* Conference Quarterfinals Playoff Results & Thoughts *
I won't even pretend like I'm a genius, but if you'll see my previous post here, you'll see that I did very well with my predictions. I won't act like a genius because a lot of these picks were lucky in the end. Chicago nearly pulled off a huge upset of the Vancouver Canucks. Same with the Sabres against the Flyers. This section will give the series results, thoughts, and how it worked out for me. Thankfully the mass prediction I made concerning the entire playoffs is still alive and well. The only substitution was the Predators for the Ducks. I had the one through three seeds making the Western Conference Semifinals so whether the Ducks (4th) or Predators (5th) went on really didn't hurt my overall pick. So in my first annual NHL Playoffs, I'm officially 7-1. Almost had my first perfect round which is incredibly since the first round contains the most games of any round. Anyway, enough of all that. Here we go.
==== NHL Conference Quarterfinal Results ====
<== Eastern Conference ==>
=1. Washington Capitals versus 8. New York Rangers=
My Prediction : Capitals in 6 ==> Actual Result : Capitals in 5
The New York Rangers actually did better than the result indicates. They led a few games only to let the Capitals back in. Still, this appears to be a more solid Washington Capitals team than last year. New York did a pretty good job of staying in games, but they lack the depth that Washington has. I really felt New York was going to land more than one win, but the better team won this series.
=2. Philadelphia Flyers versus 7. Buffalo Sabres=
Prediction : Flyers in 6 ==> Actual Result : Flyers in 7
I was very lucky here. Very lucky. Buffalo gave the Flyers a very tough series and nearly did win this one in six. The Flyers finally found their groove (perhaps with the addition of the injured Chris Pronger) and pummelled Buffalo with shots and physical play. The Flyers became the first team in awhile to use three goaltenders in one playoff series (I believe they might also have been the first to win a playoff series in that fashion) rotating Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Michael Leighton. Had the goaltending been better in certain games of this series, the Flyers may have won this series in five or six. Buffalo played superb and Ryan Miller was a beast until game seven where Buffalo seemed tired and dominated. The good thing for the Flyers is they seem to be hitting a powerful stride at the right time. Whether or not that continues is another thing. For now, as a Philly Flyers fan, I'm happy we're advancing which is all that matters.
=3. Boston Bruins versus 6. Montreal Canadiens=
Prediction : Bruins in 6 ==> Actual Result : Bruins in 7
Wow, this series lived up to it's billing. Montreal could have easily ended up winning this one as game seven went to overtime. For the Canadiens, I imagine their team and fans are disappointed. There are always high expectations in Montreal. I will say this: Montreal made amazing strides this year. Carey Price looked more like the real deal. The Habs can only get better. For the Bruins, this is a series they should have won considering their talent. They now have an opportunity to exorcise the demons against the Flyers in the semifinals. I would easily say this series was one of the best of this round. Great rivalry and a terrific treat for hockey geeks. With the way the Habs dominated the Bruins all season long, I began regretting my pick. It was still a close enough series to consider my pick a failure. Fortunately for me, I picked correctly and that argument is strong enough for me.
=4. Pittsburgh Penguins versus 5. Tampa Bay Lightning=
Prediction : Lightning in 7 ==> Actual Results : Lightning in 7
Everyone gave me crap (people I spoke with and on Facebook) for making this pick. I won't gloat that I was absolutely correct. It was a close series that was almost won by the Penguins who let three straight games get away from them. My feeling was Tampa Bay would take advantage of the Penguins missing Crosby and Malkin. They most certainly did. I don't see the Lightning going much further as they're a little incomplete away from the offensive side of things. They can't count on the power play to bail them out every game. Anyway, this series was my best pick in terms of accuracy and therefore my Most Impressive Pick of the Round.
<== Western Conference ==>
=1. Vancouver Canucks versus 8. Chicago Blackhawks=
Prediction : Canucks in 6 ==> Actual Results : Canucks in 7
The Vancouver Canucks nearly let the Blackhawks repeat what the Philadelphia Flyers did to the Boston Bruins last year. Vancouver led the series 3-0 only to let Chicago win three straight to force a game seven. Incredible. Roberto Loungo looked like he lost his mojo until the final game. Chicago was absolutely in his head. I wonder how much of Chicago's turn around was due to Brent Seabrook taking a shot from Raffi Torres. After that hit, Chicago put on some heat. Vancouver nearly had one of the most epic collapses in NHL history. After being the NHL's best regular season team, there were high Stanley Cup expectations. I picked them to win it. I'll have to reconsider that considering how bad they let this one get away. They nearly let it get away in game seven by allowing the Blackhawks to score a tying goal while shorthanded with only minutes left in the game. I figured Chicago would give the Canucks a little bit of a game....but not as much of a game as they did.
=2. San Jose Sharks versus 7. Los Angeles Kings=
Prediction : Sharks in 5 ==> Actual Results : Sharks in 6
I was close with this pick. San Jose pretty much dominated the Kings even when they lost the two games that they did. The Sharks came from behind 4-0 one game to win in overtime 6-5. Pretty amazing. So long as their star players don't disappear as some have historically done, the Sharks could be very dangerous. The Kings played very well considering they were missing their best player in Anze Kopitar. As I expected, I think his absence hurt the Kings. Had he played, I think this series could have been won by Los Angeles. Kudos go to Jonathan Quick as well. He was astoundingly good for the Kings making huge quantities of saves. It played out as I expected, though I thought San Jose was going to close it out earlier.
=3. Detroit Red Wings versus 6. Phoenix Coyotes=
Prediction : Red Wings in 6 ==> Actual Results : Red Wings in 4
I really thought the Coyotes would put up a much bigger fight, but they didn't. Detroit absolutely killed them leaving the Phoenix franchise in doubt as to whether they'll be in Phoenix or a new city next year. A smarter prediction would have been five games, but I expected Iyla Bryzgalov to give the Coyotes some strong goaltending. He wasn't as good as he had been and the Coyotes were exposed as the weaker team easily. Plenty to be optimistic about in Phoenix nonetheless.
=4. Anaheim Ducks versus 5. Nashville Predators=
Prediction : Ducks in 6 ==> Actual Results : Predators in 6
The only series I was incorrect. Nashville was very effective in shutting down the Ducks in the games they won. Anaheim entered the playoffs with amazing steam but were unable to keep that mojo going. Pekka Rinne was a beast for Nashville. If I'm Anaheim, I consider this a collapse considering how well they looked against a team with little fire power. Nashville's deep defense and excellent goaltending sealed this one. Nashville has plenty to be excited about as this was the franchise's first playoff series victory. Enjoy it, Nashville, well deserved! I have to kick myself for this pick, but I really liked Anaheim to win it. I won't consider it for my Dumbest Pick of the Round, but I do regret my disrespect for Nashville's depth on defense and in net.
NHL Conference Quarterfinals Round
Capitals vs Rangers : Pick - Capitals : Result - Capitals : Correct : 1-0
Flyers vs Sabres : Pick - Flyers : Result - Flyers : Correct : 2-0
Bruins vs Canadiens : Pick - Bruins : Result - Bruins : Correct : 3-0
Penguins vs Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result - Lightning : Correct : 4-0
Canucks vs Blackhawks : Pick - Canucks : Result - Canucks : Correct : 5-0
Sharks vs Kings : Pick - Sharks : Result - Sharks : Correct : 6-0
Red Wings vs Coyotes : Pick - Red Wings : Result - Red Wings : Correct 7-0
Ducks vs Predators : Pick - Ducks : Result - Predators : Wrong : 7-1
-Results Format-
Series : Pick : Result : Pick Result : My Playoff Record
=Dumbest Pick of the Round=
None. Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators was close, but I can't say I blame me for picking the Ducks. The Bruins vs Canadiens and Penguins vs Lightning were also close, but I lucked out this round.
=Hardest Pick of the Round=
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens : Would regular season history be the determining factor or would the division champion Boston Bruins take this one easily from the Canadiens? Real tough to determine. I went with my gut that said a team like Boston which is more physical and bigger would beat the Canadiens in the playoff style version of hockey. I was very close to being wrong.
=Easiest Pick of the Round=
Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes : Nothing about Phoenix made me even consider picking them. Nothing wrong with them, but Detroit is just that good. They've been there before and were even able to rest Henrik Zetterberg for an entire series. That says a lot about how good this team is. Phoenix just isn't ready to hang with the big boys yet. They're getting close though.
=Most Impressive Pick of the Round=
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning : I have to pat myself on the back for this one. Picking the Lightning over a team had better defense and goaltending is a bit gutsy on my part. I also liked how I saw this one as a seven game series. It's probably the only time I'll pat myself on the back in these playoffs. Too close and too many good games.
=Got Owned Series of the Round=
Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes : The Coyotes were the only team to be swept in this round. Sorry, guys, you got owned. Detroit ended this one very quickly.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Series of the Round=
Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks : I feel like I have to put this one on both teams. Vancouver almost let a 3-0 series lead go right down the drain. They should have swept the Blackhawks at that point. Lots of rest and Loungo would have never had his confidence shattered. The Blackhawks don't deserve to be picked on, but I have to add them in since they were only one goal short of stealing the series away from the consensus pick to win the Stanley Cup this year. Almost.
* Mass Playoff Prediction Update *
As I mentioned earlier, my overall pick that wasn't official is still pretty parallel with the actual matches set for the NHL Conference Semifinals. The only team that is incorrect to my mass picks is the Ducks missing and the Predators included. Regardless, I still had the Ducks losing to the Canucks. I see the same happening to the Predators. So far so good. I'm impressed it has stayed in such good shape. We'll see. The next round gets a little tougher.
* NHL Conference Semifinals Predictions/Picks *
<== Eastern Conference ==>
=1. Washington Capitals versus 5. Tampa Bay Lightning=
Should be a good series between divisional foes, but I just don't see Tampa Bay pulling this one out. The Washington Capitals are a more complete team. I don't like Washington's goaltending, but Tampa Bay's situation isn't much prettier. Though the Lightning are pretty stacked with offense, they just don't have enough to compete with a much deeper Washington Capitals team.
My Prediction : Capitals in 6.
=2. Philadelphia Flyers versus 3. Boston Bruins=
A rematch of last a series from last year's NHL Conference Semifinals where the Philadelphia Flyers made history by surviving a 3-0 series deficit to beat the Bruins 4-3. This year I see things going different. If Philadelphia truly has beat the goaltending issues and the team has hit a stride, I could see the Flyers taking this easily. However, if Tim Thomas is on and the the Flyers go back to being inconsistent, the Bruins could easily beat the Flyers. I'm basically saying I have no clue. I'm banking on my Flyers this series.
My Prediction : Flyers in 6.
<== Western Conference ==>
=1. Vancouver Canucks versus 5. Nashville Predators=
The Canucks are just happy to be here while the Predators could easily say the same. Unlike the Ducks that the Predators just faced, this Vancouver team has a much more complete team. The Canucks should easily beat the Predators, but after watching the epic collapse, I'm a little leary on this one. Pekka Rinne has shown he can easily dominate a game and steal it. Roberto Loungo better make sure his head is in the game as Nashville is a very opportunistic team. Better offense and team with Vancouver so I'll be going with them. I wish the Predators well though.
My Prediction : Canucks in 6.
=2. San Jose Sharks versus 3. Detroit Red Wings=
Man, this is going to be the hardest one to choose between. I like Detroit but I'm afraid of their goaltending against a team like San Jose. The Sharks are just so deep. They have nine forwards that could easily take care of the scoring. On the other hand, how can I discount Detroit. They're usually very on top of their game. This will probably be one of the best series of this round. Again, I have no clue and I'm only going on feeling here.
My Prediction : Sharks in 7.
So...........
Capitals vs Lightning ==> Capitals
Flyers vs Bruins ==> Flyers
Canucks vs Predators ==> Canucks
Sharks vs Red Wings ==> Sharks
That's all I have for now. Enjoy the next round and hope your team is still in the running. I'll update if anything big occurs or just to follow along with my picks.
Night!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
NHL Conference Quarterfinals Playoff Update and Playoff Hits : 4/22/2011
* My Results Update *
Here we are a week into the playoffs and we've only seen one sweep. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes easily four games to none. What's impressive is Detroit this all without the services of Henrik Zetterberg. This bodes well for them as he'll be rested thus far and even further as the Wings wait for an opponent. I did receive my first series win as I chose Detroit. I did figure Phoenix would have won a game or two (I picked Detroit in six), but I'll take the wins however they come.
If you're wondering if I have any pick regrets based on what I've seen, I'll share the two that are coming to mind. The first is obviously the Montreal Canadiens. I figured Montreal would play good against Boston, but I didn't think they would be as tough as they have been. They did lost in overtime tonight so the series is tied, but I was definitely left wondering if the Canadiens were going to make me look absolutely stupid. The other tough pick was the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. My figuring the Lightning would run away with the series on offense alone was foolish. Pittsburgh is only one game away from closing the Lightning out. I think we may have my first Worst Pick of the Round candidate right there.
Otherwise, we have some very good matches right now. New York is proving to be tough foe for Washington, but Washington is only one game away from sending New York out. The series is at 3-1 but it's been closer than it looks. As you'll read later, I'm unsure what to think of my Philadelphia Flyers. They've been off and on in their series against Buffalo. The series is currently tied 2-2. The Vancouver Canucks blew the Chicago Blackhawks away the first three games of the series. Not the case anymore. Chicago has stormed back winning two straight games scoring 12 goals over six periods. Incredible considering Roberto Loungo is in net. Can Chicago do what Philadelphia did last year? As the NHL commercials have been touting, maybe history will be made.
The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings series has been interesting but it appears San Jose will take it. As I write this, the Sharks are leading 6-3 in the third period of game four. The win will put them 3-1 in the series. The Kings have been decent, but just haven't been able to keep the deep Sharks team from taking them over. Finally, the Ducks and Predators have made for a very interesting series. The way the two teams have been trading off is intriguing. I could see this series going seven games. Looks like Anaheim has cooled off a bit. More importantly, it appears my thoughts on Nashville were a bit off.
Unless something huge happens, you probably won't hear from me until this round is over or almost over (a matter of four or five days. At that point we'll see if my overall predictions are close, get my official round by round predictions, and see how my stats are coming along. Hope you've been enjoying the playoff hockey as much as I have.
* The Hits of the NHL Playoffs *
If there has been one running motif of the playoffs thus far, it has been the hits that have been dished out. The buzz has been out there for the last week on them. Check out the videos below. It began with a Jarret Stoll hit on Ian White. I was watching the game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings when that hit occurred. It wasn't penalized in the game, but I knew it would be reviewed and punished. Stoll hit White who was facing the boards with his head down. White went into the boards head first and seemed woozy afterwards. Overall, it was pretty ugly looking. The part I found funny is where you see Stoll look around White and see that he knocked him out. He then backs off and skates away. The NHL did the right thing by giving Stoll a suspension (one game). It worked out as White only missed one game. Injury shouldn't dictate the punishment as the act alone should make the punishment. The playoffs are a different beast though. Losing one player is enough where chemistry could be lost. The fact that both teams lost one player each for one game seems fair.
The next hit wasn't much of a hit, it was a skate stomp. No one was injured on this, but the intent of the stomp is all it takes to get notice. I think the most surprising element of this was that the stomp was made by Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks. You wouldn't really figure that a skilled player like Ryan would be so undisciplined. Jonathan Blum of the Nashville Predators was on the receiving end of the stomp. He clearly noticed it as he gave Ryan a few good chops as Ryan skated away. The play also went unpenalized but the NHL handed out a two game suspension to Bobby Ryan. Nothing to argue here. It was a stupid play and the suspension, though lengthy considering it's the playoffs, was just.
The next hit finally stirred up the pot and made the issues noticeable. Raffi Torres, freshly returned from a suspension for a hit of the same type, nailed Brent Seabrook on a blindside play behind the net of the Blackhawks. This play was actually penalized but went unsuspended. I think this one was handled correctly. The hit, according to the rules, was clean. Sure, it was rough and a bit ugly, but I thought it was clean. Unfortunately, this is a case where the player who received the hit could be out for awhile. It's worse that it's one of the Blackhawks top defenseman. Chicago didn't let it faze them as they won the next game and, as I'm writing this, are up 4-0 in the fifth game. Good call by the NHL on this one.
The latest and final two hits came from the same game. It started with Steve Downie (known for the hits he delivers) leaving his feet (a huge no-no) to nail the Pittsburgh Penguins Ben Lovejoy behind the net. It appears in the video that Downie hits Lovejoy in the head, but Lovejoy said it was in the chest. This one looked very ugly and actually, it almost looked like a hit Downie delivered against Dean McAmmond in 2007. Downie was suspended 20 games for that hit. Downie only landed one game for this hit and was going to be penalized except that Lovejoy took the hit to keep the puck moving. By doing so, the Penguins actually advanced the puck and scored, cancelling the penalty. I'm actually surprised the NHL didn't hand out two games since Downie is a repeat offender. I was expecting two games, but I'm glad they didn't make as big of a deal on this one as the NHL could have.
The final hit, as mentioned earlier, was also in the same Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning game. Chris Kunitz of the Penguins sticks out an elbow into the head of Simon Gagne. Gagne has had concussion issues and this hit could have taken him out of the series had it struck completely. I think Kunitz was a little too blatant in reaching out for Gagne. The play received a two minute penalty and a one game suspension as well. I was really surprised the NHL didn't go the two game route here. I just didn't ever get the feel that Kunitz was trying to make a legit clean hit. His elbow was clearly out. Not trying to bash on the Penguins, but this looked (and I say looked because it may not have been as bad as it looked) pretty ugly. The Penguins were very lucky that Kunitz only received one game.
