Second round prognostication

I'm late with this, so for now ...

Sabres in six.
Devils in seven.
Canucks in seven.
Sharks in seven.

More to follow.

Second round prognostication coming up soon

When Vancouver and Dallas wrap up their Western Conference quarterfinal series on Monday night, I will reveal my long-awaited semifinal predictions.

So far, we know Buffalo and the New York Rangers are one East semifinal with New Jersey and Ottawa in the other.

Should Vancouver win, it gets Anaheim in the second round and Detroit meets San Jose. If Dallas wins, it gets Detroit and Anaheim meets San Jose.

Sedin! Sedin! Henrik Sedin!!

Overtime pools during the NHL playoffs are a tradition dating back to the Ticker days in Jersey City.

It's simple: You put in $2 to start, and you pick one player from each team. The more people who get in, the pot grows. For each overtime, everyone has to "buck up" -- add $1 to the pile.

Over some 11-plus years in this business -- give or take -- I have never (Altruda chimes in "ev-ev-ev-AH") won one of these until 2:34 CST this morning.

I can say this now: For $42, I love Henrik Sedin unabashedly. A 10-goal scorer in the regular season, he scored with 1:54 to play in the fourth -- yes, fourth overtime to beat Dallas 5-4 early Wednesday morning.

From Gurnee-based blogstatician -- bitter over the fact that Markus Naslund failed to show up in 78-plaus extra minutes -- Chris Altruda was bitter, along with fellow betters Ethan Cooperson, Chris Antonacci, Civil War apologist Mike Votta and non-hockey fan Matt Becker.

Because you'll want to know ...

Stanley Cup playoff games that have gone past two overtimes, with date, score, round, time of overtime and game-winning goal:
--March 24, 1936 - Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0, semifinal, 116 minutes, 30 seconds, Mud Bruneteau.
--April 3, 1933 - Toronto 1, Boston 0, semifinal, 104:46, Ken Doraty.
--May 4, 2000 - Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1, conference semifinal, 92:01, Keith Primeau.
--April 24, 2003 - Anaheim 4, Dallas 3, conference semifinal, 80:48, Petr Sykora.
--April 24, 1996 - Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2, conference quarterfinal, 79:15, Petr Nedved.
--April 11, 2007 - Vancouver 5, Dallas 4, conference quarterfinal, 78:06, Henrik Sedin.
--March 23, 1943 - Toronto 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 70:18, Jack McLean.
--March 28, 1930 - Montreal Canadiens 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 68:52, Gus Rivers.
--April 18, 1987 - N.Y. Islanders 3, Washington 2, division semifinal, 68:47, Pat LaFontaine.
--April 27, 1994 - Buffalo 1, New Jersey 0, conference quarterfinal, 65:43, Dave Hannan.
--March 27, 1951 - Montreal Canadiens 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 61:09, Maurice Richard.
--March 27, 1938 - N.Y. Americans 3, N.Y. Rangers 2, quarterfinal, 60:40, Lorne Carr.
--March 26, 1932 - N.Y. Rangers 4, Montreal Canadiens 3, semifinal, 59:32, Fred Cook.
--March 21, 1939 - Boston 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 59:25, Mel Hill.
--April 27, 1999 - Dallas 3, Edmonton 2, conference quarterfinal, 57:34, Joe Nieuwendyk.
--May 15, 1990 - Edmonton 3, Boston 2, final, 55:13, Petr Klima.
--x-June 19, 1999 - Dallas 2, Buffalo 1, final, 54:51, Brett Hull.
--June 8, 2002 - Detroit 3, Carolina 2, final, 54:47, Igor Larionov.
--April 16, 2003 - Philadelphia 3, Toronto 2, quarterfinal, 53:54, Mark Recchi.
--April 9, 1931 - Chicago 3, Montreal Canadiens 2, final, 53:50, Cy Wentworth.
--March 26, 1961 - Chicago 2, Montreal Canadiens 1, semifinal, 52:12, Murray Balfour.
--April 1, 1937 - Detroit 2, Montreal Canadiens 1, semifinal, 51:49, Hec Kilrea.
--March 26, 1930 - Montreal Canadiens 3, Chicago 2, quarterfinal, 51:43, Howie Morenz.
--May 2, 2003 - New Jersey 2, Tampa Bay 1, conference semifinal, 51:12, Grant Marshall.
--April 23, 1996 - Chicago 2, Calgary 1, conference quarterfinal, 50:02, Joe Murphy.
--April 2, 1939 - Boston 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 48:00, Mel Hill.
--April 24, 1997 - Montreal Canadiens 4, New Jersey 3, conference quarterfinal, 47:37, Patrice Brisebois.
--June 8, 2000 - Dallas 1, New Jersey 0, final, 46:21, Mike Modano.
--March 20, 1930 - Boston 2, Montreal Maroons 1, 45:35, semifinal, Harry Oliver.
--March 22, 1949 - Detroit 2, Montreal Canadiens 1, semifinal, 44:52, Max McNab.
--x-June 10, 1996 - Colorado 1, Florida 0, Stanley Cup winner, 44:31, Uwe Krupp.
--May 4, 2002 - Toronto 3, Ottawa, 2, conference semifinal, 44:30, Gary Roberts.
--April 20, 2003 - Tampa Bay 2, Washington 1, conference quarterfinal, 44:03, Martin St. Louis.
--April 10, 2003 - Anaheim 2, Detroit 1, conference quarterfinal, 43:18, Paul Kariya.
--March 27, 1960 - Toronto 5, Detroit 4, semifinal, 43:00, Frank Mahovlich.
--April 17, 2004 - Vancouver 5, Calgary 4, conference quarterfinal, 42:28, Brendan Morrison.
--May 10, 2006 - Edmonton 3, San Jose 2, conference semifinal, 42:24, Shawn Horcoff.
--March 29, 1951 - Montreal Canadiens 1, Detroit 0, semifinal, 42:20, Maurice Richard.
--May 4, 1997 - Detroit 3, Anaheim 2, conference semifinal, 41:31, Slava Kozlov.
--April 29, 1971 - N.Y. Rangers 3, Chicago 2, semifinal, 41:29, Pete Stemkowski.

