The Chicago Blackhawks were knocked out of the playoffs after just four games, but that's only one of the upsets that we didn't see coming in the opening round of the NHL postseason.
In all, we only predicted three of the eight series correctly, with the Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals shedding the dreaded "Madhouse Enforcer" curse.
With a new round of games comes a fresh chance at redemption, so how do we see the second round playing out?
Eastern Conference:
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
Pick: Capitals in 7
We ended up picking the Blue Jackets to sneak past the Penguins in the first round, but Sidney Crosby and his crew proved us wrong, dispatching the Jackets from the postseason with relative ease.
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Even with that slice of humble pie, we're still banking on this being the Capitals' year to finally make a deep playoff run, as Alex Ovechkin finally has the supporting cast (and secret playoff weapon Justin Williams) needed to get to the conference final.
New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
Pick: Rangers in 6
Someone has to be able to figure out Ottawa's trap style of defense, and we're going to bank on the Rangers here, with a big dose of help from Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers' solid defense.
The Senators got some puck luck in overtime during their series win over the Boston Bruins, but we're betting on that luck to run out.
Western Conference:
Edmonton Oilers vs. Anaheim Ducks
Pick: Ducks in 6
The Oilers looked great against the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks, but we're going to go with experience over youth in this matchup as we're taking the Ducks.
Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf will be key for the Ducks as they look to make it back to the Western Conference Final, and with some additional rest thanks to their sweep over the Calgary Flames, they'll have a bit of an advantage over the Oilers.
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues
Pick: Predators in 6
The Predators and Blues both had relatively easy roads to this point, with both teams scoring upsets over the Blackhawks and Wild, respectively.
The Predators showed off some incredible team speed in the first round, and the Blues displayed some remarkable clutch play and physicality as they dispatched the Wild from the postseason in five games.
With both teams well designed to potentially make a deep run, we're going to go with the Predators. There is a reason a lot of pundits picked the Predators as a Stanley Cup champion before the season, and the mettle and skill they showed against the Blackhawks sealed our pick here.
