Round 2

The matchups in Round 2 always appear good, mostly because the respective teams just won 4 games. But this year features marquee matches in the West and East, too bad no one will see it, since ESPN doesn't like the NHL anymore. :(

 

Capitals and Penguins is interesting. Yes, it features the top, young offensive players in the game today. Plenty of firepower and hype. While I'm not a fan of the Penguins and am totally pulling for the Capitals, I think it will be all Penguins. I think they will be able to play a checking game similar to the Rangers, but with a counter-punching ability that New York lacked. And if it goes to firewagon hockey, the Pens can hold there own with that style too. In my heart, I hope Varlamov out plays Fleury and the Caps out-gun the Pens. But I don't think that will honestly happen. Possible blow-out by the Pens.

 

Red Wings and Ducks. The Ducks have a hot top line, powerplay and goalie. Their defense is big and burly. The Red Wings may not be able to completely contain the Ducks top line, but the Red Wings have scoring depth and skill that the Ducks do not. I expect the Wings' to create powerplay chances, since the Ducks tend toward undisciplined play. I think special teams will decide this series. Ultimately, the Red Wings are not a scary roster on paper, but all four lines can play a relentless, puck possession style. It works. Red Wings.

 

Canucks and Hawks. These guys had a nice melee at the end of their last meeting in the regular season. Without much luck, that love will continue into a line long and nasty series. I'm pulling for the 'Hawks, but I think the Canucks have more firepower, goaltending and better defense. There's something to be said for youth and energy; and that's what the Blackhawks have on their side. Either way I think the Red Wings/Ducks winner will dispatch of either team. Canucks.

 

Bruins and Canes. I think Cindarella's night on the town will be over soon. Carolina is playing some really good hockey, playing a fantastic series against New Jersey. However, the Bruins are too much for almost any team to handle. Bruins can play it anyway Carolina tries to take the game, fast and loose or tight checking. Ward stealing 4 games is not likely. Bruins.

 

 

 

 

Nostradumbass

Well, I've proven an inability to predict much in the NHL playoffs, despite watching more games than the average Canadian. I went sub-500 and one of my favorites was upset in the first round, and 2 of my four 'contender' teams are gone. Oh well, I guess that's why they play the games.

 

Last night's games 7s were awesome. The usual pattern is that a team gets blown-out in game 7. Once one team or the other has the lead, the trailing team starts to gamble and things snowball. Not last night. The Caps/Rangers was especially good. A very tight game. Lundqvist showed-up and made some phenominal saves. But ultimately, the Rangers lacked firepower, despite doing a very good job of shutting down Ovechkin as they did in the first 2 games. It was a tight checking affair, but a Russian sniper ended things. Not Ovechkin, Semin, or even Kozlov. It was old man Fedorov. And how about Varlamov?! Who's that? Exactly. After a sub-par effort from Jose Theodore in game 1, and with backup Brent Johnson on injured reserve, Boudreau went with rookie goalie Varlamov. The guy simply shut down the Rangers allowing 7 goals in 6 games. Wow. Digging out of a 1-3 series deficit is not for the weak. The Caps will need that kind of goaltending against the Penguins.

 

Jersey got shocked. But what a great series.  Back and forth wins through 7 games. A true battle. Jersey had a 3-2 lead well into the 3rd period. 'Canes tied it and OT was looming. Staal breaks down the wing and fires a shot that barely tips off a defenseman, but enough to fool Brodeur. With mere seconds remaning on the clock, Jersey (and myself) were in shock. Series over.

 

What a great night of hockey.

Who wins tonight?

I will stay true to my picks and say Rangers & Devils. Caps have all the momentum right now. Ovenchicken is back to his unstoppable self, while Lundqvist can't stop anything. But my saving grace is Chris Drury. There are certain guys that deliver in the clutch or just have a way of elevating their play based on the level of urgency. Claude Lemieux and Joe Nieuwendyk are classic examples, oh and that Gretzky guy. Drury is near the top in this category. Gomez is also a high stakes player. If the Rangers win, I bet it is because of Drury. (And assuming that Lundqvist can stop the puck again)

 

The upside of both my picks failing is a sweet second round matchup. Penguins vs. Capitals. I don't think there is a better matchup for the NHL to hype than Crosby & Malkin vs Ovechkin. Bettman is at a church right now, praying for this matchup.

