Predicition: Bruins win in six. Despite the home-ice advantage and deeper lineup, look for a slow start and a strong finish for the Spoked-B franchise. The Canes just don't have the size or scoring depth to outdistance Claude Julien's charges.
The Bruins rubbed out the Canadiens in four straight (yes, hard to believe, but that was this year). The Canes squeezed by in seven games, stunning the defensive-minded Devils with a pair of goals in the final 1:20 against Martin Brodeur, the game's all-time winningest goalie, who looked less than ordinary on the strikes by Jussi Jokinen and Staal that came 48 seconds apart.
Yes, the Hurricanes advanced, winning their first playoff round since clinching the franchise's first Cup in 2006, but it was a series gift-wrapped by the Devils and topped by the decorative bow of Brodeur's mysterious last-minute fugue to the land of beer-league netminders.
Longtime Boston fans can relate to the Canes' strength, which also happens to be their weakness. They have a dynamic No. 1 line, anchored by the 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound Staal, who is flanked by a pair of 5-10 but clever wingers, Chad LaRose and Ray Whitney (like Staal a key component in winning the '06 Cup). All three finished with a team-high 7 points in the first round, in part because coach Paul Maurice opted to move Staal off an ineffective trio with Tuomo Ruutu and the recently reacquired Erik Cole.
The problem is, once beyond that Staal line, Carolina's production falls off the charts, eerily akin to what we witnessed in the Hub of Hockey during Boston's runs to the 1988 and '90 Cup finals.
In '88, Boston forwards Cam Neely, Craig Janney, and Ken Linseman led the offense, with defenseman Ray Bourque second only to Linseman in postseason points. Two years later, Neely, Janney, and Bourque led the charts.
