* 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!
No comments:
Post a Comment