R.I.P. Pontiac

I'm pretty bummed about the sad state that GM is currently in. First it was Oldsmobile, but now Pontiac is dead. I guess it's GMs own fault for making such craptastic cars. Putting plastic cladding and a beak on a Chevy does not make it a performance car. But all of the cars I truly love are GM (much, much older GM cars, but GM none the less). So, it's with great sadness that I find my GTO is officially extinct. It's too bad. Pontiac was just starting to show some promise. The G series of cars were not covered in side molding, the Australian Holden re-badged rear-drive cars had real performance, and the Solstice was pretty sweet. A classic case of too little, too late.

Adios JR?

Well, both the Sharks and Ducks couldn't squeeze out a 7th game. Chicago jumped out to an early lead, just like the previous game; and the Flames couldn't recover. Both the Flames and Sharks are notorious playoff underachievers; their respective legacys continue. It's good to see the Hawks back in contention. I always felt that the post-JR and Chelios era was a dark time for that franchise. But, there's new life, youth and hope in Chicago.

 

Goaltending. What a wild situation. Nabokov and Kiprusoff are no strangers to the playoffs, yet got outplayed by Hiller and Khabibulin? I'm pretty sure that Chicago had given up on Khabi and were looking forward to his pending free agency. They mentioned last night that he hadn't started 6 games in a row all season, until last night. I personally wouldn't re-sign Khabi, but good for him; as his prospects of re-signing and extending his career are 5Xs higher after a solid playoff round. GS Giguere who? Hiller was solid and sometimes spectacular.

 

Most of all I'm sad for JR. I wanted him to win a Cup before hanging up the skates. He has been a solid veteran and locker-room guy playing on the 4th line, the last two years. But clearly, his best days are behind him. I don't want to see him play that role another year. I expect a retirement announcement this summer. Hopefully ESPN picks up the NHL again and JR provides color commentary.

 

Two eastern conference game 7's tonight!

 

Sleepless in Round 1

I love the first round. There are several games on each coast every night. There's a lot of in-game updates and regret for not watching the MOST exciting game that night. And I will usually drop out of a game for one that's in overtime. Only a few games left to finish-up round 1. I will miss all of that playoff action, every night, jammed into two weeks.

 

So far the Rangers/Caps series has lived up to my expectation going 7 games. Plenty of drama with Lundqvist stealing two games and then getting pulled for two games. Avery was a sparkplug, then takes too many penalties. Tortorella scratches Avery to teach him a lesson about discipline; then the coach gets suspended one game for an altercation with a fan (nice discipline coach). Brashear was almost involved in a Slap Shot-esque fight during the pre-game skate, then he levels Betts in the first period with a late hit knocking Betts out of the playoffs with a broken orbital bone. These offenses will cost Brashear 6 games! Wild stuff. Who knows what will happen in game 7? But I'm not missing it.

 

Flames and Sharks must win tonight, game 6, or be eliminated. For the sake of my predictions, I'll say both reach game 7.

 

Comeback!

Don't call it a comeback just yet, but the previously mentioned Sharks 'stinky' powerplay; came out of retirement and won them game 3. Also, the 'patient and solid' play of the Ducks became a little sloppy at home. Not exactly a dominating Sharks performance, but they needed a win in any fashion. I felt the Sharks didn't show the desperation of falling 0-3. When the Sharks even the series, we can talk comeback; otherwise the Sharks are right on their usual path of playoff disappointment.

Paper or Plastic

Here's my Earth Day post. I'm flooded with Earth Day stuff here at work, so it's hard to avoid.  I'm hardly the most Green person on the planet, but I do have an Earth Day suggestion.

 

Paper or plastic? Neither. My daughter basically made us buy those re-usable cotton bags you see at the grocery store. Beware what they are teaching your kids at school these days. Anyway. Yeah, the ones that look too small to carry anything and are a pain to remember to bring back to the grocery store. But my Earth Day suggestion to you is go buy them and use them, they're very Green and great for the planet.

 

But seriously, I come from a viewpoint of frugal and lazy, not Green. How many times have you had a paper or plastic bag tear open on you and your gallon of milk is all over the sidewalk? I try to carry 4 or more of those plastic bags in each hand to take less trips back and forth from the car to the house, since I'm lazy. The re-usable bags are surprisingly strong. You can really load them up. So, that means less breakage and less trips back to the car. From that standpoint, they are better and therefore worth using. They also happen to save the planet and stop global warming and save the polar ice caps...

