With Round 1 concluded, we enter the next stage in the playoffs. The games mean more. The talent, and the match ups, just got raised to another level, and we at PensBurgh get to experience playoff hockey, Crosby vs. Ovechkin.

Time for Round 2.

1. Boston Bruins

This top seed decided to stick around the Playoffs a bit longer than others. As I mentioned, in my pre-playoffs preview, consistency is needed for success.

• Series Goal Differential ~ Boston 17 - Montreal 6, (Boston +11).
• Power Play ~ Boston - 4/16 > Montreal - 0/9
• Tim Thomas -  105/111 (94% SV) > Carey Price - 108/123 (87% SV)

The Canadiens never stood a chance with numbers like that. In Game 4, the Canadiens killed off six Boston power play opportunities, six. The Canadiens PK unit was there, but the defense of the Bruins locked them out of their power play en route to a clean sweep. If there is anything to possibly slow this team down it could be either the more than week's rest, or that they play a team that can actually handle themselves a man up.

Still, it is clean sweeps like this that lead to severely concise recaps.

2. Washington Capitals

A week ago, I wrote this team off. How could such a high powered team be shut down? How can Mike Green, who lead all NHL defensemen in points and scoring, be virtually invisible? How can the Capitals come back from a 3-1 deficit? These can't necessarily all be answered on the stat sheet, but, for those wondering how this even went 7 Games, you need only to look at one man:

Henrik Lundqvist

Game 1 - 32/35,  .914 SV%.

Game 2 - 35/35, SHO.

Game 3 - 36/40, .900 SV%.

Game 4 - 38/39, .974 SV%.

Game 5 - 10/14, .714 SV% (pulled after two periods).

Game 6 - 15/20, .750 SV% (pulled after two periods).

Game 7 - 22/24, .916 SV%.

Series Totals - 188/207, .908 SV%, 1SHO, twice pulled from net.

Honestly, I feel like the Capitals just used the rope-a-dope here. Henrik carried the Rangers in this series, but just started to flame out. Some say the Capitals found and picked at a weak spot on Lundqvist, personally, I just feel the Capitals overall offensive talent eventually just overcame Henrik. The Capitals pounded Lundqvist with 207 shots, compared to Jose Theodore and Simeon Varlamov's combined 166 shots against.

It helps that the Capitals didn't have to compete against someone like their own Alexander Ovechkin, who clipped off 49 shots during his 159.18 minutes on ice. He also went +5, with 3 goals, and 4 assists. As for the team's top defensemen, Mike Green, he didn't do nearly as much as you would expect.

Mike Green

Game 1 - 0G, 2A's, -2, 3 SOG (30:47 TOI, 2 PIM).

Game 2 - 0G, 0A, -1, 2 SOG, (23:44 TOI, 2 PIM).

Game 3 - 0G, 0A, 0, 4 SOG, (21:57 TOI).

Game 4 - 0G, 0A, 0, 2 SOG, (29:51 TOI, 2 PIM).

Game 5 - 0G, 1A, 0, 1 SOG, (25:09 TOI).

Game 6 - 1G, 0A, +2, 2 SOG, (23:18 TOI).

Game 7 - 0G, 1A, +1, 0 SOG, (24:24 TOI, 2 PIM)

Series Totals - 1G, 4A's, +/- 0, 14 SOG, 8 PIM's.

I'm certainly not asking him to put up 73 points in the postseason, but I was expecting Green to be as much of a factor as Ovechkin in this series. Considering the Rangers didn't take Ovechkin out of the game, like the Red Wings with Rick Nash, I guess it doesn't matter how lack luster he was on the scoring sheet.

I expect this team to do as well as Simeon Varlamov can take them. He only had 5 starts in the regular season, but he won 4 of them. The question will be this for Varlamov: Can he do this well against a team as high caliber as the Pittsburgh Penguins? Varlamov has played against the Rangers(in the playoffs), Canadiens, Blues, Lightning, Thrashers, and Sabers. Three of those teams are playoff teams, none of them are in the 2nd Round.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

If you needed a spark to your system, as a team, the Penguins got a heck of one with an amazing three goal comeback to eliminate their in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers. The star players played to the level they needed to, and, no arguments from my perspective, the man who shined the brightest, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Marc-Andre Fleury

Game 1 - 26/27, .963 SV%.

