* Results *
Despite the fact that I went 6-4, I don't really like my day of picks. That's probably because I just finished watching the awful Flyers game. They missed several big scoring chances and lost only because Nik Antropov went hard to the net and got a lucky bounce. The puck went in off his skate leading to the game's only goal. The Flyers are one of the only teams in the NHL without a shutout this season and it's ashame that the bid for their first (as well as Sergei Bobrovsky's first career shutout) was washed away in this fashion.
Starting in Boston, the Maple Leafs downed the Bruins in a shootout 4-3. Toronto actually had a chance in overtime to score as a rare penalty shot was handed out to Grabovski. I'd consider that an upset, but Toronto is playing desperate hockey to get that eighth playoff spot that is likely out of their reach. That brings us to the New York game where the Islanders convincingly beat the Rangers, who currently are holding down the eighth spot (Toronto had to love this game), 6-2. As I keep saying, the Islanders aren't an easy win. This game here is a prime example. Philadelphia lost a game where they dominated mostly but failed to convert their scoring chances. Atlanta converts the only one they needed. With Philly's loss, the Capitals close in on the Eastern Conference lead. The Canucks also were able to clinch their first ever Presidents' Trophy (best regular season team) with their win and the Flyers losing. Congrats to them! Moving on, the Blue Jackets had a rough game with bounces going against them. They gave the Capitals a tough game, but the Capitals converted in overtime winning 4-3. In Tampa Bay, the Lightning used two first period goals to beat the Penguins. The win locks them into a playoff spot as expected. I thought Pittsburgh was going to win this one as the Lightning have looked a lot like the Flyers in terms of consistency. Not the case. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Florida Panthers in a battle between two bad teams. Ottawa has really played pretty well during the last month. The Oilers out shot the Wild by a lot, but still lost 4-2 anyway. If you want to see some amazing stops, watch the highlights for some saves Khabibulin made. Pretty solid, but the better team won as expected. Colorado continued their plummet as they lost to the Predators 3-2. The Kings, as I thought, were defeated by the Canucks. As mentioned, the win clinched the Canucks claim to the Presidents' Trophy. Los Angeles also have to be hoping Michal Handzus didn't suffer an injury after he was nailed in an awkward position into the boards. The play wasn't called, but probably should have been. Finally, the Stars blew an opportunity to get back into the Western Conference playoff look by getting blown out 6-0 by the Sharks. The Sharks capitalized on Dallas mistakes and were strong on the puck. Interesting night of hockey to say the least. Thursday's results below.
3/31/2011 - Thursday
Maple Leafs at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 4-3 Maple Leafs : Wrong (SO/L) : 201-154
Rangers at Islanders : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 6-2 Islanders : Wrong : 201-155
Thrashers at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 1-0 Thrashers : Wrong : 201-156
Blue Jackets at Capitals : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 4-3 Capitals : Correct : 202-156
Penguins at Lightning : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 2-1 Lightning : Wrong : 202-157
Senators at Panthers : Pick - Senators : Result -- 4-1 Senators : Correct : 203-157
Oilers at Wild : Pick - Wild : Result -- 4-2 Wild : Correct : 204-157
Predators at Avalanche : Pick - Predators : Result -- 3-2 Predators : Correct : 205-157
Kings at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Canucks : Correct : 206-157
Stars at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-0 Sharks : Correct : 207-157
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Penguins at Lightning : Pure assumption here. The Penguins HAD been playing good hockey but Philadelphia's win the other night has seem to unraveled them a bit. Tampa Bay has all their top players healthy and should have been figured to overwhelm the Penguins who are down Crosby and Malkin. An interesting pick, perhaps bold, but dumb nonetheless.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Rangers at Islanders : I really had a tough time placing a game here. Most of the games seem to have a clear cut pick, but I could see this one being challenging. The New York Rangers has been up and down all season while the Islanders bring a nothing to lose attitude to the rink. If you don't play hungry, you won't win. Which New York team was going to show up could make this a difficult pick. I went with a probable playoff team over an eliminated team.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Senators at Panthers : Despite the fact that both teams are sitting in the basement of the NHL's standings, I feel like these teams are on two different planets. Ottawa has been playing great hockey whereas Florida is playing the hockey that matches their record. I had no problem selecting the Senators immediately when I saw this match.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Stars at Sharks : Dallas basically needs all the points they can gather at this point. I would have expected a better total effort than what they displayed tonight. San Jose converted their many chances and owned the Stars with a 6-0 score.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Thrashers at Flyers : Philadelphia had quality goaltending by Sergei Bobrovsky tonight. They had many power play opportunities. They even had over 40 shots on goal. What they didn't do was convert their many scoring chances whatsoever. Atlanta held down the fort tonight and beat Philadelphia 1-0. Philadelphia now has Washington breathing down their neck for the Eastern Conference lead by only one point (Philadelphia does have one extra game in hand). The Atlanta Thrashers aren't a bad team, but Philadelphia is the more superior team. I say it all too often in this section: you have to beat teams like these. The points are too precious. Philadelphia let two of those points slip away tonight.
* Picks *
Only four games on tap for Friday. The game of the night belongs in New Jersey where Philadelphia absolutely needs to win if they expect to hold first in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia will be playing knowing that Chris Pronger is out until at least the playoffs. This is probably good as Pronger could use the rest and rehab on his injured arm/wrist. This is Philadelphia's game in hand at play so they must convert if they expect to hold off Washington. The night also sees the Blackhawks playing the Blue Jackets in Columbus. Calgary, likely out of the playoffs barring a miracle, plays St. Louis who is also likely out of the playoffs. The Blues aren't mathematically eliminated yet, but they are seven points behind the Flames and ten behind the Blackhawks who are in eighth. It's a must win for Calgary if they expect to even think about the playoffs. Finally, the night is complete with a yawner between the Avalanche and the Coyotes. Picks for Friday below.
4/1/2011 - Friday
Flyers at Devils ==> Flyers
Blackhawks at Blue Jackets ==> Blackhawks
Flames at Blues ==> Blues
Avalanche at Coyotes ==> Coyotes
Night!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
200th Win and Blog # 50! 3/30 Results, 3/31 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
It wasn't my greatest night, but I finally hit win number 200 with my picks. Coincidentally, this also happens to be my 50th post. Funny how that worked out. I'm proud of the 200 wins (I obviously hate that it took this long) but I'm more proud of post number 50. That's a month and twenty days straight without missing a day. I'm glad I follow through with this thing. I felt pretty sure I'd end up abandoning the blog like I have done with other blogs that are more centric to me. By the way, if anyone reads this, thanks for doing so. It's a ton of fun doing something I enjoy.
My next thing to bring up is with the playoffs closing in I'm likely to have to a new format. I don't know that I want to pick every night like I do because it'll get redundant. I'll make my picks for the series and probably just keep each series up to date and comment as necessary. I'll keep a record of my series victories and losses rather than individual games. At the end of the regular season, I'll post my complete record and stats that I have. After that, I'll hold those numbers and compare next season. I hope I'm still blogging then!
- 200th Win Stats -
This covers from the beginning which was February 7th, 2011 until the 200th win on March 30th, 2011. OT/W's stand for picks/games that I won due to overtime. OT/L's stand for picks/games that I lose due to overtime. SO/W's stand for picks/games that I won due to a shootout. Finally, SO/L's stand for picks/games that I lost as a result of a shootout. I'm also listing how many nights I was perfect with the most games I won on a night and the least to achieve a Perfect Night. My Terrible Nights count how many times I lost all the games in one night. Same as Perfect Nights, I'll list the most and least amount of games I lost. I feel like that gives a decent average or medium.
Game Nights : 53
Games : 354
Wins : 201
Losses : 153
Win % : 56.7%
OT/W's : 27
OT/L's : 22
SO/W's : 21
SO/L's : 24
Perfect Nights : 6 (Most games won in one night : 5) (Least games won in one night for a Perfect Night : 2)
Terrible Nights : 1 (Most and least games lost in one night : 3)
I do wish I had a higher winning percentage, but I still can't be disappointed with 201 out of 354. I've always kept track of the shootout and overtime results just to see if in the end they mattered. As you can see, they really don't. I've won more games than I've lost via overtime, but the shootout has caused me to lose a few extra games than I've won. Fair trade off, if not a bit of an advantage. Definitely pleased with my results so far. I'll have the same stats ready on April 10th which is the last day of the season.
* Results *
Although I lost one extra game than I won, I'm still pleased that I was able to win just one to reach my milestone. The night was pretty freaky in some regards. The Rangers and Sabres had a goaltending duel which didn't include the Sabres injured Ryan Miller. Jhonas Enroth stopped 23 shots for his first NHL career shutout. Amazing considering the Rangers have some decent scoring players. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 34 of 35 shots and came up just short of adding another shutout to his league-leading total of 11. Looks like that was a great game. The Carolina Hurricanes did a great job of taking it to the Canadiens beating them 6-2. I'd consider that a surprise, though Carolina isn't a bad team whatsoever. I figured the Canes had a tougher night with the Capitals than the Canadiens did with the Thrashers the night before. Bad thinking on my part. The Devils eked out a win against the Islanders winning 3-2 which made for my 200th win. Though they are still technically alive for a playoff spot, New Jersey's past few games sealed their fate. Unless there is a total break down by the Rangers or Canadiens, they're out. The surprise of the night goes to the St. Louis Blues who slaughtered the Red Wings 10-3. I watched the scoring clips and it was amazing how sloppy Detroit was. The goaltending made mistakes and when they could have used defense, the defense made mistakes. St. Louis capitalized on those mistakes and scored a lot of workers and garbage goals. A goal is a goal though. Detroit obviously wasn't too far out of the game as they put up 44 shots on the board. Joey MacDonald of the Red Wings was pulled and then reinserted after Thomas McCollum gave up three goals on eight shots. MacDonald finished with seven goals against on 39 shots. Amazing. The Ducks outworked the Flames in Calgary. I watched the final period of that one and wasn't surprised. I'd say Calgary is out of the playoffs. With only four games remaining, they would have needed to win all their games. Amazing that they are out considering the talent on the team. The Ducks were impressive and I have to say I like them to do well in the playoffs. The game also saw Corey Perry take over the goal scoring lead from Steven Stamkos. Results for Wednesday are below.
3/30/2011 - Wednesday
Rangers at Sabres : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 1-0 Sabres : Wrong : 199-151
Canadiens at Hurricanes : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 6-2 Hurricanes : Wrong : 199-152
Islanders at Devils : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-2 Devils : Correct : 200-152
Blues at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 10-3 Blues : Wrong : 200-153
Ducks at Flames : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 4-2 Ducks : Correct : 201-153
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Hurricanes : I think I overrate good teams against the Hurricanes. Though they aren't in the playoffs, the Canes are making a decent push to make it as they're in ninth behind only three points from the Rangers. The Canadiens are currently slated to make the playoffs but I think I overrate them time to time. I think I'm inconsistent when I go with them. I should have given the Hurricanes more respect. They're playing for their playoff lives whereas the Canadiens can win one here or there and still make the playoffs.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Islanders at Devils : Kind of funny that I choose the one game that includes two teams that aren't in the playoff picture. It was easy to believe the Devils would win this game because of their hot run, but they've cooled off lately. I like the chip the Islanders have had on their shoulder since the Pittsburgh brawl. The Isles play a tough game despite their record and I could have easily seen myself picking them. Tough game considering the variables.
=Easiest Game of the Night=
I don't deserve to place a game here. My wins were close and needed some thought. I lost all the others.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Blues at Red Wings : As described above. Wow. Detroit didn't look too hot tonight. Every team has a bad game, maybe this one was theirs. Props to St. Louis for embarrassing the better team. A little too late for St. Louis to make the playoffs, but they've looked pretty good at times.
* Picks *
I'd go into detail about how each game is important, but I think you get that by now. Fringe teams, those holding low spots, and those holding division leads are clinging to points. Every game is important of these 5-7 games for each team. You'll see some teams rest players like Washington did with Alex Ovechkin. Others will be sticking to a specific style to hopefully find their niche for a deep playoff run. I'm out of gusto writing wise but I'll leave a couple of thoughts. The Stars absolutely must win against San Jose if they expect to get a playoff spot. They haven't won in four games. It's too late in the season to be doing that. The Kings and Canucks could have been the game of the night but I think Vancouver gets the nod since they have the hotter record AND the Kings don't have Anze Kopitar playing (out, broken ankle I think). My Flyers take on the Thrashers and I think they also need to win. They need to keep ahead of the Penguins and Capitals if they expect to be the first seed in the Eastern Conference. I'll be watching that game. Picks for the last day of March, a Thursday, below.
3/31/2011 - Thursday
Maple Leafs at Bruins ==> Bruins
Rangers at Islanders ==> Rangers
Thrashers at Flyers ==> Flyers
Blue Jackets at Capitals ==> Capitals
Penguins at Lightning ==> Penguins
Senators at Panthers ==> Senators
Oilers at Wild ==> Wild
Predators at Avalanche ==> Predators
Kings at Canucks ==> Canucks
Stars at Sharks ==> Sharks
It wasn't my greatest night, but I finally hit win number 200 with my picks. Coincidentally, this also happens to be my 50th post. Funny how that worked out. I'm proud of the 200 wins (I obviously hate that it took this long) but I'm more proud of post number 50. That's a month and twenty days straight without missing a day. I'm glad I follow through with this thing. I felt pretty sure I'd end up abandoning the blog like I have done with other blogs that are more centric to me. By the way, if anyone reads this, thanks for doing so. It's a ton of fun doing something I enjoy.
My next thing to bring up is with the playoffs closing in I'm likely to have to a new format. I don't know that I want to pick every night like I do because it'll get redundant. I'll make my picks for the series and probably just keep each series up to date and comment as necessary. I'll keep a record of my series victories and losses rather than individual games. At the end of the regular season, I'll post my complete record and stats that I have. After that, I'll hold those numbers and compare next season. I hope I'm still blogging then!
- 200th Win Stats -
This covers from the beginning which was February 7th, 2011 until the 200th win on March 30th, 2011. OT/W's stand for picks/games that I won due to overtime. OT/L's stand for picks/games that I lose due to overtime. SO/W's stand for picks/games that I won due to a shootout. Finally, SO/L's stand for picks/games that I lost as a result of a shootout. I'm also listing how many nights I was perfect with the most games I won on a night and the least to achieve a Perfect Night. My Terrible Nights count how many times I lost all the games in one night. Same as Perfect Nights, I'll list the most and least amount of games I lost. I feel like that gives a decent average or medium.
Game Nights : 53
Games : 354
Wins : 201
Losses : 153
Win % : 56.7%
OT/W's : 27
OT/L's : 22
SO/W's : 21
SO/L's : 24
Perfect Nights : 6 (Most games won in one night : 5) (Least games won in one night for a Perfect Night : 2)
Terrible Nights : 1 (Most and least games lost in one night : 3)
I do wish I had a higher winning percentage, but I still can't be disappointed with 201 out of 354. I've always kept track of the shootout and overtime results just to see if in the end they mattered. As you can see, they really don't. I've won more games than I've lost via overtime, but the shootout has caused me to lose a few extra games than I've won. Fair trade off, if not a bit of an advantage. Definitely pleased with my results so far. I'll have the same stats ready on April 10th which is the last day of the season.
* Results *
Although I lost one extra game than I won, I'm still pleased that I was able to win just one to reach my milestone. The night was pretty freaky in some regards. The Rangers and Sabres had a goaltending duel which didn't include the Sabres injured Ryan Miller. Jhonas Enroth stopped 23 shots for his first NHL career shutout. Amazing considering the Rangers have some decent scoring players. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 34 of 35 shots and came up just short of adding another shutout to his league-leading total of 11. Looks like that was a great game. The Carolina Hurricanes did a great job of taking it to the Canadiens beating them 6-2. I'd consider that a surprise, though Carolina isn't a bad team whatsoever. I figured the Canes had a tougher night with the Capitals than the Canadiens did with the Thrashers the night before. Bad thinking on my part. The Devils eked out a win against the Islanders winning 3-2 which made for my 200th win. Though they are still technically alive for a playoff spot, New Jersey's past few games sealed their fate. Unless there is a total break down by the Rangers or Canadiens, they're out. The surprise of the night goes to the St. Louis Blues who slaughtered the Red Wings 10-3. I watched the scoring clips and it was amazing how sloppy Detroit was. The goaltending made mistakes and when they could have used defense, the defense made mistakes. St. Louis capitalized on those mistakes and scored a lot of workers and garbage goals. A goal is a goal though. Detroit obviously wasn't too far out of the game as they put up 44 shots on the board. Joey MacDonald of the Red Wings was pulled and then reinserted after Thomas McCollum gave up three goals on eight shots. MacDonald finished with seven goals against on 39 shots. Amazing. The Ducks outworked the Flames in Calgary. I watched the final period of that one and wasn't surprised. I'd say Calgary is out of the playoffs. With only four games remaining, they would have needed to win all their games. Amazing that they are out considering the talent on the team. The Ducks were impressive and I have to say I like them to do well in the playoffs. The game also saw Corey Perry take over the goal scoring lead from Steven Stamkos. Results for Wednesday are below.
