Yo. Herein lies a feature that we've dubbed "Cycling". You know, to play off the blog name? Every so often, the venerable editors of this here blog will be passing the proverbial puck around on various NHL topics. Read on, and bash us in the comments.

1. Playoffs are halfway through. Which player was your biggest surprise and why?

Dani: I saw Halak's performance at the Olympics in Vancouver, so I'm not going to say that he has been the biggest surprise as he already blew me away then. Since the Sharks have been on such a long break it's easy to forget about the team but for me the biggest surprise was Joe Pavelski. He was so clutch in so many games, scoring when the big line didn't. Not only did he have multipoint games, many of his goals were game winners and he's certainly a reason why the Sharks are still in the playoffs.

Laura: Good or bad?  Bad wise, I'll have to go with Heatley.  He's got 2 goals and 9 assists so far, but he just doesn't have that feeling of "oooh, no, Heatley's on the ice!  We need to watch out!" to me that he probably should have.  He's just kind of... there.  Maybe it's because he's setting stuff up better, or that he's changing his game a little bit to not always have to be Dany F'n Heatley all of the time.  Who knows  I just haven't noticed him much.

Positive wise, Mike Cammalleri has impressed me a bunch.  I've seen him on the scoresheet about 100x more than I ever assumed I would.  Maybe he finally underwent that growth spurt... as a player.  Who knows what the cause of all of this is, but 12 goals to lead scorers in the playoffs is mind-boggling.

Steve: I don't follow the Toronto Maple Leafs for the same reason I don't eat at the sushi/poutine diner near my house. It doesn't interest me and there's also a good chance I may end up with Hepatitis B. So colour me excited when I found out the Penguins had traded Martin Skoula and Luca Caputi (who lives on the second floor) for Alexei Ponikarovsky. 6'4 220 lbs and averaging just below a point per game had me expecting Ivan Drago in a Jofa and the power forward that Malkin or Crosby needed on their wing to make some room and bury the garbage in front of the net.

While in the midst of planning my looting spree for the Penguins inevitable second consecutive Stanley Cup no one told me that Ponikarovsky would play like a kitty with a ball of yarn around the net. To say his playoff performance was underwhelming is like saying the plot to LOST is "kind of" confusing. "Poni" only had 4 assists and 1 goal in the playoffs and was a healthy scratch during the Montreal series.  Ray Shero has made some shrewd moves at the deadline in years past to help complement Crosby and Malkin but this year's pick up of Ponikarovsky was a huge disappointment.

Ryan: Brian Boucher. I know he's injured now, but goaltending was supposed to be the weakest link for the Flyers and it turned out to be one of their strengths. Philadelphia was six games above .500 during the regular season, Boucher was nine below. The Flyers' record when Boucher played? 9-21-3. When he didn't? 32-14-3. His save percentage in the playoffs was .915, up from .899 in the regular season. His GAA was a full 0.43 better. Nobody expected Boucher to play this well. I'm not sure even Boucher himself thought he could.

Chris: Mike Cammalleri. We knew Halak was good and Pavelski was clutch, but where did this come from? The little guy has turned in a postseason performance for the ages, leading the NHL in playoff goals and taking the Canadiens' offense on his back, small though it may be. Calgary looks less intelligent by the day for essentially choosing Jay Bouwmeester over this goal scoring machine, and one wonders if Cammalleri is sticking his foot in the door that leads to the Habs' captaincy.

Coming up: The panel talks about who needs to step up their game, and what their predictions are. Click on that little "Read more" link next to the "Add comment" on the bottom-right to, well, read more.

2. Who needs to step it up the most in the conference finals?

Dani: Antti Niemi. If the Blackhawks want a shot at making the finals, their goaltender needs to be better than he's been. Niemi hasn't been tested on consistent basis when he played the Canucks, and didn't have to handle that many shots in the Nashville series. If the Sharks give Niemi the same pressure they put on Anderson in the first round, Niemi better not have any bad games.

Laura: As a team, probably the Sharks just to quiet all of those naysayers who keep saying nay.  As an individual, see above - Dany F'n Heatley.  Score a few more times, will you?

