2nd Round Predictions

The Conference semi-finals got underway last night in San Jose with the Sharks defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3. We have the Montreal Canadiens starting their series tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins and two more series starting tomorrow.

Enough waiting, let's get to the predictions. We will start in the East with the defending champs.

Montreal vs. Pittsburgh:

Montreal rallied from a three games to one deficit to win the last three games and stun the top seeded Washington capitals to move on to the 2nd Round.

Jaroslav Halak gave the Habs a performance in goal that they have been lacking since Jose Theodore won the Hart Trophy back in 2002. In the last three games he stopped 131 of 134 shots that he faced.

Forward Mike Cammalleri is the leading scorer for Montreal with 5 goals & 10 points this post-season.

Pittsburgh lost Game one by a score of 5-4 to Ottawa before winning the next three games. Pittsburgh went on to eliminate the Senators in six games.

Sidney Crosby is the leading scorer for the Penguins with 5 goals and leads all playoff scorers with 14 points.

Prediction- Montreal did a good job containing Alex Ovechkin in the 1st round. I think they are good enough to contain Crosby or Malkin but they can't do both.

Penguins in five.

Philadelphia vs. Boston:

This is a rematch of the Winter Classic back on New Year's Day which Boston won 2-1 in overtime.

Philadelphia continued their dominance of New Jersey, winning that series four games to one.

Claude Giroux leads Philly with four goals this post-season while Mike Richards is their leading scorer with eight points.

Brian Boucher has a Goals Against average of 1.59 and a save percentage of .940 with one shutout. Not bad for a guy who was the 3rd option in goal going into the playoffs.

Boston upset the Buffalo Sabres in six games to advance to the 2nd round.

Tukka Rask has emerged to take the job in goal for the Bruins. He has a Goals Against Average of 2.18 & and save percentage of .927.

Mark Rechhi & David Krejci are tied for the lead in goals with three each.

Prediction- Boston has trouble scoring goals and because of that the Flyers have a huge advantage at forward. Both teams have shutdown defenseman (Chris Pronger for Philly, Zdeno Chara for Boston) that should limit scoring chances.

I think this series will have to come down to who is the better goalie. If Rask can outplay Ryan Miller then he can outplay Brian Boucher.

Boston in seven games.

Now let's take a look at the Western Conference.

Vancouver vs. Chicago:

This is a rematch of last year's Western Conference Semi-Final which Chicago won in six games.

Vancouver advanced to the 2nd round after defeating Los Angeles in six games.

Forward Mikael Samuelsson is benefiting from playing on the same line as the Sedin Twins. He leads the Canucks with 7 goals & 11 points this post-season.

Chicago survived their series with Nashville, winning it in six games.

The young guns for Chicago got the job done in Round one. Patrick Kane leads the team with four goals and Jonathan Toews leads all scorers with eight points.

Prediction- I think Vancouver is a one-line team with a good goaltender. If you can stop that one line and get a couple quick goals on Luongo the Canucks have a tendency to fold like a cheap tent.

Chicago has a very good group of defenseman, led by Olympic Gold Medalist Duncan Keith & Brent Seabrook, that is able to shut down the Sedin line.

They also have a good group of forwards that is able to score on Luongo.

Blackhawks in six.

Detroit vs San Jose:

As I said at the top, this one got underway last night with the Sharks winning 4-3.

These teams are pretty equal from top to bottom. Both have a deep group of forwards & defenseman. I think the goaltending will determine who wins this series.

Evgeni Nabokov has the playoff experience in net for the Sharks while Jimmy Howard is only playing in his 2nd post-season series. Yet I give the Wings a slight edge here because this is usually where Nabokov ends up getting outplayed by his counterpart.

I watched the game last night and I didn't see anything from Nabokov that made me think the Red wings were in trouble this series.

He was outplayed by Craig Anderson in the previous round and I think Howard is capable of outplaying him in this series.

I like the Red Wings here mostly because I don't trust the Sharks. I've seen them get this far so many times only to stumble and get eliminated.

This series will tell us if the Sharks are for real or not. Since 2002 whoever has gone on to eliminate Detroit has played for the Stanley Cup.

There is an old saying "To be the man, you have to beat the man." If the Sharks want to be the team let's see how they do against the measuring stick in the West.

Red Wings in six.

Quick note: 2nd Round Previews

Will be up sometime tomorrow.

But since Game 1 is about to start I am picking the Red Wings to beat the Sharks in 6 games.

I'll have a breakdown tomorrow along with my thoughts on the other 2nd round match-ups.

Thanks For Playing: Washington Capitals

Last night the Washington Capitals were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. The loss last night allowed the Canadiens to win the series four games to three. With the Capitals season now over we will take a look back today at how they got here, what went wrong, & where they go from here.

How they got here:

Washington finished the season with a record of 54-15-13. That was good enough for 121 points, 1st place in the Eastern Conference & the 1st ever President's Trophy for the franchise.

Unfortunately as many 1st time winners have come to realize, the President's trophy doesn't guarantee post-season success.

What went wrong:

There are a lot of things that have to go wrong to lose a series that you had a three games to one lead in. Four things from this series stand out for me.

1. The failure of the Power Play:

Washington had the best Power Play percentage in the regular season at 25.2 %. It didn't carry over into the post-season as the Capitals went one for thirty-three with the man advantage.

2. The play of Hal Gill & Josh Gorges on defense:

They were able to keep Alex Ovechkin in check. Ovechkin still lead the Capitals in points with ten in the post-season & tied for the lead in playoff goals with five but the duo of Gill & Gorges never allowed him to take over & dominate a game like he is capable of.

And whenever Ovechkin tied to push the play up the ice to spark the team either Gill or gorges was in his way to slow him down.

3. The disappearence of Alexander Semin & Mike Green:

Semin was 2nd on the team with 40 goals & Green led all defenseman with 19 goals. Neither one was able to find the back of the net this post-season. Semin only scored two points in the series while Green only did one better scoring three points.

4. Jaroslav Halak:

He was pulled in the Game three loss and benched in Game four. He was put back in as the started in Game five and proceeded to channel his inner Patrick Roy the rest of the series.

In Games 5 thru 7 he stopped 131 of 134 shots that he faced, giving up only one goal in each game. After that performance I think it's safe to say the Halak has finally won the job in goal in Montreal.

Where they go from here:

This is not the 1st time the Capitals have lost a series where they led three games to one. (1995: Pittsburgh, 1992: Pittsburgh) This is the 1st time however a number eight seed has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series.

I honestly don't know what else the Capitals can do to improve. It's like they are the San Jose Sharks of the Eastern Conference, a talented team that is built to win in the regular season but fails to produce in the post-season.

The front office needs to do a lot of soul searching this off-season. They are one or two players away from making that leap into being an elite team and a serious cup contender.

As to who those players are, I don't know but I hope they can find them. This team has too much talent to stop playing hockey in April.

Thanks for Playing: Phoenix Coyotes

Last night the Phoenix Coyotes were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings 6-1. They ended up losing the series four games to three. Today I'll take a look back with how Phoenix got here, what went wrong & where they go from here.

How they got here:

Phoenix finished 50-25-7 on the season, good enough for 107 points & 4th place in the Western Conference.

Not bad for a team that wasn't sure of their future going into the season. The Coyotes started the season in bankruptcy and weren't sure where they would be calling home. Dave Tippett was hired as head coach a month before the season started.

