Time for round two, after a first round in which the ants were marching two by two. I had two series exactly right, two where I picked the right team but the wrong length, two where I had the right length but the wrong team, and two exactly wrong. At least I can blame the two exactly wrong, both Atlantic Division series, on the AHL schedule since Saint John never ventured near me and Fredericton and Lowell both wandered through quite early in the season. Tough to pick a series when you haven't seen the teams.

We now switch to a best of seven series. Except for Philadelphia/Kentucky, which is a 2- 3-2 format, the teams will play 2-2-1-1-1. Ain't geography great?

One can only hope that in this round, maybe certain members of certain coaching staffs around the league will start conducting themselves like responsible citizens. And I would certainly suggest to the Montreal Canadiens that their farm team's coach needs a curfew more than his players do. Hell, he needs a babysitter and a dictionary explaining the term 'sportsmanship', as he clearly has never heard of it.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Empire Division

#1 Rochester Americans v. #3 Hamilton Bulldogs

Game One:    Wednesday, May 5 at Rochester
Game Two:    Friday, May 7 at Rochester
Game Three:  Saturday, May 8 at Hamilton
Game Four:   Tuesday, May 11 at Hamilton
*Game Five:  Friday, May 14 at Rochester
*Game Six:   Sunday, May 16 at Hamilton
*Game Seven: Tuesday, May 18 at Rochester

Rochester in six.

I'm probably being really nice to Hamilton, giving them two games. Which is not to say they're a bad team, heck, they're a darn good one. But they'll need every ounce of rust the Amerks have accumulated to get anywhere in this series. I'm liking the Amerks for the whole shebang, and their divisional patsies (Hamilton won what, one of ten games?) aren't going to slow them down. The AHL's all-time best defensive team will troop onward.

Mid-Atlantic Division

#1 Philadelphia Phantoms v. #2 Kentucky Thoroughblades

Game One:    Wednesday, May 5 at Philadelphia
Game Two:    Friday, May 7 at Philadelphia
Game Three:  Sunday, May 9 at Kentucky
Game Four:   Tuesday, May 11 at Kentucky
*Game Five:  Thursday, May 13 at Kentucky
*Game Six:   Saturday, May 15 at Philadelphia
*Game Seven: Sunday, May 16 at Philadelphia

Philadelphia in seven.

Former 800-pound gorilla Philadelphia has been distinctly vulnerable the back half of the season, particularly to their divisional mates Kentucky and Hershey. And the T-Blades have their power play cooking. But this series is really a tossup that's going to need all seven games. And while I like Kentucky, a Philadelphia win means I get to see another hockey game this season. So we'll go with the Phantoms.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

New England Division

#1 Providence Bruins v. #2 Hartford WolfPack

Game One:     Wednesday, May 5 at Providence
Game Two:     Friday, May 7 at Providence
Game Three:   Saturday, May 8 at Hartford
Game Four:    Monday, May 10 at Hartford
*Game Five:   Friday, May 14 at Providence
*Game Six:    Wednesday, May 19 at Hartford
*Game Seven:  Friday, May 21 at Providence

Providence in five.

Hartford and Providence saw a lot of each other this year and the results were almost uniformly ugly. And almost uniformly ugly in the Bruins' favor. Indeed, the only favor Hartford is going to get is that the big Bruins have moved on and hence will be keeping some of Providence's weapons up top a bit longer. But JF Labbe is not playing like a playoff hero right now and he'll have to be the best of his life to stop Providence.

Atlantic Division

#2 Fredericton Canadiens v. #4 Saint John Flames

Game One:    Wednesday, May 5 at Fredericton
Game Two:    Friday, May 7 at Fredericton
Game Three:  Sunday, May 9 at Saint John
Game Four:   Wednesday, May 12 at Saint John
*Game Five:  Friday, May 14 at Fredericton
*Game Six:   Sunday, May 16 at Saint John
*Game Seven: Tuesday, May 18 at Fredericton.

Saint John in seven.

The difference between these teams on the ice is razor-thin. The question is simply, who will be better, Theodore or Giguere? The only other possible question is whether Fredericton's Francis Bouillon will be available after injuring a leg blocking a shot. Earlier, I would have picked Fredericton to keep the franchise alive a little longer. Now, I'll take Saint John to keep sportsmanship alive a little longer. Hope the Flames don't expect a handshake line, since they'll be alone out there.

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