Stanley Cup Finals Predictions

Well, here we are. The Conference Finals are over and it's time to pick the winner of hockey's biggest prize, The Stanley Cup.

I'm not biased at all this time. Nope.

After two rounds my prediction score was 8 correct, 4 incorrect. At that point I am already guaranteed a winning record, but you don't see me gloating at all. Nope.

In the Eastern Conference finals series between Boston and Tampa Bay, I picked Boston. Much to my shock and awe, I picked correctly. It took seven games, and game seven may have been the best hockey game I've ever witnessed (my brother was there... lucky stiff) and somehow my Bruins did it. They are Cup Finals bound for the first time since 1990. The last time they went to the finals I was just finishing up my second semester in music school. That was a loooooooong time ago.

In the Western Conference series between San Jose and Vancouver, I didn't do quite as well. I broke my A-1 rule and picked San Jose, and as almost always happens when I pick San Jose, I picked wrong. The Canucks won, and pretty easily at that.

So after round three, my record is a very happy 9-5. I am picking correctly at a 64% rate. I'll take it.

Now here is my prediction for the Stanley Cup Finals. Again, not biased at all. Nope.

The Vancouver Canucks vs the Boston Bruins: Oh glory, oh bliss, oh Bruins! You don't really think I am going to pick against my home town team, do you? Never! My pick is the Bruins. Always, the Bruins.

Now... having said that... I don't actually expect them to win. I think Vancouver is the better team. I think, as was the case in Boston's last two trips to the cup finals, the Western Conference is much tougher than the Eastern Conference and while the Eastern Conference playoffs were awesome, the disparity between the two halves of the league will be clearly on display in the finals.

If the Bruins defense can play out of it's mind, Tim "The Man" Thomas included, then the Bruins might be able to string together a bunch of 1-0 or 2-1 wins. If they play the way they played in game seven against Tampa Bay then they can beat anyone. I'm not saying the Bruins don't have a chance, they definitely do have a chance, I'm just saying that the Canucks have a better chance. While they are in no way the 1988 Edmonton Oilers, they are still a great team. I am hoping this one goes seven games and the Bruins did what they did against Tampa Bay and Montreal... I am hoping that they just find a way to win.

Having said that, if they can do what they did against Philadelphia and just steam roll over them and blow them out of the series in four games... I'll be happy with that too.

I do love a parade, ya know.

GO BRUINS!