Round 2... FIGHT! (NHL playoff edition)

The NHL playoffs are into their second round and things are getting very interesting.

This is what we’ve seen so far.

The Ducks are for real.

Crosby vs Ovechkin is heating up.

The Hawks are looking strong.

The Canes can hold their own.

In the west the Ducks apparently surprised nobody but myself, taking the Sharks out in round one. Now they're giving the Wings a run! The Perry, Ryan and Getzlaf line is dangerous every time they’re on the ice, Pronger is mugging people as only Pronger can, and this Hiller kid has been lights out between the pipes.

Is Switzerland the new Finland when it comes goalie hot beds? Doubtful, but this Swiss lad has been stealing the show.

Let's not count out the Wings just yet. They've held their own and basically got outdueled by Hiller in game two. Osgood has been no slouch either. He's been the Wings best player, and once again is silencing his critics. How many years has Ozzy's play been questioned going into the playoffs? To use a Patrick Roy quote, he "can't hear you with all his Stanley cup rings in his ear."

This series is miles ahead of any of the others being played. Fast, hard hitting, end-to-end action. The winner of this series will take the west. That is if they don't kill each other first.

In my city, the hometown Canucks are reeling after a tough loss to the Blackhawks in game two. Knotted at one a piece going into tonight's tilt in Chicago, the feeling around Vancouver is more like they’re down 3-0. It’s tough not to be concerned considering they lost their power play quarterback with defenseman Sami Salo going down with another injury. His cannon from the point is one of the best in the league, and won them game one. He didn't make the trip to Chi-town for game three and his status is up in the air for game four.

The Canucks have controlled play for about 2.5 periods of this series, escaping game one after a late Hawks come back. Outside of that, it’s been all Hawks.The Hawks seem to be stronger and more skilled then the Canucks. Dustin Byfuglien and Ben Eager have been a handful for the Canucks, crashing the net, hitting hard on the forecheck and winning the battles in the corners. The Canucks don't seem to have anyone that can step up to either of them.

The Pattys, Kane and Sharp and Jonathan Toews seem to be able to take the blue line at will and they’re getting their money's worth from the overpaid goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who was much better in game two.

The Canucks need to play sixty minutes and beyond if they want to stay in this series. Both teams seem to be able to find the box, making special teams execution very key. If the Canucks can play mistake free and make life relatively easy for Luongo, they can take back the momentum in this series. It should be a good game three tonight. The United Center will be rocking, that’s a given. Keep this in mind. These Blackhawks fans are due. They've had it worse then any fans in the NHL. The Hawks hold the NHL record for years without winning a cup. They last hoisted Lord Stanley, back in 1961!

In the east we're seeing two very different series with some outstanding hockey being played. Gary's wet dream has come true with Ovie facing Sid the Kid for the first time in the playoffs. The play of these two has lived up to the hype, with hat tricks from both of these superstars in game two. The Caps have the edge so far, but this one is far from done. One goal games in both games one and two has the Caps up 2-0.

The series shifts to Pittsburgh tomorrow night and could very well be another one goal game with the Caps either up three or the Pens back in it. Last goal wins in this one. Got to love it.

I would love to see the Pens take the next two and make this one go the distance, just for the pure pleasure of watching the two best young stars in the game battle each other. However, if rookie Simeon Varlamov keeps stealing games for the Caps, this won't go much further then the next two in Pittsburgh.

The last, but not least series to get a mention, has the late season surging Hurricanes versus the eastern conference juggernaut Boston Bruins, and it too is just as intense and exciting as any of the others.

Game one looked as if the Bruins would roll through the Canes like they did against Montreal. They controlled the play and made it look easy, cruising to a 4-1 win.

Game two was a much different story. Cam Ward took over in the third period, stopping 16 shots to notch the series up at ones. Like the Ducks and Wings in the west, this series should determine the winner of the east. I love the style of play between these two gritty, not pretty, teams. This one will likely go seven and should be a treat to watch throughout.