3/30/2011 - Wednesday
Rangers at Sabres : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 1-0 Sabres : Wrong : 199-151
Canadiens at Hurricanes : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 6-2 Hurricanes : Wrong : 199-152
Islanders at Devils : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-2 Devils : Correct : 200-152
Blues at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 10-3 Blues : Wrong : 200-153
Ducks at Flames : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 4-2 Ducks : Correct : 201-153
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Hurricanes : I think I overrate good teams against the Hurricanes. Though they aren't in the playoffs, the Canes are making a decent push to make it as they're in ninth behind only three points from the Rangers. The Canadiens are currently slated to make the playoffs but I think I overrate them time to time. I think I'm inconsistent when I go with them. I should have given the Hurricanes more respect. They're playing for their playoff lives whereas the Canadiens can win one here or there and still make the playoffs.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Islanders at Devils : Kind of funny that I choose the one game that includes two teams that aren't in the playoff picture. It was easy to believe the Devils would win this game because of their hot run, but they've cooled off lately. I like the chip the Islanders have had on their shoulder since the Pittsburgh brawl. The Isles play a tough game despite their record and I could have easily seen myself picking them. Tough game considering the variables.
=Easiest Game of the Night=
I don't deserve to place a game here. My wins were close and needed some thought. I lost all the others.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Blues at Red Wings : As described above. Wow. Detroit didn't look too hot tonight. Every team has a bad game, maybe this one was theirs. Props to St. Louis for embarrassing the better team. A little too late for St. Louis to make the playoffs, but they've looked pretty good at times.
* Picks *
I'd go into detail about how each game is important, but I think you get that by now. Fringe teams, those holding low spots, and those holding division leads are clinging to points. Every game is important of these 5-7 games for each team. You'll see some teams rest players like Washington did with Alex Ovechkin. Others will be sticking to a specific style to hopefully find their niche for a deep playoff run. I'm out of gusto writing wise but I'll leave a couple of thoughts. The Stars absolutely must win against San Jose if they expect to get a playoff spot. They haven't won in four games. It's too late in the season to be doing that. The Kings and Canucks could have been the game of the night but I think Vancouver gets the nod since they have the hotter record AND the Kings don't have Anze Kopitar playing (out, broken ankle I think). My Flyers take on the Thrashers and I think they also need to win. They need to keep ahead of the Penguins and Capitals if they expect to be the first seed in the Eastern Conference. I'll be watching that game. Picks for the last day of March, a Thursday, below.
3/31/2011 - Thursday
Maple Leafs at Bruins ==> Bruins
Rangers at Islanders ==> Rangers
Thrashers at Flyers ==> Flyers
Blue Jackets at Capitals ==> Capitals
Penguins at Lightning ==> Penguins
Senators at Panthers ==> Senators
Oilers at Wild ==> Wild
Predators at Avalanche ==> Predators
Kings at Canucks ==> Canucks
Stars at Sharks ==> Sharks
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Texas Hockey Blemish : 3/29 Results, 3/30 Picks
* Pre Skate *
I ended up only one win away from getting to the 200 mark. Hopefully Wednesday (barring a terrible night) yields win number 200. I'll eventually detail my record, thoughts, and stats. I'm very happy my Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in what I'd consider a must win game. They won 5-2 with a couple of lucky bounces, but hey, sometimes that's the way it goes.
I do have a video to share tonight. This one came from in my area where the Keller Hockey Club (which includes a school I went to, and a team my own brother played for awhile ago) faced the Arlington Martin Hockey Club. It's pretty terrible to see kids playing the game this way, but take a look. Keller had the game wrapped up pretty well when Martin started gooning it up (apparently) in a sore fashion. A line brawl ensued and that's when the madness begins. You'll see a kid from Martin (wearing the black sweaters) run a kid on Keller at full speed into the boards. Really cheap, man. As the kid from Martin is backing away from his work, a guy from Keller comes in with a high hit to the back of his head. Very cheap, but I see less wrong (just my opinion, doesn't make it right) with that hit than the initial one. Look, I know what Keller did on that hit is absolutely disgusting and deplorable. I won't deny that, but if you want to play a thug game, you can't expect some sort of respect amongst disrespect. I hate saying the Martin kid deserved it, he didn't, but when you come flying in like that, you have made yourself a target. It's shameful on both sides that a good game was ruined. To add to your thoughts, both kids, the one from Martin who came in full speed and the guy from Keller who made the cheap shot, came off the ice or out of the penalty box to do what they did.
The results of the Keller on Martin hit aren't pretty. I read (Dallas Morning News finally had a story on it, after Yahoo caught it way in advance) that the Martin player who was down on the ice has a broken jaw and a high grade concussion. All the Texas hockey officials are claiming they'll sort this out, but it's already a joke at this point. Both kids were seniors in high school playing in the championship game so there isn't much they can do as far as suspensions. From what I've heard there isn't a police report filed either. As a side note, I know both coaches of the teams involved and can say that Keller's coach isn't a bad guy. He'd never condone this. The coach from Arlington Martin I know only from playing against him. Not too great of a guy from that perspective, but I would hope the same of him as far as running his team. What makes Martin look like the bad guy is the fact that their team led the entire league in penalty minutes. This incident truly puts a bit of a blemish on Texas hockey which is trying to earn itself some hockey respect. Keller did end up winning the game, but I can only imagine it wasn't as sweet as it should have felt.
I ended up only one win away from getting to the 200 mark. Hopefully Wednesday (barring a terrible night) yields win number 200. I'll eventually detail my record, thoughts, and stats. I'm very happy my Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in what I'd consider a must win game. They won 5-2 with a couple of lucky bounces, but hey, sometimes that's the way it goes.
I do have a video to share tonight. This one came from in my area where the Keller Hockey Club (which includes a school I went to, and a team my own brother played for awhile ago) faced the Arlington Martin Hockey Club. It's pretty terrible to see kids playing the game this way, but take a look. Keller had the game wrapped up pretty well when Martin started gooning it up (apparently) in a sore fashion. A line brawl ensued and that's when the madness begins. You'll see a kid from Martin (wearing the black sweaters) run a kid on Keller at full speed into the boards. Really cheap, man. As the kid from Martin is backing away from his work, a guy from Keller comes in with a high hit to the back of his head. Very cheap, but I see less wrong (just my opinion, doesn't make it right) with that hit than the initial one. Look, I know what Keller did on that hit is absolutely disgusting and deplorable. I won't deny that, but if you want to play a thug game, you can't expect some sort of respect amongst disrespect. I hate saying the Martin kid deserved it, he didn't, but when you come flying in like that, you have made yourself a target. It's shameful on both sides that a good game was ruined. To add to your thoughts, both kids, the one from Martin who came in full speed and the guy from Keller who made the cheap shot, came off the ice or out of the penalty box to do what they did.
The results of the Keller on Martin hit aren't pretty. I read (Dallas Morning News finally had a story on it, after Yahoo caught it way in advance) that the Martin player who was down on the ice has a broken jaw and a high grade concussion. All the Texas hockey officials are claiming they'll sort this out, but it's already a joke at this point. Both kids were seniors in high school playing in the championship game so there isn't much they can do as far as suspensions. From what I've heard there isn't a police report filed either. As a side note, I know both coaches of the teams involved and can say that Keller's coach isn't a bad guy. He'd never condone this. The coach from Arlington Martin I know only from playing against him. Not too great of a guy from that perspective, but I would hope the same of him as far as running his team. What makes Martin look like the bad guy is the fact that their team led the entire league in penalty minutes. This incident truly puts a bit of a blemish on Texas hockey which is trying to earn itself some hockey respect. Keller did end up winning the game, but I can only imagine it wasn't as sweet as it should have felt.
* Results *
Just one shy of win number 200. When I saw that I needed eight games to do it Tuesday, I started thinking that it would be Wednesday. I'm actually surprised it was this close. The Flyers finally won a game with a huge score beating the Penguins 5-2. The Maple Leafs held off the Sabres 4-3. The Hurricanes shocked the Capitals in a shootout with a 3-2 victory. The Blue Jackets beat the lowly Panthers despite needing a shootout to do so. The Bruins handled the Hawks with ease, earning Tim Thomas another shutout in his pretty amazing season. The Canadiens did as they should beating the Thrashers 3-1. The Lightning also came to life beating the Senators 5-2. The Wild got a little revenge on the Blues winning 3-2 in a shootout. The Canucks disposed of the Predators 3-1. The Kings handed the NHL's worst team (Oilers) another loss as they won 2-0. And finally, the Stars came up short against the Coyotes in 2-1 shootout loss.
I finished 7-4 tonight which is really a pretty good night in my eyes. I can't complain too much about the shootouts as I won two and lost two. The only games that truly surprised me were the Canes at Capitals and Blackhawks at Bruins. I figured the Capitals would easily handle the Hurricanes, but I suppose they're trying to conserve themselves for the playoffs. I'm really surprised the Hawks didn't get on the board at all against the Bruins. Tim Thomas has been pretty damn good this season, but I figured Toews or Kane would get on the board. Here's the results for Tuesday.
3/29/2011 - Tuesday
Flyers at Penguins : Pick - Flyers : Result -- Flyers 5-2 : Correct : 193-146
Sabres at Maple Leafs : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 4-3 Maple Leafs : Wrong : 193-147
Hurricanes at Capitals : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-2 Hurricanes : Wrong (SO/L) : 193-148
Panthers at Blue Jackets : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 3-2 Blue Jackets : Correct (SO/W) : 194-148
Blackhawks at Bruins : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 3-0 Bruins : Wrong : 194-149
Thrashers at Canadiens : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 3-1 Canadiens : Correct : 195-149
Senators at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 5-2 Lightning : Correct : 196-149
Wild at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 3-2 Wild : Wrong (SO/L) : 196-150
Canucks at Predators : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Canucks : Correct : 197-150
Kings at Oilers : Pick - Kings : Result -- 2-0 Kings : Correct : 198-150
Stars at Coyotes : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 2-1 Coyotes : Correct (SO/W) : 199-150
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Wild at Blues : I had to pick one tonight, but I had trouble seeing which one is the dumbest. I suppose this one is. I chose the Blues to win (and they almost did) because they beat the Wild so decisively the other night. Can't depend on that type of thinking. The Wild have some players capable of winning games and they're also the statistically better team of the two (though not by much). I should have considered more than just signing off on the Blues so easily.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Bruins : Two really good teams though I probably should have gone with Boston. I'm just never too sure with them. Chicago too. Anytime two good teams play one another, I find myself going back and forth until I just secure a pick in ink. Not much more to type other than than it was a tough decision between them.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Kings at Oilers : Good team versus the bad team to keep this simple. Easiest game on the night. Los Angeles won 2-0.
* Picks *
Had a rough day so I'm not as motivated to type as I normally am. Five games for Wednesday and I don't find any of them completely interesting. The game of the night belongs to the Ducks at Flames as the Flames really need to win to even stay in the playoff race. The fact that it's against the Ducks who are in the seventh spot of the Western Conference solidifies it's importance. Should be a good one there. Here are my picks for Wednesday.
3/30/2011 - Wednesday
Rangers at Sabres ==> Rangers
Canadiens at Hurricanes ==> Canadiens
Islanders at Devils ==> Devils
Blues at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Ducks at Flames ==> Ducks
Night!
Just one shy of win number 200. When I saw that I needed eight games to do it Tuesday, I started thinking that it would be Wednesday. I'm actually surprised it was this close. The Flyers finally won a game with a huge score beating the Penguins 5-2. The Maple Leafs held off the Sabres 4-3. The Hurricanes shocked the Capitals in a shootout with a 3-2 victory. The Blue Jackets beat the lowly Panthers despite needing a shootout to do so. The Bruins handled the Hawks with ease, earning Tim Thomas another shutout in his pretty amazing season. The Canadiens did as they should beating the Thrashers 3-1. The Lightning also came to life beating the Senators 5-2. The Wild got a little revenge on the Blues winning 3-2 in a shootout. The Canucks disposed of the Predators 3-1. The Kings handed the NHL's worst team (Oilers) another loss as they won 2-0. And finally, the Stars came up short against the Coyotes in 2-1 shootout loss.
I finished 7-4 tonight which is really a pretty good night in my eyes. I can't complain too much about the shootouts as I won two and lost two. The only games that truly surprised me were the Canes at Capitals and Blackhawks at Bruins. I figured the Capitals would easily handle the Hurricanes, but I suppose they're trying to conserve themselves for the playoffs. I'm really surprised the Hawks didn't get on the board at all against the Bruins. Tim Thomas has been pretty damn good this season, but I figured Toews or Kane would get on the board. Here's the results for Tuesday.
3/29/2011 - Tuesday
Flyers at Penguins : Pick - Flyers : Result -- Flyers 5-2 : Correct : 193-146
Sabres at Maple Leafs : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 4-3 Maple Leafs : Wrong : 193-147
Hurricanes at Capitals : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-2 Hurricanes : Wrong (SO/L) : 193-148
Panthers at Blue Jackets : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 3-2 Blue Jackets : Correct (SO/W) : 194-148
Blackhawks at Bruins : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 3-0 Bruins : Wrong : 194-149
Thrashers at Canadiens : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 3-1 Canadiens : Correct : 195-149
Senators at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 5-2 Lightning : Correct : 196-149
Wild at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 3-2 Wild : Wrong (SO/L) : 196-150
Canucks at Predators : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Canucks : Correct : 197-150
Kings at Oilers : Pick - Kings : Result -- 2-0 Kings : Correct : 198-150
Stars at Coyotes : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 2-1 Coyotes : Correct (SO/W) : 199-150
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Wild at Blues : I had to pick one tonight, but I had trouble seeing which one is the dumbest. I suppose this one is. I chose the Blues to win (and they almost did) because they beat the Wild so decisively the other night. Can't depend on that type of thinking. The Wild have some players capable of winning games and they're also the statistically better team of the two (though not by much). I should have considered more than just signing off on the Blues so easily.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Bruins : Two really good teams though I probably should have gone with Boston. I'm just never too sure with them. Chicago too. Anytime two good teams play one another, I find myself going back and forth until I just secure a pick in ink. Not much more to type other than than it was a tough decision between them.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Kings at Oilers : Good team versus the bad team to keep this simple. Easiest game on the night. Los Angeles won 2-0.
* Picks *
Had a rough day so I'm not as motivated to type as I normally am. Five games for Wednesday and I don't find any of them completely interesting. The game of the night belongs to the Ducks at Flames as the Flames really need to win to even stay in the playoff race. The fact that it's against the Ducks who are in the seventh spot of the Western Conference solidifies it's importance. Should be a good one there. Here are my picks for Wednesday.
3/30/2011 - Wednesday
Rangers at Sabres ==> Rangers
Canadiens at Hurricanes ==> Canadiens
Islanders at Devils ==> Devils
Blues at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Ducks at Flames ==> Ducks
Night!
3/28 Results, 3/29 Picks
* Results *
Not too much to talk about for Monday. The Blackhawks and Wings played a very competitive game that needed overtime to decide it. In the end, the Blackhawks pulled ahead. Not an upset by any means. Chicago is still capable against teams like Detroit. The game also saw Todd Bertuzzi ejected for a flying elbow much of the same way Matt Cooke performed it. After watching it, it's not as ugly as Cooke's, but an elbow is an elbow. Horrible time to be playing like that. The NHL is looking for those plays so they can make an example. The only other game on Monday was the Avalanche visiting the Ducks. The result was as expected though the score was closer than I would have thought. Anaheim pulls through 5-4 over the Avalanche. Results for Monday found below.
3/28/2011 - Monday
Blackhawks at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-2 Blackhawks : Wrong (OT/L) : 191-146
Avalanche at Ducks : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 5-4 Ducks : Correct : 192-146
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None tonight. I won't consider my pick of the Red Wings over the Blackhawks dumb. Just not enough games for Monday.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Red Wings : Toughest of the two by far. Both teams are very capable and playoff bound (I don't Chicago has locked a spot up yet, but I expect them to). I went with the Wings but the Hawks pulled away. When it comes to these tough games involving Detroit, I usually err to the cautious side because Detroit is such a deep squad. Chicago is still great, but they lost a lot of their depth at the end of last season.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Ducks : As usual, I went with the team that was far better than the other. The Avalanche are challenging the Oilers for the bottom of the Western Conference. The Ducks need these games to keep the playoff spot they hold. Easy pick.
* Picks *
Back to a full slate of games as the regular season approaches it's end. You'll find eleven games to choose from on Tuesday. A lot of good ones too. Philadelphia visits Pittsburgh which could see the Penguins tying the Flyers for the Atlantic Division lead if Pittsburgh wins in regulation. The Sabres and Maple Leafs should be a good game as well. If Toronto has any hope for the playoffs, they must beat the Sabres who are holding down the eighth playoff spot. Carolina should have fun trying to beat the Capitals who get Alexander Ovechkin back after his week off. As it was for Toronto, Carolina must win to keep playoff relevance. They're in ninth and trail Buffalo by five points. The game of the night might go to Chicago and Boston. I had a tough time deciding which team would win this game. Both teams are of playoff caliber in their respective conferences. That should be an excellent game. The Ottawa Senators visit the Lightning in Tampa Bay and I'm left to wonder whether the Sens can continue to beat playoff hockey teams. My pick says they don't, but I wouldn't be surprised. I have the Blues repeating their performance from Saturday on the Wild. I see the Canucks beating the Predators in Nashville as they continue to play great hockey. Despite losing Anze Kopitar for the rest of the regular season and some of the playoffs, I still have the Kings set to beat the NHL's worst team in the Edmonton Oilers. Finally, in a Pacific Division match, the Stars visit the Coyotes to try to salvage their shot at a playoff spot. The Stars are only two points out but they haven't been performing too well lately. Here are my picks for Tuesday.
3/29/2011 - Tuesday
Flyers at Penguins ==> Flyers
Sabres at Maple Leafs ==> Sabres
Hurricanes at Capitals ==> Capitals
Panthers at Blue Jackets ==> Blue Jackets
Blackhawks at Bruins ==> Blackhawks
Thrashers at Canadiens ==> Canadiens
Senators at Lightning ==> Lightning
Wild at Blues ==> Blues
Canucks at Predators ==> Canucks
Kings at Oilers ==> Kings
Stars at Coyotes ==> Coyotes
Night!