Iyla Bryzgalov provided stability in net for the Coyotes and Keith Yandle emerged as one of the top young defenseman in the league this season leading all Coyotes on the blue line with 41 points.

Matthew Lombardi had a career year scoring 53 points which was 2nd to Captain Shane Doan's 55 points among forwards. Radim Vrbata led the team in goals with 24.

What went wrong:

They drew the hottest team in the league, The Detroit Red Wings, as their 1st round opponent. Granted the Coyotes won the opening game of the series 3-2 and forced Detroit to a seventh game but I was never worried the the Wings would lose the series.

Watching these two teams it became clear early on that the Coyotes could not skate with the Red Wings. Their best chance to win this series was to muck & grind. The Coyotes had some success doing that and they were able to take advantage of the special teams miscues by Detroit in their wins in games one & six.

In game seven they were completely outplayed by Detroit from the start. Bryzgalov turned away seventeen shots on goal in the 1st period but the Wings finally broke through scoring four goals on twenty-two shots in the second period.

It was Detroit's special teams that did in Phoenix on Tuesday, scoring three Power Play goals and killing off all six penalties including a 5 on 3 in the 2nd period leading to Brad Stuart's breakaway goal which ended up being the nail in the coffin.

Where they go from here:

Winnipeg, Kansas City, Prague? I honestly don't know where the Coyotes will end up playing in the future. On the ice they have a good coach behind the bench that seems to get the most out of his talent. Their record however is a bit misleading. Phoenix was 19-7 in games that went to overtime and 12 of those wins came in the shootout.

They have some talented players on their roster but of lot of them overachieved this season. I think a lot of teams didn't take Phoenix seriously when they played them. That won't happen next season. It wouldn't surprise me if the Coyotes take a step back next season.

Thanks For Playing: Nashville Predators

Last night the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 5-3 to win their best of seven series four games to two, ending the season for Nashville. Today we look back at how the Predators got there, what went wrong & where they go from here.

How they got here:

After missing the post-season in 2009 Nashville went 47-29-6 on the season. That was good enough for 100 points and the number seven seed in the Western Conference. it marked their 5th appearance in the playoffs in the last six seasons.

Pekka Rinne was able to win the job in goal from Dan Ellis and Olympians Shea Weber & Ryan Suter formed a pairing on defense that made Nashville one of the toughest teams to play against.

Forward Patric Hornqvist emerged as their top scorer this season, leading the team with 30 goals & tying forward Steve Sullivan for the team lead in points with 51.

What went wrong:

Anyone that saw Game 5 knows what happened. The Predators had a 4-3 lead going into the final minutes when Chicago forward Marian Hossa was given a five minute major for boarding after pushing Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis into the boards while chasing the puck giving Nashville a Power Play.

The Predators were not able to take advantage of their good fortune however. Forward Martin Erat made a bad pass in the offensive which resulted into a turnover leading to the game tying goal by Chicago forward Patrick Kane.

Despite the game tying goal Nashville still had a four minute Power Play to start the overtime. The Blackhawks were able to kill off the penalty which led to the game winning goal scored by none other than Marian Hossa.

The come from behind win gave Chicago all the momentum in the series and they were able to close out the Predators in six games

Where do they go from here:

The Predators put up a good fight like they do every post-season but yet they just can't get over the hump. They have made the playoffs five times and lost each time in six games. They have never won a game five or a game six.

The foundation is good for this franchise but they need a sniper. Someone who can get them the key goal when they need it. All the great teams have one. Maybe Patric Hornqvist is the guy but until they get one all the Predators will be is a tough out in the playoffs

Thanks For Playing: Buffalo Sabres

Last night the Boston Bruins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 to win their best of seven series four games to two. Today we take a look back at the Sabres season, How they got there, what went wrong & where they go from here.

How they got there:

Led by United States Olympic Silver Medalist Ryan Miller in goal, The Sabres finished 45-27-10 on the season giving them 100 points, the Northeast Division title & the number three seed in the Eastern Conference.

Rookie defenseman Tyler Myers emerged as one of the top defenseman for the Sabres and is a nominee for the Calder Trophy. Forward Thomas Vanek led the Sabres in scoring with 28 goals.

What went wrong:

Thomas Vanek was injured in Game 2 with a lower body injury & none of the other Sabres forward were able to step up and replace the scoring void he left. The Bruins forwards had scoring problems going into the series but with Vanek's injury the Sabres no longer had the edge at forward.

Miller played well in goal but Bruins goaltender Tukka Rask was just as good in net and Boston's core of defenseman is better than Buffalo's.

The Sabres had a costly too many men on the ice penalty in the 2nd overtime of Game 4 which led to the game winning goal by Bruins forward Miroslav Satan giving the Bruins all the momentum in the series.

Add up all these factors and it's no surprise that the Sabres lost in six games.

Where do they go from here:

When the NHL returned from the lockout the Sabres had the deepest team in the league, being able to role out all four lines throughout the games & forcing teams to make adjustments.

Some of that depth has been lost the last couple seasons because of free agency and Buffalo has yet to fill the void at the forward position. Vanek is their best forward but Jason Pomenville, Derek Roy need to be more consistent & Tim Connolly needs to stay healthy.

The Sabres are set in goal with Miller and it looks like Myers is going to be a shutdown defenseman. Simply put, the Sabres will go as far as their scoring will take them.

Thanks For Playing: Los Angeles Kings

In case you couldn't stay up late on Sunday night, The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 to win their playoff series four games to two. Today I'll take a look back at how the Kings got into the playoffs, what went wrong and where they go from here.

How they got in:

The Kings qualified for the playoffs for the 1st time since the 2002 post-season. The only good thing about missing the post-season eight years in a row is you get to accumulate some great young talent.

That's exactly what the Kings did drafting forwards Anze Kopitar & Dustin Brown, Defenseman Drew Doughty, & goaltender Jonathan Quick. Trades to bring in Defenseman Jack Johnson along with veteran forwards Ryan Smyth & Justin Williams give the Kings an impressive core of talent to build around.

It finally all came together this season as the Kings finished 46-27-9, good enough for 101 points and 6th place in the Western Conference.

What went wrong:

This was a case of an up and coming team going against a team that has been playoff tested. Granted the Canucks have yet to raise the cup but they have made the post-season three of the last four years and have now advanced to the 2nd round each of those years.

Plus Vancouver's goaltending was better. I know Roberto Luongo was chased from the net in Game 3 but that was the only bad game he played. He was better than Quick in the other five games played between the two teams. Quick played well enough to give the Kings a chance but in the end it wasn't enough.

The Kings also had no answer for the Sedin Line. (Henrik & Daniel Sedin plus Mikael Samuelsson) The Sedin line was responsible for 12 goals & 17 assists for the Canucks in the series against LA.

Where do they go from here:

Honestly I like the make-up of this team. They got their skates wet this post-season and will be better because of it. Quick may have struggled down the stretch but I believe he has what it takes to be the man in net for the Kings. If he isn't the Kings have a great prospect in Johnathan Bernier that may be another option.

It will be important to keep the core together especially in an age where the salary cap doesn't allow that to happen. The longer they can keep Doughty & Johnson together on the blue line the better this club will be.

