* Pre-Skate *
Had a chance to watch my (yes, I own them) Philadelphia Flyers tonight. Very disappointing. They do have the flu bug that's making it's rounds on the players. A few guys missed the game tonight (Jeff Carter being the most important of the lot) which always makes it difficult to win a game without the right lines. Unfortunately, there really wasn't an excuse. The Leino-Briere-Hartnell line was intact. JVR-Richards-Versteeg line was also the same. The Flyers depth was there, though I surely can't attest that everyone was feeling okay.
The good thing to see in the game was Kris Versteeg scoring two goals against his former team. The Toronto Maple Leafs sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers for a first-round and a third-round draft pick. Generally most players are hungry to show the former team they made a mistake. Versteeg certainly made his case. It was nice to see because he hadn't been very evident in the games he's played in.
The bad things were many, starting with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (adorably named Bob or Bobs). Bob is a rookie and prone to make rookie mistakes. I think that's acceptable. Unfortunately, Bob seems to make great saves only to ruin them by letting up awful goals. That was the case tonight. He just looked lost in net. If he had played this way all year, the Flyers wouldn't be in first place in the Eastern Conference (something they could lose soon if the Flyers don't turn it around). Being a rookie, I think he's having some confidence issues. Just too much for a rookie goalie to handle. He makes horrible mistakes behind the net when trying to play the puck to his defenseman. Goalies don't always have to be the most masterful puck handlers, but Bobrovsky attempts to play the puck when he shouldn't. The mass confusion behind almost results in the opponent scoring an easy goal. The Flyers need to determine if he's the answer for the playoffs now. If not, Brian Boucher should be seeing more action.
Let's not place all the blame on Bob. The Flyers defense was suspect as well. They let the Maple Leafs cruise by them tonight. They pinched at awful times and took stupid penalties all night long. The offense wasn't bad but should have converted more. Much like the defense, they also took stupid penalties (kind of a running motif when it comes to the Flyers). I shouldn't be taking away anything from the Leafs either. They've been playing incredible hockey lately to place themselves in position to make the playoffs despite their GM trading away a guy like Tomas Kaberle. Kudos to them tonight.
I definitely think the Flyers are in a bad spot right now. If they don't get it together soon, the Penguins WILL take the Atlantic Division lead and/or the Boston Bruins will take the Eastern Conference lead. I can only hope they get the slump over now and try to ride hot the rest of the year. Terrible play.
* Results *
I was 6-5 tonight. Not bad, but not great. The Oilers continued their persistence in making me look like moron (not hard, I do it well myself). The Thrashers found a way to lose to the worst team in the NHL. Had a couple of games I couldn't blame myself on picking. Others, like the Lightning/Bruins and Wings/Sharks games, were great picks. I'm not feeling well written tonight so I'll cut the crap already (lol, sorry).
3/3/2011 - Thursday
Lightning at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 2-1 Bruins : Correct : 90-72
Sabres at Hurricanes : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 3-2 Hurricanes : Correct (OT/W) : 91-72
Wild at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 3-1 Wild : Wrong : 91-73
Maple Leafs at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 3-2 Maple Leafs : Wrong : 91-74
Blues at Capitals : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-2 Capitals : Correct : 92-74
Senators at Thrashers : Pick - Thrashers : Result -- 3-1 Senators : Wrong : 92-75
Canadiens at Panthers : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 4-0 Canadiens : Correct : 93-75
Blue Jackets at Oilers : Pick - Blue Jackets : Result -- 4-2 Oilers : Wrong : 93-76
Predators at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 3-0 Predators : Wrong : 93-77
Coyotes at Kings : Pick - Kings : Result -- 1-0 Kings : Correct : 94-77
Red Wings at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 3-1 Sharks : Correct : 95-77
=Dumbest Pick of the Night=
Blue Jackets at Oilers : I can't pick any of the other games. Any game where Edmonton is responsible for my demise is automatically the DPotN. I really think I should rename this one specifically for them. Seems like the right thing to do.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Red Wings at Sharks : Two teams that could be meeting in the Western Conference Finals. Hard game to pick. Both are very deep and capable. I was lucky enough to be right.
Lightning at Bruins : Same as above except for the Eastern Conference Finals. Both clubs are absolutely stacked and capable. My gut instinct was correct on both occasions. Phew.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Panthers : A few games could have gone here, but I feel this one was pretty easy. Canadiens can be pretty awesome when they're willing. I don't have much confidence in the Panthers. They were sellers at the deadlines and appear to be just getting ready to tee off in a couple of months.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Blue Jackets at Oilers : I must go with this game. If you're in playoff position and need every point to assure you make it, you should, could, and need to win against the worst team in your conference. The Jackets didn't do that in this one. Two huge points that could have paid off later.
=Most Impressive Pick of the Night=
Red Wings at Sharks : Have to go back with this game. I remember chewing this one over as it was the last one on my list. I wanted to go with the Wings but had a feeling the Sharks would come out swinging. I'm glad I stuck with what I thought and didn't jump on the usual Wings bandwagon.
* Picks *
Well, if I can win all five of the games for Friday, I'll get my 100th win of the season. I don't see it happening until Saturday. A lot of games that could go either way on tap for tonight. Here's how I'm seeing things.
3/4/2011 - Friday
Penguins at Devils ==> Devils
Rangers at Senators ==> Rangers
Hurricanes at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Blue Jackets at Flames ==> Flames
Stars at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
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