Not too much to talk about for Monday. The Blackhawks and Wings played a very competitive game that needed overtime to decide it. In the end, the Blackhawks pulled ahead. Not an upset by any means. Chicago is still capable against teams like Detroit. The game also saw Todd Bertuzzi ejected for a flying elbow much of the same way Matt Cooke performed it. After watching it, it's not as ugly as Cooke's, but an elbow is an elbow. Horrible time to be playing like that. The NHL is looking for those plays so they can make an example. The only other game on Monday was the Avalanche visiting the Ducks. The result was as expected though the score was closer than I would have thought. Anaheim pulls through 5-4 over the Avalanche. Results for Monday found below.
3/28/2011 - Monday
Blackhawks at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-2 Blackhawks : Wrong (OT/L) : 191-146
Avalanche at Ducks : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 5-4 Ducks : Correct : 192-146
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None tonight. I won't consider my pick of the Red Wings over the Blackhawks dumb. Just not enough games for Monday.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Red Wings : Toughest of the two by far. Both teams are very capable and playoff bound (I don't Chicago has locked a spot up yet, but I expect them to). I went with the Wings but the Hawks pulled away. When it comes to these tough games involving Detroit, I usually err to the cautious side because Detroit is such a deep squad. Chicago is still great, but they lost a lot of their depth at the end of last season.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Ducks : As usual, I went with the team that was far better than the other. The Avalanche are challenging the Oilers for the bottom of the Western Conference. The Ducks need these games to keep the playoff spot they hold. Easy pick.
* Picks *
Back to a full slate of games as the regular season approaches it's end. You'll find eleven games to choose from on Tuesday. A lot of good ones too. Philadelphia visits Pittsburgh which could see the Penguins tying the Flyers for the Atlantic Division lead if Pittsburgh wins in regulation. The Sabres and Maple Leafs should be a good game as well. If Toronto has any hope for the playoffs, they must beat the Sabres who are holding down the eighth playoff spot. Carolina should have fun trying to beat the Capitals who get Alexander Ovechkin back after his week off. As it was for Toronto, Carolina must win to keep playoff relevance. They're in ninth and trail Buffalo by five points. The game of the night might go to Chicago and Boston. I had a tough time deciding which team would win this game. Both teams are of playoff caliber in their respective conferences. That should be an excellent game. The Ottawa Senators visit the Lightning in Tampa Bay and I'm left to wonder whether the Sens can continue to beat playoff hockey teams. My pick says they don't, but I wouldn't be surprised. I have the Blues repeating their performance from Saturday on the Wild. I see the Canucks beating the Predators in Nashville as they continue to play great hockey. Despite losing Anze Kopitar for the rest of the regular season and some of the playoffs, I still have the Kings set to beat the NHL's worst team in the Edmonton Oilers. Finally, in a Pacific Division match, the Stars visit the Coyotes to try to salvage their shot at a playoff spot. The Stars are only two points out but they haven't been performing too well lately. Here are my picks for Tuesday.
3/29/2011 - Tuesday
Flyers at Penguins ==> Flyers
Sabres at Maple Leafs ==> Sabres
Hurricanes at Capitals ==> Capitals
Panthers at Blue Jackets ==> Blue Jackets
Blackhawks at Bruins ==> Blackhawks
Thrashers at Canadiens ==> Canadiens
Senators at Lightning ==> Lightning
Wild at Blues ==> Blues
Canucks at Predators ==> Canucks
Kings at Oilers ==> Kings
Stars at Coyotes ==> Coyotes
Night!
Monday, March 28, 2011
3/27 Results, 3/28 Picks
* Results *
I had an even showing tonight with a 2-2 finish for Sunday. Two of my picks were pretty easily made (the wins), and the other two were dumb and tough to a certain extent. Starting off, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Florida Panthers in a shootout. This was Pittsburgh's fourth straight shootout victory. From a Philadelphia perspective, I'm hating that Pittsburgh earned points for winning using this method. If I'm a Pittsburgh fan, I'm loving it. It is what it is, I suppose. I would normally expect Pittsburgh, even without their stars, to beat the Panthers in regulation. Regardless, Pittsburgh earned their spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs as a result. Florida has been trying to spoil games, but hasn't done it as well as the Ottawa Senators. Nice effort anyway. Speaking about the Senators, they let me down tonight. They lost to the Thrashers 5-4 in a shootout. Close enough to make it a respectable choice, but I figured the Senators would continue their run of good hockey. Maybe they didn't win because Atlanta isn't one of the top notch Eastern Conference teams. Who knows. Seems like it was a good game though. The Canucks defeated the Blue Jackets in what looks like a huge beating 4-1. The thing is Columbus compiled 40 shots against Cory Schneider and only converted one of those opportunities. Awesome night for Vancouver's back up goalie. I won't harp on the effort of Columbus tonight. Seems like it was there. The final game involved the Boston Bruins visiting my Philadelphia Flyers. I probably should have guessed that Philadelphia would crumble under a superior team after being the Islanders on Saturday. Brian Boucher can hardly be blamed for this loss after he made 34 saves on 36 shots. It's not necessarily a bad effort for Philadelphia, but they just haven't been playing very consistent hockey. At this rate they could lose the Atlantic Division to a Pittsburgh team that's missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Embarrassing if so with no disrespect to what the Penguins are doing. Boston bounces back after suffering a 1-0 loss to the Rangers yesterday. Their efforts in Philadelphia clinched them a spot in the playoffs. Results below for Sunday.
3/27/2011 - Sunday
Panthers at Penguins : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 2-1 Penguins : Correct (SO/W) : 190-143
Senators at Thrashers : Pick - Senators : Result -- 5-4 Thrashers : Wrong (SO/L) : 190-144
Canucks at Blue Jackets : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 4-1 Canucks : Correct : 191-144
Bruins at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 2-1 Bruins : Wrong : 191-145
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Senators at Thrashers : I could go with another "nothing that could be considered dumb tonight" thing, but I won't. I made this pick thinking the Senators would continue to be pests. They gave Atlanta a run for the money, but Atlanta isn't a Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington. Atlanta has the same reasons as Ottawa to play hard. I think that alone is why I have to consider this pick dumb. Atlanta is the better team as far as the current roster goes. Bad pick on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Bruins at Flyers : There weren't many games tonight so this one gets the nod fairly easily. Both are pretty good teams leading their divisions (Philadelphia, for now, leads) and have a lot of depth to make a good run in the playoffs. I had a tough time deciding who to go with. I went with my boys and paid for it.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Penguins : The Penguins are riding a hot winning streak while the Panthers are one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Can't get much easier than that.
* Picks *
Just a couple of games for Monday. The Blackhawks and Red Wings game is the main event of the night with two recent Stanley Cup winning teams facing off. Should be an excellent game there. The Avalanche and the Ducks should be an easily decided game. I expect the Ducks to beat up on the Avalanche who have been tumbling down the standings in the same fashion as their team name implies. The Ducks have looked real good as of late and I'd expect the same old in this game. Monday's picks below.
3/28/2011 - Monday
Blackhawks at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Avalanche at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
I had an even showing tonight with a 2-2 finish for Sunday. Two of my picks were pretty easily made (the wins), and the other two were dumb and tough to a certain extent. Starting off, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Florida Panthers in a shootout. This was Pittsburgh's fourth straight shootout victory. From a Philadelphia perspective, I'm hating that Pittsburgh earned points for winning using this method. If I'm a Pittsburgh fan, I'm loving it. It is what it is, I suppose. I would normally expect Pittsburgh, even without their stars, to beat the Panthers in regulation. Regardless, Pittsburgh earned their spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs as a result. Florida has been trying to spoil games, but hasn't done it as well as the Ottawa Senators. Nice effort anyway. Speaking about the Senators, they let me down tonight. They lost to the Thrashers 5-4 in a shootout. Close enough to make it a respectable choice, but I figured the Senators would continue their run of good hockey. Maybe they didn't win because Atlanta isn't one of the top notch Eastern Conference teams. Who knows. Seems like it was a good game though. The Canucks defeated the Blue Jackets in what looks like a huge beating 4-1. The thing is Columbus compiled 40 shots against Cory Schneider and only converted one of those opportunities. Awesome night for Vancouver's back up goalie. I won't harp on the effort of Columbus tonight. Seems like it was there. The final game involved the Boston Bruins visiting my Philadelphia Flyers. I probably should have guessed that Philadelphia would crumble under a superior team after being the Islanders on Saturday. Brian Boucher can hardly be blamed for this loss after he made 34 saves on 36 shots. It's not necessarily a bad effort for Philadelphia, but they just haven't been playing very consistent hockey. At this rate they could lose the Atlantic Division to a Pittsburgh team that's missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Embarrassing if so with no disrespect to what the Penguins are doing. Boston bounces back after suffering a 1-0 loss to the Rangers yesterday. Their efforts in Philadelphia clinched them a spot in the playoffs. Results below for Sunday.
3/27/2011 - Sunday
Panthers at Penguins : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 2-1 Penguins : Correct (SO/W) : 190-143
Senators at Thrashers : Pick - Senators : Result -- 5-4 Thrashers : Wrong (SO/L) : 190-144
Canucks at Blue Jackets : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 4-1 Canucks : Correct : 191-144
Bruins at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 2-1 Bruins : Wrong : 191-145
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Senators at Thrashers : I could go with another "nothing that could be considered dumb tonight" thing, but I won't. I made this pick thinking the Senators would continue to be pests. They gave Atlanta a run for the money, but Atlanta isn't a Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington. Atlanta has the same reasons as Ottawa to play hard. I think that alone is why I have to consider this pick dumb. Atlanta is the better team as far as the current roster goes. Bad pick on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Bruins at Flyers : There weren't many games tonight so this one gets the nod fairly easily. Both are pretty good teams leading their divisions (Philadelphia, for now, leads) and have a lot of depth to make a good run in the playoffs. I had a tough time deciding who to go with. I went with my boys and paid for it.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Penguins : The Penguins are riding a hot winning streak while the Panthers are one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Can't get much easier than that.
* Picks *
Just a couple of games for Monday. The Blackhawks and Red Wings game is the main event of the night with two recent Stanley Cup winning teams facing off. Should be an excellent game there. The Avalanche and the Ducks should be an easily decided game. I expect the Ducks to beat up on the Avalanche who have been tumbling down the standings in the same fashion as their team name implies. The Ducks have looked real good as of late and I'd expect the same old in this game. Monday's picks below.
3/28/2011 - Monday
Blackhawks at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Avalanche at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
A Pretty Fantastic Night : 3/26 Results, 3/27 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
I'm closely approaching the 200 wins mark for the season (I started doing this blog in February). The most impressive thing to me, though, is how I've kept up with this blog. I remember a few times when I wanted to give up because I made a lot of horrible picks on a particular night and didn't have much to say otherwise. Other nights I felt like my efforts were worthless. This blog mostly goes unread and the concept is a bit personal. I'd imagine it's a dull read. The 200 win mark is actually less impressive to me than the 50 blog mark I'm approaching. I've kept up with this thing daily for nearly 50 days. Just amazing. I've failed to blog about my thoughts, life, and other things in the past. Even after I've tried to make it a point to have something as a journal of sorts. I'm just in awe at how I've kept this going longer than any of those things. My priorities are obviously my family and my life, but this has become a great hobby for me. I look forward to keeping this thing chugging as long as I can. When I do hit the big 200 mark, I'll be including a lot of stats. Maybe some like winning percentage and how many games I've won and lost through overtime and shootouts. I've always been fascinated by stats and numbers, so it'll be fun to see where I'm at when I hit the milestone. Hoping I'll hit it by Tuesday!
* Results *
I would rate Saturday in my top five as far as picking games. I won ten today. 10-2. That's really awesome. The two games that I lost were fairly tough games so I don't feel any regret on those. I made one last minute change to my picks last night before I submitted them to the blog and it totally worked out. I had the Hurricanes beating the Lightning until I saw the final of yesterday's match between the two. I didn't feel like the Hurricanes could do it twice. I was thankfully right. My Flyers looked pretty decent tonight beating the Islanders 4-1. James van Reimsdyk had an incredibly game in particular, netting his first three goal game of the season. Way to go, man! I was really amazed that the "gut" pick that I made of the Blues beating the Wild turned out so well. The Blues beat the Wild 6-3 in a very convincing manner. Niklas Backstrom faced 47 shots in that game. Incredible for a team like the Wild to have spiraled downward so badly. I lost a good game between the Ducks and Blackhawks that came down to the very end of the third to decide. Corey Perry scored his second goal of the night to beat the Hawks behind some strong Ray Emery goaltending. Finally, Calgary barely beat the Oilers, winning in a shootout 5-4. They nearly made my "Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night". I almost feel like I should have some sort of award for escaping a team you should have beaten easily. Regardless, 10-2. Beautiful that sees me only one win from 190 and eleven from 200. Almost there! Here are the results for Saturday.
3/26/2011 - Saturday
Rangers at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 1-0 Rangers : Wrong : 179-142
Avalanche at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 4-1 Kings : Correct : 180-142
Devils at Sabres : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 2-0 Sabres : Correct : 181-142
Maple Leafs at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 4-2 Red Wings : Correct : 182-142
Lightning at Hurricanes : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-2 Lightning : Correct : 183-142
Capitals at Canadiens : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 2-0 Capitals : Correct : 184-142
Flyers at Islanders : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 4-1 Flyers : Correct : 185-142
Stars at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 4-2 Predators : Correct : 186-142
Blues at Wild : Pick - Blues : Result -- 6-3 Blues : Correct : 187-142
Ducks at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Wrong : 187-143
Sharks at Coyotes : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 4-1 Sharks : Correct : 188-143
Flames at Oilers : Pick - Flames : Result -- 5-4 Flames : Correct (SO/W) : 189-143
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None for tonight. Even the games I lost weren't too horribly made.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Ducks at Blackhawks : This may not have been the most obvious pick, but as I thought about it, I think it was a tougher pick than I thought. Anaheim and Chicago were only separated by one point. After this game they still are, except Anaheim has jumped ahead of Chicago in the Western Conference playoff race. Ray Emery's return to the NHL has been absolutely stellar and he was just that tonight. It helps when his team is playing pretty well in front of him. Anaheim has such a great line with Perry, Getzlaf, and Ryan skating together. Perry scored two goals assisted by both Getzlaf and Ryan on both goals. Would love to have one of those guys (or all) on the Flyers. To counter, Chicago can never be ignored so long as Kane and Toews are skating. It wasn't easy deciding which team would pull ahead tonight. Anaheim has had the better record lately and came through with a huge 2-1 victory.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Kings : As always, I'm going to pick on Colorado, but I'll keep it simple. Los Angeles needs to win to maintain their playoff spot. Colorado just wants the season to be over with as they have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The Kings are the better team and the Avalanche are one of the worst teams in the NHL currently.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Blues at Wild : The St. Louis Blues scored six times on 47 shots tonight. This GOGotN isn't a jab at Nicklas Backstrom whatsoever. No team should surrender 47 shots in one game and expect to win. Minnesota was once in the mix for that eight spot in the playoffs but has long since kissed it goodbye. St. Louis has been very impressive considering they're out of the playoffs. I won't say that Minnesota should have won this game, but it most definitely should have been closer. The Wild were owned tonight.
=Most Impressive Pick of the Night=
Lightning at Hurricanes : I almost put the Blues at Wild here because I had a gut feeling the Blues would beat the statistically better team in the Wild. Then I realized I had scratched out the Hurricanes to win this game and placed the Lightning here after the Canes beat the Lightning on Friday night. I felt Tampa Bay would shake off their four game losing streak and that Carolina wouldn't be able to sweep the home-and-home series. I'm impressed with my rational thinking here and glad I made the swap before placing my picks on the blog.
* Picks *
After a day filled with twelve games, we'll only see four on Sunday. There are some easy picks, one that is a little bit of an underdog, and a difficult one. The easy games are Florida at Pittsburgh and Vancouver at Columbus. I think the Penguins easily handle the lowly Panthers and the Canucks do the same to the uninspiring Blue Jackets. When it comes to the Senators and Thrashers, I'm banking on Ottawa's recent binge of beating up clubs that take them for granted. Seeing as this is Atlanta, that might be a mistake. I recently remember picking Ottawa to beat a mediocre team and it didn't pan out. When I picked them to lose against two playoff caliber teams, they came through. We'll see how this one pans out. Finally, the difficult game of the night belongs to the Bruins visiting the Flyers. Philadelphia had a great showing against the Atlantic Division basement dwelling New York Islanders on Saturday. Whether this is Philadelphia coming out of it's shell or just merely playing one solid game amidst many ugly ones is where the problem lies. Boston has been back and forth. They beat the crap out of Canadiens last Thursday night 7-0 but were shutout against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Should be a great game between the two teams though. Here are my picks for Sunday.
3/27/2011 - Sunday
Panthers at Penguins ==> Penguins
Senators at Thrashers ==> Senators
Canucks at Blue Jackets ==> Canucks
Bruins at Flyers ==> Flyers
Night!
3/25 Results, 3/26 Picks
* Results *
Another poor showing for me. I went 2-3 tonight despite having a few games that probably should have gone by way. The Penguins killed me by winning their second shootout game in two nights. Not a fan of shootouts lately! The Sabres beat up on the Panthers as I figured winning 4-2. The Senators beat the Capitals with a big 2-0 shutout. Though it sucked getting a loss, it helped my Flyers maintain the Eastern Conference lead for now. Woot to that! The Hurricanes beat the struggling Lightning 4-3. They have a home-and-home series, so the Lightning will visit the Canes tomorrow night in Raleigh. I actually changed my pick for that game based on this one. Tonight's Lightning loss was their fourth in a row. I have them slated to win and reverse that tomorrow. Potential DPotN there. Finally, the Canucks handled the Thrashers 3-1 as I figured. Won the easy ones and lost the upset/tough match games. Oh well. Here are the lines for Friday.