It's crazy that all these hits and suspensions have been handed out and we're only about halfway through the first round of the playoffs. In a year where the focus has been on keeping cheap hits out of the game, it's almost ironic that the occurrence of them has increased. So long as they keep the suspensions at a reasonable level and look at each hit clearly, I would think the product on the ice won't be damaged. I like the old school way of thinking, but in some of these cases, it's hard defending the play. Hopefully the solid grind of the playoffs filled with clean hits continues to dominate what we see rather than any of these hits.
* Philadelphia Flyers Thoughts *
Had to have my own spot for this. Thus far their series with the Buffalo Sabres is tied at two games for each team. In both losses the Flyers have been shutout 1-0. When I put my thoughts out here, keep in mind that I only saw both of these losses, so my thoughts might be a bit skewered or off. In the first game, I felt we were beat by ourselves and Ryan Miller. We missed some grand opportunities, were terrible on the power play, and made Ryan Miller look better than he needed to be. For a team with tons of scoring, we showed nothing. The next two games we won pretty convincingly. Tons of traffic in front and plenty of power play time helped that. I also think that making the change from Sergei Bobrovsky to the veteran Brian Boucher in net helped. Bob is going to be awesome in the NHL eventually, but I think he was tossed to the wolves by being expected to lead the Flyers in net.
In the fourth game, I finally realized the refs are complete jokes. I thought it was kind of odd and crappy that Buffalo was spending some of the previous games in the box a lot. The fourth game must have been an apology to the Sabres from the refs. I'm not saying the Flyers were innocent, they weren't, but the Sabres were playing like they could get away with murder. Patrick Kaleta's opening of the Sabres bench door to cause Nik Zherdev to fall on his ass was absolutely disrespectful. No call there. Briere was knocked on his ass by Tyler Myers way after the whistle and still no call. Daniel Carcillo, a whipping boy of NHL referees, was absolutely molested in front of the net by a Sabres defenseman and goaltender Ryan Miller and CARCILLO gets the penalty. The worst of all was when Patrick Kaleta went to hit Mike Richards (standing away from the play) and ended up receiving an elbow to the chops from Richards. Rather than call them both or just give Richards a two minute minor, the refs gave the Buffalo Sabres a five minute power play. I don't see how you hand out a power play like that in the playoffs unless a guy is missing a limb or is knocked unconscious. The Flyers managed to kill it off (though it was probably because Buffalo used the five minutes to take time off the clock), but it was one of the most questionable calls I've ever seen (see below). Like I said, the Flyers weren't innocent, I just think there were many opportunities to call both players on each team for a penalty. This series is so boring because it's like the refs won't let either team play. Regardless, Philly also lost this game because they took too long to get involved. They failed to get decent shots on net and couldn't put the puck in wide open nets. Buffalo converted on one of the few chances they had and won because of it.
Here we are a week into the playoffs and we've only seen one sweep. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes easily four games to none. What's impressive is Detroit this all without the services of Henrik Zetterberg. This bodes well for them as he'll be rested thus far and even further as the Wings wait for an opponent. I did receive my first series win as I chose Detroit. I did figure Phoenix would have won a game or two (I picked Detroit in six), but I'll take the wins however they come.
If you're wondering if I have any pick regrets based on what I've seen, I'll share the two that are coming to mind. The first is obviously the Montreal Canadiens. I figured Montreal would play good against Boston, but I didn't think they would be as tough as they have been. They did lost in overtime tonight so the series is tied, but I was definitely left wondering if the Canadiens were going to make me look absolutely stupid. The other tough pick was the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. My figuring the Lightning would run away with the series on offense alone was foolish. Pittsburgh is only one game away from closing the Lightning out. I think we may have my first Worst Pick of the Round candidate right there.
Otherwise, we have some very good matches right now. New York is proving to be tough foe for Washington, but Washington is only one game away from sending New York out. The series is at 3-1 but it's been closer than it looks. As you'll read later, I'm unsure what to think of my Philadelphia Flyers. They've been off and on in their series against Buffalo. The series is currently tied 2-2. The Vancouver Canucks blew the Chicago Blackhawks away the first three games of the series. Not the case anymore. Chicago has stormed back winning two straight games scoring 12 goals over six periods. Incredible considering Roberto Loungo is in net. Can Chicago do what Philadelphia did last year? As the NHL commercials have been touting, maybe history will be made.
The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings series has been interesting but it appears San Jose will take it. As I write this, the Sharks are leading 6-3 in the third period of game four. The win will put them 3-1 in the series. The Kings have been decent, but just haven't been able to keep the deep Sharks team from taking them over. Finally, the Ducks and Predators have made for a very interesting series. The way the two teams have been trading off is intriguing. I could see this series going seven games. Looks like Anaheim has cooled off a bit. More importantly, it appears my thoughts on Nashville were a bit off.
Unless something huge happens, you probably won't hear from me until this round is over or almost over (a matter of four or five days. At that point we'll see if my overall predictions are close, get my official round by round predictions, and see how my stats are coming along. Hope you've been enjoying the playoff hockey as much as I have.
* The Hits of the NHL Playoffs *
If there has been one running motif of the playoffs thus far, it has been the hits that have been dished out. The buzz has been out there for the last week on them. Check out the videos below. It began with a Jarret Stoll hit on Ian White. I was watching the game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings when that hit occurred. It wasn't penalized in the game, but I knew it would be reviewed and punished. Stoll hit White who was facing the boards with his head down. White went into the boards head first and seemed woozy afterwards. Overall, it was pretty ugly looking. The part I found funny is where you see Stoll look around White and see that he knocked him out. He then backs off and skates away. The NHL did the right thing by giving Stoll a suspension (one game). It worked out as White only missed one game. Injury shouldn't dictate the punishment as the act alone should make the punishment. The playoffs are a different beast though. Losing one player is enough where chemistry could be lost. The fact that both teams lost one player each for one game seems fair.
The next hit wasn't much of a hit, it was a skate stomp. No one was injured on this, but the intent of the stomp is all it takes to get notice. I think the most surprising element of this was that the stomp was made by Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks. You wouldn't really figure that a skilled player like Ryan would be so undisciplined. Jonathan Blum of the Nashville Predators was on the receiving end of the stomp. He clearly noticed it as he gave Ryan a few good chops as Ryan skated away. The play also went unpenalized but the NHL handed out a two game suspension to Bobby Ryan. Nothing to argue here. It was a stupid play and the suspension, though lengthy considering it's the playoffs, was just.
The next hit finally stirred up the pot and made the issues noticeable. Raffi Torres, freshly returned from a suspension for a hit of the same type, nailed Brent Seabrook on a blindside play behind the net of the Blackhawks. This play was actually penalized but went unsuspended. I think this one was handled correctly. The hit, according to the rules, was clean. Sure, it was rough and a bit ugly, but I thought it was clean. Unfortunately, this is a case where the player who received the hit could be out for awhile. It's worse that it's one of the Blackhawks top defenseman. Chicago didn't let it faze them as they won the next game and, as I'm writing this, are up 4-0 in the fifth game. Good call by the NHL on this one.
The latest and final two hits came from the same game. It started with Steve Downie (known for the hits he delivers) leaving his feet (a huge no-no) to nail the Pittsburgh Penguins Ben Lovejoy behind the net. It appears in the video that Downie hits Lovejoy in the head, but Lovejoy said it was in the chest. This one looked very ugly and actually, it almost looked like a hit Downie delivered against Dean McAmmond in 2007. Downie was suspended 20 games for that hit. Downie only landed one game for this hit and was going to be penalized except that Lovejoy took the hit to keep the puck moving. By doing so, the Penguins actually advanced the puck and scored, cancelling the penalty. I'm actually surprised the NHL didn't hand out two games since Downie is a repeat offender. I was expecting two games, but I'm glad they didn't make as big of a deal on this one as the NHL could have.
The final hit, as mentioned earlier, was also in the same Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning game. Chris Kunitz of the Penguins sticks out an elbow into the head of Simon Gagne. Gagne has had concussion issues and this hit could have taken him out of the series had it struck completely. I think Kunitz was a little too blatant in reaching out for Gagne. The play received a two minute penalty and a one game suspension as well. I was really surprised the NHL didn't go the two game route here. I just didn't ever get the feel that Kunitz was trying to make a legit clean hit. His elbow was clearly out. Not trying to bash on the Penguins, but this looked (and I say looked because it may not have been as bad as it looked) pretty ugly. The Penguins were very lucky that Kunitz only received one game.
It's crazy that all these hits and suspensions have been handed out and we're only about halfway through the first round of the playoffs. In a year where the focus has been on keeping cheap hits out of the game, it's almost ironic that the occurrence of them has increased. So long as they keep the suspensions at a reasonable level and look at each hit clearly, I would think the product on the ice won't be damaged. I like the old school way of thinking, but in some of these cases, it's hard defending the play. Hopefully the solid grind of the playoffs filled with clean hits continues to dominate what we see rather than any of these hits.
* Philadelphia Flyers Thoughts *
Had to have my own spot for this. Thus far their series with the Buffalo Sabres is tied at two games for each team. In both losses the Flyers have been shutout 1-0. When I put my thoughts out here, keep in mind that I only saw both of these losses, so my thoughts might be a bit skewered or off. In the first game, I felt we were beat by ourselves and Ryan Miller. We missed some grand opportunities, were terrible on the power play, and made Ryan Miller look better than he needed to be. For a team with tons of scoring, we showed nothing. The next two games we won pretty convincingly. Tons of traffic in front and plenty of power play time helped that. I also think that making the change from Sergei Bobrovsky to the veteran Brian Boucher in net helped. Bob is going to be awesome in the NHL eventually, but I think he was tossed to the wolves by being expected to lead the Flyers in net.
In the fourth game, I finally realized the refs are complete jokes. I thought it was kind of odd and crappy that Buffalo was spending some of the previous games in the box a lot. The fourth game must have been an apology to the Sabres from the refs. I'm not saying the Flyers were innocent, they weren't, but the Sabres were playing like they could get away with murder. Patrick Kaleta's opening of the Sabres bench door to cause Nik Zherdev to fall on his ass was absolutely disrespectful. No call there. Briere was knocked on his ass by Tyler Myers way after the whistle and still no call. Daniel Carcillo, a whipping boy of NHL referees, was absolutely molested in front of the net by a Sabres defenseman and goaltender Ryan Miller and CARCILLO gets the penalty. The worst of all was when Patrick Kaleta went to hit Mike Richards (standing away from the play) and ended up receiving an elbow to the chops from Richards. Rather than call them both or just give Richards a two minute minor, the refs gave the Buffalo Sabres a five minute power play. I don't see how you hand out a power play like that in the playoffs unless a guy is missing a limb or is knocked unconscious. The Flyers managed to kill it off (though it was probably because Buffalo used the five minutes to take time off the clock), but it was one of the most questionable calls I've ever seen (see below). Like I said, the Flyers weren't innocent, I just think there were many opportunities to call both players on each team for a penalty. This series is so boring because it's like the refs won't let either team play. Regardless, Philly also lost this game because they took too long to get involved. They failed to get decent shots on net and couldn't put the puck in wide open nets. Buffalo converted on one of the few chances they had and won because of it.
I'm really not sure what to think of Philly right now. When they play well, they're easily capable of beating Buffalo. When they're not, Ryan Miller can beat Philadelphia on his own. I really think Chris Pronger would be a difference maker if he were able to play. I've heard he might play in game five on Friday, but it's still up in the air (as usual). Part of me thinks we shouldn't expect to see Chris Pronger unless the Flyers make the second round. Another part of me thinks we NEED to see Chris Pronger in this round so we can even make the second. We'll see. I truly hope the officiating gets better in the next game. I don't want the Sabres to be sent to the box for everything, hell the Flyers can't even convert on the power play anyway. I just want the refs to let these teams play. I'm tired of watching regular season hockey. Let these guys play. Three penalties for each team all game long or something. I'm still hoping my Flyers can pull it out in six still.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Playoff Edition : NHL Conference Quarterfinals Picks
* Playoff Preview *
Welcome to the playoff edition of my blog. I'll start by giving you each series and adding any comments as well as my pick. For the schedule of these games (which start Wednesday), go here: 2011 NHL Playoff Schedule With that out of the way, let's begin.
==== NHL Conference Quarterfinals ====
<== Eastern Conference ==>
=1. Washington Capitals versus 8. New York Rangers=
This could be a very good series. You would think it would be a walk in the park for the Capitals, but they'll be facing a team that shut them out 7-0 and 6-0 this season. I look through the depth of both teams and the only place where I feel the Rangers are better is in net. It's true that goaltending alone can win games, but I don't see it winning the series.
Prediction : Capitals in 6.
=2. Philadelphia Flyers versus 7. Buffalo Sabres=
This series depends on whether or not the Philadelphia Flyers have truly gotten their game back. They've been Stella without her groove for the last couple of months. Horrendous. Fortunately, they will get Chris Pronger back from injury to solidify their defense corps. Buffalo isn't the most skilled club but they make the best with what they have. Much like the New York Rangers, they're only more solid than Philly in net. So long as Philadelphia flips into playoff mode, I see no reason they would lose unless Ryan Miller (Buffalo's goaltender) is absolutely insane.
Prediction : Flyers in 6.
=3. Boston Bruins versus 6. Montreal Canadiens=
Divisional foes with plenty of bad history just within the last couple of months. The Canadiens actually have the better record in the regular season series between the two teams. I'm going to go ahead and say that this is probably the most interesting series in the Eastern Conference as I expect an all out battle between both teams. I wanted to go with the Canadiens but I just can't see them beating the duo of Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara. I am fully prepared to eat my words though. Montreal was impressive last year in the playoffs beating both Washington and Pittsburgh who were far and away favorites over the Canadiens. I'm going with the Bruins here, but won't be surprised if Montreal can beat the higher seeded team.
Prediction : Bruins in 6.
=4. Pittsburgh Penguins versus 5. Tampa Bay Lightning=
I know I'm already going to get crap for this one since I'm a Philadelphia Flyers fan, but let me explain. If the Penguins had Crosby and/or Malkin playing, I would be picking the Penguins without a doubt. Unfortunately for the Penguins, Malkin is definitely out and Crosby is unlikely. I like Tampa Bay's depth at forward over the depleted Penguins. This is another series I wouldn't be surprised that I lost though. Pittsburgh has the better goaltender and defense corps. Their forwards aren't bad considering too. I just get the feeling Tampa Bay wins this one.
Prediction : Lightning in 7.
<== Western Conference ==>
=1. Vancouver Canucks versus 8. Chicago Blackhawks=
This should be a good series as the Blackhawks aren't your typical eighth seed team. Who would expect the defending Stanley Cup Champions to be in eighth? Unfortunately for Chicago, I can't see them beating a team that is built solid from head to toe. Canucks goaltender Roberto Loungo is better than Chicago's tandem goalies. The Blackhawks also lost a lot of their depth after last season's run. Vancouver has a lot of depth featuring some very good players even with injuries to Manny Maholtra and Dan Hamhius. Vancouver is my favorite to win the Stanley Cup and the first victim is Chicago where the former champs go home this year.
Prediction : Canucks in 6.
=2. San Jose Sharks versus 7. Los Angeles Kings=
We have another battle between divisional foes, but this one comes from the Pacific Divsion. The Sharks remind me of the aforementioned Canucks just without all the great chemistry. The goaltender who foiled their run last year in the Western Conference Finals is now backstopping them. That goalie, Antii Niemi, gained a lot of experience during the Chicago Blackhawks run to the Cup which has to be useful. Los Angeles has been making great strides and should be a force for awhile in the Western Conference. They do have some very talented forwards and defenseman. However, with no Anze Kopitar, I just can't see them beating a team that features the depth that the Sharks carry. If the Sharks play to their potential and Joe Thorton doesn't disappear as he tends to during the playoffs, the Sharks should win this series fairly easily.
Prediction : Sharks in 5.
=3. Detroit Red Wings versus 6. Phoenix Coyotes=
Detroit is a team that plays very well together and is still very dangerous as a third seed. They do have some great talent on the team, but it really doesn't matter because the chemistry of the team is even better. The only weakness I see with the Wings is their goaltending. It could be their Achilles heel, but I don't think the Coyotes will be the team to expose it. Phoenix was able to land a playoff spot and is generally a pretty good team. I attribute a lot of their success to goaltender Iyla Bryzgalov. That's the only part of this team that I think is better than the Red Wings. Bryzgalov steals a couple of games, but the Wings take this one.
Prediction : Red Wings in 6.
=4. Anaheim Ducks versus 5. Nashville Predators=
Anaheim enters the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They've been playing incredible so far. Nashville's only shot against Anaheim will be behind it's defensive minded brand of hockey. The Predators have many talented defenseman and a quality goaltender in Pekka Rinne. Where Anaheim absolutely dominates the Predators is in scoring. Nashville just doesn't have much of it. The Predators certainly could win this series, but I just don't see it. They lack a convincing forward to do a bulk of their scoring. I see the Predators winning a couple of games, but the Ducks move forward with ease.
Prediction : Ducks in 6.
So.....
Capitals vs Rangers ==> Capitals
Flyers vs Sabres ==> Flyers
Bruins vs Canadiens ==> Bruins
Penguins vs Lightning ==> Lightning
Canucks vs Blackhawks ==> Canucks
Sharks vs Kings ==> Sharks
Red Wings vs Coyotes ==> Red Wings
Ducks vs Predators ==> Ducks
Best of luck to whatever team you're going with this playoff season. Wednesday can't come soon enough!
