Much like the Ottawa Senators in their first round series, I didn?t give my best effort with a 4-4 record from my first round predictions. However, with the energy from two Game 7s on Tuesday, here are breakdowns and predictions of the NHL Final 8. Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers The Canadiens? fortunes are all about rookie goaltender Carey Price. He struggled in Game 5 and Game 6, but looked very good in the Game 7 victory. The Canadiens were tied for eighth in goals per game and will need solid work in net if they want to compete in every game. Also, Alexei Kovalev is key for this offense as five of his six points against Boston came in Montreal wins. Philadelphia was the ugly duckling of the first round for those who wished for an Ovechkin-Crosby second round duel. However, along the way, people started to notice this team can play. Daniel Briere leads the playoffs with six goals and also has five assists. They also had stellar play from Mike Richards and Vaclav Prospal. The status of Mike Knuble though is a big question mark for this series. In the end, this should be a very competitive series. I wasn?t a believer of Philadelphia before the series, but I am now. The Flyers can score on Montreal and make things difficult for them, but Martin Biron will also let a few in and as the series wears on, Montreal will just wear down Philadelphia?s scorers and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. - Canadiens in seven games Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers The Penguins were dominant in their first round series win over the Ottawa Senators. They jumped on them early and then showed the maturity to put them away in four games. With this team, the offensive fire power is well known, but it is about goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He stopped 107 out of 112 shots and showed few lapses in net the whole series. For the Rangers, they beat their nemesis in the New Jersey Devils as their team is starting to come together. Scott Gomez had a league best +5 rating in the first round and the Rangers were second in the first round in goals per game behind Pittsburgh. This will be an uphill battle for the Rangers as their advantage in net with Henrik Lundqvist won?t be enough to overcome the firepower of Pittsburgh. The Penguins are on a mission and while the Rangers will put up more of a fight, it won?t be enough. Penguins in six games Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche The Red Wings switched to Chris Osgood after Game 4 and it proved to be a good move as Osgood was nails in net and the Red Wings closed out the Nashville Predators. The most important thing for Detroit is to bring the right attitude every game. Players who need to improve their games are Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg, who is good enough to dominate games. Colorado on the hand gave great effort in their first round series against the Minnesota Wild. Goaltender Jose Theodore was his vintage self and the Avalanche showed off their offensive depth and collection of solid two-way players. They will need big series from Peter Forsberg and Ryan Smyth. I think this is the upset of the second round. Colorado is playing well right now and with Theodore in net, they can compete with anyone. Detroit doesn?t have the edge needed to win in the playoffs and when going up against a more complete team in Nashville, this will be exploited. - Avalanche in six games San Jose Sharks vs. Dallas Stars The San Jose Sharks held off a tough Calgary Flames team in seven games. They lacked some focus in this series, but the offense is starting to pick it up behind Joe Thornton. They need more consistent production out of the supporting cast around him and better play from Brian Campbell if they want to keep advancing. In Dallas, the Stars controlled their first round series and will be a tough out whenever they go. Goaltender Marty Turco is starting to become a big game goaltende,r and Mike Ribiero led the Stars with eight points in the Anaheim series. If they can continue to be solid on special teams, this will be an interesting series. In the end, I like the Sharks because they have the best player in this series in Thornton and the goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov. The Stars won?t be rolled in this series, but they lack the overall firepower to outscore San Jose, and they just aren?t good enough to win a defensive game. - Sharks in six games How do you see the second round playing out? Email your picks to Douglas.Benton@realgm.com