3/25/2011 - Friday
Devils at Penguins : Pick - Devils : Result -- 1-0 Penguins : Wrong (SO/L) : 177-139
Panthers at Sabres : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 4-2 Sabres : Correct : 178-139
Capitals at Senators : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 2-0 Senators : Wrong : 178-140
Hurricanes at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-3 Hurricanes : Wrong : 178-141
Canucks at Thrashers : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Canucks : Correct : 179-141
- Results Format -
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Capitals at Senators : If Ottawa played this well all year long, I think they would be in the playoffs. Man. Two days in a row they beat a stronger team. New York (Rangers) yesterday and Washington tonight. I tried to be bold the other night by picking them and they let me down. I start retreating to the "stronger team wins" rationale and I'm paying for it. It probably doesn't warrant the DPotN, but I feel it does. Ottawa is reveling in the spoiler role. They shutout Washington's high power offense tonight 2-0. Alex Ovechkin is still injured (maybe just resting), but I still thought Washington would kill Ottawa. Stupid on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Devils at Penguins : This was a tough game. Both teams skate to a 0-0 game after three periods and overtime. The Penguins won their second game in a row in a shootout 1-0 (defeated the Flyers yesterday the same way). I was banking on New Jersey winning this to try to keep in the playoff picture, but I think they're starting to cool down. Kudos to them for their effort. Pittsburgh is putting up a good chase with the Philadelphia Flyers. Philly must win tomorrow's game against the Islanders by using their games in hand to widen their point margin now. Completely forcing Philly's hand. Anyway, this game was a tough one and I think the score solidifies that argument.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Sabres : Canucks at Thrashers could have gone here, but I think Atlanta is a lot better than Florida. Florida has been spoiling things here and there, but Atlanta is still technically in the playoff picture. The Sabres easily handled the Panthers tonight with a 4-2 victory. Not too much thought for me when making this pick.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Capitals at Senators : Yeah, it was my DPotN, but it's also the Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night. The Capitals, Ovechkin or not, should be beating the pulp out of teams like the Senators. I don't care if Ottawa is playing good hockey, you should win games against the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Caps should have won this game. Kudos to the Senators for playing superb hockey.
* Picks *
If you're looking for a variety of hockey, tonight is your night. There are twelve games on the schedule for Saturday. Most of them are pretty evenly matched. I had a lot of trouble sorting through which team was the likely victor. The most interesting game of the night is probably New Jersey at Buffalo. The Devils are going to have to fight for the eighth spot. They'll have an opportunity to do some damage against the team currently holding the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. That team, the Buffalo Sabres, need to win to hold off the teams outside of the bubble. They'll also have a shot to make a chase for the seventh seeded New York Rangers who are only four points away. The Devils pretty much need to win all of their remaining nine games to realistically make the playoffs. We'll see if they're up to the task. Picks for Saturday below.
3/26/2011 - Saturday
Rangers at Bruins ==> Bruins
Avalanche at Kings ==> Kings
Devils at Sabres ==> Sabres
Maple Leafs at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Lightning at Hurricanes ==> Lightning
Capitals at Canadiens ==> Capitals
Flyers at Islanders ==> Flyers
Stars at Predators ==> Predators
Blues at Wild ==> Blues
Ducks at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Sharks at Coyotes ==> Sharks
Flames at Oilers ==> Flames
Night!
Another poor showing for me. I went 2-3 tonight despite having a few games that probably should have gone by way. The Penguins killed me by winning their second shootout game in two nights. Not a fan of shootouts lately! The Sabres beat up on the Panthers as I figured winning 4-2. The Senators beat the Capitals with a big 2-0 shutout. Though it sucked getting a loss, it helped my Flyers maintain the Eastern Conference lead for now. Woot to that! The Hurricanes beat the struggling Lightning 4-3. They have a home-and-home series, so the Lightning will visit the Canes tomorrow night in Raleigh. I actually changed my pick for that game based on this one. Tonight's Lightning loss was their fourth in a row. I have them slated to win and reverse that tomorrow. Potential DPotN there. Finally, the Canucks handled the Thrashers 3-1 as I figured. Won the easy ones and lost the upset/tough match games. Oh well. Here are the lines for Friday.
3/25/2011 - Friday
Devils at Penguins : Pick - Devils : Result -- 1-0 Penguins : Wrong (SO/L) : 177-139
Panthers at Sabres : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 4-2 Sabres : Correct : 178-139
Capitals at Senators : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 2-0 Senators : Wrong : 178-140
Hurricanes at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-3 Hurricanes : Wrong : 178-141
Canucks at Thrashers : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Canucks : Correct : 179-141
- Results Format -
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Capitals at Senators : If Ottawa played this well all year long, I think they would be in the playoffs. Man. Two days in a row they beat a stronger team. New York (Rangers) yesterday and Washington tonight. I tried to be bold the other night by picking them and they let me down. I start retreating to the "stronger team wins" rationale and I'm paying for it. It probably doesn't warrant the DPotN, but I feel it does. Ottawa is reveling in the spoiler role. They shutout Washington's high power offense tonight 2-0. Alex Ovechkin is still injured (maybe just resting), but I still thought Washington would kill Ottawa. Stupid on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Devils at Penguins : This was a tough game. Both teams skate to a 0-0 game after three periods and overtime. The Penguins won their second game in a row in a shootout 1-0 (defeated the Flyers yesterday the same way). I was banking on New Jersey winning this to try to keep in the playoff picture, but I think they're starting to cool down. Kudos to them for their effort. Pittsburgh is putting up a good chase with the Philadelphia Flyers. Philly must win tomorrow's game against the Islanders by using their games in hand to widen their point margin now. Completely forcing Philly's hand. Anyway, this game was a tough one and I think the score solidifies that argument.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Sabres : Canucks at Thrashers could have gone here, but I think Atlanta is a lot better than Florida. Florida has been spoiling things here and there, but Atlanta is still technically in the playoff picture. The Sabres easily handled the Panthers tonight with a 4-2 victory. Not too much thought for me when making this pick.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Capitals at Senators : Yeah, it was my DPotN, but it's also the Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night. The Capitals, Ovechkin or not, should be beating the pulp out of teams like the Senators. I don't care if Ottawa is playing good hockey, you should win games against the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Caps should have won this game. Kudos to the Senators for playing superb hockey.
* Picks *
If you're looking for a variety of hockey, tonight is your night. There are twelve games on the schedule for Saturday. Most of them are pretty evenly matched. I had a lot of trouble sorting through which team was the likely victor. The most interesting game of the night is probably New Jersey at Buffalo. The Devils are going to have to fight for the eighth spot. They'll have an opportunity to do some damage against the team currently holding the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. That team, the Buffalo Sabres, need to win to hold off the teams outside of the bubble. They'll also have a shot to make a chase for the seventh seeded New York Rangers who are only four points away. The Devils pretty much need to win all of their remaining nine games to realistically make the playoffs. We'll see if they're up to the task. Picks for Saturday below.
3/26/2011 - Saturday
Rangers at Bruins ==> Bruins
Avalanche at Kings ==> Kings
Devils at Sabres ==> Sabres
Maple Leafs at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Lightning at Hurricanes ==> Lightning
Capitals at Canadiens ==> Capitals
Flyers at Islanders ==> Flyers
Stars at Predators ==> Predators
Blues at Wild ==> Blues
Ducks at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Sharks at Coyotes ==> Sharks
Flames at Oilers ==> Flames
Night!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Pretty Ugly Night : 3/24 Results, 3/25 Picks
* Results *
Straight to the results tonight. Pretty awful night altogether for me. I went 3-6 with a few terrible picks. I was done in by the shootout again. Three losses through that method. I was horribly wrong when I assumed the Canadiens would show up in their match with the Bruins. The Bruins thoroughly killed them 7-0. The Senators beat the better team again, but this time I was on the losing end of guessing correctly. The Flyers couldn't manage the Penguins in a shootout. The Predators took care of the Ducks with ease. I did well guessing against bad teams. The Oilers and Avalanche both lost as I thought they would. Not much to be proud of tonight, but hey, can't win them all. My margin of victory is slowly creeping back to .500. Here's the results for Thursday.
3/24/2011 - Thursday
Canadiens at Bruins : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 7-0 Bruins : Wrong : 174-133
Thrashers at Islanders : Pick - Islanders : Result -- 2-1 Thrashers : Wrong : 174-134
Senators at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 2-1 Senators : Wrong (SO/L) : 174-135
Penguins at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 2-1 Penguins : Wrong (SO/L) : 174-136
Oilers at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 4-0 Blues : Correct : 175-136
Ducks at Predators : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 5-4 Predators : Wrong : 175-137
Maple Leafs at Avalanche : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 4-3 Maple Leafs : Correct : 176-137
Blue Jackets at Coyotes : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 3-0 Coyotes : Correct : 177-137
Sharks at Kings : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 4-3 Kings : Wrong (SO/L) : 177-138
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Bruins : Too much assumption here. I wouldn't normally pick this game as a dumb pick. Both teams are good and it could go either way, but I really thought Montreal was going to show up for the comments being by the Bruins about Max Pacioretty as well as the hit in general. Clearly not the case. Just because one team can be or is pumped doesn't mean the other team isn't. Boston was ready for Montreal tonight. The outcome was awful for Montreal. So was my pick.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Penguins at Flyers : It's easy for me to pick Philadelphia because they're my team. Unfortunately, they've been playing pretty terrible lately. Pittsburgh should be the weaker team, but Philadelphia can't seem to prove they're the better team (no Malkin/Crosby should be no problem). Do I go with the better team who should win or a team who is capable and hungry? It wasn't that easy. The game was mediocre on both ends tonight. The shootout determining a victor seemed right on par. Good win by Pittsburgh.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Maple Leafs at Avalanche : The Avalanche finally won a game the other night. I felt that it was their time to lose again. They did just that. Toronto is a pretty good team right now. They're on a three game streak and are pushing to make the playoffs. They're only three points away from the eighth spot. As I always say, Colorado just isn't a good team right now. It's easy to pick against them.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Canadiens at Bruins : I'm sure you saw this one coming. Carey Price was lit up tonight. I think Montreal strayed from playing hockey to just looking to nail Boston as best as they could. Didn't work out too well. Montreal got owned in Boston.
* Picks *
A lot of easy games (in this man's opinion of course) for Friday. I do like two games to be pretty good ones. Devils and Penguins should be good. Pittsburgh is running at Philadelphia hard for the Atlantic Division title. The Devils are running for a chance at the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. I like the odds of that one being good. The other game I like is the Hurricanes and Lightning. Both teams really haven't been that impressive lately, but division games tend to always be good. Carolina needs a win as they're only three points out from the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay is on a three game losing streak and most definitely wants to end that. Here are my picks for Friday.
3/25/2011 - Friday
Devils at Penguins ==> Devils
Panthers at Sabres ==> Sabres
Capitals at Senators ==> Capitals
Hurricanes at Lightning ==> Lightning
Canucks at Thrashers ==> Canucks
Night!
Straight to the results tonight. Pretty awful night altogether for me. I went 3-6 with a few terrible picks. I was done in by the shootout again. Three losses through that method. I was horribly wrong when I assumed the Canadiens would show up in their match with the Bruins. The Bruins thoroughly killed them 7-0. The Senators beat the better team again, but this time I was on the losing end of guessing correctly. The Flyers couldn't manage the Penguins in a shootout. The Predators took care of the Ducks with ease. I did well guessing against bad teams. The Oilers and Avalanche both lost as I thought they would. Not much to be proud of tonight, but hey, can't win them all. My margin of victory is slowly creeping back to .500. Here's the results for Thursday.
3/24/2011 - Thursday
Canadiens at Bruins : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 7-0 Bruins : Wrong : 174-133
Thrashers at Islanders : Pick - Islanders : Result -- 2-1 Thrashers : Wrong : 174-134
Senators at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 2-1 Senators : Wrong (SO/L) : 174-135
Penguins at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 2-1 Penguins : Wrong (SO/L) : 174-136
Oilers at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 4-0 Blues : Correct : 175-136
Ducks at Predators : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 5-4 Predators : Wrong : 175-137
Maple Leafs at Avalanche : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 4-3 Maple Leafs : Correct : 176-137
Blue Jackets at Coyotes : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 3-0 Coyotes : Correct : 177-137
Sharks at Kings : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 4-3 Kings : Wrong (SO/L) : 177-138
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Bruins : Too much assumption here. I wouldn't normally pick this game as a dumb pick. Both teams are good and it could go either way, but I really thought Montreal was going to show up for the comments being by the Bruins about Max Pacioretty as well as the hit in general. Clearly not the case. Just because one team can be or is pumped doesn't mean the other team isn't. Boston was ready for Montreal tonight. The outcome was awful for Montreal. So was my pick.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Penguins at Flyers : It's easy for me to pick Philadelphia because they're my team. Unfortunately, they've been playing pretty terrible lately. Pittsburgh should be the weaker team, but Philadelphia can't seem to prove they're the better team (no Malkin/Crosby should be no problem). Do I go with the better team who should win or a team who is capable and hungry? It wasn't that easy. The game was mediocre on both ends tonight. The shootout determining a victor seemed right on par. Good win by Pittsburgh.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Maple Leafs at Avalanche : The Avalanche finally won a game the other night. I felt that it was their time to lose again. They did just that. Toronto is a pretty good team right now. They're on a three game streak and are pushing to make the playoffs. They're only three points away from the eighth spot. As I always say, Colorado just isn't a good team right now. It's easy to pick against them.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Canadiens at Bruins : I'm sure you saw this one coming. Carey Price was lit up tonight. I think Montreal strayed from playing hockey to just looking to nail Boston as best as they could. Didn't work out too well. Montreal got owned in Boston.
* Picks *
A lot of easy games (in this man's opinion of course) for Friday. I do like two games to be pretty good ones. Devils and Penguins should be good. Pittsburgh is running at Philadelphia hard for the Atlantic Division title. The Devils are running for a chance at the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. I like the odds of that one being good. The other game I like is the Hurricanes and Lightning. Both teams really haven't been that impressive lately, but division games tend to always be good. Carolina needs a win as they're only three points out from the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay is on a three game losing streak and most definitely wants to end that. Here are my picks for Friday.
3/25/2011 - Friday
Devils at Penguins ==> Devils
Panthers at Sabres ==> Sabres
Capitals at Senators ==> Capitals
Hurricanes at Lightning ==> Lightning
Canucks at Thrashers ==> Canucks
Night!
Duck/Stars Game and A Perfect Night : 3/23 Results, 3/24 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
WOW. That's what I can say about last night. Total playoff games atmosphere. The Stars basically had this game zipped away 3-2 until, with 6.5 seconds left in the game, Teemu Selanne scores a tying goal. The guy looks amazing for 40 years-old. I truly feel privileged to see a Finnish legend like him before he calls it a career. Both teams remained tied in the standings by getting to overtime until Anaheim struck again. Less than two minutes into overtime, Cam Fowler and Bobby Ryan go on a two on one break. Bobby Ryan slides a pass over to Fowler who slams it home for the win and an extra point in the standings. The extra points lets Anaheim sit in the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Dallas sits outside the bubble but is still in a good spot to get into the playoffs. Really glad I got to see this game. Superb play between the two teams.
* Results *
Hockey game experience aside, I had a super night with my picks. I chose correctly (barely) choosing the Canucks to beat the Wings. They did so 2-1. The Blackhawks were chosen to beat the Panthers, and they did so shutting them out 4-0. The Ducks and Stars result can be seen above. Amazing finish. The Ducks pulled out the win in overtime 4-3. Finally, I banked with the better team in San Jose and they backed my pick up winning 6-3 over the Flames. Results below.
3/23/2011 - Wednesday
Canucks at Red Wings : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 2-1 Canucks : Correct : 171-132
Panthers at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 4-0 Blackhawks : Correct : 172-132
Ducks at Stars : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 4-3 Ducks : Correct (OT/W) : 173-132
Flames at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-3 Sharks : Correct : 174-132
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None, perfect night. Look for some dumb picks next entry!
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Canucks at Red Wings : Easily the hardest pick of the night. Both teams are playoff bound and I could see them both in the Western Conference Finals. I pick the Canucks merely on the standings and general feel for the game. I lucked out.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Blackhawks : This game was very easy to choose. The Blackhawks are good and the Florida Panthers are fairly terrible. Makes for an easy decision.
* Picks *
There are some excellent games tonight. Montreal visits Boston in their first meeting since the hit by Chara on Pacioretty. The Penguins meet Atlantic rival Philadelphia in what always amounts to a physical game. The Ducks visit Nashville in what is yet another game that will make a huge difference in the Western Conference standings. The Sharks and Kings game has two Pacific Division rivals facing off, and yet again, another game where playoffs are at stake. I love this time of year for hockey. So many good games. Here are my picks for tonight.
3/24/2011 - Thursday
Canadiens at Bruins ==> Canadiens
Thrashers at Islanders ==> Islanders
Senators at Rangers ==> Rangers
Penguins at Flyers ==> Flyers
Oilers at Blues ==> Blues
Ducks at Predators ==> Ducks
Maple Leafs at Avalanche ==> Maple Leafs
Blue Jackets at Coyotes ==> Coyotes
Sharks at Kings ==> Sharks
Night!