* Mass Playoff Prediction *
This here is my best guess for the entire playoffs. From quarterfinals all the way through finals. As I mentioned in my previous post, this is just for fun. My official picks will be made as each round progresses. As an additional note, I will be handing out my usual nightly awards after each round. For example, rather than having a Dumbest Pick of the Night, I'll just do a Dumbest Pick of the Round. Pretty simple I hope. Anyway, here is my best guess at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Round 1 : Conference Quarterfinals (highest seed listed first)
-Eastern Conference-
Capitals vs Rangers => Capitals
Flyers vs Sabres => Flyers
Bruins vs Canadiens => Canadiens
Penguins vs Lightning => Lightning
-Western Conference-
Canucks vs Blackhawks => Canucks
Sharks vs Kings => Sharks
Red Wings vs Coyotes => Red Wings
Ducks vs Predators => Ducks
Round 2 - Conference Semifinals
-Eastern Conference-
Capitals vs Lightning => Capitals
Flyers vs Bruins => Flyers
-Western Conference-
Canucks vs Ducks => Canucks
Sharks vs Red Wings => Sharks
Round 3 - Conference Finals
-Eastern Conference-
Capitals vs Flyers => Flyers
-Western Conference-
Canucks vs Sharks => Canucks
Round 4 - Stanley Cup Finals
Canucks vs Flyers => Canucks
So, there you have it. I'm going with the Vancouver Canucks over the Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup. That's an amazing club they have in Vancouver. They were pretty unstoppable all season and I don't see how anyone will come in their way. I don't have too much else for the moment. I'll be updating in a couple of days with results of games and hopefully to talk about a Flyers victory.
Night!
Welcome to the playoff edition of my blog. I'll start by giving you each series and adding any comments as well as my pick. For the schedule of these games (which start Wednesday), go here: 2011 NHL Playoff Schedule With that out of the way, let's begin.
==== NHL Conference Quarterfinals ====
<== Eastern Conference ==>
=1. Washington Capitals versus 8. New York Rangers=
This could be a very good series. You would think it would be a walk in the park for the Capitals, but they'll be facing a team that shut them out 7-0 and 6-0 this season. I look through the depth of both teams and the only place where I feel the Rangers are better is in net. It's true that goaltending alone can win games, but I don't see it winning the series.
Prediction : Capitals in 6.
=2. Philadelphia Flyers versus 7. Buffalo Sabres=
This series depends on whether or not the Philadelphia Flyers have truly gotten their game back. They've been Stella without her groove for the last couple of months. Horrendous. Fortunately, they will get Chris Pronger back from injury to solidify their defense corps. Buffalo isn't the most skilled club but they make the best with what they have. Much like the New York Rangers, they're only more solid than Philly in net. So long as Philadelphia flips into playoff mode, I see no reason they would lose unless Ryan Miller (Buffalo's goaltender) is absolutely insane.
Prediction : Flyers in 6.
=3. Boston Bruins versus 6. Montreal Canadiens=
Divisional foes with plenty of bad history just within the last couple of months. The Canadiens actually have the better record in the regular season series between the two teams. I'm going to go ahead and say that this is probably the most interesting series in the Eastern Conference as I expect an all out battle between both teams. I wanted to go with the Canadiens but I just can't see them beating the duo of Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara. I am fully prepared to eat my words though. Montreal was impressive last year in the playoffs beating both Washington and Pittsburgh who were far and away favorites over the Canadiens. I'm going with the Bruins here, but won't be surprised if Montreal can beat the higher seeded team.
Prediction : Bruins in 6.
=4. Pittsburgh Penguins versus 5. Tampa Bay Lightning=
I know I'm already going to get crap for this one since I'm a Philadelphia Flyers fan, but let me explain. If the Penguins had Crosby and/or Malkin playing, I would be picking the Penguins without a doubt. Unfortunately for the Penguins, Malkin is definitely out and Crosby is unlikely. I like Tampa Bay's depth at forward over the depleted Penguins. This is another series I wouldn't be surprised that I lost though. Pittsburgh has the better goaltender and defense corps. Their forwards aren't bad considering too. I just get the feeling Tampa Bay wins this one.
Prediction : Lightning in 7.
<== Western Conference ==>
=1. Vancouver Canucks versus 8. Chicago Blackhawks=
This should be a good series as the Blackhawks aren't your typical eighth seed team. Who would expect the defending Stanley Cup Champions to be in eighth? Unfortunately for Chicago, I can't see them beating a team that is built solid from head to toe. Canucks goaltender Roberto Loungo is better than Chicago's tandem goalies. The Blackhawks also lost a lot of their depth after last season's run. Vancouver has a lot of depth featuring some very good players even with injuries to Manny Maholtra and Dan Hamhius. Vancouver is my favorite to win the Stanley Cup and the first victim is Chicago where the former champs go home this year.
Prediction : Canucks in 6.
=2. San Jose Sharks versus 7. Los Angeles Kings=
We have another battle between divisional foes, but this one comes from the Pacific Divsion. The Sharks remind me of the aforementioned Canucks just without all the great chemistry. The goaltender who foiled their run last year in the Western Conference Finals is now backstopping them. That goalie, Antii Niemi, gained a lot of experience during the Chicago Blackhawks run to the Cup which has to be useful. Los Angeles has been making great strides and should be a force for awhile in the Western Conference. They do have some very talented forwards and defenseman. However, with no Anze Kopitar, I just can't see them beating a team that features the depth that the Sharks carry. If the Sharks play to their potential and Joe Thorton doesn't disappear as he tends to during the playoffs, the Sharks should win this series fairly easily.
Prediction : Sharks in 5.
=3. Detroit Red Wings versus 6. Phoenix Coyotes=
Detroit is a team that plays very well together and is still very dangerous as a third seed. They do have some great talent on the team, but it really doesn't matter because the chemistry of the team is even better. The only weakness I see with the Wings is their goaltending. It could be their Achilles heel, but I don't think the Coyotes will be the team to expose it. Phoenix was able to land a playoff spot and is generally a pretty good team. I attribute a lot of their success to goaltender Iyla Bryzgalov. That's the only part of this team that I think is better than the Red Wings. Bryzgalov steals a couple of games, but the Wings take this one.
Prediction : Red Wings in 6.
=4. Anaheim Ducks versus 5. Nashville Predators=
Anaheim enters the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They've been playing incredible so far. Nashville's only shot against Anaheim will be behind it's defensive minded brand of hockey. The Predators have many talented defenseman and a quality goaltender in Pekka Rinne. Where Anaheim absolutely dominates the Predators is in scoring. Nashville just doesn't have much of it. The Predators certainly could win this series, but I just don't see it. They lack a convincing forward to do a bulk of their scoring. I see the Predators winning a couple of games, but the Ducks move forward with ease.
Prediction : Ducks in 6.
So.....
Capitals vs Rangers ==> Capitals
Flyers vs Sabres ==> Flyers
Bruins vs Canadiens ==> Bruins
Penguins vs Lightning ==> Lightning
Canucks vs Blackhawks ==> Canucks
Sharks vs Kings ==> Sharks
Red Wings vs Coyotes ==> Red Wings
Ducks vs Predators ==> Ducks
Best of luck to whatever team you're going with this playoff season. Wednesday can't come soon enough!
* Mass Playoff Prediction *
This here is my best guess for the entire playoffs. From quarterfinals all the way through finals. As I mentioned in my previous post, this is just for fun. My official picks will be made as each round progresses. As an additional note, I will be handing out my usual nightly awards after each round. For example, rather than having a Dumbest Pick of the Night, I'll just do a Dumbest Pick of the Round. Pretty simple I hope. Anyway, here is my best guess at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Round 1 : Conference Quarterfinals (highest seed listed first)
-Eastern Conference-
Capitals vs Rangers => Capitals
Flyers vs Sabres => Flyers
Bruins vs Canadiens => Canadiens
Penguins vs Lightning => Lightning
-Western Conference-
Canucks vs Blackhawks => Canucks
Sharks vs Kings => Sharks
Red Wings vs Coyotes => Red Wings
Ducks vs Predators => Ducks
Round 2 - Conference Semifinals
-Eastern Conference-
Capitals vs Lightning => Capitals
Flyers vs Bruins => Flyers
-Western Conference-
Canucks vs Ducks => Canucks
Sharks vs Red Wings => Sharks
Round 3 - Conference Finals
-Eastern Conference-
Capitals vs Flyers => Flyers
-Western Conference-
Canucks vs Sharks => Canucks
Round 4 - Stanley Cup Finals
Canucks vs Flyers => Canucks
So, there you have it. I'm going with the Vancouver Canucks over the Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup. That's an amazing club they have in Vancouver. They were pretty unstoppable all season and I don't see how anyone will come in their way. I don't have too much else for the moment. I'll be updating in a couple of days with results of games and hopefully to talk about a Flyers victory.
Night!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Playoffs Are Here !!! : 4/10 Results, Conference Standings, Final Stats
* Results *
Well, that was your 2010-2011 NHL Regular Season. Sunday answered the question of who would be the last team to join the Western Conference playoff mix. For many, with their teams eliminated, hockey is five to six months away from returning unless they pick an adoptive team to follow. Others, myself included, will be waiting for the playoff schedule to be released so we know when to tune in next to watch our respective teams. The NHL Playoffs are always fun to watch. It means more to the players and fans that losing could bring your season to an end very soon. You have a day to tune any mistakes rather than weeks and months. The skill and intensity are amped up when compared to the regular season. I can't wait to watch some playoff hockey.
With the obligatory introduction out of the way, let's cover the results for Sunday. We start in Chicago where fans of the Dallas Stars were surely tuned in. If Chicago gained even just a point from this game, the Dallas Stars would be eliminated. It was a very physical game between the two teams with plenty of scoring considering. Detroit would not be beat though, as Chicago's last minute bids couldn't find the net. The Blackhawks were still alive so long as the Dallas Stars lost or won their game in a shootout. As the Dallas and Minnesota game was the last of the night, I can imagine the nerves in Chicago were on edge.
In New Jersey, the Devils were able to beat the Boston Bruins at home for their final game of the season. I don't think Boston was pushing themselves this game as they were already slated to play Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. The Devils had an amazing finish to what was looking to be an absolute mess in New Jersey. It was commendable how they managed to crawl back into the NHL Playoff talks nearing the end of the season.
In Colorado, Avalanche fans were able to bid farewell to Adam Foote who was playing his final NHL game. The game featured the league's worst teams in the league in the Oilers (the worst) and Avalanche (second worst). The game went to overtime which almost seems fitting given the previously mentioned circumstances. In the end, Colorado was able to end Foote's career on a high note and end a losing streak. Both Edmonton and Colorado end the season with the the worst records in the NHL but with the highest probability of landing the top pick in the lottery drawing for the first pick in the draft. If Edmonton lands that pick, it will be their second consecutive year of drafting first overall.
In Atlanta, the Thrashers finished their mediocre season with a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Atlanta was already eliminated from the playoffs and was just capping off yet another season with no playoffs. There were positive strides in Atlanta, but I imagine fans are getting tired of the same old results by their Thrashers. For the Penguins, there wasn't much to play for. The Philadelphia Flyers locked down the Atlantic Division yesterday, which in turn locked the Penguins into the fourth seed of the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
Finally, the final game of the night was between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. The Stars only had to win this game in either regulation or in overtime so that they could claim the final seed in the Western Conference. Detroit did them a huge favor by beating the Chicago Blackhawks. Though Dallas remained competitive in the game, the Wild pulled ahead 4-3 in the third period. This was eventually padded by an empty net goal making the final 5-3 for the Wild. The Stars and their fans have to be disappointed to blow a huge opportunity. In Chicago, a collective sigh of relief had to have been hard when the Minnesota Wild hit the empty net for a 5-3 Wild lead.
My night was fairly terrible but I suppose I'm in a pretty good mood knowing the playoffs are right around the corner. I finished the night 1-4 which makes my season total 245-190. I was able to keep a 55 game margin between my wins and losses which is pretty impressive to me. If you've been reading this, thanks for doing so. The page has more hits than I would expected to receive for a project that was really aimed to take advantage of the NHL Center Ice package that I was subscribed to. That I followed through for over two months amazes me. I hope to try an entire season. Anyway, the results for Sunday are below. For my grand total stats (from when I began this up until today) and my plans for the playoffs, keep reading further.
4/10/2011 - Sunday
Red Wings at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 4-3 Red Wings : Wrong : 244-187
Bruins at Devils : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-2 Devils : Correct : 245-187
Oilers at Avalanche : Pick - Oilers : Result -- 4-3 Avalanche : Wrong (OT/L) : 245-188
Penguins at Thrashers : Pick - Thrashers : Result -- 5-2 Thrashers : Wrong : 245-189
Stars at Wild : Pick - Stars : Result -- 5-3 Wild : Wrong : 245-190
-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=
Penguins at Thrashers : Not surprised I lost this one. It all depended if Pittsburgh was going to rest their players. It would have been wise to go with Pittsburgh though as they're clearly a better team. One team is going to the playoffs (Pittsburgh), while the other is just finishing their season. Pittsburgh is still a good team even if they did rest their players. Should have put a little more thought into the pick.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
None. I only won one game and it wasn't really an easy pick.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Red Wings at Blackhawks : Detroit had nothing to gain by winning, but I still expected them to play a tough game. They could help make it harder for Chicago to gain entry into the playoffs. Chicago really wanted to win this game since it would have saved them the nerves of waiting to see if the Dallas Stars won later on or not. I originally went with Detroit but scratched them out to place the Blackhawks as the winning team. A lot of those games that could go either way have scribbles in my pick area. This was one of them.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Stars at Wild : The Dallas Stars were thrown a giant bone when Detroit beat Chicago in regulation. All Dallas had to do was win in regulation or in overtime (a Dallas shootout victory would have given the tie breaker to Chicago). The Stars weren't able to do that against a team they probably should have beaten. The should and could parts of the equation were definitely there against a team like the Wild. The loss sent Dallas home two points short with plenty of questions regarding next season unanswered (like where Brad Richards will go). Tough loss for Dallas.
* Final Stats *
I began this blog officially on February 9th but had started my idea of picking the winners of NHL hockey games every night on February 7th. My stats cover February 7th until the last day of the regular season which would be today April 10th. You'll see all the numbers below, but my grand total of games that I picked was 435 which spanned 64 nights. I ended up winning 245 of those 435 games which is about 56.3%. The perfectionist in me was hoping for something closer like 60 to 70%, but really I'm proud of that figure. Out of those 64 nights, I had six nights where I made all the right picks for the night. I'm proud to also say that I only picked all the games incorrectly just once which was a night that had only three games played. I guess what makes me feel happy about my season is that if I was betting on these games, I would have won money. Not much, but at least I didn't go under .500 for the season. I do plan on keeping this blog together for next season. I want to make a run to get a whole season under my belt. I'll keep new stats for next season and compare them to this season's stats. It'll be fun to see if I get any better or if luck just varies. I'll also be sure to keep a "career" set of my stats. With all of that said, here is my stats for the part of the 2010-2011 season that I covered.
Game Nights : 64
Games Picked : 435
Wins : 235
Losses : 190
Win % : 56.3%
OT/W's : 31 (The amount of my wins that were via overtime. So in this case 31 out of 235 were in overtime.)
OT/L's : 28 (Same as above, except losses that were via overtime.)
SO/W's : 24 (Think you get the point now.)
SO/L's : 28
Perfect Nights : 6 (Nights where I picked the games correctly.) High : 5 games Low : 2 games
All-Wrong Nights : 1 (Where I picked all the game incorrectly.) High/low : 3 games
* Playoffs *
Below you'll see the top eight teams of each conference that made the playoffs with their points and opponent listed beside them. I'm not making prediction in this edition of my blog. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm not going to make predictions for each individual game. I think it would get a little redundant (as if what I did for the last two months wasn't) rather than just picking the team I felt was going to win the series. I'll keep track of the games in similar fashion to what I do now by updating scores and how my picks are coming along. I probably won't write every night, but might go with every other night instead. As far as my stats, I'll keep track of the how many series I pick, how many I get right, how many I get wrong, my winning percentage, how many rounds I was perfect (similar to picking all the games right on one night), and how many rounds I wasn't (guessed wrong on all series of a round). Same concept, just a little consolidated.
As far as picking the series in the playoff, I'll make an overall pick of the playoffs. I'll release a post with my picks from the quarter finals all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. This won't be official. In other words, it'll just be a cool thing to look back on. I'll make my official picks as each round progresses so that I can at least make educated picks. If my overall pick of the NHL Playoffs is correct, I'll obviously proclaim myself a genius and delete the previous sentence from the post. Lol. Anyway, that's really what I've figured out thus far. I'll update with my picks very soon. Here are those NHL Conference Standings as promised.
Eastern Conference
1. Washington Capitals - 107 points - play #8 New York Rangers
2. Philadelphia Flyers - 106 points - play #7 Buffalo Sabres
3. Boston Bruins - 103 points - play #6 Montreal Canadiens
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - 106 points - play #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
5. Tampa Bay Lightning - 103 points - play #4 Pittsburgh Penguins
6. Montreal Canadiens - 96 points - play #3 Boston Bruins
7. Buffalo Sabres - 96 points - play #2 Philadelphia Flyers
8. New York Rangers - 93 points - play #1 Washington Capitals
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks - 117 points - play #8 Chicago Blackhawks
2. San Jose Sharks - 105 points - play #7 Los Angeles Kings
3. Detroit Red Wings - 104 points - play #6 Phoenix Coyotes
4. Anaheim Ducks - 99 points - play #5 Nashville Predators
5. Nashville Predators - 99 points - play #4 Anaheim Ducks
6. Phoenix Coyotes - 99 points - play #3 Detroit Red Wings
7. Los Angeles Kings - 98 points - play #2 San Jose Sharks
8. Chicago Blackhawks - 97 points - play #1 Vancouver Canucks
I'll have my picks and season history between teams and their opponents coming up. This will likely be on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, so be sure to keep an eye out if you read this. Again, if you do read this, thanks a bunch for reading or even just checking this out. It's been an awesome two months.
