Season Over, Empty Feeling Inside

I have been unable to bring myself to write anything about the last couple games or anything really and even as I sit here right now, I know that I'm still not ready. My main reasoning for even doing this right now is strictly therapeutic so bear with me.

I won't stand to see or hear anyone even try and blame this loss on Marc-Andre Fleury. Does he probably want those 2 soft goals back? No question, but he's got a free pass for life as far as I'm concerned with how he played down the stretch in the regular season and how he played in the playoffs. His performance in Game 5 was nothing short of legendary. That clinic he put on will make it's way to instructional DVDs in no time.

I can't remember the last time I was this jacked up about this team. That triple overtime win, despite the circumstances of staving off elimination may have been the pinnacle of my fanhood this season. I sat alone at work, hands shaking, stomach turning. I've never been that nervous in my life and then it happened. Max Talbot saves the day to send it to overtime and Petr Sykora calls his shot to send me into a state of euphoria. It was amazing is all I can say. Fleury was brilliant between the pipes and I really thought we would be sending it back to Detroit for a Game 7 at that point. Obviously that didn't happen and an immense sense of sadness and an empty feeling has crept over me.

For the last two weeks, I've been having dreams of hearing "The Penguins are Stanley Cup Champions!" I woke up with a smile every day. There will be no smile tomorrow morning, not yet. I'm always sad to see the hockey season end, but to see it end with my boys hanging their heads and seeing the opposition hoist the Cup on our home ice will take a few days to get over.

By no means am I trying to take anything away from the Red Wings. They are a phenomenal squad and deserved very much to win the Cup. For as much as I wanted the Pens to win, I never really expected to win like I had for previous series. What I wanted was if we didn't win, to at least make Detroit earn it. It is my firm belief that we accomplished that. We may not have shown up much or were just not ready for what the Finals brought in Games 1 and 2, but for the last 4 games of the series, we gave Detroit everything we had and the better team prevailed in the end. Simple as that. There was even a small glimmer of hope at the very end that Hossa had tied it with under a second left in the third period only to see that hope squashed by the oncoming rush of Red Wings players from the bench.

Eventually I will get over this and so will the guys on the team and realize the bigger picture. Five years prior this team was in shambles and going nowhere. Last in the league in standings, major stars heading for the hills and it all started to turn around last year. I didn't expect them to even make the playoffs last season and they surprised me and did exactly what I expected against Ottawa. Nothing, but we gained the experience needed to make a strong Cup run.

Flash ahead to this season. Crosby and Fleury go down and the hopes of Pens nation rested squarely on the once shaky shoulders of Ty Conklin. Out of nowhere he has a career resurgence and Evgeni Malkin goes on a tear and suddenly we're fighting for the conference lead in the standings without 2 key components.

We then get healthy and get Marian Hossa and the pieces for a championship run began to fall into place. They rip Ottawa a new one in the first round, dispatch the Rangers quickly, send our hated cross-state rivals home in 5 games and all of a sudden I'm sitting on top of the world. All the suffering over the past few years was actually worth it to get to this point. We sat just 4 wins from immortality and just got flat out beat by a much more experienced team who nobody was going to beat this year.

Eventually I'll be ok with what just transpired over the last few days. Maybe I'll feel better later this week when I've had a few days to digest this and realize how great the accomplishments these kids attained this season really are. Maybe I'll feel better knowing that we have an excellent chance to get back here again very soon and actually win it, now that we know what it feels like to be on the losing end. Maybe I'll feel better when I see this team back on the ice next season with a new attitude. Not a cocky one, but a confident one that expects nothing less than to win it all. You could see it in their eyes this season that it was going to be different this time around. Maybe I'll feel better when we figure out what to do with Hossa and Ryan Malone and establish our roster for next season. By then the sting will have worn off and the excited giddy side of me will return. Until then I'm going to go shave off my playoff beard.

Stanley Cup Finals Analysis

The day of reckoning is upon us. It's time for one team to become immortalized in silver and for the other team to go home wondering what might have been.