WOW. That's what I can say about last night. Total playoff games atmosphere. The Stars basically had this game zipped away 3-2 until, with 6.5 seconds left in the game, Teemu Selanne scores a tying goal. The guy looks amazing for 40 years-old. I truly feel privileged to see a Finnish legend like him before he calls it a career. Both teams remained tied in the standings by getting to overtime until Anaheim struck again. Less than two minutes into overtime, Cam Fowler and Bobby Ryan go on a two on one break. Bobby Ryan slides a pass over to Fowler who slams it home for the win and an extra point in the standings. The extra points lets Anaheim sit in the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Dallas sits outside the bubble but is still in a good spot to get into the playoffs. Really glad I got to see this game. Superb play between the two teams.
* Results *
Hockey game experience aside, I had a super night with my picks. I chose correctly (barely) choosing the Canucks to beat the Wings. They did so 2-1. The Blackhawks were chosen to beat the Panthers, and they did so shutting them out 4-0. The Ducks and Stars result can be seen above. Amazing finish. The Ducks pulled out the win in overtime 4-3. Finally, I banked with the better team in San Jose and they backed my pick up winning 6-3 over the Flames. Results below.
3/23/2011 - Wednesday
Canucks at Red Wings : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 2-1 Canucks : Correct : 171-132
Panthers at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 4-0 Blackhawks : Correct : 172-132
Ducks at Stars : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 4-3 Ducks : Correct (OT/W) : 173-132
Flames at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-3 Sharks : Correct : 174-132
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None, perfect night. Look for some dumb picks next entry!
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Canucks at Red Wings : Easily the hardest pick of the night. Both teams are playoff bound and I could see them both in the Western Conference Finals. I pick the Canucks merely on the standings and general feel for the game. I lucked out.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Blackhawks : This game was very easy to choose. The Blackhawks are good and the Florida Panthers are fairly terrible. Makes for an easy decision.
* Picks *
There are some excellent games tonight. Montreal visits Boston in their first meeting since the hit by Chara on Pacioretty. The Penguins meet Atlantic rival Philadelphia in what always amounts to a physical game. The Ducks visit Nashville in what is yet another game that will make a huge difference in the Western Conference standings. The Sharks and Kings game has two Pacific Division rivals facing off, and yet again, another game where playoffs are at stake. I love this time of year for hockey. So many good games. Here are my picks for tonight.
3/24/2011 - Thursday
Canadiens at Bruins ==> Canadiens
Thrashers at Islanders ==> Islanders
Senators at Rangers ==> Rangers
Penguins at Flyers ==> Flyers
Oilers at Blues ==> Blues
Ducks at Predators ==> Ducks
Maple Leafs at Avalanche ==> Maple Leafs
Blue Jackets at Coyotes ==> Coyotes
Sharks at Kings ==> Sharks
Night!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Another Game For Me! : 3/22 Results, 3/23 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
After getting a night of hockey on Saturday, it looks like I'll be heading back out to Dallas for another game. I'll be seeing the Anaheim Ducks visit the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. It should be a really good game since both teams are tied at 72 games played and 85 points a piece. Both teams need the two points for a win desperately. That will make for a good physical hockey game. Also, there isn't too many games left in the season, so I felt like I needed to take advantage of what could be the last hockey game to be played in front of my own eyes for awhile. Unless Philly comes back to Dallas for the Stanley Cup (unlikely), it'll be a year at the least I would imagine. Should be a fun night as my dad is in town and my wife can actually go to this one. More beer and more hockey. Going to be a fun night.
* Results *
Wow, a very mediocre night. I finished 4-6 and many of my safe picks didn't pan out. The Philadelphia Flyers made me look incredibly stupid at first only to come back and let me down in the end. The Avalanche finally awoke from their arctic slumber to win a game. My Senators pick didn't work out (though it was close). I was done in by the shootout twice. Just a jumbled night. Running a little behind on this, so rather than read about how retarded my picks were, let's just get to the results.
3/22/2011 - Tuesday
Devils at Bruins : Pick - Devils : Result -- 4-1 Bruins : Wrong : 166-127
Senators at Hurricanes : Pick - Senators : Result -- 4-3 Hurricanes : Wrong : 166-128
Panthers at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 1-0 Rangers : Correct : 167-128
Sabres at Canadiens : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 2-0 Sabres : Wrong : 167-129
Capitals at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 5-4 Capitals : Wrong (SO/L) : 167-130
Islanders at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 5-2 Islanders : Wrong : 167-131
Oilers at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 3-1 Predators : Correct : 168-131
Maple Leafs at Wild : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 3-0 Maple Leafs : Correct : 169-131
Blue Jackets at Avalanche : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 5-4 Avalanche : Wrong (SO/L) : 169-132
Blues at Coyotes : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 2-1 Coyotes : Correct : 170-132
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Senators at Hurricanes : Out of all the picks I feel I should pay for this one. The Hurricanes are a decent team, but I went on the notion that since the Sens have been beating all the good teams lately, that they would do that here. I respect myself for making a bold pick, but bold can still be stupid. It was close, but the better team won as they should. Hurricanes 4-3.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Devils at Bruins : There are many games that could fit the bill here for this night, but I feel that this one belongs. The Bruins are playing good hockey and the Devils are playing insane hockey. Does the better team or the hotter team win? Tough decision. The B's took the game easily winning 4-1.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Rangers : Florida is awful and New York seems to be playing pretty good hockey. How the Rangers can thump super teams like Washington or Philadelphia one night, and then only put in one goal on Florida is beyond me. Regardless of the score, I still felt this was a very easy pick when I made it.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Blue Jackets at Avalanche : I hate picking on Colorado. I know Columbus salvaged a point by getting to overtime and the shootout, but you need to beat these awful teams. Colorado has not been good. They've lost a lot of hockey games lately. There just isn't an excuse not to win this game. Columbus, as I've mentioned before, just seems set in it's mediocre ways. Should have won this game.
* Picks *
There are four games on Wednesday. The best is easily the Canucks and Red Wings game which could easily be a potential Western Conference Finals game. Should be a great game. The Stars and Ducks game will also be huge. Both teams are tied with another with 72 games played and 85 points apiece. The Pacific Division is so tight that the game really means a lot. It's one division that actually has a legit chance to have every member of it make the playoffs. The Flames and Sharks should produce a decent game as well. The Flames need to win very badly. They also have 85 points but have played more games than anyone in the playoff race. With no games in hand, it's almost imperative that they win this game or else they might find their way out of the Western Conference playoffs. The Sharks have pulled away as the Pacific Division leaders for now. The Coyotes are in hot pursuit, but the Sharks have three extra points and a game in hand. Regardless, you should see a good game between the Flames and Sharks. The Panthers visiting Chicago should be an easy victory for the Blackhawks, but you know these days with teams playing the spoiler role very well. Here are my picks for Wednesday.
3/23/2011 - Wednesday
Canucks at Red Wings ==> Canucks
Panthers at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Ducks at Stars ==> Ducks
Flames at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
After getting a night of hockey on Saturday, it looks like I'll be heading back out to Dallas for another game. I'll be seeing the Anaheim Ducks visit the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. It should be a really good game since both teams are tied at 72 games played and 85 points a piece. Both teams need the two points for a win desperately. That will make for a good physical hockey game. Also, there isn't too many games left in the season, so I felt like I needed to take advantage of what could be the last hockey game to be played in front of my own eyes for awhile. Unless Philly comes back to Dallas for the Stanley Cup (unlikely), it'll be a year at the least I would imagine. Should be a fun night as my dad is in town and my wife can actually go to this one. More beer and more hockey. Going to be a fun night.
* Results *
Wow, a very mediocre night. I finished 4-6 and many of my safe picks didn't pan out. The Philadelphia Flyers made me look incredibly stupid at first only to come back and let me down in the end. The Avalanche finally awoke from their arctic slumber to win a game. My Senators pick didn't work out (though it was close). I was done in by the shootout twice. Just a jumbled night. Running a little behind on this, so rather than read about how retarded my picks were, let's just get to the results.
3/22/2011 - Tuesday
Devils at Bruins : Pick - Devils : Result -- 4-1 Bruins : Wrong : 166-127
Senators at Hurricanes : Pick - Senators : Result -- 4-3 Hurricanes : Wrong : 166-128
Panthers at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 1-0 Rangers : Correct : 167-128
Sabres at Canadiens : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 2-0 Sabres : Wrong : 167-129
Capitals at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 5-4 Capitals : Wrong (SO/L) : 167-130
Islanders at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 5-2 Islanders : Wrong : 167-131
Oilers at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 3-1 Predators : Correct : 168-131
Maple Leafs at Wild : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 3-0 Maple Leafs : Correct : 169-131
Blue Jackets at Avalanche : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 5-4 Avalanche : Wrong (SO/L) : 169-132
Blues at Coyotes : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 2-1 Coyotes : Correct : 170-132
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Senators at Hurricanes : Out of all the picks I feel I should pay for this one. The Hurricanes are a decent team, but I went on the notion that since the Sens have been beating all the good teams lately, that they would do that here. I respect myself for making a bold pick, but bold can still be stupid. It was close, but the better team won as they should. Hurricanes 4-3.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Devils at Bruins : There are many games that could fit the bill here for this night, but I feel that this one belongs. The Bruins are playing good hockey and the Devils are playing insane hockey. Does the better team or the hotter team win? Tough decision. The B's took the game easily winning 4-1.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Rangers : Florida is awful and New York seems to be playing pretty good hockey. How the Rangers can thump super teams like Washington or Philadelphia one night, and then only put in one goal on Florida is beyond me. Regardless of the score, I still felt this was a very easy pick when I made it.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Blue Jackets at Avalanche : I hate picking on Colorado. I know Columbus salvaged a point by getting to overtime and the shootout, but you need to beat these awful teams. Colorado has not been good. They've lost a lot of hockey games lately. There just isn't an excuse not to win this game. Columbus, as I've mentioned before, just seems set in it's mediocre ways. Should have won this game.
* Picks *
There are four games on Wednesday. The best is easily the Canucks and Red Wings game which could easily be a potential Western Conference Finals game. Should be a great game. The Stars and Ducks game will also be huge. Both teams are tied with another with 72 games played and 85 points apiece. The Pacific Division is so tight that the game really means a lot. It's one division that actually has a legit chance to have every member of it make the playoffs. The Flames and Sharks should produce a decent game as well. The Flames need to win very badly. They also have 85 points but have played more games than anyone in the playoff race. With no games in hand, it's almost imperative that they win this game or else they might find their way out of the Western Conference playoffs. The Sharks have pulled away as the Pacific Division leaders for now. The Coyotes are in hot pursuit, but the Sharks have three extra points and a game in hand. Regardless, you should see a good game between the Flames and Sharks. The Panthers visiting Chicago should be an easy victory for the Blackhawks, but you know these days with teams playing the spoiler role very well. Here are my picks for Wednesday.
3/23/2011 - Wednesday
Canucks at Red Wings ==> Canucks
Panthers at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Ducks at Stars ==> Ducks
Flames at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Matt Cooke Flying Elbow of Doom : 3/21 Results, 3/22 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
If you haven't seen the Matt Cooke flying elbow on the New York Rangers' Ryan McDonagh yet (performed by Mr. Cooke on Sunday), do so below. If you don't know Matt Cooke, then just YouTube a list of his NHL videos. The guy has a reputation for making borderline as well as blatant cheap shots on opponents that are sometimes in compromising positions. Some of his hits have led to very serious injuries. See the video below for the unpunished cheap shot on Marc Savard that cost the Bruins player most of the season. Savard suffered a very serious concussion that actually became a gateway for the head issues that he's suffering now and may cost him his career.
There's no doubt that hockey is a physical sport and that contact is going to happen. It's only rationale to assume that coincidental events will occur when you play hockey. Slashing, hooks, hard body checks, taking a puck to the face or legs, etc. Those things are to be expected. What Cooke does could and should be avoided. It's one thing to be a pest and give your opponent a rough game. I can respect and admire the guys who play a good physical game and even draw penalties because of it. Cooke goes many steps further. His play is reckless and harmful. The NHL did guys like this a huge favor when they placed the instigator penalty (given for starting a fight, etc). It's harder to call a guy like Cooke out when he can hide behind such a penalty. I believe hockey is better (in terms of entertainment) when you allow plays to fight and police themselves. I do think the league needs to find a way to handle the hits to the head as they've been trying to do. But, let the players handle guys like Cooke. If we don't, I think more players are bound to be hurt by him. I truly believe it's only a matter of time before someone does the same to him. I don't want hockey to stumble to that level.
The hit above did catch the NHL's attention. Cooke is out for the rest of the regular season (10 games left on Pittsburgh's schedule) and the first round of the playoffs. He'll lose $219,512.20 in salary (as reported on SI.com). This is a huge suspension for a guy that does have an upside in other aspects of the game (penalty killing). With Pittsburgh dealing with the injuries of Crosby and Malkin, this takes another guy off their roster. The Pittsburgh organization has done well in denouncing Cooke's actions. Most importantly, it was reported (I believe by SI.com's Pierre McGuire) that Cooke was in shambles with his teammate's reactions to his hit. As stated, not many were happy with what he did and continues to do. He cost the team two points as the game was tied 1-1 (final score 5-1) before he made the hit. New York scored two goals on the five minute major penalty that Cooke received causing Pittsburgh the game. It certainly makes catching the Philadelphia Flyers for the Atlantic Division lead that much harder. Generally speaking, you should always defend your a fellow teammate, but Pittsburgh did well in denouncing Cooke's actions when they were obviously wrong.
Possibly most importantly out of this from a Pittsburgh perspective is how bad he's making Mario Lemieux look. Lemieux spoke out against the Islanders/Penguins game where a huge brawl ensued. He felt like it made the game of hockey look like a joke. With Cooke constantly blemishing the Penguins with his actions, it's hard to take Mario's words with any validity. So long as Matt Cooke is allowed to do what he does, Mario falls on deaf ears. Making one of the greatest NHL players look bad surely has to set in with Matt Cooke. Let's hope the league moves on in a positive manner and that Ryan McDonagh of the Rangers recovers quickly.
* Results *
Only two games on Monday. Both games needed a shootout to determine a winner. I split again with a 1-1 finish for the night. The Red Wings were beat by the Penguins surprisingly. It shouldn't be a complete shocker as Pittsburgh can be capable, but with Pittsburgh's roster as it is, Detroit should have won this game. Looks like it was a good with back and forth scoring. The Flames and Kings skated what looks like a very tight game. The Kings ended up beating the Flames 2-1 in the shootout. Tough game there. Here's the line for Monday.
3/22/2011 - Monday
Penguins at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 5-4 Penguins : Wrong (SO/L) : 165-126
Flames at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 2-1 Kings : Correct (SO/W) : 166-126
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None. I feel my picks were justified. Not enough games tonight otherwise.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Flames at Kings : Out of the two games, I feel this one was more difficult due to both teams fielding healthy rosters. It wasn't hard picking the Red Wings knowing Pittsburgh had Malkin and Crosby out. On top, they also lost Matt Cooke. The Flames and Kings were a little more tricky. The score reflected just how close the teams are. Big win for Los Angeles and an even great loss for Calgary. Calgary needed the points, especially against a team like Los Angeles who was one point ahead (now three, plus two games in hand).
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
None. Both were really good games.
* Picks *
Pretty good slate of games for Tuesday. The Devils and Bruins should be a good one. The Capitals visiting Philadelphia, despite missing Alex Ovechkin (injured), should still be a good game. I even see the Sabres and Canadiens being a good game. I see the potential for many upsets tonight. I think Ottawa will beat Carolina (potential DPotN here for me). Otherwise, in my opinion, there are a lot of games with a generally better team playing a generally weaker team. I went with the better team on most of those. That could be dangerous, but I'd rather err on the side I did than the other. Here are my picks for Tuesday.
3/23/2011 - Tuesday
Devils at Bruins ==> Devils
Senators at Hurricanes ==> Senators
Panthers at Rangers ==> Rangers
Sabres at Canadiens ==> Canadiens
Capitals at Flyers ==> Flyers
Islanders at Lightning ==> Lightning
Oilers at Predators ==> Predators
Maple Leafs at Wild ==> Maple Leafs
Blue Jackets at Avalanche ==> Blue Jackets
Blues at Coyotes ==> Coyotes
Night!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Flyers/Stars Game Experience : 3/20 Results & 3/21 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
Now that I have a moment to write about the game, I'll be able to get into all the good details. I didn't feel like skimping anything, though I hope I don't miss anything. We began our night at the Hooters down the street from American Airlines Center in Dallas. It's a pretty good spot to pre-game whether you're the visiting or home team here in Dallas. There were plenty of Philadelphia Flyer fans all around. Make sure you go before 6 PM. They have very good beer specials until then. Make sure to have a couple of drinks there before you spend a lot money on expensive beer inside American Airlines Center.
As I said, the atmosphere was really good. Unlike the football rivalry around here (Eagles and Cowboys hate each other as bad as a dog and cat hate each other), the hockey crowd is very tame. There were a lot of Flyers fans all over which made the night fun. On the way into the game (and out) there were plenty of high fives and comments exchanged with fellow fans of the Flyers. I have yet to see a game in Philadelphia, so I always love when a good Philly crowd shows for the games. There was a pretty good turn out.
As soon as we entered the doors, my brother and I ran to the Philly end to watch them warm up. Seeing the guys up close gave perspective to how big they really are on skates. Scott Hartnell and Braydon Coburn looked like monsters. You also get to see how talented these guys really are. They make sending a blistering wrist shot into the net seem easy. Much like a child in a toy store, I could only stand back in awe. It's almost sad how childish (in terms of awe, not maturity) that I get around these guys. I totally enjoyed getting a chance to get close to see a warm up.