They can try to improve their depth up front but I think this team has the potential to be the next measuring stick in the Western Conference. It wouldn't surprise me if Los Angeles & Chicago become this generation's Colorado & Detroit.

Thanks For Playing: Colorado Avalanche

On Saturday Night the Colorado Avalanche lost to the San Jose Sharks 5-2 giving the Sharks the series win 4 games to 2. Today we will look back at how the Avalanche got into the playoffs, what went wrong & where they go from here.

How they got in:

It's simple, the kids came to play. Chris Stewart led the team with 28 goals. Avalanche rookie Matt Duchene was 2nd with 24 goals and is a candidate for the Calder trophy. Peter Stastny led all scorers with 79 points.

Goaltender Craig Anderson filled a void in net, that Colorado has been trying to fill since Patrick Roy retired in 2003, going 38-25-7 with a goals against average of 2.64 & seven shutouts.

What went wrong:

In all honesty not a lot went wrong. The Avs won Game 1 when a puck went in off the skate of Sharks defenseman Rob Blake with 50 seconds left to give Colorado a 2-1 win.

The Avs won Game 3 when Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle accidentally shot the puck into his own net when trying to make a pass giving Colorado a 1-0 win in overtime.

In Games 2 & 4 Colorado was able to take the Sharks to overtime, losing Game 2 by a score of 6-5 and Game 4 by a score of 2-1. You could make the case that the Avs were very close to sweeping San Jose.

What happened eventually was the Sharks were the better team and took control of the series winning game 5 by a score of 5-0 and winning Game 6 to close out the series.

Where do they go from here:

This team has a good nucleus of young talent. The kids stepped up on offense and the goaltending was solid. I would like to see them get a little younger & deeper on the blue line. If they can repeat what they did this season this team has a good chance to become a playoff mainstay in the West for years to come.

The loss to the Sharks may hurt right now but it will make Colorado better down the road.

Thanks for Playing: Ottawa Senators

On Saturday night the Ottawa Senators season came to an end after losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime. This despite jumping out to a 3-0 lead before the Penguins came storming back. Today we will look back at how they got in, what went wrong & where they go from here.

How they got in:

For most of the 2000's the Senators were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference yet they always found a way to underachieve in the post-season. They seem to have gotten over the hump in 2007 when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals only to lose to Anaheim in 5 games.

Everything went downhill for the Sens after that. They limped into the 2008 playoffs and were swept by Pittsburgh and they failed to qualify in 2009.

They got rid of some underachievers on their roster and Brain Elliott was able to seize the job in goal from Pascal Leclaire. Because of this the Senators were able to bounce back quickly and clinch a spot in this post-season as the #5 seed.

What went wrong:

They surprised the Penguins in Game 1 winning by a score of 5-4, a game where Brian Elliott played better than Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. That seemed to wake up the Penguins as they took the next three games.

Ottawa was able to stave off elimination in game 5 coming from behind to win 4-3 in Triple overtime and force a game 6. In the end the Penguins proved to be a better team eventually finding a way to win Game 6 on an overtime goal by Pascal Dupuis.

Where do they go from here:

What we don't know is if the Senators have bounced back for good or if this is an aberration. They seemed in a free fall last season and they surprised a lot of experts by making the post-season.

Their goaltending still is unsettled. Elliott took the job from Leclaire only to concede it back to him in Game 5. Centre Jason Spezza always seems to be in the middle of trade rumors. Whether Ottawa parts with him or not remains to be seen.

They will need to increase their depth up front & on the blue line if they want to compete in the East next season. OnThis team snuck up on a lot of teams last season. That won't happen next year.

Thanks for Playing: New Jersey Devils

We are almost to the end of Round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. By next Wednesday the field of teams will be reduced from 16 to 8. As each team is eliminated I want to take a look back at what went wrong in their series and where they go from here.

Today's Thanks for Playing feature team: The New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils finished 48-27-7 on the season, good enough for an Atlantic Division title and the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. Their opponent in the 1st Round was the Philadelphia Flyers who won five of six games from the Devils in the Regular Season

So what went wrong for the Devils? They got outworked by the Flyers. Philly's forwards were better. Their defense was better & Brian Boucher played better in goal for Philly than Martin Brodeur did in net for New Jersey.

The Devils came into Game 5 down 3 games to 1 and needed to win to keep their season alive. Instead they pretty much failed to show up and let the Flyers have their way with them. Flyers forward Ian Laperriere blocking a shot with his face showed how much more Philly wanted this series.

So where do the Devils go from here? They changed coaches last year, letting Brent Sutter leave to coach in Calgary and bringing in Jacques Lemaire fresh off of a stint in Minnesota coaching the Wild. I don't think coaching is the issue here. I think it is the makeup of the team.

Martin Brodeur will go down as one of if not the greatest goalie in the history of the NHL however it looks like he may be on the back end of his career. They still haven't replaced the void in leadership since Scott Stevens retired during the lockout. Patrik Elias & Jaime Langenbruner have both worn the "C" since Scott's retirement and while I think both are very good NHL players I don't think either one has that commanding presence that Stevens brought to the team.

The Devils have two key free agents this off-season. Forward Ilya Kovalchuk & Defenseman Paul Martin. Kovalchuk was acquired from Atlanta at the trade deadline and while the Devils didn't give up a kings ransom they did trade a couple nice players and probably wouldn't mind Kovalchuk sticking around for a couple more seasons since he brings a scoring presence to a team that isn't known for lighting up the scoreboard.

As for Martin, he is a puck moving defenseman and finding one of those is nearly impossible. (Wild fans who are reading this are nodding their head in agreement after watching Kim Johnsson try to fill that role for the last four years.) He is going to command a nice contract if he hits the free agent market on July 1st.

This Devils team looks to be slowly in transition from one of the elite teams in the league to just a team that is good enough to make the post-season and do little else. If I was the GM I would do everything I can to sign Martin and then worry about Kovalchuk. While they have no one else as dynamic as Kovalchuk they have enough depth up front to win without him. I don't think they have enough on the blue line to replace Martin.

These are not your father's New Jersey Devils. I don't expect GM Lou Lamoriello to sit pat and let everything be as it is. There will be changes in Jersey this summer. Whether it is for the better or worse time will tell.

Quick Recap

Montreal & Buffalo avoided elimination by winning their respective Game 5's over Washington & Boston. Out West Detroit defeated Phoenix & Vancouver beat Los Angeles. Both now lead their series 3 games to 2.

I'm working on another column right now and I am hoping to have it up later tonight.

Senators & Devils on the brink

We have four games on tap tonight as we continue with the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Today I want to focus on the two teams that are on the verge of elimination from this post-season, The Ottawa Senators & the New Jersey Devils.

Ottawa Senators:

The Senators came in as the #5 seed in the East and jumped out to a great start in Game one defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4. Since then the Penguins have taken a hold of the series, winning three games in a row, and pushing Ottawa to the brink of elimination.

The Senators have had trouble up front at the forward position scoring goals. It has become so bad that in Game 4 they inserted Jonathan Checchoo back in their lineup to provide a spark offensively. Cheechoo is a former 50 goal scorer that was acquired from San Jose in the Dany Heatley trade earlier than this summer and was sent to Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Binghamton back in February because he wasn't scoring any goals.