x-goal won Stanley Cup.

Postseason punditry

Now the fun really begins ...

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

(1) BUFFALO (53-22-7) VS. (8) N.Y. ISLANDERS (40-30-12)

How the N.Y. Islanders could win -- If Rick DiPietro -- 32-19-9 with a 2.58 goals-against average this season -- can somehow, someway comeback from a concussion that limited him to four games down the stretch ... if new goaltender Wade Dubielewicz can channel Terry Sawchuk, Ken Dryden and Grant Fuhr ... if first-time 40-goal scorer Jason Blake heats up again -- he had only five goals in his last 14 games.

Why Buffalo will win -- Too many weapons on offense and defense ... Sabres were 26-6-2 when Thomas Vanek scored at least one of his team-high 43 goals ... they had an Eastern Conference-leading 28 wins and HSBC Arena and have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. SABRES IN FIVE.


(2) NEW JERSEY (49-24-9) VS. (7) TAMPA BAY (44-33-5)

How Tampa Bay could win -- Brad Richards gets more involved. He had only 45 assists in '06-'07 compared with career-high 68 last season ... league goal-scoring leader Vincent Lecavalier rebounds last postseason in which he a goal and three assists in a first-round loss ... Coach John Tortorella lets his goaltenders play, though neither Johan Holmqvist or Marc Denis is an answer here.

Why New Jersey will win -- Martin Brodeur. Coming off the best season of his career -- 48-23-7 with 12 shutouts -- he gets my vote for the Hart and Vezina trophies He's also 4-1-0 with a 1.36 GAA in the playoffs versus the Bolts ... Interim bossman Lou Lamoriello will have these guys ready to play, but three trained monkeys could do the same ... When Zach Parise (31 goals in 82 game) scored at least two points this season, New Jersey was 8-3-0. DEVILS IN FOUR.


(3) ATLANTA (43-28-11) VS. (6) N.Y. RANGERS (42-30-10)

How Atlanta could win -- No playoff jitters from goaltender Kari Lehtonen (2-3-1, 2.63 GAA in final six games) or sniper Ilya Kovalchuk, on a four-game goal scoring streak heading into postseason ... Trading-deadline pickups Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik and coach Bob Hartley all have extensive playoff experience ... 100-point scorer Marian Hossa had three goals in three wins over New York this season.

