So we've reached the end, which undoubtedly mean joyous celebration from MMW and Hulk, and sadness from the rest of the universe. Anyways, both games look enticing, with the final looking like it will be a classic.

Final: Spain vs. Netherlands

Note: This is the first time that there has been a back to back European final game, as well as the first time two teams who have never won will meet in the final since 1978 (Argentina vs Netherlands).

Netherlands: Never won (Runner up in 1974 and 1978)
Spain: Never won (Never made it past quarterfinals)

The Netherlands come in with two of the best players in the world in Robben and Sneijder, while Spain has arguably the best midfield and the best passing game in the world. Spain will most likely do what they did against Germany and try and break down the defense through heavy possession, finally getting a chance to score. They will not face as staunch a defense as they did against Germany, as the Dutch have been prone to collapse and are extremely vulnerable in the center. The Dutch will have to be extremely effective counterattacking and need to convert almost every opportunity that comes their way. This should be a fast paced and extremely exciting final.

Prediction: Netherlands win 2-1

3rd Place: Uruguay vs. Germany

Not much to say here, as Mueller returns, while Klose may or may not play for Germany. Suarez returns for Uruguay, which will help them a lot. Germany still has a ton of firepower up front and should prevail in the end over Uruguay's defensive style of play that involves a lot of counterattacking. These two teams should be able to go out in style.

Prediction: Germany wins 3-1

Prediction Record: 10-4

After the Dutch shocked Brazil, Uruguay's amazing streak of luck, the German beatdown of Argentina, and the Spanish near miss against Paraguay, we have arrived at the semifinal stage.

Netherlands vs. Uruguay

Once again, the Dutch need Arjen Robben to distract defenders with his absolutely lethal left foot, which will allow others, such as Wesley Sneijder, to come in and take advantage, which is exactly what happened against Brazil. Diego Forlan must play even better than he has already for Uruguay, as Luis Suarez is suspended for this game as a result of his memorable hand ball that saved Uruguay against Ghana. Uruguay is a good defensive team, while the Dutch have been prone in the center of their defense; however, the loss of Suarez will definitely impact Uruguay.

Prediction: Holland wins 2-1

Germany vs. Spain
Game to watch

When they last met: Euro 2008 Final, Spain won 1-0.

The Germans have not had a dull encounter during the knockout stage, and this game is no exception. After manhandling both England and Argentina, the Germans will look to continue their potent attack against Spain. Spain knocked off Paraguay in a thriller that saw two PK's missed in the span of about 90 seconds. Spain features the top scorer in the tournament, David Villa, who has 5 goals. Germany's Thomas Mueller and Miroslav Klose each have 4, but Mueller will be suspended for this match because of an accumulation of yellow cards. Look for a highly entertaining game that could well be the best game of the tournament so far.

Prediction: Germany wins 2-1

Prediction record: 9-3

Now that the second round is complete, I will quickly preview the quarterfinals:

Uruguay vs. Ghana
Uruguay knocked off South Korea 2-1, while Ghana edged the USA 2-1 in extra time. Look for a low scoring game with a lot of defense. Once again, look out for Forlan for Uruguay. Ghana will fight hard, and it is Africa's last hope for glory in this World Cup.

Prediction: Uruguay wins 2-1

Brazil vs. Netherlands
Game to watch #1
Arjen Robben returned and helped the Netherlands dominate Slovakia, while the Brazilians dominated as usual against Chile. Look for the Brazilians to attempt to shut down Robben's left foot, which was costly for the Slovaks. Kaka will eventually break out of his shell at some point, boosint Brazil's firepower. Look for a high scoring affair and note the somewhat suspect Dutch defense.

Prediction: Brazil wins 3-2

Argentina vs. Germany
Game to watch #2
Germany absolutely dominated England, save for a 15 minute span, with the help of a bad call, while Argentina was the beneficiary of some sloppy officiating and a Mexican implosion. Messi still has not scored in this tournament, and now would be a great time for him to break out. Don't count out Teves for Argentina as well. Germany's three headed monster of Podolski, Mueller, and Klose continues to torment opponents and shows no signs of slowing down, unless it runs into another card happy ref. Look for an entertaining affair that will probably come down to defense.