My prognosis for Ottawa is bleak and I think the Penguins will wrap up this series tonight at home.. The Penguins have played a lot of hockey the last two season and with Philadelphia & Washington also in position to wrap up their respective series it is important for Pittsburgh to take care of business and get some rest before round two begins.

Prediction: Pittsburgh wins tonight 5-2 to win the series 4 games to 1.

New Jersey Devils:

The Devils are down 3-1 to Philadelphia and are also facing elimination tonight. Even though the Devils lost 5 of 6 games in the regular season to the Flyers I thought they would do better in the playoffs. So far I could not have been more wrong if I tried.

The Devils played their worst game of the series in Game 4 falling behind by two goals. Once that happened it seemed like the Devils quit trying. This lead to Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello going into a tirade in the Devils locker room which involved "the throwing of a jelly jar" against the wall of the locker room.



Despite being in a 3-1 hole I don't think the Devils are done yet. Back in 2000 the Devils were down 3-1 to Philadelphia only to come back and win the series 4 games to 3. The Devils head coach, Jacques Lemaire, knows a thing or two about coming back from a 3-1 deficit having done it twice in the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I'm not saying history will repeat itself but it's something just to keep in the back of your mind.



Prediction: I think the Devils win Game 5 this evening back in Jersey. The Flyers are without two of their top forwards, Simon Gagne & Jeff Carter, who are both out with foot injuries for probably the rest of the series. Those are key losses for Philly up front. I'm not sure if that will be enough for the Devils to overcome a 3-1 deficit but I think it will be enough for them to extend this series to a 6th game. Devils win tonight 3-1.



In action last night, Boston took a 3 games to 1 lead over Buffalo after defeating the Sabres 3-2 in double overtime on a "power play goal by Miroslav Satan text" Game 5 is Friday night in Buffalo. Washington doubled up Montreal 6-3 last night to take a 3-1 series lead and they look to wrap up the series Friday in Washington. Vancouver defeated Los Angeles 6-4 to even up their best of seven series at 2 games a piece. Game 5 is also Friday in Vancouver.



We have four games tonight. Beside Ottawa at Pittsburgh & Philadelphia at New Jersey, Nashville host Chicago in Game 4 of their series while San Jose hosts Colorado in Game 5 of their series.



Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.

Tuesday Night Hockey

We had five playoff games last night in the NHL. Four teams were looking to take 3 games to 1 leads, four were looking to even up their best of seven series at 2-2. One series finally switched venues for the 1st time. Let's take a look at what happened.

Phoenix vs. Detroit:

The talk going into Game 3 was about how poorly the Red Wings played against the Coyotes on Sunday, especially goaltender Jimmy Howard who let in a couple questionable goals. After giving up the 4th goal against Phoenix Howard laid on the ice in disbelief. As a Wings fan this brought a flashback to former goalie Manny Legace.

In Game 5 of the 2006 Western Conference Quarterfinals the Red Wings were deadlocked against the Edmonton Oilers 2-2 going into Game 5. Legace had looked shaky early in the series and in Game 5 he gave up the 1st goal to Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff. After giving up the goal Legace just laid there on the ice looking defeated. At this point I knew he didn't mentally have what it took to play goalie for the Wings in the post-season. The Wings ended up losing the series in six games.

Lucky for me last night Howard was brilliant in net for Detroit turning away all 29 shots by Phoenix. Henrik Zetteberg scored two goals last night and Pavel Datsyuk added one in between to give the Wings a 3-0 win over the Coyotes. Game 5 is set for Friday night in Phoenix and if the Coyotes want to win this series they had better find a way to win Game 5. Since 1997 the Red Wings have won nine game fives when the series is tied at 2-2. They have gone on to win eight of those series. I like the Wings chances to win this series if they win Game 5.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa:

When the Senators took Game 1 it caught the Penguins off guard. Since then Pittsburgh has been on a roll winning three in a row against Ottawa including last night's game, a 7-4 victory. Sidney Crosby scored two goals last night giving him a total of 11 points this post-season leading all scorers. I'll say this about Crosby, at 22 years old he has accomplished more as the face of the NHL than LeBron James has as the face of the NBA. The Penguins hold a 3 games to 1 lead in the series and will head back to Pittsburgh to try and wrap up the series on Thursday.

New Jersey vs. Philadelphia:

When I saw that Philly won five of six games from Jersey this past season I dismissed it because I still thought Jersey was the better team. Well Philadelphia won Game 4 last night by a score of 4-1 to take a 3 games to 1 lead over the Devils, pushing them to the brink of elimination.

Despite having a 3-1 lead in the series I'm guessing there is cautious optimism in Philly. Why you ask? Back in 2000 the Flyers had a 3-1 series lead against the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals only to lose the series in seven games and miss a chance to play for the Stanley Cup. The goalie for the Flyers in 2000, Brian Boucher. The goalie for the Flyers in this series, Brian Boucher who became a journeyman & backup goaltender for a number of teams during the last ten years. I'm still picking Jersey in this one, mostly because of my personal bias against the Flyers, but Jeresy better find a way to score more goals if they want to win.

Chicago vs. Nashville:

This series finally shifted to Nashville for Game 3 of the series but the same problem that haunted Chicago in Games 1 & 2 has followed them to Game 3, they can't beat Pekka Rinne. Rinne stopped 26 of the 27 shots that he faced from the Blackhawks while Joel Ward, David Legwand, Shea Weber, & Martin Erat scored to give Nashville a 4-1 win over Chicago. Nashville leads the series 2 games to 1 and have played better than the Blackhawks in all three games. I still think this one goes seven games but if Chicago wants to win this series they better find a way to win Game 4.

San Jose vs. Colorado:

Most fans were wondering how the Sharks would react after losing Game 3 because of an own goal in overtime. For the 3rd game in a row this one went to Overtime but this time the Sharks got the victory thanks to Joe Pavelski's wrist shot at 10:24 to give them a 2-1 win. The series is now tied 2-2 with Game 5 being on Thursday night.

What is amazing is that Colorado could have easily have swept this series because Craig Anderson has been brilliant in goal for the Avalanche. The Sharks forwards have been held to two or less goals in three of the four games this series. In Game two the Sharks scored six goals but needed overtime to win because they gave up five goals. Talent-wise this series shouldn't be even but because Anderson has been outplaying Nabokov in net we are tied at 2-2 waiting for Game 5 on Thursday. I'm still waiting for the Sharks to show up and prove they are the better team. At this point I'm not sure it is going to happen.

We have three games on the schedule for tonight. Washington, Boston, & Los Angeles all are looking to take 3 games to 1 series leads over their respective opponents Montreal, Buffalo, & Vancouver. My quick predictions for tonight is Washington defeats Montreal to take a 3-1 lead while Buffalo & Vancouver win tonight to even their series.

Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.

Dan Boyle Own Goal - Avalanche Radio Call Feed - WCQF 2010 (HD)

Here is the video of Dan Boyle shooting the Puck into his own net. I'll have a blog up about it soon.

Last night Boston, Washington, & Los Angeles were all winners. They now lead their respective series 2 games to 1.

The Curse of the Sharks

Today I want write about something I have been batting around in my head for the last 24 hours. Are the San Jose Sharks cursed?

The Sharks lost Game 3 of their playoff series against Colorado on Sunday night 1-0 when Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle accidentally shot the puck into his own net. This is the latest in a series of misfortunes that have plagued this franchise in the post-season. In Game 1 of this series the Sharks when a puck deflected off of "Rob Blake's skate" and into the Sharks goal with 50 seconds to play in Game 1.