That thought alone is what kept me up most of the evening last night and why I'm sitting here typing through bloodshot eyes.

I would have gotten this up sooner, but I was trying to fully wrap my head around what the Penguins have done this season. I still haven't done it fully, but Game 1 starts in a few hours so I need to get this done.

I've read a lot of trash talking from Red Wings fans on various message boards about how this is going to be a four or five game series and that the Cup is all but won already. I chuckle at this and wonder how these people are allowed outside their homes legally. In most cases ignorance is not bliss.

Let's take a closer look at this series shall we?

The Pittsburgh Penguins have proven throughout the playoffs that they can win tight, low scoring, one goal games. They're also shown they can win in shootouts like Game 1 against the Rangers. (Sorry Gopher...keep razzing me about rooting for Detroit and this is what you get.)

When I look at Detroit, I see a team that looks to be virtually impenetrable, but since I saw Indiana Jones last night I have a keen eye and notice the two small chinks in the armor.

First, aside from Game 5 against Dallas in which they played scared and lost as a result, the other three losses have one thing in common. The opposition got out and skated and took the game to Detroit.

The Predators' wins in Game 3 and 4 on home ice are where the Penguins need to look for how to beat this team. Those two games were some of the most exciting hockey I'd seen all season. The pace was ridiculous and Detroit's older d-men couldn't keep up and were caught out of position leaving their even older (not counting Chelios here) goaltender to try and make insane saves.

Pittsburgh can easily take advantage of this and has a much better defensive system than the Preds did.

Flaw number two is simply this. Osgood has been good, he hasn't had to be great. Don't get me wrong, he's played well in these playoffs and may have swung the tide in one or two games, but for the most part he has not been tested. Was he tested in Games 5 and 6 against Nashville? No. Was he tested at all against Colorado? No. His first test was Game 4 and 5 against Dallas, both losses.

The Penguins will need to play how they did in Game 5 against Philly to take advantage of this. Game 5 was the first time I was actually not yelling at the screen for them to put the puck on net. You have to get pucks to the net at this time of year. Pretty plays don't work often as is and certainly the success rate drops even more in the playoffs. Guys are going to need to crash the net like crazy, get in Osgood's face, rattle him.

I'm not saying Pittsburgh is the perfect machine here at all, just pointing out what they need to do to win.

What sticks out in my mind that could hurt them is if Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi are paired up together. Compound that with the realistic possibility that they will at some point be on the ice against the Zetterberg/Datsyuk line and it could pose a very serious problem for Pittsburgh.

The stars are going to have to step up in this series as they have during this run, but the guy who's probably been the most underappreciated guy this postseason is Jordan Staal. This kid continues to impress me every day. It's not often that you see someone this young and know he's going to be an elite two-way player in a couple years.

Staal does everything and never takes a shift off.

Now I'm not going to make a prediction as to who is going to win this and here's why. If you go back and check out the full predictions I made before the playoffs started, I said the Pens would lose to the Sharks in the Finals. I was half right in that Pittsburgh would make it this far. However, every time I've picked against Detroit they've won and I don't want to jinx this thing because I'm already shaking and there's six hours to puck drop.

Here's what I will predict. This series is going seven games and should be a showcase of just how good hockey can be. These are two highly talented teams and should be a lot of fun to watch for those of you who aren't a fan of either side. For me, this is going to be torture and if it goes seven games check your local newspapers or online for the headline "24-year-old Pens Fans Dies From Heart Attack During Game 7."

Pens Head To The Cup Finals

OK, let me explain why there was no immediate post yesterday after we blew out Philly 6-0 and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1991-92.

It's pretty simple really. I nearly broke down in disbelief. That's about it. I was sitting at my desk at work watching the final seconds tick down when the enormity of the situation hit me. All of the suffering over the last few years has finally culminated in a Stanley Cup berth. Several hours after the game when I got into the car with my girlfriend to drive home, I was still shaking and laughing like an idiot.