Prediction: Germany wins 2-1

Spain vs. Paraguay
Paraguay knocked off Japan in penalties while Spain dispatched Portugal 1-0. Barring a Swiss style upset, Spain should not have much trouble dispatching Paraguay. Look for Villa to continue his scoring streak.

Prediction: Spain wins 3-1
Prediction record: 6-2 (through one round)

So the World Cup has made it to the knockout stage, where it gets even more exciting than what we've already seen. We've had shockers (Italy out), outstanding games (USA vs. Slovenia/Algeria), and absolute snooze fests (Brazil/Portugal) combined with the typical pathetic performance (France). Here is a preview of what is to come (sorry, I know some teams better than others, so some previews might be extremely long/short):

June 26th games:

USA vs. Ghana:
After making their run to the Round of 16 by giving almost everyone in the US a massive heart attack several times over, the US will try to get revenge for their defeat to Ghana in Germany in 2006. Ghana is a strong team that held its own against Germany, and also defeated Serbia. The USA needs to actually get something in the net early and not get screwed by the refs in the process. Look for ratings records to be broken on ABC this weekend. Prediction: USA wins 2-1.

Uruguay vs South Korea:
Two words: Diego Forlan. If he's on, Uruguay should move on without too much trouble. If he's off, they are in trouble. South Korea is no pushover, but I still think that Uruguay will come out on top. If you are a US fan, root like crazy for the Koreans, as Forlan would run circles around US defenders. Prediction: Uruguay wins 1-0.

June 27th games:

Argentina vs. Mexico:
Will Maradona finally jump onto a building celebrating something? Seriously, this guy is a ton of fun to watch as a manager. The fact that he's shorter than everyone else on the pitch definitely helps. Anyways, will this be the game that Messi finally scores? Will Higuain continue his goal scoring touch? This will be a fun game to watch no matter what. All the Argentinians need to do is prove that they are not the South American versions of Spain and not choke. Prediction: Argentina wins 2-1.

Germany vs. England
Game to watch #1
First and foremost, Bastian Schweinsteiger is doubtful for this match because of an injury, which is a major blow to Germany's midfield. Anyways, England's play overall has been extremely suspect, and they probably should not have advanced. Germany is the less experienced of the two sides, but England still have to get out of their slump. Rooney got better later in the Slovenia game, but still has yet to score. Note that Germany and England absolutely hate each other (England especially), so this is always a good rivalry. Note to people who hate the English, mention any PK to an English fan to watch them suffer a seizure. Prediction: Germany wins 2-1.

June 28th games:

Netherlands vs. Slovakia:
The Dutch also have a tendency to choke on this stage, but have not shown any signs of slowing down at the moment. With Robben back in the lineup, they should be even more lethal and should move on to face off against Brazil in an epic showdown. Slovakia have had an amazing run, including stunning Italy, but likely will be no match for the Dutch firepower. Prediction: Netherlands wins 2-0

Brazil vs. Chile
It's Brazil and the knockout stage, surprise surprise. Brazil handled the Group of Death well and made it to a game that they should (and probably will) win. Chile made it through by knocking of Switzerland and Honduras, and playing Spain reasonably well. The Samba Kings will most likely revert to old form and just have fun with Chile by the end of it. Prediction: Brazil wins 3-1

June 29th games:

Spain vs. Portugal:
Game to watch #2
No matter the outcome, you can expect one to declare war on the other by the time this match is complete. Spain feature arguably the most potent and beautiful style of play by any team in the tournament. Portugal has the second best player in the tournament in Ronaldo, and he could probably be the best if he didn't play like an Italian and flop so much. This match also features two teams that tend to choke during the World Cup, namely Spain. No matter what, this match will be a beauty to watch and could potentially be the most entertaining match of either the second round or the entire knockout stage. Prediction: Portugal wins 2-1 in a stunner

Paraguay vs. Japan
Japan might be the most surprising addition to the knockout stage, and if they aren't then it is Slovakia. Japan knocked off Denmark to move ahead, while Paraguay took care of business against New Zealand (i.e. draw and let Slovakia stun Italy). Japan has surprised many people, but might have finally run out of gas against a Paraguay side that has not shown many kinks (one howler against Italy comes to mind...). Prediction: Paraguay wins 1-0.