First one to three wins!

Red Wings continued their pattern. Score 4 goals, allow 1 or less. Jackets had the misfortune of getting scored on within the opening minute of the game. Essentially taking the home crowd out of it from the get-go. Red Wings look to sweep.

 

Two goalies shined. Luongo got Vancouver into the next round with 47 saves. Vancouver will be the most rested team to start round two, but I predict a letdown from being idle too long. Fleury also made 40+ save to put the Pens up 3-1. I don't like the Flyers chances, but pull for them anyway.

 

Carolina scored with 0.2 seconds on the clock to beat Jersey. Brodeur goes uncharacteristically ape-shit, slamming his stick into the boards repeatedly. Brodeur felt he was interfered with, but my opinion is that he was out of the crease and it was a reasonable non-call. That was a HUGE goal. Tying that series 2-2. There's something psychological about getting to 3 wins in the series, pushing the other team to elimination. I hope the Devils chances don't turn on that goal.

 

The good playoff action continues & I'm stoked.

Red Wings

How good are the Red Wings? Too good to tell right now...

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/9479144/Red-Wings-too-good-to-get-true-read

Round 1 so far...

I missed most of the playoff action this last weekend. But, from what I have seen and heard, the action has been intense.

 

WEST:

Sharks vs. Ducks (2-0). Ducks are currently playing the spoiler. Two very solid and patient road games. They have continued the play that got them in the playoffs. Sharks powerplay has been stinky. Sharks better bring it tonight in Anaheim or will be golfing by the weekend
Red Wings (2-0) vs. Blue Jackets. Detroit is scoring 4-goals a game. I was worried about the goaltending, but Osgood has a 0.500 GAA. Jackets are in trouble. Maybe playing in Columbus will be all they needed.
Canucks (3-0) vs. Blues. Vancouver is one win away from getting a lot of rest. That could be huge.

Blackhawks (2-1) vs. Flames. Flames got a convincing win last night. The first game went to OT, with the 'Hawks coming from behind. A very fun series to watch so far.

EAST
Bruins (3-0) vs. Canadiens. Montreal played well in games 1 & 3, but it wasn't enough. Losing Lucic to a one game suspension and playing in Montreal were excuses to lose, but the Bruins stole away game #3. I think it's all Bruins. Montreal can't take 4-in-a-row against this team.
Capitals vs. Rangers (2-1). This one has been good. Rangers are playing chippy hockey. Ovenchicken has been kept in check. I still wouldn't be surprised to see this one go 7 games.

Devils (2-1) vs. Hurricanes. Devils stomped out game 1. But the last two games were both OT. It's turned into a great series.
Penguins (2-1) vs. Flyers. Penguins dominated game 1 with skill. Game 2 was an OT triumph. Game 3 saw Philly impose their will on the Pens. A couple more efforts like that, and the Pens may win the series but have plenty of bruises to show for it.

NHL Playoffs

WARNNG: This is probably going to be a very long-winded playoff posting, but I'll try to keep it to the point. The Playoffs are here, and no, I don't mean the round ball playoffs. I have been camping with the family, so any analysis or over-analysis has been postponed until today.

 

The main point is that I like the Sharks and Bruins in the final.  Sharks winning the Cup this year. There, done.

 

Two teams you can't ever count out are the Red Wings and Devils. Both have gone into a late season coma, probably from the boredom of the regular season. But you can never look past a team with Brodeur. Yeah, but he's coming off an long injury layoff. I hear you. But he's also rested for the first time going into the playoffs. That seems very dangerous to me. Counter to that the Wings goaltending is their Achilles' Heel. Osgood was Os-some last year. Not so much this year. Despite that, they are still the champs until someone proves otherwise.

 

Sharks/Wings and Bruins/Devils would be great Conference match-ups.

 

First Round in the West:

Sharks vs. Ducks. The Sharks have had tons of 'promising' teams bonk in the first round. But, I think the Sharks have an edge in every category over the Ducks, that said, the Ducks at their best are far from an 8 seed. And that's the problem, the Ducks are inconsistent this season. While they have been on a roll getting into the playoffs, I don't see the Ducks pulling it off.

Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets. Most of the media have picked either the Ducks or Blue Jackets as upset teams. I can see why they like the Jackets. A well coached, defensive team, with better goaltending. But, I think the Red Wings have too much depth and will ultimately overpower their opponent.

Canucks vs. Blues. Who cares? I don't like either team that much. Blues are a surprise to even be in the playoffs. I'll go spoiler and say Blues.

Blackhawks vs. Flames. Flames have underachieved and the Blackhawks are the young, promising team of the West. I think this may be a very entertaining series. I'll go with the Flames based on experience and better defense.

 

First Round in the East:

Bruins vs. Canadiens. In a typical 1 vs 8 battle the Bruins are better in every area. The Bruins are the Sharks of the East: physical, deep, skilled and nasty at times. Thomas has been unreal between the pipes. Unlike the Ducks, the Habs limped into the playoffs taking 81 games to secure the 8th spot. Montreal looked really good at mid-season, but the season long 100th anniversary celebration and hype surrounding the team appear to have taken their toll. I don't think Montreal gets back on track. Bruins.

Capitals vs. Rangers. I love this series. It seems like the Hawks vs. Flames, but in the East. Capitals are young and firey. It would be good for the NHL to have Ovenchicken go deep in the playoffs with exciting end-to-end hockey. But sadly, the playoffs are about goaltending, defense and imposing your will. It may not be the Rangers, but the Caps are a bit one-dimensional until proven otherwise. Rangers?

Devils vs. Hurricanes. Devils were flying high. Brodeur came back and broke Roy's all-time wins mark, then the wheels came off. The team has been in a bit of a skid. Conversely, the Hurricanes are playing very well. Taking a nice rally of wins into the playoffs. This one reeks of an upset. But I can't get past the past, which says the Devils are always a playoff ready team. Devils.

Penguins vs. Flyers. All signs point to the Penguins. A bit lost at mid-season, the Pens are back on track. I am too biased to call this one. I don't like the Penguins. I really want Philly to win. So, Penguins.

 

 

 

Maczilla

Well, I've finally gone to the dark side. I never thought I would be cool enough to enter the club, but I've paid for membership. I'm getting an iMac. The trusty 'ole Dell finally died this week, after 7+ long years of service. I'm pretty pround of her. She lasted far longer than any other PC I've owned. Of course, I paid top dollar at the time, with high expectations. Those expectations were surpassed. I think it helped that my PC gaming has been reduced drastically since getting a Wii and PS3. But I don't regret buying the Dell.

So, I'm pretty intrigued with becoming an "Apple Guy". I've always considered it a tool for artsy photoshop/music/video editing types. But as with other Apple products, they simply work better. All the workaround and fixes and viruses of the PC should be a thing of the past. I've got an open mind for this Apple-thing. Here's to hoping it is a long lasting relationship, with no regrets.

9-0-1

Well, the Sens couldn't win a 10th game at home. A gutsy effort. Scoring late in the 3rd, with the extra attacker to tie the game, only to lose in the shootout. One game left in the season. I guess I'll move to rooting for the Bruins & Caps out of the East; Alisia is a Bruins fan and I would love to see Ovenchicken go deep in the playoffs. For the West it's Sharks and Wings. Sharks 'cause Roenick needs a Cup and retirement. I always keep an eye on the Wings as the gold standard for a hockey organization, and it's Channer's team.

Interim No More

Well, the inevitable has happened. Senators finally announce that Cory Clouston signed a 2-year deal, removing the interim-head-coach label. I've been impressed with his handling of the team. They have a 9 game home win streak going, and are 19-10-3 under Clouston.  He's made some very instinctive roster changes that have worked. He's trusted the younger players and they have made good on the opportunities. Too bad the ultimate result is a worse drafting position.

 

I've got to say that I've not had much to report. The Kings and Sens are both out of the playoffs. The Sens went into a bit of a slide for 2 games after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs last month. That marks the first tim esince 1996, that they missed the playoffs; only the Red Wings own a longer playoff run. But they look to finish strong. They played spoiler to the Habs and Bruins recently. Both currently in the playoffs. My boys Fisher and Heatley have played some solid games of late. Fisher got a shootout winner and a shorthanded goal. Heatley has 3 goals in 2 games. Meaningless games to everyone but the most hardcore fan...