Steve: Having watched Montreal take down the Capitals and then the Penguins has made me believe in Unicorns and girls who will make out with you when you let them ahead of you in the 10 items or less line at the market. I mean, come on. How improbable was this? No one gave, Les Habitants a chance. I for one have made fun of their diminuitive size all year long. I even tried to edit the Canadiens' media guide entries for Gionta and Cammaleri by putting "3 apples high" under the entries for their height. Honestly, there's not an ounce of hyperbole in saying that if the "Habs" were to go on and win the Stanley Cup it would be the most amazing, Cinderella season in NHL history. For this to happen, against the Flyers and their line up of giants, Hal Gill must not only shut down Philadelphia's top line but he also has to cultivate a mean streak that would make William Zabka, circa 1989, blush.

Ryan: I'll continue on my Flyers goaltending theme and say Michael Leighton. He had a great first game and a decent second game, but his first period was shaky and he didn't get much work in the last two. This is a big challenge for Leighton. He may not have to be as good as Jaroslav Halak to win, but he'll have to be better than he was, because Montreal has better offensive weapons than Boston. That's a sentence I never thought I'd write this postseason...

Chris: I'm going to go with Duncan Keith here. While typically solid, he's yet to be the Norris Trophy defenseman that we know he is in these playoffs. He's the last remaning major trophy candidate in the postseason, and its time to prove that against one of the most devastating top lines in hockey. Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley are a daunting task, and for the Blackhawks to tilt the ice in their favor Keith will have to be the best blueliner on the ice.

3. Finally, your picks for the third round with an explanation.

Dani: My pick for the third round is purely on who I want to see in the finals, not based on who I think will advance. I want to see Montreal advance because I like the surprise that the team has been and think it would be pretty awesome to see the Habs in the Finals.

It would be pretty hilarious to extend the Hossa curse with the Hawks advancing only to lose to the 7th or 8th seed in the finals, but for the West, I'm going with San Jose over Chicago since I really do enjoy to watch San Jose play. I love the make up of their team and all the story lines that have come from their playoffs so far.

Laura: SJS over Chicago, mostly because I'm a Blues fan and this would make me happy, and partially because I'm convinced that Niemi has to break sooner or later.  It's going to be a close series, though.

In the East I'm going to go with Montreal, since Halak seems to be on a holy tear that stuff of legends are made of - at least if you're a Montreal goalie.  I just really fear for his sanity if the dam breaks and he flubs.  Montreal's already rioted twice... does he really want to be the cause of the 3rd one?

Oh, wait... I guess he kind of indirectly was the cause of the first two, wasn't he?

Steve: Canadiens vs. Flyers - The Flyers are bigger, more ferocious and it looks like Leighton might just be the playoff tonic the Flyers need to get over the hump. Yep, Halak can stop a lot of shots but how will he do with Hartnell and Giroux gnawing on his arm in the crease. The Pens and the Caps may be more offensively talented but the Flyers have no problem stabbing you in the courtyard with a sharpened toothbrush for your socks.  Flyers in 6.

Sharks vs. Hawks - It's #1 vs #2 just as the prophecies have foretold. Honestly, when I look at both teams I see a whole lot of similarities. Both teams are loaded with top end talent, saddled with mediocre goaltending and not exactly shy with defense corps that like to jump up and join the rush.  How will this shake out? who will take it? How the hell is it pronounced "Buff-lin" when it's spelled, "Byfuglien" I mean, Holy Bjork! What the hell!? Ok, I digress. Sorry. It's all going to come down to the team that's willing to forego a bit of offense and crank up the physicality. In this case I think the Hawks are those guys. Hawks in 7.

Ryan: Because the hockey gods have a wicked sense of humour, Chicago is going to pull this one off in 6 so Marian Hossa can lose again next round. Montreal takes theirs in seven because that's how they've rolled so far. Halak is 5-0 in elimination games this season. I can't ignore that.

Chris: As much as it pains me, I like the Canadiens in seven over in the East. Leighton is a bit of a question mark for Philly, and Les Habitants have just enough firepower to eek it out. Their defense has already shut down the world's two best players, so I can't see Danny Briere and Simon Gagne causing too much trouble. It'll be close, though, and it wouldn't surprise me to see it go the other way.

In the West, flip a coin.

Seriously, though, this series looks to be incredibly even. The only edge anyone may have is San Jose's in goal, but there's a good chance Dustin Byfuglien and Troy Brouwer psychologically damage Evgeni Nabokov like they did to Roberto Luongo before him. If Duncan Keith returns to regular season form and Antti Niemi plays just good enough, I've got Chicago in six to test the mettle of The Hossa Curse.