey of the year, at just the right time. Carolina has potential to put a scare in us Habs fans, but I think the Habs will pull it out in entertaining fashion.

Toronto (4) vs. Ottawa (7) Ottawa has something to prove, and Toronto is beat up after the Islanders series. I think we’re in for some boring hockey, and the Sens will come out on top.

Detroit (1) vs. St. Louis (4) Detroit had a bit of a scare against Vancouver, but rebounded well, and are on a nice hot streak. I don’t think Brent Johnson will be able to shut out the Red Wings in three consecutive games. The Wings will win, but they’re going to get beaten up in a long (also likely boring) series.

Colorado (2) vs. San Jose (3) I think Colorado’s overconfidence will feed into San Jose’s game plan quite well. The Sharks played great in the first round, and I think it will continue. Meanwhile, the Avalanche barely squeaked past the Kings, and they likely wouldn’t have if they’d taken a few more penalties - LA didn’t get a chance to showcase the powerplay that got them there. Sharks will pull off the upset.

Simpson’s quote of the day: “Now for my favorite part of the show! ….what’s that say?” - Krusty