Game 2 - 38/40, .950 SV%.

Game 3 - 24/29, .828 SV%.

Game 4 - 45/46, .978 SV%.

Game 5 - 23/26, .885 SV%.

Game 6 - 22/25, .880 SV%.

Series Totals - 178/193, .922 SV%.

He was astonishing to watch. If last year was any indication, he can be as strong as any this time of the year, and perhaps his best hockey of the season is coming right now when it matters the most. To boot, the Crosby and Malkin show continued in the series.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin

Game 1 - 2G's, 2A's, +2.

Game 2 - 1G, 3A's, +1, 2 PIM.

Game 3 - 2G's, 2A's, -1, 4 PIM.

Game 4 - 1G, 0A, 0, 2 PIM.

Game 5 - 0G, 0A, -3, 4 PIM.

Game 6 - 2G's, 2A's, +3, 6 PIM.

Series Totals - 17 Points, 8G's, 9A's, +2, 18 PIM.

Fun Fact, the two combined for 44 SOG. Sidney Crosby out shot Geno 23 to 21. Bet you wouldn't expect Crosby to shoot more than Malkin.

Above all else, I expect this team to keep playing on a high level. What interests me is if they will maintain the physicality they displayed in the Flyers series. There is certain some bad blood going on in the battle for Pennsylvania, but now it's Crosby and Malkin vs. Ovechkin. NBC and Verses are foaming at the mouth, and you know what, so are the rest of us.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

Devils Hurricanes, Game 7, 1:30 left on the clock. The New Jersey Devils lead by one, and have that "All Time Wins Leader" in net. Then Jussi Jokinen ties it up with 1:20 left in the third. It doesn't go to overtime. Canes superstar Eric Staal sneaks one through the arm of Brodeur with a mere 32 seconds left to go.

The series certainly was a lot closer than I previously thought. I had really bought into the major hot streak of the Hurricanes at the end of the season. It just goes to show how much Brodeur still has in him, and how good of a player Zach Parise is. Parise, lead the Devils with 6 points and 3 goals. All three goals came in the first three games.

The case you have to make, for the Hurricanes moving forward, is the three headed monster in the playoffs for them thus far: Eric Staal, Ray Whitney, and Chad LaRose. Each of the three had 7 points in the seven game series with the Devils, and combined for 10 goals and 11 assists. Add netminder Cam Ward, who's .932 SV% is third amongst Eastern Conference goalies in the playoffs, and you have the potential Joe Frazier to Boston's Mohammad Ali.

Round 2 Match Ups

• 1. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Carolina Hurricanes
• 2. Washington Capitals vs. 4. Pittsburgh Penguins

1. Boston vs. 6. Carolina

• The Bruins swept the season series, 4-0.
• The Bruins outscored the Hurricanes, 18-6.
• The Bruins never scored less than 4 goals, and never gave up more than 2 goals to the opposition. Sound familiar to the Bruins in Round 1?

2. Washington vs. 4. Pittsburgh

• The Capitals won the season series, 3-1.
• The Capitals outscored the Penguins, 18-12.
• The Penguins lone win came in a shootout. That win came with the Kunitz and Guerin playing in Penguin uniforms against the Capitals for the first time. What could that mean for how they match up this time around?

It's going to be a great second round. There's a lot of areas where teams have changed since they last met up: Carolina's pace picked up at the end of the season, and the energy levels are high after a Game 7 thriller. All that while the Bruins are relaxing, and wondering why "Sports Soup," was aired instead of the thrilling conclusion of Devils Canes. The Penguins added Kunitz and Guerin, and with them, got a win over the Capitals in their first meeting. The Capitals, however, now have the hottest goalie in the Eastern Conference, after the first round, in Simeon Varlamov.

The pieces are set, let's drop the puck for Round 2.