Night!
Well, that was your 2010-2011 NHL Regular Season. Sunday answered the question of who would be the last team to join the Western Conference playoff mix. For many, with their teams eliminated, hockey is five to six months away from returning unless they pick an adoptive team to follow. Others, myself included, will be waiting for the playoff schedule to be released so we know when to tune in next to watch our respective teams. The NHL Playoffs are always fun to watch. It means more to the players and fans that losing could bring your season to an end very soon. You have a day to tune any mistakes rather than weeks and months. The skill and intensity are amped up when compared to the regular season. I can't wait to watch some playoff hockey.
With the obligatory introduction out of the way, let's cover the results for Sunday. We start in Chicago where fans of the Dallas Stars were surely tuned in. If Chicago gained even just a point from this game, the Dallas Stars would be eliminated. It was a very physical game between the two teams with plenty of scoring considering. Detroit would not be beat though, as Chicago's last minute bids couldn't find the net. The Blackhawks were still alive so long as the Dallas Stars lost or won their game in a shootout. As the Dallas and Minnesota game was the last of the night, I can imagine the nerves in Chicago were on edge.
In New Jersey, the Devils were able to beat the Boston Bruins at home for their final game of the season. I don't think Boston was pushing themselves this game as they were already slated to play Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. The Devils had an amazing finish to what was looking to be an absolute mess in New Jersey. It was commendable how they managed to crawl back into the NHL Playoff talks nearing the end of the season.
In Colorado, Avalanche fans were able to bid farewell to Adam Foote who was playing his final NHL game. The game featured the league's worst teams in the league in the Oilers (the worst) and Avalanche (second worst). The game went to overtime which almost seems fitting given the previously mentioned circumstances. In the end, Colorado was able to end Foote's career on a high note and end a losing streak. Both Edmonton and Colorado end the season with the the worst records in the NHL but with the highest probability of landing the top pick in the lottery drawing for the first pick in the draft. If Edmonton lands that pick, it will be their second consecutive year of drafting first overall.
In Atlanta, the Thrashers finished their mediocre season with a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Atlanta was already eliminated from the playoffs and was just capping off yet another season with no playoffs. There were positive strides in Atlanta, but I imagine fans are getting tired of the same old results by their Thrashers. For the Penguins, there wasn't much to play for. The Philadelphia Flyers locked down the Atlantic Division yesterday, which in turn locked the Penguins into the fourth seed of the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
Finally, the final game of the night was between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. The Stars only had to win this game in either regulation or in overtime so that they could claim the final seed in the Western Conference. Detroit did them a huge favor by beating the Chicago Blackhawks. Though Dallas remained competitive in the game, the Wild pulled ahead 4-3 in the third period. This was eventually padded by an empty net goal making the final 5-3 for the Wild. The Stars and their fans have to be disappointed to blow a huge opportunity. In Chicago, a collective sigh of relief had to have been hard when the Minnesota Wild hit the empty net for a 5-3 Wild lead.
My night was fairly terrible but I suppose I'm in a pretty good mood knowing the playoffs are right around the corner. I finished the night 1-4 which makes my season total 245-190. I was able to keep a 55 game margin between my wins and losses which is pretty impressive to me. If you've been reading this, thanks for doing so. The page has more hits than I would expected to receive for a project that was really aimed to take advantage of the NHL Center Ice package that I was subscribed to. That I followed through for over two months amazes me. I hope to try an entire season. Anyway, the results for Sunday are below. For my grand total stats (from when I began this up until today) and my plans for the playoffs, keep reading further.
4/10/2011 - Sunday
Red Wings at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 4-3 Red Wings : Wrong : 244-187
Bruins at Devils : Pick - Devils : Result -- 3-2 Devils : Correct : 245-187
Oilers at Avalanche : Pick - Oilers : Result -- 4-3 Avalanche : Wrong (OT/L) : 245-188
Penguins at Thrashers : Pick - Thrashers : Result -- 5-2 Thrashers : Wrong : 245-189
Stars at Wild : Pick - Stars : Result -- 5-3 Wild : Wrong : 245-190
-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=
Penguins at Thrashers : Not surprised I lost this one. It all depended if Pittsburgh was going to rest their players. It would have been wise to go with Pittsburgh though as they're clearly a better team. One team is going to the playoffs (Pittsburgh), while the other is just finishing their season. Pittsburgh is still a good team even if they did rest their players. Should have put a little more thought into the pick.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
None. I only won one game and it wasn't really an easy pick.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Red Wings at Blackhawks : Detroit had nothing to gain by winning, but I still expected them to play a tough game. They could help make it harder for Chicago to gain entry into the playoffs. Chicago really wanted to win this game since it would have saved them the nerves of waiting to see if the Dallas Stars won later on or not. I originally went with Detroit but scratched them out to place the Blackhawks as the winning team. A lot of those games that could go either way have scribbles in my pick area. This was one of them.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Stars at Wild : The Dallas Stars were thrown a giant bone when Detroit beat Chicago in regulation. All Dallas had to do was win in regulation or in overtime (a Dallas shootout victory would have given the tie breaker to Chicago). The Stars weren't able to do that against a team they probably should have beaten. The should and could parts of the equation were definitely there against a team like the Wild. The loss sent Dallas home two points short with plenty of questions regarding next season unanswered (like where Brad Richards will go). Tough loss for Dallas.
* Final Stats *
I began this blog officially on February 9th but had started my idea of picking the winners of NHL hockey games every night on February 7th. My stats cover February 7th until the last day of the regular season which would be today April 10th. You'll see all the numbers below, but my grand total of games that I picked was 435 which spanned 64 nights. I ended up winning 245 of those 435 games which is about 56.3%. The perfectionist in me was hoping for something closer like 60 to 70%, but really I'm proud of that figure. Out of those 64 nights, I had six nights where I made all the right picks for the night. I'm proud to also say that I only picked all the games incorrectly just once which was a night that had only three games played. I guess what makes me feel happy about my season is that if I was betting on these games, I would have won money. Not much, but at least I didn't go under .500 for the season. I do plan on keeping this blog together for next season. I want to make a run to get a whole season under my belt. I'll keep new stats for next season and compare them to this season's stats. It'll be fun to see if I get any better or if luck just varies. I'll also be sure to keep a "career" set of my stats. With all of that said, here is my stats for the part of the 2010-2011 season that I covered.
Game Nights : 64
Games Picked : 435
Wins : 235
Losses : 190
Win % : 56.3%
OT/W's : 31 (The amount of my wins that were via overtime. So in this case 31 out of 235 were in overtime.)
OT/L's : 28 (Same as above, except losses that were via overtime.)
SO/W's : 24 (Think you get the point now.)
SO/L's : 28
Perfect Nights : 6 (Nights where I picked the games correctly.) High : 5 games Low : 2 games
All-Wrong Nights : 1 (Where I picked all the game incorrectly.) High/low : 3 games
* Playoffs *
Below you'll see the top eight teams of each conference that made the playoffs with their points and opponent listed beside them. I'm not making prediction in this edition of my blog. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm not going to make predictions for each individual game. I think it would get a little redundant (as if what I did for the last two months wasn't) rather than just picking the team I felt was going to win the series. I'll keep track of the games in similar fashion to what I do now by updating scores and how my picks are coming along. I probably won't write every night, but might go with every other night instead. As far as my stats, I'll keep track of the how many series I pick, how many I get right, how many I get wrong, my winning percentage, how many rounds I was perfect (similar to picking all the games right on one night), and how many rounds I wasn't (guessed wrong on all series of a round). Same concept, just a little consolidated.
As far as picking the series in the playoff, I'll make an overall pick of the playoffs. I'll release a post with my picks from the quarter finals all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. This won't be official. In other words, it'll just be a cool thing to look back on. I'll make my official picks as each round progresses so that I can at least make educated picks. If my overall pick of the NHL Playoffs is correct, I'll obviously proclaim myself a genius and delete the previous sentence from the post. Lol. Anyway, that's really what I've figured out thus far. I'll update with my picks very soon. Here are those NHL Conference Standings as promised.
Eastern Conference
1. Washington Capitals - 107 points - play #8 New York Rangers
2. Philadelphia Flyers - 106 points - play #7 Buffalo Sabres
3. Boston Bruins - 103 points - play #6 Montreal Canadiens
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - 106 points - play #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
5. Tampa Bay Lightning - 103 points - play #4 Pittsburgh Penguins
6. Montreal Canadiens - 96 points - play #3 Boston Bruins
7. Buffalo Sabres - 96 points - play #2 Philadelphia Flyers
8. New York Rangers - 93 points - play #1 Washington Capitals
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks - 117 points - play #8 Chicago Blackhawks
2. San Jose Sharks - 105 points - play #7 Los Angeles Kings
3. Detroit Red Wings - 104 points - play #6 Phoenix Coyotes
4. Anaheim Ducks - 99 points - play #5 Nashville Predators
5. Nashville Predators - 99 points - play #4 Anaheim Ducks
6. Phoenix Coyotes - 99 points - play #3 Detroit Red Wings
7. Los Angeles Kings - 98 points - play #2 San Jose Sharks
8. Chicago Blackhawks - 97 points - play #1 Vancouver Canucks
I'll have my picks and season history between teams and their opponents coming up. This will likely be on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, so be sure to keep an eye out if you read this. Again, if you do read this, thanks a bunch for reading or even just checking this out. It's been an awesome two months.
Night!
Philadelphia Flyers Atlantic Division Champs! : 4/9 Results, 4/10 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
Rather than going straight to the results with the exciting Saturday results, I'll go over them a bit first here. Today was filled with absolute climatic hockey games, namely Philadelphia, New York, and Carolina. Above all else, we finally have a clear picture on the playoffs. There is only one spot to be determined Sunday and that will be figured out by the Red Wings and Blackhawks game as well as the Stars and Wild game. If the Blackhawks do win, they will jump to the fifth seed and clinch a spot in the playoffs. If Dallas wins, the Western Conference seeding will remain exactly the same with Dallas taking Chicago's current eighth place spot.
Let's start with the biggest game of the night for me with the Philadelphia Flyers. Going into the game I was worried whether or not the Flyers were going to bring their game to face the New York Islanders. If they won, they clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference. If not, they would have to hope the Pittsburgh Penguins lost in regulation on Sunday. I wouldn't typically see a team like the Islanders beating the Flyers. Unfortunately, it's been awhile since the Flyers played good consistent hockey even against the lesser teams of the NHL. I was feeling very confident when the Flyers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the hockey game. Yes, the first minute of the game. Two quick goals and the Flyers looked golden. Not so fast. New York responded by scoring three straight goals before Philadelphia responded with a third of their own in the first period. I wasn't watching the game on TV (at work) so I was going by the stats that I could see at work. I was calling for the pulling of Philadelphia's goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The goals weren't all his fault but I figured the young guy had to be shaky after those. Peter Laviolette must have agreed as he pulled Bob for Brian Boucher. Boucher would play stellar the rest of the way only letting in one goal on good deal of shots. New York opened the second period by scoring another goal to take yet another lead. I really thought the Flyers were going to let this one get away. By the third period, Philadelphia climbed to a 6-4 lead which eventually led to a 7-4 lead behind a empty net goal. Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros was an absolute beast for Philadelphia tonight. He had two goals and two assists helping Philly clinch the Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. While I'm not too thrilled with the four goals part, I can't be too upset because they did win and they were putting goals up on the board. The Flyers will see the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky is slated to start for the Flyers in goal against Buffalo. If Peter Laviolette, I have to at least consider Boucher at this point. I'm not trying to say Bobrovsky sucks, he doesn't, I'm just a little concerned about the pressure and some of the raw talent he still has yet to develop. He's a rookie and he hasn't seen much North American hockey as he came over from the KHL. Boucher is obviously not a star netminder, but I like the fact that he has experience and more calm demeanor. We'll see in the coming days what the Flyers decide to do.
The battle for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference was also decided today. The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers battled one another in an early game. The Rangers needed to win this game or else they were not making the playoffs, regardless of whether the Carolina Hurricanes won or not. New York won the game convincingly with a 5-2 score. As it was an earlier game in the NHL, they would have to wait until the Hurricanes played later in the evening. Can't imagine how the nerves of those guys were. Thankfully for New York, Carolina was beat down by the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2. Carolina did an incredible job at getting back in this race and making it as close as they did. With that said, the eighth seed belongs to the New York Rangers who will face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. Not exactly a team I'd like to face, but hey, better to be in the playoffs than not.
So, with that said here is the standings for both conferences. If you aren't familiar with how seeds go, it's pretty simple. The top three seeds are all the division winners placed in order of points. That's why you can see teams that are placed fourth that might have more points than one in the top three. The seed format is like this...the number one seed plays the eighth seed, the second plays the seventh, the third plays the sixth, and the fourth plays the fifth. You keep your seed through the playoffs. The higher seed gets home ice advantage in a best of seven format. Win four games and you move on. Lose four and you're out. The standings could change depending on a few games tomorrow, but I'll update it then. Some teams plays tomorrow as well, so their points could also change.
Eastern Conference
1. Washington Capitals - 107 points
2. Philadelphia Flyers - 106 points
3. Boston Bruins - 103 points (1 game remaining)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - 104 points (1 game remaining)
5. Tampa Bay Lightning - 103 points
6. Montreal Canadiens - 96 points
7. Buffalo Sabres - 96 points
8. New York Rangers - 93 points
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks - 117 points
2. San Jose Sharks - 105 points
3. Detroit Red Wings - 102 points (1 game remaining)
4. Anaheim Ducks - 99 points
5. Nashville Predators - 99 points (could move to sixth spot if Chicago wins)
6. Phoenix Coyotes - 99 points (could move to seventh spot if Chicago wins)
7. Los Angeles Kings - 98 points (could move to eighth spot if Chicago wins)
8. Chicago Blackhawks - 97 points (1 game remaining, could lose spot to Dallas...could also move up to fifth seed with a win)
9. Dallas Stars - 95 points (1 game remaining, with Chicago loss or OT/L and a win they clinch the eighth spot)
* Results *
I'm very thankful for a pretty good hockey day. My Flyers won and I finished the night 7-4. A couple of my losses were a little bad on my part, others I didn't see coming. The Rangers beating the Devils was a tough one. Much like the Flyers, I wasn't sure if the Rangers would play desperate hockey. They certainly did winning 5-2. My pick of the Bruins over the Senators panned out. I almost wanted to go with Ottawa but just went with the better team. In Carolina, I figured the Hurricanes would win knowing they would be in the playoffs. I had counted on Tampa Bay not really trying too hard. Wrong on both. The Lightning whipped the Canes 6-2. As mentioned earlier, the Flyers were able to get things together and hold off the Islanders 7-4 (just noticed the score matches my record for the night, nice). In Toronto, the Canadiens made me look like a smart man. I had began writing in the Maple Leafs to win it but instead felt like Montreal should be placed as my pick. The Canadiens did win 4-1. Phew. An upset I didn't see coming was the Washington Capitals losing to the Florida Panthers 1-0. The Caps didn't sit any of their typical players though I'm sure they weren't pushing themselves though either. Regardless of that, I figured that even they could win against a team like Florida. Nope. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets stumbled once again as the Sabres won 5-4. Went with Buffalo so I won that one. My trusty Blues beat the Nashville Predators 2-0 in St. Louis. Those Blues had an amazing finish to their season. In Calgary, I nearly made off with a decent pick except the Vancouver Canucks were able to win in overtime. I figured Vancouver wouldn't put up much of a fight, but I was wrong again. I was correct by going with the Ducks over the Kings who won 3-1. They jumped to the fourth seed in the Western Conference with the win. They're scorching hot and have had an incredible run to the fourth spot. Finally, I went with the Sharks to get revenge on the Coyotes (Coyotes won on Friday against the Sharks) which worked out. San Jose won 3-1 which clinched the second seed in the Western Conference. Here are the results for Saturday.
4/9/2011 - Saturday
Devils at Rangers : Pick - Devils : Result -- 5-2 Rangers : Wrong : 237-183
Senators at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 3-1 Bruins : Correct : 238-183
Lightning at Hurricanes : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 6-2 Lightning : Wrong : 238-184
Islanders at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 7-4 Flyers : Correct : 239-184
Canadiens at Maple Leafs : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 4-1 Canadiens : Correct : 240-184
Capitals at Panthers : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 1-0 Panthers : Wrong : 240-185
Sabres at Blue Jackets : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 5-4 Sabres : Correct : 241-185
Predators at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 2-0 Blues : Correct : 242-185
Canucks at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 3-2 Canucks : Wrong (OT/L) : 242-186
Ducks at Kings : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 3-1 Ducks : Correct : 243-186
Coyotes at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 3-1 Sharks : Correct : 244-186
-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=
Canucks at Flames : I did go with the Flames thinking Vancouver would rest up for the playoffs. Still, it's kind of dumb to not go with the best team in the entire NHL to beat a team that is going to miss the playoffs. I tried to look smart, almost was able to look smart, but it's still dumb.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Maple Leafs : I wasn't sure that Toronto was going to bail on the their last game of the season or not. Same with Montreal since they had their playoff spot secure. A lot of the games on the night were like this. I had originally gone with the Toronto Maple Leafs at first until I scribbled them out and wrote in the Canadiens. My gut instinct was right, but it was a difficult decision nonetheless.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Sabres at Blue Jackets : The Blue Jackets have been pretty awful lately. They've even put up some good efforts and still managed to lose. I didn't see Buffalo losing to a team like that, especially after their huge win against Philadelphia yesterday. Writing Buffalo in was one of the easier decisions for the night.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Lightning at Hurricanes : Carolina had home ice to ice their rights to the eighth spot of the Eastern Conference. All they had to do was win. Instead of doing so, they choked very badly in front of their home crowd. Tampa Bay is very talented and tough team, but this was a must win. They let a big opportunity slide away from them.