2. Chicago (West) vs. 7 Philadelphia (East)

How they got here: Chicago swept San Jose, completely outplaying them in the process. Philadelphia knocked off Montreal in 5, dominating the Habs with the exception of Game 3.

Last SCF appearance: Chicago 1992 (Lost to Pittsburgh), Philadelphia 1997 (Lost to Detroit)

Last Stanley Cup Win: Chicago 1961, Philadephia 1975

Series Overview: Anyone who followed both series closely saw the pure domination by both of these teams against their opponents and should expect a hard fought series complete with physical play and potentially plenty of scoring. Chicago is an offensive juggernaut that also has good defense and good goal-tending, after Antti Niemi outplayed San Jose's offense and Evgeni Nabakov. Philadelphia is just on a roll after the Boston series, and has one of the hardest working players in the game in Mike Richards. If Michael Leighton can continue his run, this series might be closer than most think. In the end though, Chicago's offensive power will probably finish off Philadelphia, leading the Hawks to their first cup in 49 years. Series begins Saturday at 8:00 PM EST. All games are at 8:00 PM EST, with games being played on May 29th, May 31st, June 2nd, June 4th, June 6th, June 9th, and June 11th, with the last three being if necessary.

Series Prediction: Chicago in 5

Current Prediction Record: 6-8

So I picked the Montreal series exactly as it went, and then Boston went out and laid an egg. 3rd team to lose after being up 3-0 in a series in the NHL. So here are your teams:

7. Philadelphia vs. 8 Montreal

How they got here: Philadelphia came down from a 3-0 deficit in both the series and game 7 to knock off Boston 4-3 in both the game and the series. Montreal knocked off the defending cup champs in 7 in what could be considered a shocker.

Series Overview: Both of these teams seem like they are the team of destiny. Philadelphia has used 5 different goaltenders to get to this point, and 3 have been injured at some point in the season (the other two played one game each). They then come back from a 3-0 deficit to win, something that has not been done since the 1975 New York Islanders. Michael Leighton must not get injured this series if Philadelphia wants to win, as Ray Emery and Brian Boucher are extremely unlikely to return for the playoffs. Jaroslav Halak must continue to play like he has to keep Montreal alive. Michael Cammalleri must also continue his scoring tear and hope that he gets support (which he has so far). Point of interest, if both Montreal and Chicago win, this will be the first Original Six Stanley Cup Final since 1979, when Montreal and New York faced each other. Series begins Sunday at 7 on CBC, Versus, and RDS.

Series Prediction: Montreal in 6

Prediction Record: 5-7

Note for other series: Begins Sunday at 3 on NBC, TSN, and RDS.

1.San Jose vs. 2 Chicago

How they got here: Chicago defeated an over-matched Vancouver team in 6 games while San Jose knocked out Detroit in 5. San Jose has been off since Saturday, so rest time may play a factor in this series (either good or bad).

Series Overview: This is new territory for San Jose, who has never been to the Conference finals (edit: SJ did make it in 2004, losing to Calgary), while Chicago returns after being defeated by Detroit last year. Both Chicago and San Jose have lots of firepower on offense, while also having a decent defense. In goal, Antti Niemi has performed admirably for Chicago, while Evgnei Nabakov has shed his reputation for choking in the playoffs. The team that has the better goal tending should win the series. Chicago has been here before and has learned from last year, which leads me to pick them to advance to the Final.

Players to watch: San Jose- Joe Thornton must continue to be the current Joe Thornton and not the Joe Thornton of previous playoffs. Joe Pavelski must also continue his recent hot streak for San Jose to advance. Nabakov must also play like he did against Dallas in Game 6 (4OT marathon) in the 2008 playoffs. Chicago- Jonathon Toews must play like he has throughout these playoffs, while Marian Hossa must also contribute, and not play like he did last year. Chicago’s entire defense must step up to shut down San Jose’s potentially explosive offense. Niemi must also play well for Chicago in goal by not letting in anything soft, which would kill Chicago.

Series Prediction: Chicago in 6

Current prediction record: 4-6.

So I miraculously managed to predict exactly what would happen in the West, and then fail miserably in the East. At least I got the length correct of each series in the West in addition to the correct team. Anyways, here are my overviews for each series in the Conference Semi-Finals.