Add in the fact that the Sharks won 6-5 in overtime in Game 2 you could say they are lucky that they are not down 3-0 in the series right now to Colorado.

If this was the 1st time the Sharks were facing post-season adversity it wouldn't be a big story that they are trailing Colorado 2 games to 1 in the series. After all the Sharks were the best team in the Western Conference and finished with 18 more points than the Avalanche in the regular season. But the Sharks have been the favorite before in the post-season and each time they have failed to deliver.

In 2004 the Sharks came in as the #2 seed out west and reached the Conference Finals where the played the # 6 seed Calgary Flames. With Detroit out of the post-season the Sharks were heavy favorites to reach their 1st Stanley Cup Finals. Instead they dropped the 1st two games at home. They were able to go into Calgary and win the next two games only to lose Games 5 & 6 to Flames allowing Calgary to win the series and advance to their 1st Stanley Cup Finals in 15 years.

Most people thought that the loss to Calgary was a small setback and that the Sharks were ready to break through and become the next elite team in the West. After missing the 2004-2005 season due to the lockout the Sharks qualified for the playoffs as the # 5 seed in the West. With the top four seeds all losing in the 1st round the Sharks became favorites once again to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The addition of Forward Joe Thornton, who won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2006, to go with Sharks Captain Patrick Marleau was a 1-2 punch up the middle that no team could counter. At least that's what we thought.

Against Edmonton in the Western Conference Semifinals the Sharks won the 1st two games on home ice. They then proceeded to lose the next four games to the Oilers giving Edmonton a 4-2 series win. The Sharks were done earlier than expected.

In 2007 the Sharks entered the post-season as a #5 seed once again but the acquisition of forward Bill Guerin made them a team that people expected were capable of defeating the top seed Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs. They met in the 2nd round and the Sharks got off to a good start, shutting out Detroit in Game 1 2-0.

After trading wins with Detroit for the 1st four games of the series the Sharks came into Game 5 and got beat by a score of 4-1. Detroit closed out the series a couple nights later shutting out San Jose 2-0. Another spring, another early exit for the Sharks.

In 2008 the Sharks added Defenseman Brian Campbell from Buffalo at the trade deadline and went on a hot streak, not losing a game in the month of March. They entered the post-season as the # 2 seed and many people thought they were the biggest threat to the Red Wings. They never got the chance as they dropped the 1st 3 games in their 2nd round series to Dallas. They were able to stave off elimination in games 4 & 5 and force overtime in Game 6 before Stars forward Brendan Morrow scored in the 4th OT to give Dallas a 2-1 win and the series win 4-2.

In 2009 the Sharks acquired Defenseman Rob Blake & Dan Boyle giving them one of the deepest bluelines in the NHL. Add that in with a talented group of forwards up front the Sharks finished the season with 117 points. That was good enough to give them their 1st President's Trophy guaranteeing them home ice in the entire post-season. Unfortunately their post-season lasted only six games as they lost their 1st round series to Anaheim 4 games to 2.

This season the Sharks acquired forward Dany Heatley from Ottawa in the off-season making their group of forwards even stronger than they were in previous years. Once again they finish as one of the top teams in the Western Conference and once again they are struggling early in the post-season.

People ask what is wrong with this team and for me there are two things constant with each post-season failure. Patrick Marleau & Evgeni Nabokov. Marleau was named captain of the Sharks in 2004 when they started their 1st of six consecutive post-season appearances. Whenever a team in hockey falls short in the post-season the 1st person the media always ask what went wrong is the team captain. This past season Marleau was replaced as captain by Rob Blake hoping that it would take some pressure off of Marleau.

As for Nabokov, it is the same thing every year. He is outplayed in the post-season by a goaltender who he is suppose to be superior than. Take a look at the goalies he has lost to each post-season

2004- Calgary: Mikka Kiprusoff

2006- Edmonton: Dwayne Roloson

2007- Detroit: Dominik Hasek

2008- Dallas: Marty Turco

2009- Anaheim: Jonas Hiller

I see only one person in this group making the Hall of Fame. All the other goalie Nabokov should have been able to beat in a seven game series. And now this post-season Nabokov is being outplayed in net once again, this time by Craig Anderson of Colorado. Nabokov is a free agent after this season. I'm guessing if the Sharks fail to reach the Finals he will not be back wearing teal next season.

Now there is still plenty of time for San Jose to turn things around and win this series but with all their past haunting them once again I have to ask if they are mentally tough enough to overcome this. They have already changed coaches during this span, they have changed captains. At this point other than changing goalies I'm not sure what else the Sharks can do to get over the hump.

The Sharks resume action tonight in Colorado. It is one of 5 games this evening. Other match-ups tonight are Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa, New Jersey vs. Philadelphia, Phoenix vs. Detroit, & Chicago vs. Nashville.

Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.

The weekend that was

We had a full slate of playoff hockey on our hands this past weekend. Today I'll take a look at what happened in each series and give you my thoughts as we prepare for week 2 of Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Boston vs. Buffalo:

The Bruins evened up the series with a 5-3 over the Sabres on Saturday afternoon but the big story to come out of this was the injury to Sabres forward Thomas Vanek. The injury occurred in the first period when he slid into the end boards after being hooked by Bruins' defenseman Johnny Boychuk. From the looks of it it seems he injured his foot on the play. At this moment Vanek is listed as doubtful for Game 3 tonight. This is a big blow for the Sabres as Vanek may be their best scoring forward. All of a sudden these two teams are more equal at forward than they were before which means goaltending becomes more important for Game 3. The play of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller & Bruins goalie Tukka Rask should determine which team wins Game 3 later tonight.

Montreal vs. Washington:

Washington came out looking to send a message after losing in overtime 3-2 to Montreal in Game 1. Instead they found themselves down 2-0 to Montreal with the Canadiens scoring on both their shots on goal. This lead to Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau to pull Jose Theodore in net and replace him with Seymon Varlamov. It didn't work right away as the Canadiens increased their lead to 4-1 before the Capitals started their comeback. Nicklas Backstrom scored his 1st goal of the game just before the end of the 2nd period to make it 4-2. In the 3rd period Alex Ovechkin got is 1st goal of the series on a tip in and Backstrom added another goal to make it a 4-4 game. Game 1 hero Tomas Plekanec scored on a wrist shot with five minutes to play to give Montreal a 5-4 lead and seemingly deflate the crowd at Verizon center. Capitals defenseman John Carlson was able to reignite the crowd scoring on a snap shot with under 90 seconds to play to tie the game at 5 and force overtime. In the overtime it didn't take long for the Capitals to win the game as Backstrom scored on a snap shot thirty seconds in to give the Capitals a 6-5 win.

Nicklas Backstrom scored the 7th hat trick in playoff history for the capitals but lost in the shuffle was Andrei Kostitsyn hat trick for Montreal which their 1st playoff hat trick since Eric Desjardins scored one against Los Angeles in Game 2 of the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals. Game 3 is tonight in Montreal and the question is who will be in net for the Capitals. Bruce Boudreau says that both goalies could see action the rest of the series and is not tipping his hand as to who will start Game 3.