She must have asked me about 30 times on the ride home about what I was laughing at. No I'm not joking.

I was forced to listen to the first period in the car on the ride into work and was able to hear the first goal scored by Ryan Malone on a slap pass from Sidney Crosby. I should seriously get in my car and drive around while the Pens are playing more often. At last count, the Pens had scored seven goals in the three or four periods I've been in the car during these playoffs.

As we were entering a tunnel we lost the radio feed for about 10 minutes. Gotta love traffic, but her mother called and didn't even ask to speak to her. Instead she wanted to update me that Malkin had just stuffed one behind Martin Biron and we had a 2-0 lead. I went nuts. The walk up to work is a blur and everything since the final horn went off and the players met at center ice to shake hands is a blur.



I still cannot believe how well the Penguins are playing right now and just how excited I am about seeing them back in the Finals. I was about 8 years old the last time the Pens made it this far. I was still too young to fully comprehend anything that was going on or get this into the playoffs. Ahh the innocence of youth.

I remember going to bed not knowing the results of the games, waking up and putting on SportsCenter to find out if the Pens won or not. Do you seriously think I could do that ever again? I sure don't. I have a hard enough time trying to fall asleep without the thought of a Penguins game being played.

I know I'm rambling and it's with good reason I think. When I woke up this morning I checked the usual suspects online to just confirm that the Penguins had actually won the Eastern Conference. I still don't really believe it, but I'm very pumped to get this thing going and take a shot at the Stanley Cup. Heard a rumor that Game 1 is on Saturday and if that's the case, I'm going to be home for it. I'll actually get to see Game 1 of a series for the first time in these playoffs and I'll be at home for the entire game. This is turning out to be a good Spring. Let's just hope the success continues.

Once I stop shaking, I'll look at this series a little more in depth and come up with some predictions like I have for every other series so far. Until next time, GO PENS!

Pens Put Flyers On Brink Of Elimination

When the game ended tonight, I was talking with Gopher and a very strange feeling came over me. I was happy and very excited obviously, but there was something very different about tonight and I'm not entirely sure why.

I was nervous as usual for the entire third period until Ryan Malone scored to put us up 3-1 and then I started to breathe just a little easier. I couldn't get too excited though since I was at work listening on a 2 minute delay over the web and was tied up with a bunch of stuff relating to the West Virginia Primary tonight.

As I was posting the story about the Penguins to our sites the feeling hit me. The nerves were mysteriously gone in quick fashion for the first time in months.

I was numb.

That's about as best I can describe it. As I wrote the headline "Pens Take Commanding 3-0 Lead Over Flyers" the magnitude of it all hit me.

We're one win away from being in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 91-92 when I was still parading around the house in my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas. Yeah, I had them, what of it? You know you did too.

Now by no means am I saying this series is over, but for the third time in this postseason we have a 3-0 lead. I'll repeat that because even I don't believe I even just typed that and it's true.

The Penguins have a 3-0 lead for the third time this postseason.

I asked for a split and I've at least gotten it. I would much rather have won Game 3 to go up 3-0 like we did than give Philly fans an added edge to get riled up for Game 4 with a chance to tie the series on home ice. You could almost hear the air get sucked out of the building when Malone tucked the puck behind Martin Biron to put the Pens up 3-1. It was almost like when Marian Hossa skated up the middle of the ice and made about 3 guys look stupid and caught Biron off-guard to put us up 2-0 early in the first.



Of course like a little kid, I'm greedy and now want to see us break out the brooms and get rid of Philadelphia quickly. I never thought that I'd see the Pens ever go on a run like they are on right now.

This is like watching the results of my latest Stanley Cup run in NHL 2K8 coming to life. After tonight's game, we are now 11-1 in the playoffs. That doesn't even look right and my head is starting to hurt from trying to wrap my brain around that thought.

Also, Sid the Kid is now the league leader in points for the playoffs. Let's not forget how impressive that is seeing as how he's played in fewer games than any of the other guys near the top of the leader-board. If you'll also notice that Malkin is only one point behind Sid.

