* 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!
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