Los Angeles vs. Vancouver:

The Kings evened up this series at 1-1 with a 3-2 win over the Canucks. Vancouver jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period before the Kings rallied, scoring two goals in 27 seconds to tie the game at 2-2. Kings forward Anze Kopitar was the hero in overtime scoring on wrist shot to give the Kings a 3-2 win. So far this has been the most entertaining series of the 1st round. I just have a feeling this one is going seven games.

Onto Sunday's action starting with Phoenix vs Detroit.

The Coyotes scored 29 seconds into the 1st period and never looked back beating the Red wings in Detroit 4-2. As a Red Wings fan what is frustrating about this loss is that Detroit is clearly the more talented team and yet they are playing to the level of the Coyotes. Their defense seems like they are always out of position and while Howard hasn't looked bad he has looked ordinary in net. Lucky for the Wings Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has also looked ordinary.

Right now Detroit is playing like a team that just thinks they can flip a switch and turn it on when they want. That may work in the regular season but if you play that way in the post-season you will find yourself in a hole. That is the case here as the Wings trail the Coyotes 2 games to 1. I expect the Wings to bounce back and win Game 4 of the series.

New Jersey vs. Philadelphia:

Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo scored on a wrap around 3:35 into overtime to give the Flyers a 3-2 win and a 2 games to 1 lead on the Devils. This game wasn't televised and since I didn't see it I don't have much to say. All I will say is I don't like the Flyers and I don't like Carcillo. Let's just move on.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa:

The Game One win by Ottawa has seemed to light a spark under the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Evgeni Malkin & Sidney Crosby scored on wrist shots in the 2nd period to break a 1-1 tie and lead the Penguins to a 4-2 win over the Senators. I only was able to watch a few minutes of the game last night and it seemed like there was always a scrap going on and the Penguins were doing their best to get underneath the skin of the Senators. With Matt Cooke on Pittsburgh's roster this is very likely the case. If Ottawa wants to win their series they will have to learn to keep their composure on the ice.

Nashville vs. Chicago:

Antti Niemi stopped all 23 shots he faced and goals by Dave Bolland & Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 win over the Predators evening up their series at one game a piece. After dropping Game 1 to Nashville it was an important win for Chicago but Nashville accomplished their goal which was getting a split on the road as they head back for Game 3. Chicago is the more talented team and I expect a split in Nashville for games 3 & 4 making this series a best of three.

San Jose vs. Colorado:

The Sharks are in trouble once again this post-season. The Avs won in overtime last night 1-0 when Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle accidentally shot the puck into his own net. What is happening here is the same thing that happens every post-season for San Jose, the forwards disappear and the opposing goalie is out playing Evgeni Nabokov. This time it is Avalance goalie Craig Anderson matching Nabokov save for save. Both of Colorado wins have come because of fluke goals but this time of year you need a little puck luck. The Sharks are lucky they aren't done 3-0. What San Jose needs is their forwards to start finding the back of the net & Nabokov to play better than net than Anderson. Both have yet to happen in the same game and if it doesn't happen soon it will be another short post-season in San Jose.

We have three games tonight with a double-header on Versus. Buffalo travels to Boston followed by Vancouver taking on Los Angeles. The other game this evening is Washington vs. Montreal. Take care and enjoy the games tonight.

Hats off to Z

There is a saying that pops up during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, "Your best players have to be your best players this time of year." I first heard from Barry Melrose on an ESPN broadcast years ago. (You know, when ESPN use to actually care about hockey.) That phrase was true last night in Glendale, Arizona where the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 7-4 to even up their series at one game a piece.

Henrik Zetteberg was the best player on the ice last night scoring his 1st career playoff hat trick, including the game winning goal at 6:06 of the 3rd period off a rebound by a Todd Bertuzzi shot. He also got the Wings 1st goal of the night scoring on a wrist shot at 6:27 of the 2nd period starting a crazy four minutes where the Coyotes and the Red wings traded goals back & forth. Zetteberg put the game on ice with an empty net goal late in the 3rd period. The Red Wings have now won 50 playoff games in a row in which they score four or more goals.

A couple other notes from last night:

The Red Wing defense need to be more aggressive with the Coyotes. A lot of times during the night Phoenix were able to get deep into the offensive zone without being challenged and get quality shots on Jimmy Howard. They have to keep up with the play instead of standing like a pylon for Phoenix to go around.

Iyla Bryzgalov is not to be feared. Now, I'm not going to blame the Phoenix goalie for this loss because it wasn't his fault but it's clear from watching the last two games that he doesn't carry this aura of invincibility that other goaltenders have displayed against the Wings in the past (Jonas Hiller in 09, JS Giguere in 03) A lot of the goals Detroit scored last night were pretty easy. I'm hoping that will carry over into Sunday afternoon.

Justin Abdelkader, I just like this kid. He had a goal in the 3rd period to give the Red Wings a 4-3 lead. Going back to the two goals he scored in the Stanley Cup Finals last season it just seems like he has a flare for the dramatic. I just hope they can find a regular spot for him in the lineup soon.

Other games from last night:

Pittsburgh evened up their series with Ottawa last night winning 2-1. The talk going into the game was that Marc Andre Fleury needed a strong bounce back performance in net for the Penguins. He then proceeded to give up a goal to Peter Regin of Ottawa 18 seconds into the 1st period. Lucky for the Penguins that was the only one he gave up shutting out the Senators the rest of the way.

Sidney Crosby was Pittsburgh's best player last night scoring their 1st goal, helping Fleury out by swatting a puck away that was laying in the crease and getting an assist on the game winning goal by Kris Letang. you can check it out for yourself right here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UcCy82Beo0

New Jersey evened up their series with Philadelphia last night winning by a score of 5-3. This game wasn't n TV so I don't have much to say but the Devils forwards were better than the Flyers forwards. In a series where Jersey has a big edge in goaltending this is important. Philly has to play better than Jersey up front if they want to win this series. Game 3 is on Sunday.

Nashville upsets Chicago 4-1 to take a 1-0 lead in that series. but if you have read this blog you know that this really isn't an upset as I predicted a series win for the Predators. Now this series is far from over and I expect Chicago to come out strong and win Game 2 but the warning shot has been fired. Nashville will not be a pushover in this series and the hawks will have their hands full.

San Jose beat Colorado 6-5 in overtime to tie that series at one game a piece but if I am a Sharks fan I am concerned. The Sharks lost on a bad bounce in Game 1. This is a game where you are suppose to come out and show how good you really are. Instead you let your opponent take you to overtime in a game in which you out shot them 52-22. In fact if it wasn't for Joe Pavelski scoring the game tying goal with 32 seconds to play you are looking at being down 2-0 against a team whose players are probably too young to remember Colorado's previous Stanley Cup wins. The thing that would concern me most if I was a Sharks fan is the fact the Evgeni Nabokov is once again being outplayed in net. This happens every post season for the Sharks and a lot of times it is against a goaltender who is not considered among the elite in the game. This year Craig Anderson is doing the job. The Sharks still have time to prove they are the more dominant team but the Avs are thinking we can play with these guys. if you let a team with less talent than you hang around bad things happen. The Sharks need to be more dominant if they want to go far in the playoffs.

We have three games on tap today. Boston vs. Buffalo at Noon, Montreal at Washington at 6 PM, & Los Angeles vs. Vancouver at 9 PM. Take care and enjoy the hockey.