Pavel Datsyuk (17) and Henrik Zetterberg (18) are close to Sid who's got 19, but they have both played in 1 more game so far.

Like I said, I'm just numb right now. I don't want to get too excited about being one game from the Stanley Cup Finals since I've been on the good end of a 3-0 series lead being blown. (Thanks Yankees for giving us Sox fans the ultimate bragging rights for all eternity until you guys do the same to us.)

Game 4 is on Thursday and by then we may know who the Western Conference representative will be since Dallas has been awful against Detroit who also leads 3-0.

It's kind of funny how the best series of the playoffs were in the first round when the seeding was much more lopsided. We had three Game 7s in the first round and since then we've had one Game 6 and might not even see a Game 5 in the conference finals. Didn't think that would be the case, but yet here we are.

Pens Lead 2-0, I Should Go Away More Often

Ok, the title bears a little explanation I know. This past weekend I was sunning it up in Cancun, Mexico. Jealous? I am and I was just there. As a result of the trip I missed all of Game 1 and most of Game 2. I returned home in time to see Evgeni Malkin make a terrible pass that got picked off by Mike Richards who then scored shorthanded.

My timing is impeccable.

Before you start saying "Oh poor baby. Missed two hockey games because he was in paradise," think about this. There was no way for me to even know the score of Game 1. None. We got ESPN in the room, but it was ESPN Latin America or something. I watched 90 minutes of SportsCenter in Spanish for nothing. Even the bottom line failed to show anything about the NHL, but I saw enough NBA highlights to think I was still in the States.

Anyway, I got the score of Game 1 from the girlfriend's brother who was able to check it on his phone. Gotta love technology.

I didn't think this whole thing through either. In my head when we planned this trip I was all pumped to go. Then I realized that it would be playoff time and the further the Penguins advanced the more I realized I screwed myself. If you go back and look at a recent post about how you know you love your team too much, you'll see why I was amped up and fidgety this entire weekend.

I must say, if you've never been to Cancun...GET ON A PLANE AND GO RIGHT NOW. You won't get many travel tips from me, but this was an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back someday.

Now back to hockey.

I can't really say much about Game 1 other than that I'm happy we won. All I saw of it were the highlights and I was laughing hysterically at Malkin's shorthanded breakaway goal. He pulled his best Zdeno Chara penalty shot impression and put the game away.

As for Game 2. There was some controversy in the first period when a shot by Gonchar deflected off a bunch of things and appeared to cross the goal-line with Sid hacking away on the doorstep. Video replay was inconclusive and the Pens remained up 1-0. In my humble opinion and since I played goalie for some time, that puck was in the net. No question. I'm just glad this didn't come back and bite us later in the game.

I was not impressed at all with how they played in this game. They were real sloppy and at times lacked focus, yet somehow we found a way to win with of all people but Max Talbot.

Here's what I'm hoping for. The Penguins need to lock Talbot up for a few years and I'll have a new jersey. We named our cat Max because of Talbot. (The girlfriend refuses to admit this, but while she was suggesting names for the cat I waited for her to pick one that had a Pens player's name. As soon as she called out Max, I pounced.) He's by far one of my favorite guys on the team because of his work ethic and the energy he brings to the lineup.

Let's not forget that this whole thing was set up because of a Philly turnover at their own blueline and somehow they couldn't get the puck away from Georges Laraque who dumped it down to Gary Roberts in the corner. Roberts then makes a brilliant no-look pass to a wide open Talbot in the slot who made me jump out of my chair and scare my own little Max.

From that moment on, the Pens looked like the team that has gotten to this point. They absolutely shut the Flyers down for the last 10 minutes of the game and only surrendered one good chance. This new weapon in their arsenal is something I haven't seen out of this team forever. The discipline this team has at this age is what frustrates the daylights out of me when I see stupid penalties being taken. We have the guys to shut a game down like we did in Game 2 and that alone has been a huge factor in their success to this point.