Eastern Conference:

4. Pittsburgh vs. 8 Montreal

How they got here: Pittsburgh demolished Ottawa like almost everyone (except me) predicted. Montreal shocked the Caps in 7 games, which almost no one expected.

Series Overview: Jaroslav Halak was Montreal's saving grace in Round 1 and will have to pull off a repeat performance for the Habs to have any shot of advancing. The Bell Centre crowd will have to channel the old Montreal Forum to give their team a shot when on home ice. Pittsburgh will have to get good goal-tending out of Fleury and good play out of Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. Look for an interesting series. If Montreal can get stellar goal-tending and consistent offense, watch out. I'm determined to pick against Pittsburgh, so I'll take the underdog once again. Series starts Friday at 7:00 PM on CBC, RDS, and Versus.

TV: CBC, Versus, RDS, NBC (Game 2 only)

Prediction: Montreal in 7

6. Boston vs 7. Philadelphia

How they got here: Both teams pulled off upsets, although Philadelphia's was much more surprising than Boston's. Brian Boucher outplayed Martin Broudeur to help the Flyers advance, while Tukka Rask outplayed Ryan Miller to help the Bruins advance.

Series Overview: Boston gets Marc Savard back, which is huge, as he is their main offensive threat. Tukka Rask will have to play well again in order for Boston to advance. Philadelphia will have to hope that Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne both get healthy in time for the series, while Brian Boucher will have to stand on his head again for the Flyers to advance. Should be an interesting match-up. Series starts Saturday at 12:30 PM on NBC and TSN.

TV: TSN, Versus, NBC (Game 1 only)

Prediction: Boston in 6

Western Conference:

1. San Jose vs. 5 Detroit

How they got here: Detroit beat the Cinderella story team Phoenix after a thrilling seven game tilt, while San Jose partially got rid of their title of "Consistent Choke Artists in the Playoffs" by defeating Colorado in 6 games, even after they lost one on an own goal by Dan Boyle.

Series Overview: Detroit will once again ride on experience while hoping for another solid performance from Jimmy Howard. Pavel Datsyuk needs to continue his recent hot streak, while Nick Lidstrom will have to elevate his play from the first round. A few good hits from Kronwall would not hurt either. San Jose must hope that Nabakov does not manage to collapse and that Joe Thornton actually shows up for this series. In the end, I believe that San Jose will once again manage to either throw away this series, or that the Wings will just simply outplay them. Series begins Thursday at 8:30 PM on TSN and Versus

TV: TSN and Versus

Prediction: Detroit in 6

2. Chicago vs. 3. Vancouver

How they got here: Chicago managed to finish off a pesky Nashville team that squandered a glorious chance to go up 3-2 in the series by giving up the tying goal in Game 5 with roughly 13 seconds to go. Chicago also got lucky that Marian Hossa was not suspended for his hit on Dan Hamuis, which was quite similar to Ovechkin's hit on Campbell at the end of the season, which netted him a 2 game suspension. Vancouver managed to finish off LA after an interesting tilt that saw them blow out LA in Game 5 7-2.

Series Overview: This series is probably the most intriguing of the second round match-ups. This a rematch of last year's Semi-Final which saw Chicago defeat Vancouver in 6 games, including a Game 6 7-5 thrashing, which earned Luongo the nickname 7uongo on some boards. This series will be determined by which team has the better goaltender, as both Niemi and Luongo have been prone to mistakes during the playoffs (Niemi in Game 1 against Nashville and Luongo in the aforementioned Game 6 last year). In terms of offense, Vancouver will need to have the Sedins play like they did at the end of the season (or Game 5 in the playoffs), while Chicago will need Hossa to not choke and Kane to continue his success against Vancouver from last year (hat-trick in Game 6). This series could easily go both ways, but I believe that Vancouver will exact revenge for last year's humiliating end and move on to the Conference Finals. Series starts Saturday at 8:00 PM on CBC and Versus.

TV: CBC, Versus

Prediction: Vancouver in 7

Note: No season series statistics were available at the time of this post. All times listed are EDT.

Current prediction record: 4-4.

So, if you missed the Rangers-Flyers game earlier, you missed an outstanding exhibition of goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist, as well as an amazing game in itself. The Flyers won in a shootout (and that's a story for later), securing the seventh seed. And now, here are the match-ups, along with my (baseless) predictions of who will advance.

