With the first game of the conference finals taking place later this afternoon, now’s a good time to file my Tarot-based predictions for these two series. I was initially concerned that my desire for a particular outcome might bias my interpretation of these readings, but as it turned out, I don’t think that was much of a problem. So far I’m 8 for 12 in these playoffs (I would have been 9 or 10 if Game 7 overtimes had gone differently); let’s see if that trend continues!
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Well, it’s a good thing that I’m not relying on elemental dignities for this pair of readings, since they would be of no help here. Both teams have a Major Arcanum of the Air element along with a Pentacle, which is Earth. Neither team is weaker or stronger in this sense, and neither does the series outcome card, the Ace of Cups, visibly favor one side or the other, at least elementally speaking.
Throughout the playoffs, Pentacles have spoken mainly of goaltending, and it’s no surprise that this series contains the top two remaining goaltenders, Vezina trophy finalist Tim Thomas and the skilled veteran Dwayne Roloson. I think the advantage here is to Roloson; the image on the Four is of a man desperately holding on to every pentacle in sight, while the man on the Seven is looking almost sadly at a pile of pentacles in front of him.
What do the two Major Arcana have to say here? The Lovers is normally about choices, and assuming that it is slightly weakened by the adjacent Earth card, the implication is a poor or impaired choice. Air speaks to me of strategy, and Tampa Bay has been playing a 1-3-1 “trap” formation that has served them well, but I can’t help but wonder if this choice will hurt them now. Justice (also slightly ill-dignified) says to me that Boston’s power play will still be one of their weak spots; they are currently last of all four remaining teams in terms of both power play scoring and penalty killing.
So it all comes down to the middle card, showing the series outcome. The Ace of Cups portrays a cup being presented by a hand emerging from a cloud, indicative of a trophy being presented to a recipient. And who is being offered this Cup? Unfortunately for my hopes of a Tampa Bay appearance in the final, Boston seems to be getting the nod. Such a tight pairing otherwise, to me, says Boston in seven games. I think when Tampa Bay wins it will be by a wider margin, but the one-goal games will ultimately swing in Boston’s favor.
Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks
I think every card in this reading except the outcome card has appeared in one of my previous readings, so hopefully I’ll be able to use that information to get an idea of how this series will go. Starting over on the San Jose side, both The Emperor and the Five of Pentacles appeared as series outcome cards, the latter for San Jose’s series against Los Angeles (which they won) and the former in Vancouver’s series against the Predators (which Vancouver won). The Emperor is still looking over at Vancouver, which I don’t think bodes well for San Jose, at least in the first couple of games.
As for the Five of Pentacles, in the first round I guessed that it foretold some kind of injury, which never materialized. I don’t think this stands for anything goaltender-related either, due to the imagery. I have one more guess, though – the meaning of this card implies a satisfactory end to a difficult journey, and San Jose is 5-0 in overtime these playoffs. I think if they can manage to keep Vancouver tied through regulation time, they will outlast them in overtime.
On the Vancouver side, the Eight of Wands previously appeared for Washington (who were swept in that series) and the Eight of Swords appeared for Detroit (who swept that series). The contrast here speaks of an all-or-nothing atmosphere for Vancouver. I think they’ll come out of the gate very strong, just as they did against Chicago, but they might fizzle out after a few games, especially if they are close games that allow San Jose to exert its previously-discussed overtime strength. Their big guns have had some trouble scoring in the past two series; if they can manage to unleash the Sedins they will do far better.
Sadly, I don’t think it will be enough. The imagery of the Two of Cups in the middle of this series is very telling. Two people face each other and each holds a cup, but the man on the right is reaching out his hand to grab the woman’s cup out of her hands, and she’s doing nothing to stop him. This series looks like it’s Vancouver’s to lose, and San Jose will come from behind to take it unexpectedly – I’m going to say 6 games.
It’s looking like my hopes for a Vancouver-Tampa final are looking slim based on these readings, though perhaps this works out for the best. After all, if I’m right, then my prediction came to pass, but if I’m wrong, then one of my favored teams makes the final. That’s an acceptable outcome either way. Let’s see what happens!