After grabbing yet another beer, the the brother and I headed for our seats where a friend was waiting. There was a ton of Flyers fans all around which helped us get a "Let's go, Flyers!" chant going. The first period started out very well for the Flyers. They scored the first goal when Andrej Meszaros sent a shot towards the goal where it was deflected by Jeff Carter and Trevor Daley of the Dallas Stars into the net (Carter from Meszaros and Carle). 33rd goal of the year for Carter. It was a typical Philly goal with plenty of traffic in front of the net. It sent the lot of us Philly fans into a riot. The rest of the pretty low key. Aside from a few scoring chances, neither team could take a complete hold of the game.
In the second period, a period that featured me getting another beer, the Flyers went ahead 2-0 with a tip in goal by Mike Richards (Richards from Meszaros and Carle). The puck took an awkward deflection off the boards where Richards whacked it into the net. The goal was number twenty for Mike Richards. This was scored from the opposite side of where I was sitting so it was difficult to see. I was actually just sitting down from the intermission when they scored. Again, the Philly faithful didn't disappoint with some loud cheers and some more "Let's go, Flyers!" chants. Dallas wasn't content to let Philly run away with this one though. Alex Goligoski sent a shot from the point past Sergei Bobrovsky for his eleventh goal of the season (Goligoski from Morrow and Benn). Both the Stars and Flyers had picked up the physical play in this period. I thought Philadelphia was going to hold onto the 2-0 lead for awhile, but as always, Bobrovsky didn't have a chance on a perfectly screened goal.
Between periods, I made sure to hop over to the Jack Daniels bar inside the AAC for a very expensive shot with my entourage (we're not cool). One last beer for the third period and we were ready to go. The last period was very tense for both clubs. Claude Giroux tipped a perfect pass right into the post. I really thought he was going to land that one which would have likely given the Flyers a knock out punch. It looked good for the Flyers until Stephane Robidas took a pass from Steve Ott and blasted one home right by Bobrovsky (Robidas from Ott). It was number five for Robidas this season. Really nice shot. At the time, I was a little disappointed that Bob let this one get by. After seeing a replay, Robidas just made an incredible shot. It was probably the best one of the night. Tied at two a piece, I was beginning to worry a little bit that the Flyers were going to let yet another one slip by them. With less than two minutes to go in the period, Kimmo Timonen sent a puck over the boards in the defensive zone. He was whistled two minutes for delay of game. Uh-oh. Philadelphia managed to keep the Dallas Stars from getting on the board during regulation. Overtime was coming and the Stars had just under a half of minute of power play remaining.
At this point, all of us Flyers fans just wanted to win however we needed to knowing the Flyers needed two points to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The fact that the best defenseman we had playing (Pronger was hurt) was in the penalty box, didn't help with that. Overtime started and thankfully saw the end of the Stars power play opportunity. Neither team was able to capitalize but the Stars had the best scoring opportunity. Sergei Bobrovsky made the save of the game when he stopped a sure goal with a sprawling leg save. That was easily the stop of the game. Bob had a few shaky moments, but kudos to his play Saturday night. After the five minutes blew by and the horn blew, we were heading for a shootout.
Right off the bat, I had a bad feeling about the shootout. Kari Lehtonen isn't a bad goaltender (against the Flyer he has been, back in his days with Atlanta and a few with the Flyers, his record against the Flyers is 0-10-3 now) so I knew he could easily beat us since the Flyers aren't generally good at shootouts. Both goaltenders faced the first three shots and stopped two. Claude Giroux made a real nifty backhand shot towards the left hand side of Lehtonen to put the Flyers ahead. Facing elimination and the end of the game, Mike Ribeiro hesitated and deked Bobrovsky into making a move while placing the puck in the net. Both goalies were really sharp until it was the Flyers turn to shoot in the sixth round of the shootout. Ville Leino skated in on Lehtonen who committed to challenging Leino leaving a wide open net. Leino went around Lehtonen and slid the puck into the net! FLYERS WIN!!!!!! I don't know if it was the beer or pure joy, I jumped out of my seat and banged on the glass in celebration. All the Flyers fans around us began high-fiving one another and handing out hugs. Huge moment. The Flyers sealed their ticket to the playoffs this year with a huge win over the Dallas Stars.
It really was a good game. I do wish the Flyers would have dominated more and would have taken this game in regulation. How can I complain though? They won and provided me with some extra hockey. We walked over to a cigar bar with some friends and a had a victory beer with a cigar. I think I gave a high five to everyone wearing orange on the way out of the place. The only thing missing was my wife (she was stuck working). I had a great time and hope Philadelphia comes next year. Why the NHL doesn't have every team visiting every team in the league is beyond me. Twas a great night though.
Here are some general stats for the night.
Stars of the Game (as reported from NHL.com with comments by me)
1. Ville Leino - Scores the game winning and playoff clinching goal in a shootout. Solid two-way play the entire night.
2. Stephane Robidas - Ties the game up 2-2 with a huge blast of a shot. Plays lots of minutes as the Stars lost Grossman and Skrastins during the game, leaving the Stars with only four defensemen.
3. Andrej Meszaros - Lands huge assists on both goals scored by the Flyers. Mes has been a solid addition this year and provided the Flyers with quality play against Dallas.
Power Play/Penalties
Typical of the Flyers, Philadelphia let Dallas have plenty of chances to take this game by taking penalties. Thankfully they're penalty kill is in the top ten. No fights whatsoever. Jody Shelley was scratched by the Flyers and replaced with Andres Nodl. Dan Carcillo played a physical game, but nothing close to a fight brewed between the two teams.
Philadelphia was 0 for 1.
Dallas was 0 for 4.
* Results *
I'll take a .500 day after going 4-6. I went 3-3 tonight with my picks. Two games reach overtime and both games resulted in a loss for the team I chose. The Rangers defeated the Penguins pretty easily. The Predators beat the Sabres with the help of overtime. The Devils beat the Blue Jackets behind a Martin Brodeur shutout (aided by the fact he only faced 13 shots). The Canadiens slaughtered the Wild behind a four point P.K. Subban effort. The Blackhawks beat the Coyotes in a close game 2-1. Finally, the Flames failed to roast the Ducks tonight, losing in overtime by a score of 5-4. Here is the lines for Sunday.
3/20/2011 - Sunday
Rangers at Penguins : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 5-2 Rangers : Wrong : 162-123
Predators at Sabres : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 4-3 Predators : Wrong (OT/L) : 162-124
Devils at Blue Jackets : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-0 Devils : Correct : 163-124
Canadiens at Wild : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 8-1 Canadiens : Correct : 164-124
Blackhawks at Coyotes : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 2-1 Blackhawks : Correct : 165-124
Flames at Ducks : Pick - Flames : Result -- 5-4 Ducks : Wrong (OT/L) : 164-125
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Rangers at Penguins : No slant to the Penguins, but the moment I made these picks this morning (quickly), this was the one game I really considered changing. I stuck with my guns thinking the Penguins would pull it off. The Rangers are hard to judge. I think my respect level for their team needs to go up. They have some good players, I'm just never that blown away by them. This probably stems from their history the last five years. The Rangers are in the playoff picture for a reason and thus need to be given more respect. The way they've been stomping good teams lately, I should have given this a better look. Very dumb on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Coyotes : Though the Coyotes are higher in the standings, I feel as if the Blackhawks are more dangerous. It's hard not to have deep respect for the Blackhawks when they have Toews and Kane. I do respect the Coyotes due to the Bryzgalov goaltending they get. The guy is great (my opinion). The Coyotes were on a five game winning streak prior to the game which made this a tough decision. Hot teams can fizzle any second. I went with the Blackhawks but looked this game over several times.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Devils at Blue Jackets : No team is more hell (hell....Devils....look at me go) bent on making a run for the playoffs than the New Jersey Devils. It's truly amazing that they are only seven points (after tonight's games) out from the eighth spot. This team was horrendously awful before they got their crap together. Here they are now, absolutely exploding their way to the top. The Blue Jackets on the other hand have played their way out of the playoffs. They're still capable of putting up a good game here and there, but I'd say they're done. They're only eight points out of the eighth spot (a very hotly contended eighth spot), but I see them trending the opposite path that the Devils are traveling. With all of that said, this pick was easy. Hot team that's hungry for points over a team that seems to be okay with where they are in the standings. Yawn...how many games left in the season?
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Canadiens at Wild : Wow. The Canadiens absolutely obliterated the Wild on Sunday 8-1. The Wild were once playoff contenders but their recent play has been ugly enough to basically knock them out barring any miracles. They're 2-7-2 over their last 11 games. They're a little banged up but have little else to use as an excuse. The Canadiens have been pretty good recently, now 8-3 in their last 11 games. I'm really surprised by this score. The Wild aren't bad enough to get beat this bad. Well, I suppose they are. P.K. Subban, a defenseman of all players, came out with three goals. Rare to see a defenseman now down a Hat Trick. Subban finished with four points. Only six players on the Canadiens didn't get a point. Surprisingly, one of those players wasn't goaltender Alex Auld. Auld, the Canadien's back-up goaltender, nailed down an assist. Habs fans must have loved this one. Not so much for the fans of Minnesota. Minnie got owned.
* Picks *
Two measly games on the agenda for Monday. Both games should be pretty good. The Penguins visit Detroit for a rematch of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. I see Detroit taking that game. The other features the Calgary Flames visiting the Los Angeles Kings. Calgary is currently sitting just outside the playoff bubble. Los Angeles is only three points ahead of them sitting in fifth place. Big games with playoff implications. Good games for you on Monday night. Here's what I show.
3/21/2011 - Monday
Penguins at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Flames at Kings ==> Kings
Night!
Now that I have a moment to write about the game, I'll be able to get into all the good details. I didn't feel like skimping anything, though I hope I don't miss anything. We began our night at the Hooters down the street from American Airlines Center in Dallas. It's a pretty good spot to pre-game whether you're the visiting or home team here in Dallas. There were plenty of Philadelphia Flyer fans all around. Make sure you go before 6 PM. They have very good beer specials until then. Make sure to have a couple of drinks there before you spend a lot money on expensive beer inside American Airlines Center.
As I said, the atmosphere was really good. Unlike the football rivalry around here (Eagles and Cowboys hate each other as bad as a dog and cat hate each other), the hockey crowd is very tame. There were a lot of Flyers fans all over which made the night fun. On the way into the game (and out) there were plenty of high fives and comments exchanged with fellow fans of the Flyers. I have yet to see a game in Philadelphia, so I always love when a good Philly crowd shows for the games. There was a pretty good turn out.
As soon as we entered the doors, my brother and I ran to the Philly end to watch them warm up. Seeing the guys up close gave perspective to how big they really are on skates. Scott Hartnell and Braydon Coburn looked like monsters. You also get to see how talented these guys really are. They make sending a blistering wrist shot into the net seem easy. Much like a child in a toy store, I could only stand back in awe. It's almost sad how childish (in terms of awe, not maturity) that I get around these guys. I totally enjoyed getting a chance to get close to see a warm up.
After grabbing yet another beer, the the brother and I headed for our seats where a friend was waiting. There was a ton of Flyers fans all around which helped us get a "Let's go, Flyers!" chant going. The first period started out very well for the Flyers. They scored the first goal when Andrej Meszaros sent a shot towards the goal where it was deflected by Jeff Carter and Trevor Daley of the Dallas Stars into the net (Carter from Meszaros and Carle). 33rd goal of the year for Carter. It was a typical Philly goal with plenty of traffic in front of the net. It sent the lot of us Philly fans into a riot. The rest of the pretty low key. Aside from a few scoring chances, neither team could take a complete hold of the game.
In the second period, a period that featured me getting another beer, the Flyers went ahead 2-0 with a tip in goal by Mike Richards (Richards from Meszaros and Carle). The puck took an awkward deflection off the boards where Richards whacked it into the net. The goal was number twenty for Mike Richards. This was scored from the opposite side of where I was sitting so it was difficult to see. I was actually just sitting down from the intermission when they scored. Again, the Philly faithful didn't disappoint with some loud cheers and some more "Let's go, Flyers!" chants. Dallas wasn't content to let Philly run away with this one though. Alex Goligoski sent a shot from the point past Sergei Bobrovsky for his eleventh goal of the season (Goligoski from Morrow and Benn). Both the Stars and Flyers had picked up the physical play in this period. I thought Philadelphia was going to hold onto the 2-0 lead for awhile, but as always, Bobrovsky didn't have a chance on a perfectly screened goal.
Between periods, I made sure to hop over to the Jack Daniels bar inside the AAC for a very expensive shot with my entourage (we're not cool). One last beer for the third period and we were ready to go. The last period was very tense for both clubs. Claude Giroux tipped a perfect pass right into the post. I really thought he was going to land that one which would have likely given the Flyers a knock out punch. It looked good for the Flyers until Stephane Robidas took a pass from Steve Ott and blasted one home right by Bobrovsky (Robidas from Ott). It was number five for Robidas this season. Really nice shot. At the time, I was a little disappointed that Bob let this one get by. After seeing a replay, Robidas just made an incredible shot. It was probably the best one of the night. Tied at two a piece, I was beginning to worry a little bit that the Flyers were going to let yet another one slip by them. With less than two minutes to go in the period, Kimmo Timonen sent a puck over the boards in the defensive zone. He was whistled two minutes for delay of game. Uh-oh. Philadelphia managed to keep the Dallas Stars from getting on the board during regulation. Overtime was coming and the Stars had just under a half of minute of power play remaining.
At this point, all of us Flyers fans just wanted to win however we needed to knowing the Flyers needed two points to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The fact that the best defenseman we had playing (Pronger was hurt) was in the penalty box, didn't help with that. Overtime started and thankfully saw the end of the Stars power play opportunity. Neither team was able to capitalize but the Stars had the best scoring opportunity. Sergei Bobrovsky made the save of the game when he stopped a sure goal with a sprawling leg save. That was easily the stop of the game. Bob had a few shaky moments, but kudos to his play Saturday night. After the five minutes blew by and the horn blew, we were heading for a shootout.
Right off the bat, I had a bad feeling about the shootout. Kari Lehtonen isn't a bad goaltender (against the Flyer he has been, back in his days with Atlanta and a few with the Flyers, his record against the Flyers is 0-10-3 now) so I knew he could easily beat us since the Flyers aren't generally good at shootouts. Both goaltenders faced the first three shots and stopped two. Claude Giroux made a real nifty backhand shot towards the left hand side of Lehtonen to put the Flyers ahead. Facing elimination and the end of the game, Mike Ribeiro hesitated and deked Bobrovsky into making a move while placing the puck in the net. Both goalies were really sharp until it was the Flyers turn to shoot in the sixth round of the shootout. Ville Leino skated in on Lehtonen who committed to challenging Leino leaving a wide open net. Leino went around Lehtonen and slid the puck into the net! FLYERS WIN!!!!!! I don't know if it was the beer or pure joy, I jumped out of my seat and banged on the glass in celebration. All the Flyers fans around us began high-fiving one another and handing out hugs. Huge moment. The Flyers sealed their ticket to the playoffs this year with a huge win over the Dallas Stars.
It really was a good game. I do wish the Flyers would have dominated more and would have taken this game in regulation. How can I complain though? They won and provided me with some extra hockey. We walked over to a cigar bar with some friends and a had a victory beer with a cigar. I think I gave a high five to everyone wearing orange on the way out of the place. The only thing missing was my wife (she was stuck working). I had a great time and hope Philadelphia comes next year. Why the NHL doesn't have every team visiting every team in the league is beyond me. Twas a great night though.
Here are some general stats for the night.
Stars of the Game (as reported from NHL.com with comments by me)
1. Ville Leino - Scores the game winning and playoff clinching goal in a shootout. Solid two-way play the entire night.
2. Stephane Robidas - Ties the game up 2-2 with a huge blast of a shot. Plays lots of minutes as the Stars lost Grossman and Skrastins during the game, leaving the Stars with only four defensemen.
3. Andrej Meszaros - Lands huge assists on both goals scored by the Flyers. Mes has been a solid addition this year and provided the Flyers with quality play against Dallas.
Power Play/Penalties
Typical of the Flyers, Philadelphia let Dallas have plenty of chances to take this game by taking penalties. Thankfully they're penalty kill is in the top ten. No fights whatsoever. Jody Shelley was scratched by the Flyers and replaced with Andres Nodl. Dan Carcillo played a physical game, but nothing close to a fight brewed between the two teams.
Philadelphia was 0 for 1.
Dallas was 0 for 4.
* Results *
I'll take a .500 day after going 4-6. I went 3-3 tonight with my picks. Two games reach overtime and both games resulted in a loss for the team I chose. The Rangers defeated the Penguins pretty easily. The Predators beat the Sabres with the help of overtime. The Devils beat the Blue Jackets behind a Martin Brodeur shutout (aided by the fact he only faced 13 shots). The Canadiens slaughtered the Wild behind a four point P.K. Subban effort. The Blackhawks beat the Coyotes in a close game 2-1. Finally, the Flames failed to roast the Ducks tonight, losing in overtime by a score of 5-4. Here is the lines for Sunday.