Eastern Conference:

1. Washington vs. 8 Montreal

Season series tied 2-2

If anyone has watched Montreal play recently, Jaroslav Halak has the ability to steal games for Montreal; however, Montreal has been playing really badly lately (lost to Toronto 4-3 in OT yesterday). Montreal also probably does not have the firepower to compete with Washington's offense. Questions surrounding Washington's goaltending and defensive playing remain, but should be covered up by Montreal's recent issues. If Montreal catches fire, and Halak can steal a few games, then the series could be more interesting.

Series Prediction: Washington in 5

2. New Jersey vs. 7 Philadelphia

Philadelphia wins season series 5-1

Philadelphia escaped the New York Rangers and made it into the playoffs with an advantage over Montreal in wins, therefore allowing them to make it into the playoffs as the seventh seed. New Jersey holds the obvious goaltending advantage, while Brian Boucher for Philly has not played in the playoffs in several years. New Jersey just needs to score, and they should be fine.

Prediction: New Jersey in 6

3. Boston vs. 6 Boston

Boston wins season series 4-2

Boston has been on a bit of a roll lately, even without Marc Savard. The loss of Savard might very well hurt them in the end, as beating Ryan Miller is a tall order. If Boston can make up for the offense lost by Savard's injury, they have the potential to make this series interesting. Tukka Rask has played well for Boston as a rookie, and if he falters, Tim Thomas won the Vezina last year and played well against Washington today. Look for this to be a low scoring and interesting match-up.

Prediction: Buffalo in 7

4. Pittsburgh vs. 5 Ottawa

Season series tied 2-2

This is another incredibly interesting series. These teams have met in the last two of the last three playoffs, and the winner went on to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost. Pittsburgh might be the favorite, but Ottawa is not as bad as everyone predicted. This Ottawa team also overachieved during the season, and lost one of their best players in Alex Kovalev (torn ACL, done for the year). Jason Spezza will have to step up to fill the void, which he is more than capable of doing. Ottawa also has goaltending questions, which could hamper their chances. Look for an exciting series that will probably go the distance.

Prediction: Ottawa in 7

Western Conference: (Note: The top 7 teams in the West finished with 100 or more points)

1. San Jose vs. 8 Colorado

Season series tied 2-2

Normally, this is the year where on places bets on how fast San Jose will be eliminated, and that could still be a possibility come the second round; however, they are facing a Colorado team that was spectacular during the first half of the season and has tanked during the second half. If Mueller continues to impress after his trade from Phoenix and Matt Duchene can continue to impress, then this series could be interesting. Side note, the home team won all games during the season series.

Prediction: San Jose in 6

2. Chicago vs. 7 Nashville

Chicago wins season series 4-2

This series features Chicago's firepower vs. Pekka Rinne. If Antti Niemi does not play well for Chicago, this could be an interesting series, with the potential for an upset. Rinne has stolen games before, don't be surprised to see excellent goaltending on Nashville's end. In the end, Chicago probably still has too much firepower for Nashville.

Prediction: Chicago in 6

3. Vancouver vs. 6 Los Angeles

Vancouver win season series 3-1

This is another interesting match-up featuring two hot teams. Vancouver has been lights out at home, and feature quite possibly the best goaltender in the West in Roberto Luongo. If Luongo can not implode like he did against Chicago last year, then Vancouver should move on. Do not count out LA though, as they have been a surprise team all year and have played extremely well. This is probably the second best series in the West after Detroit and Phoenix.

Prediction: Vancouver in 6

4. Phoenix vs. 5 Detroit

Season series tied 2-2

This could quite potentially be the most intriguing match-up of the playoffs. The feel good story of the year vs. the perennial powerhouse. No one expected Phoenix to make it into the playoffs, and Phoenix has had some unbelievable goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov. This series could quite easily go back and forth for most of the way. Jimmy Howard needs to be spectacular, or if he fails, Chris Osgood needs to return to last year's playoff form in order for the Wings to advance. This has seven games written all over it. Note: The last time these two teams met in the playoffs in the first round, Detroit won in six and went on to win the cup.

Prediction: Detroit in 7

Check tsn.ca in the next few days for their playoff series overviews, which will include quite a few details that either I've left out or forgotten.