Day 2 to Day 3

1st of all I apologize for not doing an update earlier today. I have Fridays off from work and I spent most of the day trying to get caught up on a lot of things I have been putting off for the last couple of weeks. We have two games going on right now as I type this so I'll just share my thoughts on Day 2 and Day 3.

Boston vs. Buffalo:

This game was on CBC last night so I did not get to see any of it but I predicted a 2-1 win for Buffalo. The final last night..... 2-1 Buffalo. I thought goaltending would be the story for this series and it looks like that after Game 1. If you want to see Olympic hero Ryan Miller in action on Saturday the game will be on NBC at Noon central time.

Montreal vs. Washington:

I didn't think Montreal's defene would be able to stop Alex Ovechkin & the Capitals. Last night they held Ovechkin shotless and managed to steal Game 1 with a 3-2 win in OT. Still I wouldn't worry if I was a Capitals fan. Jose Theodore looked good in goal for them and I don't expect Montreal to hold Ovechkin shotless again. However with all the attention Ovechkin will be getting from the Habs defense Alexander Semin & Nicklas Backstrom will have to pick up the slack. Backstrom did his part last night. Now it's Semin's turn.

Los Angeles vs. Vancouver:

These two teams are so similar that this might be the most exciting series of the 1st round. Vancouver out shot the Kings 44 to 27 and yet needed overtime before winning Game 3-2. I had my doubts about Johnathan Quick going into Game 1 since he was shaky the last month of the season but he stopped just about everything the Canucks threw at him. His counterpart in net Roberto Luongo wasn't tested very much through the game but when he was he made some spectacular saves. Watching these two teams play it just feels like this is going seven games.

We have five games going on tonight. Ottawa & Pittsburgh are currently tied at one in the 2nd period. Philadelphia is leading New Jersey 2-1 right now in the 2nd period.

Nashville & Chicago start their series later tonight. The Blackhawks are the more talented team but Nashville give just about any team they play against fits. If you are a Blackhawks fan beware of the upset.

Later on out West Detroit plays Phoenix & Colorado plays San Jose in Game 2 of their respective series. For the Red Wings it's pretty simple, if they can control the puck and the tempo of the game they should be able to beat Phoenix. For the Coyotes to win they will have to muck & grind like they did for the last two periods of Game 1. As for the Sharks they have to come back strong against the Avalanche if for no other reason than they need to put to bed any doubts others may have about them being able to get the job done in the post-season. The game winning goal in Game one was a fluke goal. They can either dwell on it and go woe is me or they can step it up and play well so they aren't in a position to let that happen again.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and enjoy the hockey.

Day 1 is done, a look ahead to Day 2.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially underway with four games taking place last night. I would like to say I was able to watch all of them but with my work schedule starting at 5 AM I have to be able to pick & choose what I want to see. With the Red Wings game starting at 9 PM there was no way I could stay up to watch the game and then go to bed to be ready for work the next day so I decided to DVR the game and get to bed at 7 PM to get some sleep before waking up at 2 AM to watch the game. I was able to catch bits & pieces of the rest of the games last night so in today's blog I'll share my thoughts on last night's action, share a hockey article I read online, give my thoughts on it & give my thoughts on tonight's playoff action.

Let's start with the early games.

Ottawa vs Pittsburgh:

It didn't take long for Pittsburgh to get on top with Evgeni Malkin scoring a Power Play goal three minutes into the game. After that Ottawa went on to score three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead. The rest of the game saw Pittsburgh & Ottawa trading goals back & forth eventually leading to a 5-4 win for the Senators. Ottawa did a great job containing Sidney Crosby holding him to only two shots on goal. The one comment I found interesting in Pittsburgh's coach Dan Bylsma's press conference was what he had to say about the play of Marc-Andre Fleury in goal last night. "I think there's a couple (of goals) he's going to be thinking about, is going to want back. He knows he has to be a lot better to give us a chance,'' Now I don't think Fleury is going to be benched in favor of backup goalie Brent Johnson but he has not looked as sharp this season as he has the previous two seasons. Whether it is because the Penguins have played a lot of hockey in the last two seasons I don't know but if Fleury plays like he did last night Ottawa may win this series going away. The Senators were streaky this season but are a lot better than people give them credit for. I'm interested to see if Fleury plays better. He'll have to be if Pittsburgh wants to win this series.

Philadelphia vs. New Jersey:

This game wasn't on TV last night so I did not see any of it. I do know that New Jersey's only goal came late in the 3rd period scored by Travis Zajac. Now it's still early but for the Devils to win this series Ilya Kovalchuk has to find the back of the net. Jersey acquired him to give their offense the firepower to keep up with Pittsburgh & Washington. None of this will matter if they can't find a way to beat goalie Brian Boucher. Philly now moves to 6-1 on the season against the Devils.

Detroit vs. Phoenix:

It was clear by watching the 1st Period that the Coyotes can't skate with the Red Wings. Detroit skated circles around them out shooting the Coyotes 20-7 in the 1st period. Phoenix was able to slow the game down in the 2nd period and was able to keep puck possession by mucking & grinding with the Wings instead of trying to out skate them. What hurt Detroit last night was giving up three Power Play goals to Phoenix which was all the Coyotes needed to take Game 1 with a 3-2 victory. Other than their penalty kill I thought the Wings played a good game. I still like Detroit to win in 6 games. When you start a series on the road you always want to get at least a split. That is still possible. I expect Detroit to come out with the same intensity and play better in Game 2.

Colorado vs. San Jose

When you have been one of the best teams in the NHL the last few years with little playoff success to show for it, it is important to get off to a good start in the post-season if for no other reason to calm a fragile psyche. San Jose apparently likes to make things stressful for their fan base. Colorado's Chris Stewart scored the game winning goal with 50 seconds to play in the 3rd period when his shot went in off the skate of Sharks defenseman Rob Blake to give the Avs a 2-1 win over the Sharks. Now San Jose is a more talented team and good teams should be able to bounce back from a defeat like this in Game 1 but anyone who follows hockey are aware of the Sharks issues in the post-season. Are they thinking here we go again or are they thinking this was a fluke win? I think Game 2 will tell us what kind of Sharks team we have this post-season.

Moving on to other NHL related things, Michael Farber is the senior hockey writer for cnnsi.com and is one of the better hockey columnists out there. Earlier this week he wrote an article about how the shootout belongs in the post season (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/michael_farber/04/12/rangers.ousted/index.html)

Now I like Michael Farber and I enjoy his articles but I could not disagree with him more on this. I am not a fan of the shootout mainly because of how the NHL does it in the regular season going with three shooters a piece at the minimum. by the time you can get excited for the shootout it is usually over. I would rather see them bring back the tie than keep the shootout but the fans seem to like it so I don't think it will be leaving the regular season any time soon. There is no way it should ever be used in the post-season. One of the things that make the Stanley Cup Playoffs exciting is Sudden Death Overtime where the last shot wins the game. And sometimes the last shot may not come until the 2nd, 3rd, or even the 4th overtime. Bringing in a shootout kills the drama and any chance of that happening. I don't know any true hockey fan that would feel good about their team winning a Stanley Cup because of a shootout. I hope to hell this never happens.

On to tonight's games:

Montreal vs. Washington:

The Capitals were the best team in the regular season. Starting tonight that means nothing, they will be judged on the next four games going forward. Jose Theodore will get the start in net after leaving practice early yesterday with a stinger. He is fine and so should be the Capitals tonight. I'm predicting a 4-1 win for Washington.

