Since I'm doing this late, I'm going to mention a few surprises. Surprise #1: Winnipeg easily defeating Calgary in 6 games. Winnipeg has been ousted by these pesky Dragons the last few Playoffs, so you would have thought it would go at least 7 games or that last year's champs would prevail again. However, a close OT win in game one was followed by a 4-0 shutout win in game 2. The Jets then took a 3-1 series lead, and after failing to clinch the series in game 5, shutout the Dragons yet again in game 6. The Jets outscored Calgary 23-18 and never lost control after grabbing the early lead.

Surprise #2: The Platoon falling down 2-0 in the first round to Buffalo. These two teams were evenly matched coming into the series, with just one extra loser point giving Buffalo home ice advantage. However, Buffalo stole game one by overcoming a 4-2 deficit in the third period by scoring 3 unanswered goals in just over 2 minutes. Then in game 2, Buffalo grabbed a 5-1 lead, but just barely managed to win 5-4. The Platoon won the next two games, but Buffalo took the lead back with a decisive 5-3 win in game 5. The Platoon didn't give up though, and won the next two games by a total of 8-1; the two most dominant wins of the series.

Prediction: The Panthers will win the Cup over the Platoon. The Panthers won a thrilling 7-game series against the Jets (yes, those Jets that dethroned the champs), and the Platoon handled the Steelhawks in 6 games. Although I see this as another close series, the Panthers' goaltending should be the catalyst to victory. Both teams have fire power, with Linna leading the way for the Platoon (9 goals, 20 points), and Boyka leading the Panthers with 19 points and 9 goals, but the Panthers have the much steadier goalie. Biscuit has had issues this post-season, with a .893 save percentage and a 3.45 GAA, and those numbers are with a shutout. Marmeladov has played well in some crucial games, and has two shutouts. His .905 save percentage and 2.98 GAA are great improvements over his crease combatant. That said, Marmeladov has taken 3 penalties, so maybe the Platoon can try to rattle him and take advantage of his over aggressive crease-keeping.