=Most Impressive Pick of the Night=
Predators at Blues : Been awhile since I've used this one, but I felt this game was one of those that I created this little "award" for. Nashville is far and away the better team between the two. When I looked at the scores of the games, I actually thought I went with Nashville at first. After seeing that I went with the Blues, I was pretty impressed that I'd go with the Blues here and didn't lose. Knowing how well St. Louis has been playing, I was able to feel confident with them over the playoff bound Nashville Predators.
* Picks *
Well, this is it, the last day of the season. Can't believe I've made it this far. Absolutely a blast writing and making picks. Can't wait to get the playoffs started. I'll have the standings and seeds set up for tomorrow. I'll also have my final stats for the regular season. I'll eventually get my picks for the playoffs out this week as well. The only games for Sunday that actually have any serious factoring in the standings are the Red Wings at the Blackhawks and the Stars at Wild. So, once again, I'm making some of these picks with the belief that playoff teams will rest their better players and provide extra minutes to other players on the team. We'll start in Chicago. I see the Blackhawks beating the Red Wings so that they can keep a spot in the playoffs. Detroit has a few injured players and nothing to gain from winning. In New Jersey, I see the Devils beating the Boston Bruins. Boston, much like Detroit, is already locked into a playoff spot and has nothing to gain either. In Colorado, we have game between too horrendous teams. I feel the Colorado Avalanche will lose to the Edmonton Oilers. Colorado hasn't won in four games, so I'm not convinced they'll win. In Atlanta, I feel that Thrashers will beat the Penguins. Pittsburgh is already down Malkin and Corsby, so I doubt they'll want to risk some of their better players since they're also locked into fourth in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has played good hockey in parts so why not a win to finish the season? Finally, I see the Stars beating the Wild, but it'll be worthless according to my picks as Chicago will clinch the last playoff spot. If Chicago does win, I see Dallas playing some desperate hockey to clinch the eighth spot in the Western Conference. It's been an absolute pleasure writing during the regular season. Here are the final picks of the regular 2010-2011 season.
4/10/2011 - Sunday
Red Wings at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Bruins at Devils ==> Devils
Oilers at Avalanche ==> Oilers
Penguins at Thrashers ==> Thrashers
Stars at Wild ==> Stars
Night!
Rather than going straight to the results with the exciting Saturday results, I'll go over them a bit first here. Today was filled with absolute climatic hockey games, namely Philadelphia, New York, and Carolina. Above all else, we finally have a clear picture on the playoffs. There is only one spot to be determined Sunday and that will be figured out by the Red Wings and Blackhawks game as well as the Stars and Wild game. If the Blackhawks do win, they will jump to the fifth seed and clinch a spot in the playoffs. If Dallas wins, the Western Conference seeding will remain exactly the same with Dallas taking Chicago's current eighth place spot.
Let's start with the biggest game of the night for me with the Philadelphia Flyers. Going into the game I was worried whether or not the Flyers were going to bring their game to face the New York Islanders. If they won, they clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference. If not, they would have to hope the Pittsburgh Penguins lost in regulation on Sunday. I wouldn't typically see a team like the Islanders beating the Flyers. Unfortunately, it's been awhile since the Flyers played good consistent hockey even against the lesser teams of the NHL. I was feeling very confident when the Flyers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the hockey game. Yes, the first minute of the game. Two quick goals and the Flyers looked golden. Not so fast. New York responded by scoring three straight goals before Philadelphia responded with a third of their own in the first period. I wasn't watching the game on TV (at work) so I was going by the stats that I could see at work. I was calling for the pulling of Philadelphia's goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The goals weren't all his fault but I figured the young guy had to be shaky after those. Peter Laviolette must have agreed as he pulled Bob for Brian Boucher. Boucher would play stellar the rest of the way only letting in one goal on good deal of shots. New York opened the second period by scoring another goal to take yet another lead. I really thought the Flyers were going to let this one get away. By the third period, Philadelphia climbed to a 6-4 lead which eventually led to a 7-4 lead behind a empty net goal. Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros was an absolute beast for Philadelphia tonight. He had two goals and two assists helping Philly clinch the Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. While I'm not too thrilled with the four goals part, I can't be too upset because they did win and they were putting goals up on the board. The Flyers will see the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky is slated to start for the Flyers in goal against Buffalo. If Peter Laviolette, I have to at least consider Boucher at this point. I'm not trying to say Bobrovsky sucks, he doesn't, I'm just a little concerned about the pressure and some of the raw talent he still has yet to develop. He's a rookie and he hasn't seen much North American hockey as he came over from the KHL. Boucher is obviously not a star netminder, but I like the fact that he has experience and more calm demeanor. We'll see in the coming days what the Flyers decide to do.
The battle for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference was also decided today. The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers battled one another in an early game. The Rangers needed to win this game or else they were not making the playoffs, regardless of whether the Carolina Hurricanes won or not. New York won the game convincingly with a 5-2 score. As it was an earlier game in the NHL, they would have to wait until the Hurricanes played later in the evening. Can't imagine how the nerves of those guys were. Thankfully for New York, Carolina was beat down by the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2. Carolina did an incredible job at getting back in this race and making it as close as they did. With that said, the eighth seed belongs to the New York Rangers who will face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. Not exactly a team I'd like to face, but hey, better to be in the playoffs than not.
So, with that said here is the standings for both conferences. If you aren't familiar with how seeds go, it's pretty simple. The top three seeds are all the division winners placed in order of points. That's why you can see teams that are placed fourth that might have more points than one in the top three. The seed format is like this...the number one seed plays the eighth seed, the second plays the seventh, the third plays the sixth, and the fourth plays the fifth. You keep your seed through the playoffs. The higher seed gets home ice advantage in a best of seven format. Win four games and you move on. Lose four and you're out. The standings could change depending on a few games tomorrow, but I'll update it then. Some teams plays tomorrow as well, so their points could also change.
Eastern Conference
1. Washington Capitals - 107 points
2. Philadelphia Flyers - 106 points
3. Boston Bruins - 103 points (1 game remaining)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - 104 points (1 game remaining)
5. Tampa Bay Lightning - 103 points
6. Montreal Canadiens - 96 points
7. Buffalo Sabres - 96 points
8. New York Rangers - 93 points
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks - 117 points
2. San Jose Sharks - 105 points
3. Detroit Red Wings - 102 points (1 game remaining)
4. Anaheim Ducks - 99 points
5. Nashville Predators - 99 points (could move to sixth spot if Chicago wins)
6. Phoenix Coyotes - 99 points (could move to seventh spot if Chicago wins)
7. Los Angeles Kings - 98 points (could move to eighth spot if Chicago wins)
8. Chicago Blackhawks - 97 points (1 game remaining, could lose spot to Dallas...could also move up to fifth seed with a win)
9. Dallas Stars - 95 points (1 game remaining, with Chicago loss or OT/L and a win they clinch the eighth spot)
* Results *
I'm very thankful for a pretty good hockey day. My Flyers won and I finished the night 7-4. A couple of my losses were a little bad on my part, others I didn't see coming. The Rangers beating the Devils was a tough one. Much like the Flyers, I wasn't sure if the Rangers would play desperate hockey. They certainly did winning 5-2. My pick of the Bruins over the Senators panned out. I almost wanted to go with Ottawa but just went with the better team. In Carolina, I figured the Hurricanes would win knowing they would be in the playoffs. I had counted on Tampa Bay not really trying too hard. Wrong on both. The Lightning whipped the Canes 6-2. As mentioned earlier, the Flyers were able to get things together and hold off the Islanders 7-4 (just noticed the score matches my record for the night, nice). In Toronto, the Canadiens made me look like a smart man. I had began writing in the Maple Leafs to win it but instead felt like Montreal should be placed as my pick. The Canadiens did win 4-1. Phew. An upset I didn't see coming was the Washington Capitals losing to the Florida Panthers 1-0. The Caps didn't sit any of their typical players though I'm sure they weren't pushing themselves though either. Regardless of that, I figured that even they could win against a team like Florida. Nope. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets stumbled once again as the Sabres won 5-4. Went with Buffalo so I won that one. My trusty Blues beat the Nashville Predators 2-0 in St. Louis. Those Blues had an amazing finish to their season. In Calgary, I nearly made off with a decent pick except the Vancouver Canucks were able to win in overtime. I figured Vancouver wouldn't put up much of a fight, but I was wrong again. I was correct by going with the Ducks over the Kings who won 3-1. They jumped to the fourth seed in the Western Conference with the win. They're scorching hot and have had an incredible run to the fourth spot. Finally, I went with the Sharks to get revenge on the Coyotes (Coyotes won on Friday against the Sharks) which worked out. San Jose won 3-1 which clinched the second seed in the Western Conference. Here are the results for Saturday.
4/9/2011 - Saturday
Devils at Rangers : Pick - Devils : Result -- 5-2 Rangers : Wrong : 237-183
Senators at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 3-1 Bruins : Correct : 238-183
Lightning at Hurricanes : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 6-2 Lightning : Wrong : 238-184
Islanders at Flyers : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 7-4 Flyers : Correct : 239-184
Canadiens at Maple Leafs : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 4-1 Canadiens : Correct : 240-184
Capitals at Panthers : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 1-0 Panthers : Wrong : 240-185
Sabres at Blue Jackets : Pick - Sabres : Result -- 5-4 Sabres : Correct : 241-185
Predators at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 2-0 Blues : Correct : 242-185
Canucks at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 3-2 Canucks : Wrong (OT/L) : 242-186
Ducks at Kings : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 3-1 Ducks : Correct : 243-186
Coyotes at Sharks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 3-1 Sharks : Correct : 244-186
-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=
Canucks at Flames : I did go with the Flames thinking Vancouver would rest up for the playoffs. Still, it's kind of dumb to not go with the best team in the entire NHL to beat a team that is going to miss the playoffs. I tried to look smart, almost was able to look smart, but it's still dumb.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Canadiens at Maple Leafs : I wasn't sure that Toronto was going to bail on the their last game of the season or not. Same with Montreal since they had their playoff spot secure. A lot of the games on the night were like this. I had originally gone with the Toronto Maple Leafs at first until I scribbled them out and wrote in the Canadiens. My gut instinct was right, but it was a difficult decision nonetheless.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Sabres at Blue Jackets : The Blue Jackets have been pretty awful lately. They've even put up some good efforts and still managed to lose. I didn't see Buffalo losing to a team like that, especially after their huge win against Philadelphia yesterday. Writing Buffalo in was one of the easier decisions for the night.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Lightning at Hurricanes : Carolina had home ice to ice their rights to the eighth spot of the Eastern Conference. All they had to do was win. Instead of doing so, they choked very badly in front of their home crowd. Tampa Bay is very talented and tough team, but this was a must win. They let a big opportunity slide away from them.
=Most Impressive Pick of the Night=
Predators at Blues : Been awhile since I've used this one, but I felt this game was one of those that I created this little "award" for. Nashville is far and away the better team between the two. When I looked at the scores of the games, I actually thought I went with Nashville at first. After seeing that I went with the Blues, I was pretty impressed that I'd go with the Blues here and didn't lose. Knowing how well St. Louis has been playing, I was able to feel confident with them over the playoff bound Nashville Predators.
* Picks *
Well, this is it, the last day of the season. Can't believe I've made it this far. Absolutely a blast writing and making picks. Can't wait to get the playoffs started. I'll have the standings and seeds set up for tomorrow. I'll also have my final stats for the regular season. I'll eventually get my picks for the playoffs out this week as well. The only games for Sunday that actually have any serious factoring in the standings are the Red Wings at the Blackhawks and the Stars at Wild. So, once again, I'm making some of these picks with the belief that playoff teams will rest their better players and provide extra minutes to other players on the team. We'll start in Chicago. I see the Blackhawks beating the Red Wings so that they can keep a spot in the playoffs. Detroit has a few injured players and nothing to gain from winning. In New Jersey, I see the Devils beating the Boston Bruins. Boston, much like Detroit, is already locked into a playoff spot and has nothing to gain either. In Colorado, we have game between too horrendous teams. I feel the Colorado Avalanche will lose to the Edmonton Oilers. Colorado hasn't won in four games, so I'm not convinced they'll win. In Atlanta, I feel that Thrashers will beat the Penguins. Pittsburgh is already down Malkin and Corsby, so I doubt they'll want to risk some of their better players since they're also locked into fourth in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has played good hockey in parts so why not a win to finish the season? Finally, I see the Stars beating the Wild, but it'll be worthless according to my picks as Chicago will clinch the last playoff spot. If Chicago does win, I see Dallas playing some desperate hockey to clinch the eighth spot in the Western Conference. It's been an absolute pleasure writing during the regular season. Here are the final picks of the regular 2010-2011 season.
4/10/2011 - Sunday
Red Wings at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Bruins at Devils ==> Devils
Oilers at Avalanche ==> Oilers
Penguins at Thrashers ==> Thrashers
Stars at Wild ==> Stars
Night!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
My Flyers Suck Epiphany : 4/8 Results, 4/9 Picks
* Picks *
Well, Philadelphia has absolutely ruined hockey for me lately. They were beat in Buffalo tonight (thankfully in overtime so that they gained a point) basically by one stupid pass. They still have an opportunity to clinch the second seed against the Islanders tomorrow but with a loss, they could plummet to fourth. What actually makes this horrible is the fact that Philadelphia was running away with the Eastern Conference until they started a skid in March that wouldn't go away. Once a contender, many playoff teams will be hungry to play a team like the Flyers. Especially knowing they can be outworked. Regardless, Buffalo won 4-3 behind two Nathan Gerbe goals. Pittsburgh took care of business as I thought they would against the Islanders courtesy of a shootout. Pittsburgh's vast amount of shootout wins actually gives Philadelphia the tie breaker in the Atlantic Division. Annoying as hell that they received all these wins in this manner, but no use in using that as an excuse for lethargic Philadelphia hockey.
The Chicago Blackhawks, in danger of losing their eighth seed spot to the Dallas Stars, managed to beat the Red Wings 4-2. Detroit currently holds the third seed and will likely keep it unless they can beat Chicago on Sunday and hope that San Jose loses on Saturday. Tampa Bay beat the Florida Panthers as I had figured 4-2 as well. Not much to talk about there. Tampa Bay is the fifth seed and will do no better than that. In Atlanta, the Carolina Hurricanes beat up on the Thrashers winning 6-1. This was a huge win for Carolina as it placed them in playoff contention and pushed the New York Rangers outside the bubble. So long as Carolina can win their next game against Tampa Bay, they'll keep their spot.
In Nashville, the Predators beat the mediocre Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Their playoff spot is clinched, but the win helps them hold onto the fourth spot in the West. The Minnesota Wild beat the struggling Oilers 3-1 in Edmonton. Nothing really there as well. Both teams are out of the playoffs. As I figured would happen, the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche for the second night in a row to keep the possibility of making the playoffs open. They'll still need to win on Sunday against the Wild and will need the Chicago Blackhawks to lose in some fashion in Detroit (also on Sunday).
In Phoenix, the Coyotes took an early lead that they held onto to beat the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks had an opportunity to clinch the second seed but failed to do so. Phoenix used their win to pull right beside the Los Angles Kings and has an opportunity to gain fourth in the Western Conference. I expected San Jose to win but Phoenix is always tough to bet against. Finally, we had Anaheim Ducks beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1. Anaheim is playing very well right now and I was expecting this sort of outcome. Close but not close enough.
Overall, I was 7-3 on the night. Very successful in my eyes. I'm finding it gets a lot tougher to pick games as you approach the end of the season. Here are the results for Friday.
4/8/2011 - Friday
Penguins at Islanders : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 4-3 Penguins : Correct (SO/W) : 231-179
Flyers at Sabres : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 4-3 Sabres : Wrong (OT/L) : 231-180
Blackhawks at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 4-2 Blackhawks : Wrong : 231-181
Panthers at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-2 Lightning : 232-181
Hurricanes at Thrashers : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 6-1 Hurricanes : Correct : 233-181
Blue Jackets at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 4-1 Predators : Correct : 234-181
Wild at Oilers : Pick - Wild : Result -- 3-1 Wild : Correct : 235-181
Stars at Avalanche : Pick - Stars : Result -- 3-2 Stars : Correct : 236-181
Sharks at Coyotes : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 4-3 Coyotes : Wrong : 236-182
Kings at Ducks : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Correct : 237-182
-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=
Flyers at Sabres : I made the pick on hope. Hope in one hand and shit in another and see which fills up faster. The Flyers have done nothing lately to warrant being picked over another club. Philadelphia was lucky to come out of this game with one point. Sabres won 4-3 in overtime.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Red Wings : I hate it when these two teams play because I really could choose either way. Both teams are capable. I went with Detroit and paid for it. Chicago won 4-2.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Stars at Avalanche : I figured the hungry Stars would beat up on a terrible Avalanche team. It wasn't a beating, but I didn't have to think twice about going with the Stars when I made the pick. Stars won 3-2.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Hurricanes at Thrashers : Atlanta goes from shutting out the Rangers to getting thrashed (see what I did there?) by the Hurricanes. Carolina needed this game and the 6-1 score says everything. Atlanta was served.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Flyers at Sabres : Philly actually came back from a 2-1 defecit to take the lead 3-2. Nathan Gerbe had a very pretty (though questionably lucky) goal to tie it up in the third period. Philadelphia had several scoring chances and missed them. A horrible pass made by Scott Hartnell gave Tomas Vanek the break he needed to give Buffalo the win and a playoff spot. Philly could have won this game and gave itself an easier time securing the Atlantic Division. Looks like they'll be taking the hard way.
