Here we are. After more than six weeks and fifteen series, it all comes down to this – Vancouver and Boston, for the Stanley Cup. Time to see if I’ve learned enough about predicting series outcomes with the Tarot to see how this one is going to end.
Using the same layout as the last two rounds, I drew the following cards:
My first impression upon seeing Vancouver’s cards was that things were not looking good for them at all. Death is rarely a fun card to see in any reading, and the Five of Cups shows a hunched-over figure in black with spilled cups in front of him. This is generally a card of disappointment and broken dreams, and in the company of the Death card, some rough times for the Canucks seem likely.
On the Boston side, the Page of Swords is the only Page which has not appeared in these readings, though in previous readings Pages of other suits have often corresponded to key performances by particular players. Combined with the Two of Swords, which is traditionally a card about defensiveness and a closed heart, my guess would be that one of Boston’s defencemen will play a critical role in the early games of this series, and that their defence will be solid in general. I don’t see their power play improving but perhaps they
will allow fewer goals when playing short-handed.
However, all of that does not really speak very strongly of a Boston victory either – after all, as Tampa Bay found out to their detriment in game 7 of their series against the Bruins, it doesn’t matter if your defense is good enough to hold your opponents to a single goal if you are unable to score any against them. So I was very curious to see what the outcome card of this series would be… and when I turned it over, I knew that it would have a huge impact.
The Four of Cups shows a man sitting beneath a tree, contemplating three cups in front of him, with another cup hovering nearby, held in a ghostly hand. The man is closer to the Boston side, but he does not seem to be receiving the cup, or even looking near it. And elementally this card favors Vancouver far more, taking those depressing Water cards and giving them a positive turn.
Here is how I see the series going down. (I’m going out on quite a limb making this specific a prediction, but I see no reason not to go for it.) Vancouver will win two of the first three games; I think Boston is likely to win the second game of the series in a goaltenders’ duel. The Canucks will then lose both games 4 and 5, giving Boston a 3-2 series lead. This may involve the loss of a critical player for Vancouver, or at least some similarly discouraging circumstances, like a bad call or a poorly-timed penalty.
But just as Vancouver seems defeated, contemplating their three losses instead of their two victories, and just as Boston seems poised to win the cup, with three wins behind them and one remaining… I think Boston will get complacent and let Vancouver tie the series. And when the deciding game 7 comes to a close on the West Coast, I believe the Canucks will prevail, coming from behind to win the series, and the Stanley Cups, 4-3.
Certainly that sounds like an exciting series to me – let’s see how it happens!