Well, my picks backfired on me once again tonight. I underestimated the Coyotes and I feel like I overestimate how well the Capitals will do. The Caps just aren't the team they were last year. The Canucks loss to the Blues was a bit of a surprise. I do think that St. Louis is a promising team, especially when they're healthy. The Flames obliterated the Avalanche.
Let's cover some news. Kris Versteeg is now Philadelphia Flyers property. I like this. He brings a great brand of hockey to a team that will benefit from it. The trade makes the Flyers easily one of the, if not the most, deepest team in the Eastern Conference. In return, the Toronto Maple Leafs received the Philadelphia Flyers 1st and 3rd round picks in this year's draft. Versteeg is definitely a fairly talented guy, but I don't like the Flyers tossing in a 1st for him. I would have felt a lot better with a 2nd and 3rd than a 1st and 3rd. This brings the Flyers to three straight seasons without a 1st round pick as they had traded away the previous two to Anaheim in the Chris Pronger trade. The trading away of all their picks is evident when you look at how depleted the Adirondack Phantoms are. But, I suppose the team sees this as their window to go for the Stanley Cup. You have several aging players in Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen who won't be able to provide productive seasons for much longer. You also have a lump of quality players that obviously won't be around aside from Carter, Richards, and Giroux due to cap constrictions. I surely hope it pays off. Both teams did well in the trade, so I won't complain.
The other big headline for the night was Peter Forsberg calling it quits...again. After two games with the Colorado Avalanche, he felt his foot problems were still persisting. Forsberg had been dealing with these issues for the last four years. It's ashame because Peter Forsberg was easily one of the most passionate skilled players the NHL has seen. He's a sure Hall of Famer when it comes time. Peter retired today after feeling like he couldn't contribute. Aside from the obvious fact that his career is finished, it's sad that the fans in Colorado never had a chance to even say hello as Peter joined the team for two road games. As a Flyers fan, I appreciated what Forsberg brought to our team for even the one and a half seasons he played for us. To think he could have been a Philadelphia Flyer all along....rather than Eric Lindros. Who knows how history would have played out there. Thanks, Peter, for all of the memories on the ice.
And.....onto the results for tonight:
Canucks at Blues : Pick - Canucks : Result - 3-2 Blues : Wrong : 26-23
Capitals at Coyotes : Pick - Capitals : Result - 3-2 Coyotes : Wrong : 26-24
Flames at Avalanche : Pick - Flames : Result - 9-1 Flames : Right : 27-24
Sigh, man, I need to get it together. I'd like to pull away in the win column. The loss column is catching up far too quick.
My picks for 2/15/2011:
Maple Leafs at Bruins ==> Bruins
Sabres at Canadiens ==> Canadiens
Islanders at Senators ==> Senators
Flyers at Lightning ==> Flyers
Sharks at Predators ==> Sharks
Canucks at Wild ==> Canucks
Stars at Oilers ==> Stars
I like the Bruins over the Leafs as Toronto is showing they give up this season by trading their skilled pieces. Boston has done pretty against teams not based in Detroit. I like the Canadiens riding high behind Carey Price over the Sabres. The Sabres blowing a huge lead against the Islanders the other night is a reason. With the Islanders and Sens, I'm going with the Senators because I've been shying away from them and then they seem to win. Plus, the Islanders have won a few in a row here and it's time to return to their typical form. Flyers at Lightning I'm going with the Flyers only because Philly is due in Tampa. If Versteeg shows up, I see that as a morale booster. Sharks over the Preds based on skill on paper differences. I like the Canucks to own the Oilers as they're due to win. Stars over the Oilers because they also need to get a win in after a loss the other night. Once again, I'll probably get these all wrong with my luck, but I'll keep my fingers crossed this time.
Night!
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