* Picks *
Saturday provides us with eleven games, some which will matter in a big way, others that won't really mean much. The games that won't mean much to the standings could feature teams resting key players or giving more minutes to lines that don't typically see as much action. Whatever it takes to protect your players and therefore playoff chances. Keep this in mind as I make my picks. I wouldn't typically see Boston and Vancouver losing, but I might have to consider that they will since neither team has anything to gain from playing hard. Vancouver is locked in to the first seed in the Western Conference while Boston has clinched their division and won't move from the third spot in the Eastern Conference. The same could be said for the Sharks if they win their late game on Friday night (writing this section prior to the finish of their game) as this would lock San Jose into the second seed in the West. The fact that I don't know who will be skating tomorrow for teams who are secure makes for a huge headache when determining the victor of their games. Try not to raise your eyebrows too high when looking through my picks.
We'll start off in New Jersey where the Rangers need to win or at least keep the game tied into extra time to have a hope for the playoffs. Carolina's huge win in Atlanta on Friday meant huge problems for New York. The Devils aren't an easy win so this game will be very big. If the Rangers lose in regulation, they are eliminated. This is the second straight year where New York's playoff hopes rest on their final game of the season. Last year didn't go so well. In Boston, the Bruins host the Ottawa Senators. As I mentioned, Boston really has nothing more to gain from playing their big players. Whether they do or not, I'm not sure. I do know I can't count the Senators out as they've been pretty good lately.
Next up is a big game in Carolina between the Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are locked in fifth place and, much like the Bruins, really don't have much to play for. It's the opposite for Carolina. The Hurricanes can clinch a playoff spot after climbing over the New York Rangers with a win. Carolina can still earn a spot if they lose so long as New York loses as well. Obviously they won't want it to go to that, but it's still a possibility. I'm thinking Carolina in this game as they'll be far more motivated to win. Another big game is the New York Islanders visiting the Philadelphia Flyers. If Philly wins, they clinch the Atlantic Division and the second seed in the East. If they lose, well they would be relying on Pittsburgh to lose in regulation. I really don't know if Philadelphia will win. They should, but they should have been winning a lot of the games they've lose recently.
In Montreal, the Canadiens will face the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Habs currently hold the sixth spot in the playoffs and have already clinched a spot. They could still move around if they lose, with the worst scenario being they get the seventh seed. Not sure if that will factor in to their game play or not. Tough game to pick as Toronto has been a real troop of a team this year. In Washington, the Capitals have nothing to worry about as they have clinched the right to call themselves the Eastern Conference's best team. Even though they have nothing to play for, I still see them beating Florida.
In Columbus, the Blue Jackets will take on the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres clinched by beating the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. Much like the Canadiens, they could move around. They sit at seventh which is the worst they could possibly do. With a Buffalo win and a Montreal loss, they could move up to the sixth spot in the East. I'm going with Buffalo just based on their recent performances. That and Columbus being terrible as of late. In St. Louis, the Blues host the Nashville Predators who clinched a spot with their win over Columbus on Friday. They sit in fourth place in the West and need to win this game to clinch that seed. St. Louis looks to finish an impressive ending to their season despite missing the playoffs.
In Calgary, the Flames host the Vancouver Canucks for both teams' final game of the season. This is a game I'm not too sure of as well. Neither team has anything to play for. Vancouver is locked in for their playoff spot and Calgary is out of the playoffs. Tough call. If Vancouver were to rest some of their club, I might have to go with Calgary. Otherwise, Vancouver is the clear pick. In Los Angeles, the Kings host the Anaheim Ducks after the teams played Friday in Anaheim. Both teams have clinched a playoff spot already so all that's left is seeding. This one is a good match and should be a good game. I'm feeling Anaheim to win though. They've just been too good lately. Finally, the Coyotes take on the Sharks in San Jose a day after they met in Phoenix. Again, both teams have clinched but seeding is at stake. If San Jose wins, they'll clinch the number two seed. Depending how things play out, Phoenix could hop to fourth in the West with a win. I'm going with San Jose on this one again. I don't see Phoenix taking two from San Jose.
4/9/2011 - Saturday
Devils at Rangers ==> Devils
Senators at Bruins ==> Bruins
Lightning at Hurricanes ==> Hurricanes
Islanders at Flyers ==> Flyers
Canadiens at Maple Leafs ==> Canadiens
Capitals at Panthers ==> Capitals
Sabres at Blue Jackets ==> Sabres
Predators at Blues ==> Blues
Canucks at Flames ==> Flames
Ducks at Kings ==> Ducks
Coyotes at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
Well, Philadelphia has absolutely ruined hockey for me lately. They were beat in Buffalo tonight (thankfully in overtime so that they gained a point) basically by one stupid pass. They still have an opportunity to clinch the second seed against the Islanders tomorrow but with a loss, they could plummet to fourth. What actually makes this horrible is the fact that Philadelphia was running away with the Eastern Conference until they started a skid in March that wouldn't go away. Once a contender, many playoff teams will be hungry to play a team like the Flyers. Especially knowing they can be outworked. Regardless, Buffalo won 4-3 behind two Nathan Gerbe goals. Pittsburgh took care of business as I thought they would against the Islanders courtesy of a shootout. Pittsburgh's vast amount of shootout wins actually gives Philadelphia the tie breaker in the Atlantic Division. Annoying as hell that they received all these wins in this manner, but no use in using that as an excuse for lethargic Philadelphia hockey.
The Chicago Blackhawks, in danger of losing their eighth seed spot to the Dallas Stars, managed to beat the Red Wings 4-2. Detroit currently holds the third seed and will likely keep it unless they can beat Chicago on Sunday and hope that San Jose loses on Saturday. Tampa Bay beat the Florida Panthers as I had figured 4-2 as well. Not much to talk about there. Tampa Bay is the fifth seed and will do no better than that. In Atlanta, the Carolina Hurricanes beat up on the Thrashers winning 6-1. This was a huge win for Carolina as it placed them in playoff contention and pushed the New York Rangers outside the bubble. So long as Carolina can win their next game against Tampa Bay, they'll keep their spot.
In Nashville, the Predators beat the mediocre Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Their playoff spot is clinched, but the win helps them hold onto the fourth spot in the West. The Minnesota Wild beat the struggling Oilers 3-1 in Edmonton. Nothing really there as well. Both teams are out of the playoffs. As I figured would happen, the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche for the second night in a row to keep the possibility of making the playoffs open. They'll still need to win on Sunday against the Wild and will need the Chicago Blackhawks to lose in some fashion in Detroit (also on Sunday).
In Phoenix, the Coyotes took an early lead that they held onto to beat the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks had an opportunity to clinch the second seed but failed to do so. Phoenix used their win to pull right beside the Los Angles Kings and has an opportunity to gain fourth in the Western Conference. I expected San Jose to win but Phoenix is always tough to bet against. Finally, we had Anaheim Ducks beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1. Anaheim is playing very well right now and I was expecting this sort of outcome. Close but not close enough.
Overall, I was 7-3 on the night. Very successful in my eyes. I'm finding it gets a lot tougher to pick games as you approach the end of the season. Here are the results for Friday.
4/8/2011 - Friday
Penguins at Islanders : Pick - Penguins : Result -- 4-3 Penguins : Correct (SO/W) : 231-179
Flyers at Sabres : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 4-3 Sabres : Wrong (OT/L) : 231-180
Blackhawks at Red Wings : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 4-2 Blackhawks : Wrong : 231-181
Panthers at Lightning : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-2 Lightning : 232-181
Hurricanes at Thrashers : Pick - Hurricanes : Result -- 6-1 Hurricanes : Correct : 233-181
Blue Jackets at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 4-1 Predators : Correct : 234-181
Wild at Oilers : Pick - Wild : Result -- 3-1 Wild : Correct : 235-181
Stars at Avalanche : Pick - Stars : Result -- 3-2 Stars : Correct : 236-181
Sharks at Coyotes : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 4-3 Coyotes : Wrong : 236-182
Kings at Ducks : Pick - Ducks : Result -- 2-1 Ducks : Correct : 237-182
-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=
Flyers at Sabres : I made the pick on hope. Hope in one hand and shit in another and see which fills up faster. The Flyers have done nothing lately to warrant being picked over another club. Philadelphia was lucky to come out of this game with one point. Sabres won 4-3 in overtime.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Blackhawks at Red Wings : I hate it when these two teams play because I really could choose either way. Both teams are capable. I went with Detroit and paid for it. Chicago won 4-2.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Stars at Avalanche : I figured the hungry Stars would beat up on a terrible Avalanche team. It wasn't a beating, but I didn't have to think twice about going with the Stars when I made the pick. Stars won 3-2.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Hurricanes at Thrashers : Atlanta goes from shutting out the Rangers to getting thrashed (see what I did there?) by the Hurricanes. Carolina needed this game and the 6-1 score says everything. Atlanta was served.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Flyers at Sabres : Philly actually came back from a 2-1 defecit to take the lead 3-2. Nathan Gerbe had a very pretty (though questionably lucky) goal to tie it up in the third period. Philadelphia had several scoring chances and missed them. A horrible pass made by Scott Hartnell gave Tomas Vanek the break he needed to give Buffalo the win and a playoff spot. Philly could have won this game and gave itself an easier time securing the Atlantic Division. Looks like they'll be taking the hard way.
* Picks *
Saturday provides us with eleven games, some which will matter in a big way, others that won't really mean much. The games that won't mean much to the standings could feature teams resting key players or giving more minutes to lines that don't typically see as much action. Whatever it takes to protect your players and therefore playoff chances. Keep this in mind as I make my picks. I wouldn't typically see Boston and Vancouver losing, but I might have to consider that they will since neither team has anything to gain from playing hard. Vancouver is locked in to the first seed in the Western Conference while Boston has clinched their division and won't move from the third spot in the Eastern Conference. The same could be said for the Sharks if they win their late game on Friday night (writing this section prior to the finish of their game) as this would lock San Jose into the second seed in the West. The fact that I don't know who will be skating tomorrow for teams who are secure makes for a huge headache when determining the victor of their games. Try not to raise your eyebrows too high when looking through my picks.
We'll start off in New Jersey where the Rangers need to win or at least keep the game tied into extra time to have a hope for the playoffs. Carolina's huge win in Atlanta on Friday meant huge problems for New York. The Devils aren't an easy win so this game will be very big. If the Rangers lose in regulation, they are eliminated. This is the second straight year where New York's playoff hopes rest on their final game of the season. Last year didn't go so well. In Boston, the Bruins host the Ottawa Senators. As I mentioned, Boston really has nothing more to gain from playing their big players. Whether they do or not, I'm not sure. I do know I can't count the Senators out as they've been pretty good lately.
Next up is a big game in Carolina between the Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are locked in fifth place and, much like the Bruins, really don't have much to play for. It's the opposite for Carolina. The Hurricanes can clinch a playoff spot after climbing over the New York Rangers with a win. Carolina can still earn a spot if they lose so long as New York loses as well. Obviously they won't want it to go to that, but it's still a possibility. I'm thinking Carolina in this game as they'll be far more motivated to win. Another big game is the New York Islanders visiting the Philadelphia Flyers. If Philly wins, they clinch the Atlantic Division and the second seed in the East. If they lose, well they would be relying on Pittsburgh to lose in regulation. I really don't know if Philadelphia will win. They should, but they should have been winning a lot of the games they've lose recently.
In Montreal, the Canadiens will face the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Habs currently hold the sixth spot in the playoffs and have already clinched a spot. They could still move around if they lose, with the worst scenario being they get the seventh seed. Not sure if that will factor in to their game play or not. Tough game to pick as Toronto has been a real troop of a team this year. In Washington, the Capitals have nothing to worry about as they have clinched the right to call themselves the Eastern Conference's best team. Even though they have nothing to play for, I still see them beating Florida.
In Columbus, the Blue Jackets will take on the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres clinched by beating the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. Much like the Canadiens, they could move around. They sit at seventh which is the worst they could possibly do. With a Buffalo win and a Montreal loss, they could move up to the sixth spot in the East. I'm going with Buffalo just based on their recent performances. That and Columbus being terrible as of late. In St. Louis, the Blues host the Nashville Predators who clinched a spot with their win over Columbus on Friday. They sit in fourth place in the West and need to win this game to clinch that seed. St. Louis looks to finish an impressive ending to their season despite missing the playoffs.
In Calgary, the Flames host the Vancouver Canucks for both teams' final game of the season. This is a game I'm not too sure of as well. Neither team has anything to play for. Vancouver is locked in for their playoff spot and Calgary is out of the playoffs. Tough call. If Vancouver were to rest some of their club, I might have to go with Calgary. Otherwise, Vancouver is the clear pick. In Los Angeles, the Kings host the Anaheim Ducks after the teams played Friday in Anaheim. Both teams have clinched a playoff spot already so all that's left is seeding. This one is a good match and should be a good game. I'm feeling Anaheim to win though. They've just been too good lately. Finally, the Coyotes take on the Sharks in San Jose a day after they met in Phoenix. Again, both teams have clinched but seeding is at stake. If San Jose wins, they'll clinch the number two seed. Depending how things play out, Phoenix could hop to fourth in the West with a win. I'm going with San Jose on this one again. I don't see Phoenix taking two from San Jose.
4/9/2011 - Saturday
Devils at Rangers ==> Devils
Senators at Bruins ==> Bruins
Lightning at Hurricanes ==> Hurricanes
Islanders at Flyers ==> Flyers
Canadiens at Maple Leafs ==> Canadiens
Capitals at Panthers ==> Capitals
Sabres at Blue Jackets ==> Sabres
Predators at Blues ==> Blues
Canucks at Flames ==> Flames
Ducks at Kings ==> Ducks
Coyotes at Sharks ==> Sharks
Night!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Foote Retirement, Turco's Bet : 4/7 Results, 4/8 Picks
* Pre-Skate *
Hadn't done a little writing for the Pre-Skate section in awhile, but I feel like I should give Adam Foote's retirement a little notice. Adam may skate the last game of the season against Edmonton, but regardless, he's hanging up the skates after 19 seasons afterwards. Foote was a member of the Avalanche's more successful years in the league, including two Stanley Cup winning teams (1996 and 2001). Aside from his three year stint in Columbus, Adam Foote played the bulk of his career with the Quebec/Colorado franchise (for those who aren't familiar, the Quebec Nordiques were moved to Colorado where they became the Avalanche) much like other famous Avalanche members Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Foote was more known for his physical abilities than scoring, but he was a very stable defenseman for the Avalanche. His career stats, unless he plays the last game, will remain at 1,153 games played, 66 goals, 242 assists, 308 points, and 1,534 penalty minutes. Foote was very important during those Cup winning years, even with Ray Bourque taking the spotlight during the 2001 run. His veteran presence has been treasured in Colorado the last few seasons as he provided leadership to the younger guys on the Avalanche. This guy was a true warrior and a pleasure to watch, especially during that 1996 run. Congratulations to Adam Foote for an amazing career.
On another note, if you haven't heard, Marty Turco made a "bet". Playing against the Canadiens in Montreal, a fan was talking with Turco (who obviously wasn't playing, just manning the bench) when the fan started throwing up bets. After Turco was on the winning half of the bet, the fan shoved $5 (Canadian) under the glass with 'HABS RULE' written on the bill. The fan continued to make bets (innocent in my opinion) with Turco until he ended up winning (none of the "bets" going against his Blackhawks team) a final bet for all of his money ($25 total) back. As Turco gave the money back, he scribbled out 'HABS' and wrote 'Turco' so that the original bill read 'TURCO RULES'. Not a big deal in my opinion. Unfortunately, the NHL is going to investigate. Though it's not a huge deal, it's still being looked into. I hate that anything was made out of a player being personable and just messing around with a fan. In this day in age where we have players who are too good for their fans (in every sport), isn't it nice to see an athlete interact with the fans? I know gambling is an issue in sports, ask Pete Rose about that, but let's being a little contextual about this. I doubt that Turco would have accepted the money had he won these bets. I think it was humorous and commendable that he did what he did. I truly hope the NHL leaves it alone or maybe just gives Marty a "watch yourself" talk. That's just my opinion on all of this. A little random but it struck up a little emotion when I read the story. How about some results?