3/20/2011 - Sunday
Rangers at Penguins : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 5-2 Rangers : Wrong : 162-123
Predators at Sabres : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 4-3 Predators : Wrong (OT/L) : 162-124
Devils at Blue Jackets : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-0 Devils : Correct : 163-124
Canadiens at Wild : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 8-1 Canadiens : Correct : 164-124
Blackhawks at Coyotes : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 2-1 Blackhawks : Correct : 165-124
Flames at Ducks : Pick - Flames : Result -- 5-4 Ducks : Wrong (OT/L) : 164-125
-Results Format-
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Rangers at Penguins : No slant to the Penguins, but the moment I made these picks this morning (quickly), this was the one game I really considered changing. I stuck with my guns thinking the Penguins would pull it off. The Rangers are hard to judge. I think my respect level for their team needs to go up. They have some good players, I'm just never that blown away by them. This probably stems from their history the last five years. The Rangers are in the playoff picture for a reason and thus need to be given more respect. The way they've been stomping good teams lately, I should have given this a better look. Very dumb on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Coyotes : Though the Coyotes are higher in the standings, I feel as if the Blackhawks are more dangerous. It's hard not to have deep respect for the Blackhawks when they have Toews and Kane. I do respect the Coyotes due to the Bryzgalov goaltending they get. The guy is great (my opinion). The Coyotes were on a five game winning streak prior to the game which made this a tough decision. Hot teams can fizzle any second. I went with the Blackhawks but looked this game over several times.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Devils at Blue Jackets : No team is more hell (hell....Devils....look at me go) bent on making a run for the playoffs than the New Jersey Devils. It's truly amazing that they are only seven points (after tonight's games) out from the eighth spot. This team was horrendously awful before they got their crap together. Here they are now, absolutely exploding their way to the top. The Blue Jackets on the other hand have played their way out of the playoffs. They're still capable of putting up a good game here and there, but I'd say they're done. They're only eight points out of the eighth spot (a very hotly contended eighth spot), but I see them trending the opposite path that the Devils are traveling. With all of that said, this pick was easy. Hot team that's hungry for points over a team that seems to be okay with where they are in the standings. Yawn...how many games left in the season?
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Canadiens at Wild : Wow. The Canadiens absolutely obliterated the Wild on Sunday 8-1. The Wild were once playoff contenders but their recent play has been ugly enough to basically knock them out barring any miracles. They're 2-7-2 over their last 11 games. They're a little banged up but have little else to use as an excuse. The Canadiens have been pretty good recently, now 8-3 in their last 11 games. I'm really surprised by this score. The Wild aren't bad enough to get beat this bad. Well, I suppose they are. P.K. Subban, a defenseman of all players, came out with three goals. Rare to see a defenseman now down a Hat Trick. Subban finished with four points. Only six players on the Canadiens didn't get a point. Surprisingly, one of those players wasn't goaltender Alex Auld. Auld, the Canadien's back-up goaltender, nailed down an assist. Habs fans must have loved this one. Not so much for the fans of Minnesota. Minnie got owned.
* Picks *
Two measly games on the agenda for Monday. Both games should be pretty good. The Penguins visit Detroit for a rematch of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. I see Detroit taking that game. The other features the Calgary Flames visiting the Los Angeles Kings. Calgary is currently sitting just outside the playoff bubble. Los Angeles is only three points ahead of them sitting in fifth place. Big games with playoff implications. Good games for you on Monday night. Here's what I show.
3/21/2011 - Monday
Penguins at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Flames at Kings ==> Kings
Night!
Awesome Night In Dallas : 3/19 Results, 3/20 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
I'll have something tonight or tomorrow about my Flyers/Stars game experience. It was a lot of fun and I loved the outcome. The Flyers clinched the playoffs on the night I went. Can't beat that at all!
* Results *
Don't have as much time today to break down the games and talk further. The game last night and an early morning will do that to you! Out of the ten games last night, six went to extra time. Three of them went to a shootout. It really didn't do much to hurt or help me. Three of the extra time games I won, the other three I lost. 4-6 showing for the night which isn't all that good. A lot of upsets though tonight. Thankfully, as of right now, I could care less. As long as Philly won, I'm a happy guy. Results for Saturday night.
3/19/2011 - Saturday
Blue Jackets at Wild : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 5-4 Blue Jackets : Correct (OT/W) : 159-116
Thrashers at Sabres : Pick - Thrashers : Result -- 8-2 Sabres : Wrong : 159-117
Lightning at Senators : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 3-2 Senators : Wrong (OT/L) : 159-118
Bruins at Maple Leafs : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 5-2 Maple Leafs : Wrong : 159-119
Islanders at Panthers : Pick - Islanders : Result -- 4-3 Islanders : Correct (SO/W) : 160-119
Flyers at Stars : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 3-2 Flyers : Correct (SO/W) : 161-119
Red Wings at Predators : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-1 Predators : Wrong : 161-120
Avalanche at Oilers : Pick - Oilers : Result -- 3-2 Avalanche : Wrong (SO/L) : 161-121
Ducks at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Wrong (OT/L) : 161-122
Blues at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 5-3 Sharks : Correct : 162-122
- Results Format -
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Thrashers at Sabres : I don't know why I picked the Thrashers here. I guess not everyone is as bad with the Thrashers at the Flyers are. The Thrashers got stomped by the better team.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blue Jackets at Wild : Just two similar teams trying to battle it out, hoping maybe they'll get hot and find a way to the eight spot of the Western Conference. It's unlikely, but a possibility. Hard to pick when they've both been mediocre (or injured) and you have to choose between them. Tough pick based on that.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Blues at Sharks : It's not necessarily the easiest pick out of all the games I had to pick from, but this one was the easiest to make. The Sharks are really good and the Blues are really bad. Not much more simple than that.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Thrashers at Sabres : 8 goals against, Atlanta? That's a lot for hockey standards. Buffalo showed up and placed a savage beating upon the Thrashers. Atlanta, sirs? You got owned.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Lightning at Senators : They gained a point by getting to overtime, but Tampa lost to a team that's just reveling in their spoiler role. Ottawa has been playing hard despite knowing they're completely out of the playoff race. Tampa should have been Ottawa to gain those precious points for the playoffs. They should have won this game, most definitely could have won this game, but ultimately, they did not. Very bad, Tampa.
* Picks *
Again, no break down today. Just knocking this out for the day.
3/20/2011
Rangers at Penguins ==> Penguins
Predators at Sabres ==> Sabres
Devils at Blue Jackets ==> Devils
Canadiens at Wild ==> Canadiens
Blackhawks at Coyotes ==> Blackhawks
Flames at Ducks ==> Flames
Have a good one!
I'll have something tonight or tomorrow about my Flyers/Stars game experience. It was a lot of fun and I loved the outcome. The Flyers clinched the playoffs on the night I went. Can't beat that at all!
* Results *
Don't have as much time today to break down the games and talk further. The game last night and an early morning will do that to you! Out of the ten games last night, six went to extra time. Three of them went to a shootout. It really didn't do much to hurt or help me. Three of the extra time games I won, the other three I lost. 4-6 showing for the night which isn't all that good. A lot of upsets though tonight. Thankfully, as of right now, I could care less. As long as Philly won, I'm a happy guy. Results for Saturday night.
3/19/2011 - Saturday
Blue Jackets at Wild : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 5-4 Blue Jackets : Correct (OT/W) : 159-116
Thrashers at Sabres : Pick - Thrashers : Result -- 8-2 Sabres : Wrong : 159-117
Lightning at Senators : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 3-2 Senators : Wrong (OT/L) : 159-118
Bruins at Maple Leafs : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 5-2 Maple Leafs : Wrong : 159-119
Islanders at Panthers : Pick - Islanders : Result -- 4-3 Islanders : Correct (SO/W) : 160-119
Flyers at Stars : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 3-2 Flyers : Correct (SO/W) : 161-119
Red Wings at Predators : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-1 Predators : Wrong : 161-120
Avalanche at Oilers : Pick - Oilers : Result -- 3-2 Avalanche : Wrong (SO/L) : 161-121
Ducks at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Wrong (OT/L) : 161-122
Blues at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 5-3 Sharks : Correct : 162-122
- Results Format -
Game : Pick : Result : Pick Result (OT or SO W or L based on my pick) : My Season Record
OT/W or OT/L - My pick won or lost in OT.
SO/W or SO/L - My pick won or lost in a shootout.
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Thrashers at Sabres : I don't know why I picked the Thrashers here. I guess not everyone is as bad with the Thrashers at the Flyers are. The Thrashers got stomped by the better team.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blue Jackets at Wild : Just two similar teams trying to battle it out, hoping maybe they'll get hot and find a way to the eight spot of the Western Conference. It's unlikely, but a possibility. Hard to pick when they've both been mediocre (or injured) and you have to choose between them. Tough pick based on that.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Blues at Sharks : It's not necessarily the easiest pick out of all the games I had to pick from, but this one was the easiest to make. The Sharks are really good and the Blues are really bad. Not much more simple than that.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Thrashers at Sabres : 8 goals against, Atlanta? That's a lot for hockey standards. Buffalo showed up and placed a savage beating upon the Thrashers. Atlanta, sirs? You got owned.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Lightning at Senators : They gained a point by getting to overtime, but Tampa lost to a team that's just reveling in their spoiler role. Ottawa has been playing hard despite knowing they're completely out of the playoff race. Tampa should have been Ottawa to gain those precious points for the playoffs. They should have won this game, most definitely could have won this game, but ultimately, they did not. Very bad, Tampa.
* Picks *
Again, no break down today. Just knocking this out for the day.
3/20/2011
Rangers at Penguins ==> Penguins
Predators at Sabres ==> Sabres
Devils at Blue Jackets ==> Devils
Canadiens at Wild ==> Canadiens
Blackhawks at Coyotes ==> Blackhawks
Flames at Ducks ==> Flames
Have a good one!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
GAME DAY SATURDAY!!!! 3/18 Results, 3/19 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
I feel like I've been waiting for this game forever. At least my Philadelphia Flyers visit the Dallas Stars on Saturday. I'm pumped, amped, and ready to get drunk. I wish I felt the same about the Philadelphia Flyers. They come into this game hobbling pretty badly. They barely beat the Florida Panthers within the week. They lost in a shootout to the Thrashers on Thursday. That was a game I felt they needed to win to shake off the blown overtime loss they suffered against Atlanta within a week. Instead, they lost in a shootout (even though they actually tied the game with less than a minute or two on the clock). There's even Chris Pronger being lost for two to three weeks. All of that said, I'm a little anxious to see if the Flyers plan on showing up. I'll make the best of it though. The Flyers don't always make it down to Dallas, so this is a huge game for me. As you might imagine, I'm purposefully being a homer and going with the Flyers to beat Dallas. In reality, this should be a very good game. I'd probably take Dallas with how they've been handling good teams lately. We'll see!
* Results *
Pretty interesting night. The Hurricanes barely beat the Islanders 3-2 in overtime. The Devils lose their second game in a row to the Capitals. The Canadiens receive a pretty big whipping courtesy of the Rangers. The Coyotes upset the hot Canucks. Not a bad a night for hockey. I finished even for the night at 2-2. Here are the results for Friday.
3/18/2011 - Friday
Islanders at Hurricanes : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 3-2 Hurricanes : Correct (OT/W) : 157-114
Capitals at Devils : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-0 Capitals : Correct : 158-114
Canadiens at Rangers : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 6-3 Rangers : Wrong : 158-115
Coyotes at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Coyotes : Wrong : 158-116
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Rangers : I underestimated the Rangers a bit. They are a capable enough team. I just thought the Canadiens would take care of business which they failed to do very badly. The Rangers handed down a nice beating of the Canadiens with a 6-3 victory. That team sure can score.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Coyotes at Canucks : I went with the Canucks only based on the fact that they are hotter as of lately and are the best team in the Western Conference. It makes it hard to respect that dominance when teams like Phoenix can easily play up to the same level as the Canucks when they choose. Difficult game. I lost.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
None. I don't think any pick deserved to be here. I actually had second thoughts on the Islanders and Hurricanes so they don't get to go here.
* Picks *
It's late and I don't have much to say. There are games tonight. The games I would watch tonight would be the Flyers at Stars and Wings at Preds. All the others are a little mediocre. Enjoy anyway. I know I will be as I'm watching the Flyers live in Dallas.
3/19/2011 - Saturday
Blue Jackets at Wild ==> Blue Jackets
Thrashers at Sabres ==> Thrashers
Lightning at Senators ==> Senators
Bruins at Maple Leafs ==> Bruins
Islanders at Panthers ==> Islanders
Flyers at Stars ==> Flyers
Red Wings at Predators ==> Red Wings
Avalanche at Oilers ==> Oilers
Ducks at Kings ==> Kings
Blues at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
I feel like I've been waiting for this game forever. At least my Philadelphia Flyers visit the Dallas Stars on Saturday. I'm pumped, amped, and ready to get drunk. I wish I felt the same about the Philadelphia Flyers. They come into this game hobbling pretty badly. They barely beat the Florida Panthers within the week. They lost in a shootout to the Thrashers on Thursday. That was a game I felt they needed to win to shake off the blown overtime loss they suffered against Atlanta within a week. Instead, they lost in a shootout (even though they actually tied the game with less than a minute or two on the clock). There's even Chris Pronger being lost for two to three weeks. All of that said, I'm a little anxious to see if the Flyers plan on showing up. I'll make the best of it though. The Flyers don't always make it down to Dallas, so this is a huge game for me. As you might imagine, I'm purposefully being a homer and going with the Flyers to beat Dallas. In reality, this should be a very good game. I'd probably take Dallas with how they've been handling good teams lately. We'll see!
* Results *
Pretty interesting night. The Hurricanes barely beat the Islanders 3-2 in overtime. The Devils lose their second game in a row to the Capitals. The Canadiens receive a pretty big whipping courtesy of the Rangers. The Coyotes upset the hot Canucks. Not a bad a night for hockey. I finished even for the night at 2-2. Here are the results for Friday.
3/18/2011 - Friday
Islanders at Hurricanes : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 3-2 Hurricanes : Correct (OT/W) : 157-114
Capitals at Devils : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-0 Capitals : Correct : 158-114
Canadiens at Rangers : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 6-3 Rangers : Wrong : 158-115
Coyotes at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-1 Coyotes : Wrong : 158-116
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Rangers : I underestimated the Rangers a bit. They are a capable enough team. I just thought the Canadiens would take care of business which they failed to do very badly. The Rangers handed down a nice beating of the Canadiens with a 6-3 victory. That team sure can score.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Coyotes at Canucks : I went with the Canucks only based on the fact that they are hotter as of lately and are the best team in the Western Conference. It makes it hard to respect that dominance when teams like Phoenix can easily play up to the same level as the Canucks when they choose. Difficult game. I lost.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
None. I don't think any pick deserved to be here. I actually had second thoughts on the Islanders and Hurricanes so they don't get to go here.
* Picks *
It's late and I don't have much to say. There are games tonight. The games I would watch tonight would be the Flyers at Stars and Wings at Preds. All the others are a little mediocre. Enjoy anyway. I know I will be as I'm watching the Flyers live in Dallas.
3/19/2011 - Saturday
Blue Jackets at Wild ==> Blue Jackets
Thrashers at Sabres ==> Thrashers
Lightning at Senators ==> Senators
Bruins at Maple Leafs ==> Bruins
Islanders at Panthers ==> Islanders
Flyers at Stars ==> Flyers
Red Wings at Predators ==> Red Wings
Avalanche at Oilers ==> Oilers
Ducks at Kings ==> Kings
Blues at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Paddy's Day : 3/17 Results, 3/18 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
Hope you had a pleasant and safe St. Patrick's Day. I had an eventful Wednesday so I took it easy today. Plus, I have my big game on Saturday. Need to save my liver and wallet for that!
* Results *
After having a few good nights, this night was sure to come. Come it did. I went 4-7 on a night where the weaker team dominated fairly well. The Flyers were lucky to even get a point out of their 4-3 shootout loss. The very hot Devils fell to a team that's been giving good teams a run for their money in the Senators. The Panthers stomped the Maple Leafs at home 4-0. The Predators slipped by the Bruins in overtime, 4-3. The Stars, though no necessarily weak, dominated the Blackhawks 5-0. The Blues slammed the Kings 4-0 in Los Angeles. Two games saw me losing in a shootout (Flyers and Lightning) and another saw me losing overtime (Bruins). I'm lucky I salvaged the four wins that I did. Oh well, could have been worse! Let's see how the results turned out.
3/17/2011 - Thursday
Flyers at Thrashers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 4-3 Thrashers : Wrong (SO/L) : 152-108
Red Wings at Blue Jackets : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 2-0 Red Wings : Correct : 153-108
Lightning at Canadiens : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 3-2 Canadiens : Wrong (SO/L) : 153-109
Devils at Senators : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-1 Senators : Wrong : 153-110
Maple Leafs at Panthers : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 4-0 Panthers : Wrong : 153-111
Bruins at Predators : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 4-3 Predators : Wrong (OT/L) : 153-112
Blackhawks at Stars : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 5-0 Stars : Wrong : 153-113
Avalanche at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 5-2 Flames : Correct : 154-113
Coyotes at Oilers : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 3-1 Coyotes : Correct : 155-113
Blues at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 4-0 Blues : Wrong : 155-114
Wild at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 3-2 Sharks : Correct : 156-114
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Stars : I have to pick one on a night where I lose seven games. The problem is that most of the games that I lost weren't really too stupid of picks. I'll give it to this game. I easily dismissed the Stars and overrated the Blackhawks as their opponents. The Stars bump up their intensity when they play good teams. They're playing good hockey to insure they make the playoffs. I wrote them off too quickly in this game.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Lightning at Canadiens : Both teams are in the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference and are capable teams in my eyes. That said, there are days where I believe they aren't quite strong enough to feel confident in picking. Where some teams are dominant (Capitals and Bruins), these guys are somewhat inconsistent. When they face one another, it's complete madness trying to figure out which team will win. It makes for an awesome game but awful for determining a winner!
