Nothing surprising about the results of a couple of semifinals series, but...
Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks: Detroit wins 3-2 (Detroit leads series 1-0)
Niklas Lidstrom scored his second goal of the night in the final minute of play to give the Red Wings a 1 goal lead and the victory for the night. But nobody expected it would take that kind of effort for Detroit to hand Anaheim their first loss of the series. Jonas Hiller made 34 saves, and the coveted Getzlaf line did all the damage for the ducks. Suddenly, Anaheim's upset over San Jose doesn't seem like the Sharks's fault. Still, the defending champions got it done when it was needed. Mike Brown was shown an early exit to the game after taking a game misconduct in the first period, which crippled the grind lines for Anaheim.
Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes: Boston wins 4-1 (Boston leads series 1-0)
After sweeping the first round against Montreal, the Bruins looked better than they ever have after coming off an extended break. The penalties were called liberally, and as a result there were only 4 power plays total, with none of them capitalized on. But it didn't matter, as Boston took full advantage of a 5 on 5 play, and scored a couple of goals off of turnovers created in their own zone to start an odd-man rush. The dangerous Staal line that unraveled Martin Brodeur was nowhere to be seen, as Tim Thomas made 26 saves on 27 shots. The Hurricanes were blown out in game 1 against the Devils as well, so don't expect them to be eliminated quietly.
So far, the second round is playing exactly to the script. Detroit and Anaheim had a tough battle, but the better team won in the end (despite another spectacular goaltending night from Hiller), while Boston blew out Carolina. If Vancouver and Chicago end up beating each other up, one would assume Boston and Detroit will walk into the Cup finals.
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