* Results *
Funny night in the NHL on Thursday. Both the Thrashers and Senators continued to be a thorn in the side of the better team. In New York, where the Rangers really needed a win, the Thrashers shut them out 3-0. I figured New York would be up to the task to make things really difficult for the Carolina Hurricanes that are chasing them. Instead, Carolina now has a chance to tie them for eighth place with a game in hand. It's starting to look like last year for the Rangers where they lost to the Flyers on the last day of the season in a shootout. History could repeat itself if they aren't careful. I'm not all that surprised by the loss. Atlanta has been giving some teams fits lately (ask the Philadelphia Flyers). The Eastern Conference playoff race is definitely more interesting after this game. In Ottawa, the Senators continue to make other teams work hard. They beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime. I went with the "better" team, but paid for it. I was actually thinking of going with Ottawa knowing how they've been playing tough hockey. Oops. In Dallas, the Stars kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the Avalanche. Saw this game coming. Dallas couldn't have asked for a better team to play. Finally, in Vancouver, the Canucks easily disposed of the Wild 5-0. I was a little weary that Vancouver would take it easy to be sure they were rested for the playoffs, but they didn't seem concerned as the score indicates. Here are the results for Thursday.
4/7/2011 - Thursday
Thrashers at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 3-0 Thrashers : Wrong : 228-178
Canadiens at Senators : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 3-2 Senators : Wrong (OT/L) : 228-179
Avalanche at Stars : Pick - Stars : Result -- 4-2 Stars : Correct : 229-179
Wild at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 5-0 Canucks : Correct : 230-179
-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=
Canadiens at Senators : I had that nagging sensation to go with Ottawa here and I didn't. I paid for it. Ottawa isn't being pushed over as their standings indicate they should be. They're doing this with a disassembled and injured team. That's what happens when you have young guys playing for pride and a roster spot. I won't knock on picking Montreal too bad because Montreal really should have beat Ottawa if they're playoff contenders. However, when the gut is trying to tell you something, I would recommend going with it.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
None. I don't think any of the picks for Thursday were really tremendously difficult.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Stars : I could have gone with the Canucks over the Wild, but this game had more potential impact. The Stars needed to win this game against a far inferior team. They got the win as expected.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Canadiens at Senators : As I mentioned in the DPotN area, the Canadiens really should have won this game if their team is the better of the two. Can't expect to do too well if you can't beat one of the bottom dwellers of the NHL.
* Picks *
Ten games for Friday and many are huge. I actually had an extremely difficult time picking winners for this night. Could a horrible night be in the works? Quite possibly. In Pittsburgh, the Penguins are hoping to beat the Islanders with the Atlantic Division title in view. If they win and Philadelphia loses, it gets that much easier. I'm going with Pittsburgh because they're playing so well lately. The Islanders could be hungry enough to win this game after the whole brawl thing from weeks ago. In Buffalo, I'm going on hope that Philadelphia can beat the Sabres. GM Paul Holmgren gave the Flyers a talking to and one can only hope that woke the club up. If not, well, I see the Flyers entering the playoffs as the fourth seed after their lethargic play from the last month. Buffalo will be playing for their playoff spot. If they win, they clinch a playoff spot. In Detroit, I'm going with the Red Wings to beat the Chicago Blackhawks. Very tough game where my pick is leaning on Detroit's well-rounded club to hold on. In Tampa Bay, I'm going with the Lightning to beat the mediocre Florida Panthers. Florida really has nothing to gain from winning except for pride and moving themselves up in the draft (wouldn't recommend that). In Atlanta, I expect the Carolina Hurricanes to beat the Thrashers which would send the Rangers out of playoff contention (for the time being). In Nashville, I'm thinking the Predators will beat Columbus who hasn't had much success lately. I get the feeling I could be wrong on this one. Columbus isn't horrible enough to dismiss immediately like other teams. In Edmonton, I think the Wild will recover from Thursday's huge loss to beat the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers can actually go out and play knowing they won't lose the greatest opportunity of getting the first overall pick in the 2011 draft (they will officially be the worst team in the NHL this year, it's been clinched). This is another game I'm a little weary of. Edmonton is just as capable of spoiling the better team's night. In Colorado, I see the Stars taking another game from Colorado after beating them in Dallas on Thursday. The Stars would tie Anaheim and Chicago if they win and both those teams lose (Anaheim would hold the seventh spot for sure as they have the tie breaker). If that actually happens, the last couple of days of the season will be very interesting. In Phoenix, I see the San Jose Sharks taking care of business against the Coyotes. Gut instinct and nothing more on that pick. Finally, in Anaheim, I have the Ducks beating the Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks have been very hot lately and I see no reason why the Kings would stop that. They'll also need the win to keep the Stars and Blackhawks from getting too close for comfort in the standings. I expect an exciting night. Here are my picks for Friday.
4/8/2011 - Friday
Penguins at Islanders ==> Penguins
Flyers at Sabres ==> Flyers
Blackhawks at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Panthers at Lightning ==> Lightning
Hurricanes at Thrashers ==> Hurricanes
Blue Jackets at Predators ==> Predators
Wild at Oilers ==> Wild
Stars at Avalanche ==> Stars
Sharks at Coyotes ==> Sharks
Kings at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
Hadn't done a little writing for the Pre-Skate section in awhile, but I feel like I should give Adam Foote's retirement a little notice. Adam may skate the last game of the season against Edmonton, but regardless, he's hanging up the skates after 19 seasons afterwards. Foote was a member of the Avalanche's more successful years in the league, including two Stanley Cup winning teams (1996 and 2001). Aside from his three year stint in Columbus, Adam Foote played the bulk of his career with the Quebec/Colorado franchise (for those who aren't familiar, the Quebec Nordiques were moved to Colorado where they became the Avalanche) much like other famous Avalanche members Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Foote was more known for his physical abilities than scoring, but he was a very stable defenseman for the Avalanche. His career stats, unless he plays the last game, will remain at 1,153 games played, 66 goals, 242 assists, 308 points, and 1,534 penalty minutes. Foote was very important during those Cup winning years, even with Ray Bourque taking the spotlight during the 2001 run. His veteran presence has been treasured in Colorado the last few seasons as he provided leadership to the younger guys on the Avalanche. This guy was a true warrior and a pleasure to watch, especially during that 1996 run. Congratulations to Adam Foote for an amazing career.
On another note, if you haven't heard, Marty Turco made a "bet". Playing against the Canadiens in Montreal, a fan was talking with Turco (who obviously wasn't playing, just manning the bench) when the fan started throwing up bets. After Turco was on the winning half of the bet, the fan shoved $5 (Canadian) under the glass with 'HABS RULE' written on the bill. The fan continued to make bets (innocent in my opinion) with Turco until he ended up winning (none of the "bets" going against his Blackhawks team) a final bet for all of his money ($25 total) back. As Turco gave the money back, he scribbled out 'HABS' and wrote 'Turco' so that the original bill read 'TURCO RULES'. Not a big deal in my opinion. Unfortunately, the NHL is going to investigate. Though it's not a huge deal, it's still being looked into. I hate that anything was made out of a player being personable and just messing around with a fan. In this day in age where we have players who are too good for their fans (in every sport), isn't it nice to see an athlete interact with the fans? I know gambling is an issue in sports, ask Pete Rose about that, but let's being a little contextual about this. I doubt that Turco would have accepted the money had he won these bets. I think it was humorous and commendable that he did what he did. I truly hope the NHL leaves it alone or maybe just gives Marty a "watch yourself" talk. That's just my opinion on all of this. A little random but it struck up a little emotion when I read the story. How about some results?
* Results *
Funny night in the NHL on Thursday. Both the Thrashers and Senators continued to be a thorn in the side of the better team. In New York, where the Rangers really needed a win, the Thrashers shut them out 3-0. I figured New York would be up to the task to make things really difficult for the Carolina Hurricanes that are chasing them. Instead, Carolina now has a chance to tie them for eighth place with a game in hand. It's starting to look like last year for the Rangers where they lost to the Flyers on the last day of the season in a shootout. History could repeat itself if they aren't careful. I'm not all that surprised by the loss. Atlanta has been giving some teams fits lately (ask the Philadelphia Flyers). The Eastern Conference playoff race is definitely more interesting after this game. In Ottawa, the Senators continue to make other teams work hard. They beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime. I went with the "better" team, but paid for it. I was actually thinking of going with Ottawa knowing how they've been playing tough hockey. Oops. In Dallas, the Stars kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the Avalanche. Saw this game coming. Dallas couldn't have asked for a better team to play. Finally, in Vancouver, the Canucks easily disposed of the Wild 5-0. I was a little weary that Vancouver would take it easy to be sure they were rested for the playoffs, but they didn't seem concerned as the score indicates. Here are the results for Thursday.
4/7/2011 - Thursday
Thrashers at Rangers : Pick - Rangers : Result -- 3-0 Thrashers : Wrong : 228-178
Canadiens at Senators : Pick - Canadiens : Result -- 3-2 Senators : Wrong (OT/L) : 228-179
Avalanche at Stars : Pick - Stars : Result -- 4-2 Stars : Correct : 229-179
Wild at Canucks : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 5-0 Canucks : Correct : 230-179
-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=
Canadiens at Senators : I had that nagging sensation to go with Ottawa here and I didn't. I paid for it. Ottawa isn't being pushed over as their standings indicate they should be. They're doing this with a disassembled and injured team. That's what happens when you have young guys playing for pride and a roster spot. I won't knock on picking Montreal too bad because Montreal really should have beat Ottawa if they're playoff contenders. However, when the gut is trying to tell you something, I would recommend going with it.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
None. I don't think any of the picks for Thursday were really tremendously difficult.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Stars : I could have gone with the Canucks over the Wild, but this game had more potential impact. The Stars needed to win this game against a far inferior team. They got the win as expected.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Canadiens at Senators : As I mentioned in the DPotN area, the Canadiens really should have won this game if their team is the better of the two. Can't expect to do too well if you can't beat one of the bottom dwellers of the NHL.
* Picks *
Ten games for Friday and many are huge. I actually had an extremely difficult time picking winners for this night. Could a horrible night be in the works? Quite possibly. In Pittsburgh, the Penguins are hoping to beat the Islanders with the Atlantic Division title in view. If they win and Philadelphia loses, it gets that much easier. I'm going with Pittsburgh because they're playing so well lately. The Islanders could be hungry enough to win this game after the whole brawl thing from weeks ago. In Buffalo, I'm going on hope that Philadelphia can beat the Sabres. GM Paul Holmgren gave the Flyers a talking to and one can only hope that woke the club up. If not, well, I see the Flyers entering the playoffs as the fourth seed after their lethargic play from the last month. Buffalo will be playing for their playoff spot. If they win, they clinch a playoff spot. In Detroit, I'm going with the Red Wings to beat the Chicago Blackhawks. Very tough game where my pick is leaning on Detroit's well-rounded club to hold on. In Tampa Bay, I'm going with the Lightning to beat the mediocre Florida Panthers. Florida really has nothing to gain from winning except for pride and moving themselves up in the draft (wouldn't recommend that). In Atlanta, I expect the Carolina Hurricanes to beat the Thrashers which would send the Rangers out of playoff contention (for the time being). In Nashville, I'm thinking the Predators will beat Columbus who hasn't had much success lately. I get the feeling I could be wrong on this one. Columbus isn't horrible enough to dismiss immediately like other teams. In Edmonton, I think the Wild will recover from Thursday's huge loss to beat the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers can actually go out and play knowing they won't lose the greatest opportunity of getting the first overall pick in the 2011 draft (they will officially be the worst team in the NHL this year, it's been clinched). This is another game I'm a little weary of. Edmonton is just as capable of spoiling the better team's night. In Colorado, I see the Stars taking another game from Colorado after beating them in Dallas on Thursday. The Stars would tie Anaheim and Chicago if they win and both those teams lose (Anaheim would hold the seventh spot for sure as they have the tie breaker). If that actually happens, the last couple of days of the season will be very interesting. In Phoenix, I see the San Jose Sharks taking care of business against the Coyotes. Gut instinct and nothing more on that pick. Finally, in Anaheim, I have the Ducks beating the Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks have been very hot lately and I see no reason why the Kings would stop that. They'll also need the win to keep the Stars and Blackhawks from getting too close for comfort in the standings. I expect an exciting night. Here are my picks for Friday.
4/8/2011 - Friday
Penguins at Islanders ==> Penguins
Flyers at Sabres ==> Flyers
Blackhawks at Red Wings ==> Red Wings
Panthers at Lightning ==> Lightning
Hurricanes at Thrashers ==> Hurricanes
Blue Jackets at Predators ==> Predators
Wild at Oilers ==> Wild
Stars at Avalanche ==> Stars
Sharks at Coyotes ==> Sharks
Kings at Ducks ==> Ducks
Night!
So Long, Calgary : 4/6 Results, 4/7 Picks
* Results *
Not that great of a night for me on Wednesday. I finished even on the night but was way off on some of the games I lost. The Bruins beat the Islanders as expected 3-2. The Red Wings loss against Carolina is a bit of a shocker, especially with a 3-0 score attached to it. Carolina was playing desperate hockey though. The win kept them alive in the Eastern Conference. I expect that they'll need to win the rest of their games to get into the playoffs with the Rangers only two points away. In New Jersey, I was expecting the Maple Leafs to beat the Devils with some of their late success. Not the case. The Devils took care of them 4-2. In Washington, the Panthers lost to the Capitals as I was expecting with a score of 5-2. The win basically assures them of the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs unless the Flyers win both their remaining games and the Capitals lose in Florida (their last game of the season). I'd expect Washington to hold the lead. In Chicago, the Blues finally succumbed a loss after playing some very good hockey. They still earned a point as the game was sent to overtime. Chicago won 4-3 with the extra time. The win eliminated Calgary from contention and nearly clinches them a spot. Unfortunately for Chicago, Dallas has three games remaining and could still possibly catch up should Chicago lose a game or two. Speaking of the Flames, despite beating the crap out of the Oilers 6-1, they're eliminated from the playoffs this year. Tough run for these guys as they nearly pulled it off. Their string of bad games within the last few weeks really did them in. Great effort anyhow. The last two games of the night really threw me off. In Anaheim, I expected the Ducks to falter to Detroit since they're a tough Western Conference opponent. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, my pick for this game, Corey Perry went off scoring three goals which makes him a 50 goal scorer this year. Most importantly, as with Chicago, the win basically clinches them a spot. If they win one more game, they're in. In Los Angeles, I had figured the Coyotes would beat an injured Kings team. They nearly did, but the Kings beat the Coyotes in a shootout to pull off the win. The Kings clinched but the Coyotes can still technically be caught by the Dallas Stars. The Western Conference's fate basically rests with the Dallas Stars. Should the Stars lose a game or two while the other teams win at least a game, I believe that should put everyone in a clinched spot. The playoff picture is much clearer, but many possibilities are still in play. Wednesday's results below.
4/6/2011 - Wednesday
Islanders at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 3-2 Bruins : Correct : 225-173
Red Wings at Hurricanes : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-0 Hurricanes : Wrong : 225-174
Maple Leafs at Devils : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 4-2 Devils : Wrong : 225-175
Panthers at Capitals : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 5-2 Capitals : Correct : 226-175
Blues at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 4-3 Blackhawks : Correct (OT/W) : 227-175
Oilers at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 6-1 Flames : Correct : 228-175
Sharks at Ducks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-2 Ducks : Wrong : 228-176
Coyotes at Kings : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 3-2 Kings : Wrong (SO/L) : 228-177
-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=
Maple Leafs at Devils : Though this isn't necessarily an easy game, I think I underestimated the Devils and just guessed. Toronto seemed like a fun pick to make but New Jersey has the far better roster for now. Needed to use my brain a little more on this one.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Coyotes at Kings : I really had no clue on this game. Los Angeles would normally be the better pick in my eyes, but without Kopitar playing, I was a little unsure. Very even match without Kopitar.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Capitals : Washington is pretty hot right now and motivated. Florida is long gone and likely disconnected. Didn't see how the Panthers even had a chance to win this one.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Oilers at Flames : A result you'd expect. The Oilers were on the bad end of a 6-1 drubbing courtesy of the Flames. They got owned, plain and simple.
* Picks *
Of the remaining nights left on the schedule, Thursday's is the slowest. Only four games on tap. I'd be watching the Avalanche at Stars game to see if Dallas can stay in the playoff picture or not. I think they would still be in the picture if they lost, but winning would make it much easier. The Thrashers at Rangers game is also big. Carolina and Buffalo will be rooting for Atlanta to beat the Rangers. If New York can win, they'll take some pressure off themselves with Carolina sitting right behind them. If they lose, well it gets a little more interesting of course. The other two games of the night (Canadiens at Senators and Wild at Canucks) feature an eliminated team facing a playoff team. That could mean some losses for me since you never know if the playoff team will be sitting some key players. Here are my picks for Thursday.
4/7/2011 - Thursday
Thrashers at Rangers ==> Rangers
Canadiens at Senators ==> Canadiens
Avalanche at Stars ==> Stars
Wild at Canucks ==> Canucks
Night!