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Flames : I think I called this one last night. I can't remember the last time the Avalanche won (February 22nd, ouch). I know I haven't picked them in a long time. They're actually on a ten game losing streak now that I check. I would have gone with any team over the Avalanche here.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Blackhawks at Stars : I think the Hawks are the better team on paper. Their talent players are far more dynamic than the players on Dallas. What went down tonight was an absolute beating. The Stars slaughtered the Blackhawks 5-0. I'd expect more out of Chicago, even if Dallas isn't a bad team.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Devils at Senators : The Maple Leafs at Panthers are in second place for this section. I have to give this one to New Jersey though. They are trying to make one of the most incredible races for the playoffs after being one of the worst teams in the NHL. They are scorching hot (23-4-2 in their last 29 games). When you're playing one of the league's worst teams, there really isn't much of an excuse. Ottawa has been giving so many good teams trouble, so that's somewhat viable. Above all else, this should have been an easy two points for a team that's desperate to win.
* Picks *
Only four games for Friday. I'll be looking to turn Thursday around on Friday. There are a couple of good games on tonight. I like the Capitals to beat the Devils which should be a really good game. Every point is vital to New Jersey, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them down the Caps. The other good game is the Coyotes and Canucks. I expect the Canucks to beat the Coyotes, but you really can't count out the Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov is an amazing goaltender. He alone has won a lot of games for the 'Yotes. Here are my picks for Friday.
3/18/2011 - Friday
Islanders at Hurricanes ==> Hurricanes
Capitals at Devils ==> Capitals
Canadiens at Rangers ==> Canadiens
Coyotes at Canucks ==> Canucks
Night!
Hope you had a pleasant and safe St. Patrick's Day. I had an eventful Wednesday so I took it easy today. Plus, I have my big game on Saturday. Need to save my liver and wallet for that!
* Results *
After having a few good nights, this night was sure to come. Come it did. I went 4-7 on a night where the weaker team dominated fairly well. The Flyers were lucky to even get a point out of their 4-3 shootout loss. The very hot Devils fell to a team that's been giving good teams a run for their money in the Senators. The Panthers stomped the Maple Leafs at home 4-0. The Predators slipped by the Bruins in overtime, 4-3. The Stars, though no necessarily weak, dominated the Blackhawks 5-0. The Blues slammed the Kings 4-0 in Los Angeles. Two games saw me losing in a shootout (Flyers and Lightning) and another saw me losing overtime (Bruins). I'm lucky I salvaged the four wins that I did. Oh well, could have been worse! Let's see how the results turned out.
3/17/2011 - Thursday
Flyers at Thrashers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 4-3 Thrashers : Wrong (SO/L) : 152-108
Red Wings at Blue Jackets : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 2-0 Red Wings : Correct : 153-108
Lightning at Canadiens : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 3-2 Canadiens : Wrong (SO/L) : 153-109
Devils at Senators : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-1 Senators : Wrong : 153-110
Maple Leafs at Panthers : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 4-0 Panthers : Wrong : 153-111
Bruins at Predators : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 4-3 Predators : Wrong (OT/L) : 153-112
Blackhawks at Stars : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 5-0 Stars : Wrong : 153-113
Avalanche at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 5-2 Flames : Correct : 154-113
Coyotes at Oilers : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 3-1 Coyotes : Correct : 155-113
Blues at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 4-0 Blues : Wrong : 155-114
Wild at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 3-2 Sharks : Correct : 156-114
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Stars : I have to pick one on a night where I lose seven games. The problem is that most of the games that I lost weren't really too stupid of picks. I'll give it to this game. I easily dismissed the Stars and overrated the Blackhawks as their opponents. The Stars bump up their intensity when they play good teams. They're playing good hockey to insure they make the playoffs. I wrote them off too quickly in this game.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Lightning at Canadiens : Both teams are in the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference and are capable teams in my eyes. That said, there are days where I believe they aren't quite strong enough to feel confident in picking. Where some teams are dominant (Capitals and Bruins), these guys are somewhat inconsistent. When they face one another, it's complete madness trying to figure out which team will win. It makes for an awesome game but awful for determining a winner!
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Flames : I think I called this one last night. I can't remember the last time the Avalanche won (February 22nd, ouch). I know I haven't picked them in a long time. They're actually on a ten game losing streak now that I check. I would have gone with any team over the Avalanche here.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Blackhawks at Stars : I think the Hawks are the better team on paper. Their talent players are far more dynamic than the players on Dallas. What went down tonight was an absolute beating. The Stars slaughtered the Blackhawks 5-0. I'd expect more out of Chicago, even if Dallas isn't a bad team.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Devils at Senators : The Maple Leafs at Panthers are in second place for this section. I have to give this one to New Jersey though. They are trying to make one of the most incredible races for the playoffs after being one of the worst teams in the NHL. They are scorching hot (23-4-2 in their last 29 games). When you're playing one of the league's worst teams, there really isn't much of an excuse. Ottawa has been giving so many good teams trouble, so that's somewhat viable. Above all else, this should have been an easy two points for a team that's desperate to win.
* Picks *
Only four games for Friday. I'll be looking to turn Thursday around on Friday. There are a couple of good games on tonight. I like the Capitals to beat the Devils which should be a really good game. Every point is vital to New Jersey, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them down the Caps. The other good game is the Coyotes and Canucks. I expect the Canucks to beat the Coyotes, but you really can't count out the Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov is an amazing goaltender. He alone has won a lot of games for the 'Yotes. Here are my picks for Friday.
3/18/2011 - Friday
Islanders at Hurricanes ==> Hurricanes
Capitals at Devils ==> Capitals
Canadiens at Rangers ==> Canadiens
Coyotes at Canucks ==> Canucks
Night!
Perfect Night! 3/16 Results, 3/17 Picks
* Results *
Late night so I'm going to be very brief. Had my fifth perfect night ever tonight. All four games were chosen correctly! 45 game margin between my wins and losses. Awesome night!
3/16/2011 - Wednesday
Maple Leafs at Hurricanes : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 3-1 Maple Leafs : Correct : 149-107
Capitals at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-2 Red Wings : Correct : 150-107
Avalanche at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 4-2 Canucks : Correct : 151-107
Blues at Ducks : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Correct : 152-107
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None. Perfect night for me. I feel like I haven't had to fill out this one in awhile.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Capitals at Red Wings : The Caps were really really hot. I had a feeling the Wings would be the team to take care of that. They did just that and backed my word up very well. 3-2 Wings.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Canucks : The Avalanche are awful right now and have been most of the year. The Canucks are in perfect form. This was one was marked for a Canucks victory with confidence.
* Picks *
Was in a rush tonight with my picks after celebrating the wife's birthday. Hoping for the best for them. After having three superb nights in a row, a bad one won't hurt my feelings. I'd type more, but I'm exhausted/hurting. Big chunk of games for Thursday. Enjoy. More to come tomorrow night (if St. Paddy's Day doesn't do me in)!
3/17/2011 - Thursday - HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Flyers at Thrashers ==> Flyers
Red Wings at Blue Jackets ==> Red Wings
Lightning at Canadiens ==> Lightning
Devils at Senators ==> Devils
Maple Leafs at Panthers ==> Maple Leafs
Bruins at Predators ==> Bruins
Blackhawks at Stars ==> Blackhawks
Avalanche at Flames ==> Flames
Coyotes at Oilers ==> Coyotes
Blues at Kings ==> Kings
Wild at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
Late night so I'm going to be very brief. Had my fifth perfect night ever tonight. All four games were chosen correctly! 45 game margin between my wins and losses. Awesome night!
3/16/2011 - Wednesday
Maple Leafs at Hurricanes : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 3-1 Maple Leafs : Correct : 149-107
Capitals at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-2 Red Wings : Correct : 150-107
Avalanche at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 4-2 Canucks : Correct : 151-107
Blues at Ducks : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Correct : 152-107
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
None. Perfect night for me. I feel like I haven't had to fill out this one in awhile.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Capitals at Red Wings : The Caps were really really hot. I had a feeling the Wings would be the team to take care of that. They did just that and backed my word up very well. 3-2 Wings.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Canucks : The Avalanche are awful right now and have been most of the year. The Canucks are in perfect form. This was one was marked for a Canucks victory with confidence.
* Picks *
Was in a rush tonight with my picks after celebrating the wife's birthday. Hoping for the best for them. After having three superb nights in a row, a bad one won't hurt my feelings. I'd type more, but I'm exhausted/hurting. Big chunk of games for Thursday. Enjoy. More to come tomorrow night (if St. Paddy's Day doesn't do me in)!
3/17/2011 - Thursday - HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Flyers at Thrashers ==> Flyers
Red Wings at Blue Jackets ==> Red Wings
Lightning at Canadiens ==> Lightning
Devils at Senators ==> Devils
Maple Leafs at Panthers ==> Maple Leafs
Bruins at Predators ==> Bruins
Blackhawks at Stars ==> Blackhawks
Avalanche at Flames ==> Flames
Coyotes at Oilers ==> Coyotes
Blues at Kings ==> Kings
Wild at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
An Amazing Night : 3/15 Results, 3/16 Picks
* Results *
I've had a few perfect nights. I don't think I've ever had one with more than five games in it. I was one game away from guessing ten games correctly. I finished up Tuesday 9-1. I'd say this was my best night thus far, even with one blemish. Every game played out as I'd expected it and I won't go into detail with each game like I normally do. The Phoenix game came back to bite me. I figured that the Coyotes would rely too much on Bryzgalov and would lose. Not the case tonight. Though the score was close, the Coyotes took this one away from the Flames. Big trouble for Calgary as they have less games in hand than the other teams in the Western Conference. Even worse was letting Phoenix receive two points. No regrets going with the Flames. What an awesome night. I'm even added a large margin between my wins and losses, now at 41 games. Incredible. I'm just amazed that I've created such a large gap between the two. Anyway, here are the results.
3/15/2011 - Tuesday
Capitals at Canadiens : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 4-2 Capitals : Correct : 140-106
Thrashers at Devils : Pick - Devils : Result -- 4-2 Devils : Correct : 141-106
Islanders at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 6-3 Rangers : Correct : 142-106
Bruins at Blue Jackets : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 3-2 Bruins : Correct (SO/W) : 143-106
Hurricanes at Sabres : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 1-0 Hurricanes : Correct : 144-106
Penguins at Senators : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 5-1 Penguins : Correct : 145-106
Flyers at Panthers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 3-2 Flyers : Correct : 146-106
Kings at Predators : Pick - Kings : Result -- 4-2 Kings : Correct : 147-106
Sharks at Stars : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-3 Sharks : Correct : 148-106
Coyotes at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 4-3 Coyotes : Wrong : 148-107
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Though I'd like to give this to the Coyotes at Flames, I just can't. It was a pretty justifiable pick and no other game fits the bill. Great night aside from one loss.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Coyotes at Flames : It seems a little too easy to put this game here since I didn't win it, but I still believe it was the toughest to determine of the night. There were way too many things to consider when it came to the two teams. I went with the wrong variable and paid. The Western Conference fight is so tough right now. Games like these are always hard to choose when so much is at stake. It's hard determining who is going to show up.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Flyers at Panthers : Though Philadelphia hasn't really been playing like the team that's holding down first in the Eastern Conference, I had to figure they would win this one. They had to. A day after learning Chris Pronger will be out for 2-3 weeks (I'm figuring he's gone for the rest of the regular season), the Philadelphia Flyers had to show they were going to step things up. 3-2 isn't completely convincing, but they did it. I had a feeling they would against a team that's just ready for the season to end. Easiest one for me on the night.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Islanders at Rangers : I really think the Rangers are a crazy team. They've been absolutely nailing teams every so often. They killed the Capitals in December 2010 with a 7-0 beating. They did it to the Flyers a week ago with the same score. The Islanders were on the end of a beating tonight as they went down 6-3. The Islanders made this one look closer than it was in the end. If the Rangers could do this consistently, they could be a very dangerous team come playoffs. I know it was the fairly bad Islanders (I actually respect the Isles for playing hard despite knowing they're out of the playoffs), but the Rangers creamed them by putting in three unanswered goals in the second period. Former Ranger Al Montoya was in a goal and was torn to pieces. The Islanders got completely owned.
Penguins at Senators : The Penguins weren't going to let the Senators spoil their fun. The Senators have been playing tough hockey against the league's better teams. Not tonight. The Penguins beat the snot out of the Senators 5-1 despite missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Very big owning here. I had to make it two games tonight for this section only because I had already plugged the Islanders/Rangers and saw that this game had a good beating in it too. Deserved to be mentioned.
* Picks *
Nothing like a short night of games after a big serving. Dessert if you may. The Maple Leafs and Hurricanes ought to be good. I really wasn't sure which way to go on that one. The Hurricanes don't impress me enough to be confident with them and I'm careful not to underrate the Maple Leafs. We'll see how that plays out. The Capitals and Red Wings should be a very good game. Definitely the game of the night to watch. The Canucks should have their way with the Avalanche. Capping the night is the Blues at the Ducks. Again, not sure how to go with that one. The Blues stomped the Ducks back in February 9-3. I'm going with the Ducks because they're built better (for now) and still in the playoff mix. Here are my picks for Wednesday.
3/16/2011 - Wednesday
Maple Leafs at Hurricanes ==> Maple Leafs
Capitals at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Avalanche at Canucks ==> Canucks
Blues at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
I've had a few perfect nights. I don't think I've ever had one with more than five games in it. I was one game away from guessing ten games correctly. I finished up Tuesday 9-1. I'd say this was my best night thus far, even with one blemish. Every game played out as I'd expected it and I won't go into detail with each game like I normally do. The Phoenix game came back to bite me. I figured that the Coyotes would rely too much on Bryzgalov and would lose. Not the case tonight. Though the score was close, the Coyotes took this one away from the Flames. Big trouble for Calgary as they have less games in hand than the other teams in the Western Conference. Even worse was letting Phoenix receive two points. No regrets going with the Flames. What an awesome night. I'm even added a large margin between my wins and losses, now at 41 games. Incredible. I'm just amazed that I've created such a large gap between the two. Anyway, here are the results.
3/15/2011 - Tuesday
Capitals at Canadiens : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 4-2 Capitals : Correct : 140-106
Thrashers at Devils : Pick - Devils : Result -- 4-2 Devils : Correct : 141-106
Islanders at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 6-3 Rangers : Correct : 142-106
Bruins at Blue Jackets : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 3-2 Bruins : Correct (SO/W) : 143-106
Hurricanes at Sabres : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 1-0 Hurricanes : Correct : 144-106
Penguins at Senators : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 5-1 Penguins : Correct : 145-106
Flyers at Panthers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 3-2 Flyers : Correct : 146-106
Kings at Predators : Pick - Kings : Result -- 4-2 Kings : Correct : 147-106
Sharks at Stars : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-3 Sharks : Correct : 148-106
Coyotes at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 4-3 Coyotes : Wrong : 148-107
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Though I'd like to give this to the Coyotes at Flames, I just can't. It was a pretty justifiable pick and no other game fits the bill. Great night aside from one loss.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Coyotes at Flames : It seems a little too easy to put this game here since I didn't win it, but I still believe it was the toughest to determine of the night. There were way too many things to consider when it came to the two teams. I went with the wrong variable and paid. The Western Conference fight is so tough right now. Games like these are always hard to choose when so much is at stake. It's hard determining who is going to show up.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Flyers at Panthers : Though Philadelphia hasn't really been playing like the team that's holding down first in the Eastern Conference, I had to figure they would win this one. They had to. A day after learning Chris Pronger will be out for 2-3 weeks (I'm figuring he's gone for the rest of the regular season), the Philadelphia Flyers had to show they were going to step things up. 3-2 isn't completely convincing, but they did it. I had a feeling they would against a team that's just ready for the season to end. Easiest one for me on the night.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Islanders at Rangers : I really think the Rangers are a crazy team. They've been absolutely nailing teams every so often. They killed the Capitals in December 2010 with a 7-0 beating. They did it to the Flyers a week ago with the same score. The Islanders were on the end of a beating tonight as they went down 6-3. The Islanders made this one look closer than it was in the end. If the Rangers could do this consistently, they could be a very dangerous team come playoffs. I know it was the fairly bad Islanders (I actually respect the Isles for playing hard despite knowing they're out of the playoffs), but the Rangers creamed them by putting in three unanswered goals in the second period. Former Ranger Al Montoya was in a goal and was torn to pieces. The Islanders got completely owned.
Penguins at Senators : The Penguins weren't going to let the Senators spoil their fun. The Senators have been playing tough hockey against the league's better teams. Not tonight. The Penguins beat the snot out of the Senators 5-1 despite missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Very big owning here. I had to make it two games tonight for this section only because I had already plugged the Islanders/Rangers and saw that this game had a good beating in it too. Deserved to be mentioned.
* Picks *
Nothing like a short night of games after a big serving. Dessert if you may. The Maple Leafs and Hurricanes ought to be good. I really wasn't sure which way to go on that one. The Hurricanes don't impress me enough to be confident with them and I'm careful not to underrate the Maple Leafs. We'll see how that plays out. The Capitals and Red Wings should be a very good game. Definitely the game of the night to watch. The Canucks should have their way with the Avalanche. Capping the night is the Blues at the Ducks. Again, not sure how to go with that one. The Blues stomped the Ducks back in February 9-3. I'm going with the Ducks because they're built better (for now) and still in the playoff mix. Here are my picks for Wednesday.
3/16/2011 - Wednesday
Maple Leafs at Hurricanes ==> Maple Leafs
Capitals at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Avalanche at Canucks ==> Canucks
Blues at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
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