Why the N.Y. Rangers will win -- Last season's first-round sweep by New Jersey still fresh in the minds of the Blueshirts ... Henrik Lundqvist was 16-4-5 with a 1.72 GAA and four shutouts since Feb. 9 -- he allowed 13 goals in three playoff losses last season ... a healthy Jaromir Jagr should have more than the one assist he posted last season. RANGERS IN SIX.


(4) OTTAWA (48-25-9) VS. (5) PITTSBURGH (47-24-11)

How Ottawa could win -- Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza continue to carry this team ... one of every five goals scored by Heatley was a game-winner ... Ray Emery (33-16-6, 2.47 GAA, five shutouts) could set up a run as this postseason's version of Jean-Sebastien Giguere or Cam Ward if he can get past this series.

Why Pittsburgh will win -- Yes, this is Sidney Crosby's first go-round in the postseason, but does anyone out there think he cannot handle the pressure? He's got Gretzky-ish skills and can pick owner Mario Lemieux's brain ... nuts-and-bolts experience from veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi will be invaluable ... Evgeni Malkin scored 33 goals as a rookie, 16 on the power play, six game-winners. Tough to stop that filthiness. PENGUINS IN SEVEN.


WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS

(1) DETROIT (50-19-13) VS. (8) CALGARY (43-29-10)

How Detroit could win -- Forget their recent postseason history. In two of their last three playoff appearances, the Red Wings were first-round losers ... six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek doesn't remember he turns 42 later this month ... Henrik Zetterberg (33 goals) and his balky back are friends once again.

Why Calgary will win -- Win or lose, does reigning Vezina winner Miikka Kiprusoff (40-24-9, 2.46 GAA, seven shutouts) ever get rattled? This is just another series of games for him ... Key on offense won't be Jarome Iginla or Alex Tanguay -- watch for Kristian Huselius (career-high 34 goals) ... Jim Playfair outcoaches Mike Babcock -- yes, it can happen. FLAMES IN SIX.


(2) ANAHEIM (48-20-14) VS. (7) MINNESOTA (48-26-8)

How Anaheim could win -- Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer score early and often from the blue line. Teemu Selanne scores early and often from anywhere ... Jean-Sebastien Giguere (36-10-8, 2.26 GAA, four shutouts) keeps his mind on the game instead of family issues surrounding the birth of his son ... Dustin Penner (29 goals) builds off the three he had last postseason.

Why Minnesota will win -- Meet Nicklas Backstrom. Was 10-0-1 with a 1.24 GAA and three shutouts over the final month of the season, and has gone from backup to a league-low 1.97 GAA heading into postseason ... Marian Gaborik stays healthy. Had a point in 13 of his final 14 games of '06-'07 ... Five players with at least 50 points mean balance in Jacques Lemaire's system. WILD IN SEVEN.


(3) VANCOUVER (49-26-7) VS. (6) DALLAS (49-25-7)

How Dallas could win --Marty Turco improves overnight on his 8-14 record and 3.35 GAA in the playoffs. If he struggles again, coach Dave Tippett could put rookie Mike Smith (12-5-2, 2.23 GAA, three shutouts) in net... Scoring comes primarily from the forwards Mike Modano, Mike Ribeiro and others despite having two of the higher scoring defensemen in Sergei Zubov (54 points) and Philippe Boucher (51 points) ... trying to avoid third straight opening-round elimination for the first time.

Why Vancouver will win -- Roberto Luongo (47-22-6, 2.29 GAA, five shutouts) won't fall flat on his face ... After emerging this season as the faces of the franchise, the Sedin twins (36 goals for Daniel, 71 assists for Henrik) show the world their playmaking skills ... another team that has to forget their history. The Canucks have gone past the first round just twice since 1994. CANUCKS IN SIX.


(4) NASHVILLE (51-23-8) VS. (5) SAN JOSE (51-26-5)


How Nashville could win -- Peter Forsberg starts playing like he did, say, five years ago ... Tomas Vokoun bounces back after missing al of last season with a blood clotting condition ... try not to let losing four straight to the Sharks in last season's playoff get to them ... get past a late season stumble that saw Predators lose seven of 10.

Why San Jose will win -- Joe Thornton. Evegni Nabokov. Jonathan Cheechoo. Bill Guerin. Patrick Marleau. Sharks can match veteran for veteran with Preds' Kariya, Sullivan, Forsberg and so on ... young defensemen Matt Carle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Christian Ehrhoff will be keys. SHARKS IN SIX.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Playoff predictions coming soon ...