Not that great of a night for me on Wednesday. I finished even on the night but was way off on some of the games I lost. The Bruins beat the Islanders as expected 3-2. The Red Wings loss against Carolina is a bit of a shocker, especially with a 3-0 score attached to it. Carolina was playing desperate hockey though. The win kept them alive in the Eastern Conference. I expect that they'll need to win the rest of their games to get into the playoffs with the Rangers only two points away. In New Jersey, I was expecting the Maple Leafs to beat the Devils with some of their late success. Not the case. The Devils took care of them 4-2. In Washington, the Panthers lost to the Capitals as I was expecting with a score of 5-2. The win basically assures them of the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs unless the Flyers win both their remaining games and the Capitals lose in Florida (their last game of the season). I'd expect Washington to hold the lead. In Chicago, the Blues finally succumbed a loss after playing some very good hockey. They still earned a point as the game was sent to overtime. Chicago won 4-3 with the extra time. The win eliminated Calgary from contention and nearly clinches them a spot. Unfortunately for Chicago, Dallas has three games remaining and could still possibly catch up should Chicago lose a game or two. Speaking of the Flames, despite beating the crap out of the Oilers 6-1, they're eliminated from the playoffs this year. Tough run for these guys as they nearly pulled it off. Their string of bad games within the last few weeks really did them in. Great effort anyhow. The last two games of the night really threw me off. In Anaheim, I expected the Ducks to falter to Detroit since they're a tough Western Conference opponent. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, my pick for this game, Corey Perry went off scoring three goals which makes him a 50 goal scorer this year. Most importantly, as with Chicago, the win basically clinches them a spot. If they win one more game, they're in. In Los Angeles, I had figured the Coyotes would beat an injured Kings team. They nearly did, but the Kings beat the Coyotes in a shootout to pull off the win. The Kings clinched but the Coyotes can still technically be caught by the Dallas Stars. The Western Conference's fate basically rests with the Dallas Stars. Should the Stars lose a game or two while the other teams win at least a game, I believe that should put everyone in a clinched spot. The playoff picture is much clearer, but many possibilities are still in play. Wednesday's results below.
4/6/2011 - Wednesday
Islanders at Bruins : Pick - Bruins : Result -- 3-2 Bruins : Correct : 225-173
Red Wings at Hurricanes : Pick - Red Wings : Result -- 3-0 Hurricanes : Wrong : 225-174
Maple Leafs at Devils : Pick - Maple Leafs : Result -- 4-2 Devils : Wrong : 225-175
Panthers at Capitals : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 5-2 Capitals : Correct : 226-175
Blues at Blackhawks : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 4-3 Blackhawks : Correct (OT/W) : 227-175
Oilers at Flames : Pick - Flames : Result -- 6-1 Flames : Correct : 228-175
Sharks at Ducks : Pick - Sharks : Result -- 6-2 Ducks : Wrong : 228-176
Coyotes at Kings : Pick - Coyotes : Result -- 3-2 Kings : Wrong (SO/L) : 228-177
-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=
Maple Leafs at Devils : Though this isn't necessarily an easy game, I think I underestimated the Devils and just guessed. Toronto seemed like a fun pick to make but New Jersey has the far better roster for now. Needed to use my brain a little more on this one.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Coyotes at Kings : I really had no clue on this game. Los Angeles would normally be the better pick in my eyes, but without Kopitar playing, I was a little unsure. Very even match without Kopitar.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Panthers at Capitals : Washington is pretty hot right now and motivated. Florida is long gone and likely disconnected. Didn't see how the Panthers even had a chance to win this one.
=Got Owned Game of the Night=
Oilers at Flames : A result you'd expect. The Oilers were on the bad end of a 6-1 drubbing courtesy of the Flames. They got owned, plain and simple.
* Picks *
Of the remaining nights left on the schedule, Thursday's is the slowest. Only four games on tap. I'd be watching the Avalanche at Stars game to see if Dallas can stay in the playoff picture or not. I think they would still be in the picture if they lost, but winning would make it much easier. The Thrashers at Rangers game is also big. Carolina and Buffalo will be rooting for Atlanta to beat the Rangers. If New York can win, they'll take some pressure off themselves with Carolina sitting right behind them. If they lose, well it gets a little more interesting of course. The other two games of the night (Canadiens at Senators and Wild at Canucks) feature an eliminated team facing a playoff team. That could mean some losses for me since you never know if the playoff team will be sitting some key players. Here are my picks for Thursday.
4/7/2011 - Thursday
Thrashers at Rangers ==> Rangers
Canadiens at Senators ==> Canadiens
Avalanche at Stars ==> Stars
Wild at Canucks ==> Canucks
Night!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Flyers Plummet : 4/5 Results, 4/6 Picks
* Results *
I'm feeling very uninspired to write. This is probably due to the Philadelphia Flyers and their horrendous loss to the Ottawa Senators. With their loss and the Washington Capitals shootout victory, the Caps are your current Eastern Conference leaders. The Penguins also picked up two points on the Flyers who are in danger of losing both the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division unless they win their final two games. Washington has two easy games against Florida to top things off. At this point, they'll be lucky to have the second seed in the playoffs. Tonight's game in Ottawa looked promising as the Flyers converted two goals by Mike Richards on the power play. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Flyers regressed to what they've been the last few weeks which is lethargic. It seems like half the team is aware that they're in trouble while the other half remains convinced that some sort of light switch will activate causing them to play good hockey. I'm not calling it the end of the world, but damn, to get out of a rut, a team must win some games consistently. They have two of those to get their crap together before a very motivated team sends them golfing. The game in Ottawa was filled with stupid penalties, lazy plays, and blatant stupidity. The Flyers won't do worse than fourth seed as a result of their good record from earlier in the season, but I could see an early exit in the first round unless something changes quickly.
The Buffalo Sabres had a huge win in Tampa tonight that should make them a playoff team. If Carolina loses one game or Buffalo wins another, they'll be a sure playoff team. I see it happening for Buffalo which is amazing considering they're doing this with Jhonas Enroth. No Ryan Miller to save the day (for now). Buffalo is a dark horse in the Eastern Conference. I would hate to underestimate their ability. Props to them. The Capitals, as I mentioned, beat the Maple Leafs in a shootout which ended any playoff hope in Toronto. I'll give Toronto a lot of respect. They went from a team who had waffles (literally, seriously) thrown at them to a near playoff team. They played some good hockey near the end. They'll be back, hopefully with Reimer as their goaltender. The Capitals clinched the Southeast Division crown with their win. No surprise. With two games against Florida left on the schedule, I see them as your Eastern Conference number one seed.
The Blackhawks on the other hand missed an opportunity to move on in the standings by losing to the Canadiens in overtime tonight 2-1. They earned a point which keeps them on par with Anaheim but missed opportunities can be a killer. In Pittsburgh, the Devils weren't able to beat the Penguins as they lost 4-2. Pittsburgh moves in on the Flyers for the Atlantic Division. They're only one point away with two games remaining for each team. With the way both teams are playing, it's a possibility that Pittsburgh takes the Atlantic away from the Flyers. This made all more the amazing with the fact that the Penguins have been playing without their two best players. Completely embarrassing for the Flyers.
The Blues were able to beat the Avalanche easily with a 3-1 victory. St. Louis continues to gain my respect. As with many of these eliminated teams, you can only imagine had they played this way all year. Just more hope for next season. In Nashville, the Predators held off the Thrashers 6-3. Pretty thorough win there. Nashville moves ahead of the Phoenix Coyotes with the win by one point for fourth in the Western Conference. In Dallas, the Stars shutout the Blue Jackets 3-0. With three games left to play, the Stars remain only two points away from the Ducks and Blackhawks for a playoff spot. The last few spots for the Western Conference should be an astounding race. Finally, the Oilers shutout the Canucks 2-0. I'd expect the Canucks are taking the safe route after locking up the top see in the Western Conference. With a couple of important players hurt, the Canucks are avoiding the injury bug as best as possible. Smart move on their part. Results for Tuesday below.
4/5/2011 - Tuesday
Lightning at Sabres : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-2 Sabres : Wrong : 220-169
Capitals at Maple Leafs : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-2 Capitals : Correct (SO/W) : 221-169
Blackhawks at Canadiens : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 2-1 Canadiens : Wrong (OT/L) : 221-170
Flyers at Senators : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 5-2 Senators : Wrong : 221-171
Devils at Penguins : Pick - Devils : Result -- 4-2 Penguins : Wrong : 221-172
Avalanche at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 3-1 Blues : Correct : 222-172
Thrashers at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 6-3 Predators : Correct : 223-172
Blue Jackets at Stars : Pick - Stars : Result -- 3-0 Stars : Correct : 224-172
Canucks at Oilers : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 2-0 Oilers : Wrong : 224-173
-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=
Devils at Penguins : I don't know if I just picked the Devils because it's the result I wanted or if I truly believed they could win. Pittsburgh is playing so well considering their injuries. New Jersey had been playing superb and should still be considered a tough game, but come on, they've been knocked out. I think the Devils played so well because they really thought they could get back in the playoff picture. You have to go with Pittsburgh at home here. Dumb pick on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Lightning at Sabres : The Sabres playing without Ryan Miller against a team filled with good goal scorers. You would think that would be an easy pick. As I mentioned earlier, you can't underestimate a team like Buffalo. Lindy Ruff does a great job of coaching with what players he has. Tampa Bay should be considered very dangerous. They have guys like Martin St. Louis and Steve Stamkos who can score at will. I had a rough time picking this game but went with the scoring rather than the more cohesive unit.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Blues : It's so easy to pick the Blues anymore. They've been playing such great hockey. I saw no reason why they wouldn't continue doing so against one of the league's worst in the Colorado Avalanche.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Flyers at Senators : Your team is in such a deep and your playoff seeding is plummeting. You're playing one of the league's worst teams. What better of a way to break out of all of your problems, right? Wrong. Philadelphia was terrible. They were winning 2-1 and had countless power play opportunities to build a lead. Instead, they gave Ottawa countless power play opportunities and allowed them to score three unanswered goals. This was a must win game for Philadelphia. The schedule won't get easier. Ottawa has played the good teams so well as of late that I'm almost not surprised. I just expected a team like the Flyers that should have and could have beat the Senators to win. Wrong again!
* Picks *
4/6/2011 - Wednesday
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not feeling the writer's bug tonight. There are some important games in play for Wednesday. The Panthers visiting the Capitals is a key game for Washington. They'll be looking to almost assure themselves of the top seed in the East. The Blues visiting the Blackhawks should also be a good game. Chicago should consider that a must win game. Finally, the Pacific Division games will be huge. The Sharks have already locked in their division and playoff spot, but they'll be facing a Ducks team that should consider the game a must win. With the Stars and Flames chasing, they'll need anything. One or two points helps. The Coyotes and Kings should also be considered important. Tied with points and holding fifth and sixth in the Western Conference, both teams will want to win to clinch a playoff spot. If one of these teams wins in regulation, they'll do just that. Two points clinches. Should be some good hockey tonight. Enjoy. Wednesday's picks below.
Islanders at Bruins ==> Bruins
Red Wings at Hurricanes ==> Red Wings
Maple Leafs at Devils ==> Maple Leafs
Panthers at Capitals ==> Capitals
Blues at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Oilers at Flames ==> Flames
Sharks at Ducks ==> Sharks
Coyotes at Kings ==> Coyotes
Night!
I'm feeling very uninspired to write. This is probably due to the Philadelphia Flyers and their horrendous loss to the Ottawa Senators. With their loss and the Washington Capitals shootout victory, the Caps are your current Eastern Conference leaders. The Penguins also picked up two points on the Flyers who are in danger of losing both the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division unless they win their final two games. Washington has two easy games against Florida to top things off. At this point, they'll be lucky to have the second seed in the playoffs. Tonight's game in Ottawa looked promising as the Flyers converted two goals by Mike Richards on the power play. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Flyers regressed to what they've been the last few weeks which is lethargic. It seems like half the team is aware that they're in trouble while the other half remains convinced that some sort of light switch will activate causing them to play good hockey. I'm not calling it the end of the world, but damn, to get out of a rut, a team must win some games consistently. They have two of those to get their crap together before a very motivated team sends them golfing. The game in Ottawa was filled with stupid penalties, lazy plays, and blatant stupidity. The Flyers won't do worse than fourth seed as a result of their good record from earlier in the season, but I could see an early exit in the first round unless something changes quickly.
The Buffalo Sabres had a huge win in Tampa tonight that should make them a playoff team. If Carolina loses one game or Buffalo wins another, they'll be a sure playoff team. I see it happening for Buffalo which is amazing considering they're doing this with Jhonas Enroth. No Ryan Miller to save the day (for now). Buffalo is a dark horse in the Eastern Conference. I would hate to underestimate their ability. Props to them. The Capitals, as I mentioned, beat the Maple Leafs in a shootout which ended any playoff hope in Toronto. I'll give Toronto a lot of respect. They went from a team who had waffles (literally, seriously) thrown at them to a near playoff team. They played some good hockey near the end. They'll be back, hopefully with Reimer as their goaltender. The Capitals clinched the Southeast Division crown with their win. No surprise. With two games against Florida left on the schedule, I see them as your Eastern Conference number one seed.
The Blackhawks on the other hand missed an opportunity to move on in the standings by losing to the Canadiens in overtime tonight 2-1. They earned a point which keeps them on par with Anaheim but missed opportunities can be a killer. In Pittsburgh, the Devils weren't able to beat the Penguins as they lost 4-2. Pittsburgh moves in on the Flyers for the Atlantic Division. They're only one point away with two games remaining for each team. With the way both teams are playing, it's a possibility that Pittsburgh takes the Atlantic away from the Flyers. This made all more the amazing with the fact that the Penguins have been playing without their two best players. Completely embarrassing for the Flyers.
The Blues were able to beat the Avalanche easily with a 3-1 victory. St. Louis continues to gain my respect. As with many of these eliminated teams, you can only imagine had they played this way all year. Just more hope for next season. In Nashville, the Predators held off the Thrashers 6-3. Pretty thorough win there. Nashville moves ahead of the Phoenix Coyotes with the win by one point for fourth in the Western Conference. In Dallas, the Stars shutout the Blue Jackets 3-0. With three games left to play, the Stars remain only two points away from the Ducks and Blackhawks for a playoff spot. The last few spots for the Western Conference should be an astounding race. Finally, the Oilers shutout the Canucks 2-0. I'd expect the Canucks are taking the safe route after locking up the top see in the Western Conference. With a couple of important players hurt, the Canucks are avoiding the injury bug as best as possible. Smart move on their part. Results for Tuesday below.
4/5/2011 - Tuesday
Lightning at Sabres : Pick - Lightning : Result -- 4-2 Sabres : Wrong : 220-169
Capitals at Maple Leafs : Pick - Capitals : Result -- 3-2 Capitals : Correct (SO/W) : 221-169
Blackhawks at Canadiens : Pick - Blackhawks : Result -- 2-1 Canadiens : Wrong (OT/L) : 221-170
Flyers at Senators : Pick - Flyers : Result -- 5-2 Senators : Wrong : 221-171
Devils at Penguins : Pick - Devils : Result -- 4-2 Penguins : Wrong : 221-172
Avalanche at Blues : Pick - Blues : Result -- 3-1 Blues : Correct : 222-172
Thrashers at Predators : Pick - Predators : Result -- 6-3 Predators : Correct : 223-172
Blue Jackets at Stars : Pick - Stars : Result -- 3-0 Stars : Correct : 224-172
Canucks at Oilers : Pick - Canucks : Result -- 2-0 Oilers : Wrong : 224-173
-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=
Devils at Penguins : I don't know if I just picked the Devils because it's the result I wanted or if I truly believed they could win. Pittsburgh is playing so well considering their injuries. New Jersey had been playing superb and should still be considered a tough game, but come on, they've been knocked out. I think the Devils played so well because they really thought they could get back in the playoff picture. You have to go with Pittsburgh at home here. Dumb pick on my part.
=Hardest Pick of the Night=
Lightning at Sabres : The Sabres playing without Ryan Miller against a team filled with good goal scorers. You would think that would be an easy pick. As I mentioned earlier, you can't underestimate a team like Buffalo. Lindy Ruff does a great job of coaching with what players he has. Tampa Bay should be considered very dangerous. They have guys like Martin St. Louis and Steve Stamkos who can score at will. I had a rough time picking this game but went with the scoring rather than the more cohesive unit.
=Easiest Pick of the Night=
Avalanche at Blues : It's so easy to pick the Blues anymore. They've been playing such great hockey. I saw no reason why they wouldn't continue doing so against one of the league's worst in the Colorado Avalanche.
=Shoulda, Coulda, Didn't Game of the Night=
Flyers at Senators : Your team is in such a deep and your playoff seeding is plummeting. You're playing one of the league's worst teams. What better of a way to break out of all of your problems, right? Wrong. Philadelphia was terrible. They were winning 2-1 and had countless power play opportunities to build a lead. Instead, they gave Ottawa countless power play opportunities and allowed them to score three unanswered goals. This was a must win game for Philadelphia. The schedule won't get easier. Ottawa has played the good teams so well as of late that I'm almost not surprised. I just expected a team like the Flyers that should have and could have beat the Senators to win. Wrong again!
* Picks *
4/6/2011 - Wednesday
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not feeling the writer's bug tonight. There are some important games in play for Wednesday. The Panthers visiting the Capitals is a key game for Washington. They'll be looking to almost assure themselves of the top seed in the East. The Blues visiting the Blackhawks should also be a good game. Chicago should consider that a must win game. Finally, the Pacific Division games will be huge. The Sharks have already locked in their division and playoff spot, but they'll be facing a Ducks team that should consider the game a must win. With the Stars and Flames chasing, they'll need anything. One or two points helps. The Coyotes and Kings should also be considered important. Tied with points and holding fifth and sixth in the Western Conference, both teams will want to win to clinch a playoff spot. If one of these teams wins in regulation, they'll do just that. Two points clinches. Should be some good hockey tonight. Enjoy. Wednesday's picks below.
Islanders at Bruins ==> Bruins
Red Wings at Hurricanes ==> Red Wings
Maple Leafs at Devils ==> Maple Leafs
Panthers at Capitals ==> Capitals
Blues at Blackhawks ==> Blackhawks
Oilers at Flames ==> Flames
Sharks at Ducks ==> Sharks
Coyotes at Kings ==> Coyotes
Night!
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