There were three sweeps and a series that went five
games. There hasn’t been playoff hockey since last Friday.
So, let’s hope the third-round is much better. Tonight,
the Baie-Comeau Drakkar begin their series with the Blainville-Boisbriand
Armada and tomorrow the Halifax Mooseheads kick off their matchup with the
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Here is what some QMJHL experts are saying about the
semi-finals:
- The Chronicle Herald’s predictions
- Buzzing The Net’s predictions
- RDS’ predictions
- Francois Parenteau’s predictions
- Jean-Francois Plante’s predictions
(8) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs (1) Halifax Mooseheads
The Mooseheads have yet to lose a game and really haven't
been challenged yet although I expect that to change against the Huskies. The
Mooseheads will again be led by 2013 NHL draft eligibles Jonathan Drouin &
Nathan MacKinnon but to show the depth of the Mooseheads offensive firepower
they aren't even leading the team in scoring, a distinction held by Stefan
Fournier while Martin Frk is just a point behind. The biggest question for the
Mooseheads will be whether they are ready out of the gate against a team that
is better suited to play the run and gun game with them.
The Huskies have come into form and are hitting their
stride at the right time. Led by their two import players Sven Andrighetto and
Nikita Kucherov as well as Jean-Sebastien Dea the Huskies can bring it
offensively. The Huskies also have one of the most dangerous offensive
defensemen in Mathieu Brisebois . The questions
for the Huskies like their last series will be whether they can handle the
offensive juggernaut the Mooseheads have
and they will likely be looking to rookie netminder Alexandre Belanger who will need to play his
best games. The Huskies will also need to gain some secondary scoring beyond
their big three forwards.
A side note to this series will be the battle of brothers
Stefan (Halifax) and Dillon (RN) Fournier
I think (and hope) this will bring more excitement to
these playoffs ... Take the Mooseheads in 6 games
(3) Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs (2) Baie-Comeau
Drakkar
This could be the best series (So far) ... The Armada
will have former Sea Dog Ryan Tesink back Friday night which is great news for
the Armada and not a moment too soon. The Armada are very good at executing game
plans and have rolled through the playoffs thus far. They have an underrated
offense with the likes of Clapperton, Giroux, Roy, and Paquette. Add to this
mix Tesink and there is some question on the status of Stefan Matteau and
whether he'll be able to play in this series but would give the Armada a nice
boost offensively. The Armada have two of the best defensemen in the Q with
Xavier Ouellet and Samuel Carrier and these two will be leaned on heavily in
this series but I don't think many will question their ability. The goaltending
has been solid so far and Etienne Marcoux will need to continue to be against a
strong and deeper offense.
The Drakkar might just be the most motivated team in the
2013 playoffs and nobody actually wants to play the Mooseheads more than the
Baie-Comeau Drakkar and their fans. The Drakkar are deep up front led by import
player Petr Straka but have plenty offensive firepower of their own with key
offensive weapons like Gregoire, Bussieres, Zykov, and former Moosehead Carl
Gelinas. The Drakkar defense does lack the top end talent like the Armada but I
do like their depth on defense and they are a tough group on the back end ...
Life will not be easy for the Armada forwards with these guys back there. Cadorette
has been solid so far for the Drakkar but he will likely face his toughest test
now and he needs to elevate his game and not play like he did during the
regular season or the Drakkar could be in trouble.
I'm pulling for my personal dream final this year but I
think this will take the full seven games ... Take the Drakkar in 7 games
Come on who doesn't want the Halifax Mooseheads and Baie
Comeau Drakkar final (Outside Huskie & Armada fans of course). Moments like
these just don't happen often enough...
Tim Lumsden | @SNshadowwalker
Halifax in 5
BLB in 6
Jamie Tozer | @station_nation
(8) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs (1) Halifax Mooseheads
Halifax hasn’t lost a game so far this post-season and
have had a relatively smooth ride. That should change – the smoothness
part at least – as the Huskies will be their toughest challenge yet. There is
plenty of fire power is this series with MacKinnon and Drouin taking on
Andrighetto and Kucherov. Rouyn-Noranda won’t be an easy place to play for the
Moose, either. Halifax in 5.
(3) Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs (2) Baie-Comeau
Drakkar
Ryan Tesink is back. Drakkar fans are probably going to lose it at some point, so that is something to look forward to. This has the
potential to be one of the best series of this year’s playoffs. Let’s hope they
don’t let us down. Baie-Comeau in 7.
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