Playoff predictions, second round: Peter vs Ian vs Keith, a coin

Hoo boy, that was a fun quarterfinal round. There was a sweep and a game seven and everything in between. But no time to catch our breath: we need to get ready for the second round, which has already begun. It’s time to go mano a mano with a coin. Mano a moneda.

Keith, a coin, is a quarter. He’s from the keystone state, but don’t hold that against him. Somehow, Keith is right about half the time, which tells you something about the determinative nature of a first-to-four series in pro hockey.

And now the results so far. We use the / score-keeping system, which everyone understands intuitively.

First Round	Peter	Ian	Keith
CAR beat NYI
BOS beat TOR
FLA beat TBL
NYR beat WSH
DAL beat VGK
COL beat WPG
VAN beat NSH
EDM beat LAK
Second Round	Peter	Ian	Keith
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Third Round	Peter	Ian	Keith
TBD
TBD
Finals	Peter	Ian	Keith
TBD

New York vs Carolina

Peter: I’m not bitter. I’m not bitter. I don’t know why you’re saying I’m bitter. I’m not. The Hurricanes are a vastly better five-on-five team and twenty thousand leagues deeper than the Rangers. Carolina in 6.

Ian: Peter pulled off The Ocho? Holy cow. I beat Keith though, so that’s how you know I’m just good enough to be a hockey analyst. Okay, anyway, so this series. As you might know, I’m not a believer in the New York head coach and his system of play. It will fail at some point. Therefore, Carolina in 7.

Keith:  New York in 7.

Florida vs Boston

Peter: I think Boston has much better goaltending, but that’s about it. Big-game Carter Verhæghe is going run amok again. Florida in 6.

Ian: Boston’s first-round series lead went on life support before a G7OTGWG gave them a shock back to life. I love the way Florida plays in the corners and Sergei Bobrovsky’s been in net, but Jeremy Swayman and lessons learned from the first round should push the Bruins to the next round. Boston in 6.

Keith: Boston in 4.

Colorado vs Dallas

Peter: Dallas remains my Cup pick, but this is a tough out for them. The Avs were very very good in their round against the Jets. If I didn’t feel like I was already committed to the Stars, I’d probably go a different way here. Softly: Dallas in 7.

Ian: Colorado is not as strong as past years, but there’s no way I’m picking against Nathan MacKinnon here, who as Cerullo once tweeted, skates like the ice owes him money. Colorado in 5.

Keith: Dallas in 5.

Vancouver vs Edmonton

Peter: The big question for me is Vancouver’s goaltending. With Demko out, and presumably for a long time, I’m way less confident in their chances. I think – or maybe I hope – that this will be a long series. Fans deserve it. Edmonton in 7.

Ian: I think this is Edmonton’s year. Hyman is the missing piece, a guy who can score predictable goals in front of the net and take the pressure off the high-skill guys. This team has been magic this year. Vancouver will not be ready for them. Edmonton in 6.

Keith: Vancouver in 7.

Your turn. Drop [CITY] in [NUMBER OF GAMES] and call us wrong.