Boston vs. Buffalo:

Neither team can score, both teams kill penalties well & both teams don't give up a lot of goals. I'll say 2-1 Sabres win tonight.

Los Angeles vs. Vancouver:

Can Roberto Luongo carry over his Olympic success to the post-season? Can anyone other than the Sedin twins score for Vancouver? Can Jonathan Quick overcome a late season slump and play well in net for the Kings like he did earlier this season?
I'll go with a 4-2 win for the Canucks.

1st Round Predictions

The Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup begins tonight. The Razor's been put away, the Octopi is on ice and the Molson is in the fridge. All that's left is to sit back at watch who will raise the Cup. Without any further adeiu here are my predictions for the 1st round

Eastern Conference:

8. Montreal vs. 1. Washington

These teams finished 1st and 2nd in Power Play Percentage this season. That is pretty much where the comparison ends. Washington is loaded with offensive talent. Combine that with Montreal's shaky goaltending situation means this won't last too long. Jaroslav Halak may be good enough to steal one game for the Habs but this one ends in 5 games

Capitals in 5

7. Philadelphia vs. 2. New Jersey

The Flyers went 5-1 against the Devils this season. So why am I picking Jersey? It comes down to goaltending. The Devils have Martin Brodeur in net who may be the best goaltender of our generation. The Flyers have Brian Boucher who is the 3rd option in net after injuries to Ray Emery & Michael Leighton. The Flyers depth at forward to match up with the Devils but I'm not sure they can break Jacques Lemaire's trap in the post-season.

Devils in 6

6. Boston vs. 3. Buffalo

If you like goaltending then this series is for you. Buffalo has US Olympic Hero Ryan Miller in net while Boston counters with Tukka Rask who took over the duties from Tim Thomas a couple months ago and has solidified the Bruins in net. Both of these teams are also tops in penalty kill among playoff teams. I don't expect a lot of Power Play goals in this series. Come to think of it I don't expect a lot of goals period. Neither team can score in bunches but I think the Sabres have a better group of forwards than Boston. That should be enough for Buffalo to advance

Sabres in 6

5. Ottawa vs 4. Pittsburgh

The defending Stanley Cup Champions open the post-season as the number 4 seed in the East for the 3rd season in a row. So far that hasn't been an issue for the Penguins as they are looking to make their 3rd straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance. For the 3rd time in four seasons they will open up the post-season against Ottawa. Whatever internal issues the Senators had in their locker room the last couple season seems to have disappeared and they return to the playoffs after a one year absence. I like the Penguins in this one because I think they are more talented than Ottawa at every position on their roster.

Penguins in 6

Western Conference:

8. Colorado vs. 1. San Jose

Every year we all keep waiting for the Sharks to take that next step and become an elite NHL team and every year they find someway to disappoint us in the post-season. I have my doubts whether this year will be any different but I think they should be able to get out of the 1st round this season. San Jose is loaded with talent at every position while Colorado got off to a hot start this season and was able to hang on to a clinch a playoff berth a year after finishing with the worst record in the West. As long as Evgeni Nabokov is a better goalie than Craig Anderson the Sharks should advance

Sharks in 5

7. Nashville vs. 2. Chicago

After making the Western Conference Finals last season a lot of people think this is the year the Blackhawks take the next step and reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Me, I still have my doubts. Chicago is the more talented team but the injury to defenseman Brian Campbell and a shaky goaltending situation makes me think that the Hawks are ripe for an upset. Throw in the fact they are playing a pesky Nashville team that always seems to give teams fit when they play them. I think the tandem of Ryan Suter & Shea Weber on the Predators blue line is enough to contain Chicago's talented group of forwards and I believe Pekka Rinne is good enough to give Nashville the edge in net. What the hell, I'll go out on a limb and pick the upset.

Predators in 7

6. Los Angeles vs 3. Vancouver

All this season I kept hearing people when they talk about Vancouver say this team has all the tools to make the Stanley Cup Finals. Whenever I watch this team play I see a one line squad with a good goaltender. However with the Sedin twins making up 2/3rds of that one line and Roberto Luongo in net those are three important pieces to make a Cup run. As for Los Angeles, I like what this team has accomplished this season and I thought they might be the best bet for a lower seed to make a deep run in the post-season. Then I found out the Kings goalie Jonathan Quick recently became a father. It's no coincidence that he went into a slump right after. I've noticed that athletes whenever they become a father they tend to struggle when they play. Luongo had this happen to him a couple seasons ago and it cost the Canucks a playoff berth. I have a feeling this will be a factor in this series.

Canucks in 7.

5. Detroit vs. 4. Phoenix

Congratulations Phoenix, you surprised everyone who picked you to finish dead last to clinch the #4 seed in the West and home ice in the 1st Round. Your reward, playing the White Hot Detroit Red Wings that went 16-4-1 since the Olympic break. Don't let the seeding fool you this Detroit team is a lot better than their record indicates and are good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Time will tell whether that happens again this season but I think they will advance to the 2nd round

Red Wings in 6

The NHL Playoff Manifesto

Hello Readers,

I have been toying around with the idea of starting my own blog for a while. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting on April 14th I decided to give it a try. My plan is to keep a blog during the entire post-season. From the 1st puck drop to the time Lord Stanley's Cup is raised I'll be sharing my thoughts on the post-season and things to keep an eye on in the NHL. If this goes well, who knows how far this blog will go and what other things I may touch on.

Now for some fans out there who are reading this there is a chance that your NHL team did not qualify for the post-season or you may be new to the sport and looking for a team to cheer on in the playoffs. Well I am more than happy to help you find a team to cheer for with my annual NHL Playoff Manifesto.

The Manifesto was 1st published in 2007. Both the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild made the playoffs that season and there was a chance that the two could meet in the first round of the post-season.

Being a huge Detroit Red Wings fan, I thought it was crystal clear to everyone as to where my allegiance would be if these two teams met in the post-season. Instead, my co-workers kept asking me who I would be cheering for in the playoffs even after I told them the Red Wings always came first and I would cheer for the Wild as long as they didn't play Detroit.

At this point I realized that I needed to spell out my rules as to whom to cheer for and against in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and to where I stood on each post-season series. After the Manifesto was introduced, a listener to the Al Malmberg Show sent it over to a relative of his who was stationed in Iraq. the whole battalion took the Manifesto and got behind the Detroit Red Wings and cheered them on during their playoff run in 2007.

So without any further adieu here is the 2010 Playoff Manifesto.

1. Cheer for The Detroit Red Wings

2. Always Cheer against the Philadelphia Flyers NO MATTER WHAT

3. Support the Minnesota Wild when they are in the post-season. If they play Detroit see rule number 1

4. Normally I would say cheer against the Pacific Division but the only two teams in that division I don't like, Dallas & Anaheim did not qualify for the post-season so you can cheer for Los Angeles & San Jose in the 1st round. As for Phoenix, see rule number 1.

5. Support the Original 6 teams in the post-season. They are a huge part of the game of hockey and it's always nostalgic when one of them go on a cup run.

6. When in doubt go with the Canadian team.

Hope this helps you choose a squad to cheer on in the playoffs. I'll be back tomorrow with my 1st round predictions. Thank you for reading.