Marc-Andre Fleury was great once again, as was Martin Biron. I was thinking about this earlier today. Biron hasn't played poorly in this series. Did anyone see the sprawling save he made on Crosby after a failed clearing attempt left him in no-man's land? I was half out of my chair dancing around when my jaw hit the floor to see Biron's glove snag that puck.

What has hurt Philly to this point is their turnovers. You can't turn the puck over against a team like Pittsburgh and expect to get away with it. The elite players the Pens have will kill you if you just cough it up to them. Look at Detroit for another example of this.

In any event, we head back to Philly up 2-0 with Game 3 tonight. Of course I'd love to sweep them out of the playoffs, who wouldn't? Again, I don't think we sweep this. All I'm really looking for out of these next two games is another split like we got against the Rangers in the last round. If we head back to Pittsburgh up 3-1 for Game 5 I'll feel pretty good about our chances.

Conferece Finals Predictions

The conference finals are upon us and we're left with 2 teams everyone expected to see and 2 teams that are raising eyebrows.

Most people expected the Red Wings and Penguins to reach the conference finals, while the Stars and Flyers were question marks to get this far.

I didn't expect to see either the Stars or Flyers make it this far. Philly has completely surprised me after how poorly they played with all the injuries they had. They had to fight just to make it into the playoffs and would have been the 8-seed had they not beaten Pittsburgh on the final day of the regular season to jump up to 6th.

The Dallas Stars were my post-trade deadline favorites to come out of the West after landing Brad Richards. Then they were one of the worst teams down the stretch and turned it on against the Ducks and Sharks and now sit one step away from the Stanley Cup Finals.

Let's do this shall we?

Let's start in the East.

Eastern Conference Finals

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

Well I said before the playoffs started that I was glad we didn't draw the Flyers in the first round because we finished the regular season with two games against them, which would have potentially set up for nine straight games against the same team. I don't care who you are, neither team would have made it out of the second round after playing nine straight games against each other in one of the most heated rivalries in all of hockey.

The Flyers do not get enough credit for how fast they are. When people think of the Flyers one of the first things that comes to mind is, dirty. Yes, they had a ton of suspensions this year and were even warned by the league office about it. Fine. That's never going to change while Bobby Clarke has anything to say about it.

They play a physical style that not many teams can compete with, but guys like Jeff Carter, Daniel Briere, Mike Richards and even R.J. Umberger can all skate pretty well. Umberger has been unbelievable during these playoffs and likes to play against his hometown Penguins.

Another big reason why the Flyers are in the conference finals is the play of goaltender Martin Biron. I can remember watching a couple games of the last series with Montreal and how Biron singlehandedly stole two games by standing on his head.

The big question mark for Philly is can they contain the big three from Pittsburgh in Marian Hossa, Evgeni Malkin and of course Sidney Crosby.

The Canadiens and Penguins are very similar. Both like to get out and skate and have exceptionally skilled players on offense. The biggest difference between the two teams is that the Penguins have Marc-Andre Fleury and not Carey Price.

I said before the playoffs even started that Price would be the reason the Habs would lose if they indeed did get knocked out. I'd like to see anyone try and argue with me that Price wasn't the reason the Habs lost in that series. Price got yanked twice, benched once and shelled in Game 5. He's going to be a great goalie in this league for many years to come and the lessons he learned from being abused in this series will go a long way. Have faith Montreal.

Now I'm not saying Fleury has a ton more experience than Price, but he's been in the league much longer and at least got a taste of playoff hockey last year so he knows what to expect. That experience alone and probably giving up his trademark yellow pads and gloves have carried the Penguins so far. With a 7-1 record with a 1.76 GAA and .936 save percentage are a big reason why the Flyers need to be concerned.

Montreal showed that Biron was capable of giving up goals and the Penguins have shown that they can win shootouts and tight games. Just look at the series against the Rangers as proof.

The Penguins defense has been unbelievable down the stretch and into the playoffs as well as the penalty kill. I hate to admit this, but the addition of Hal Gill has been a big (no pun intended) reason for this.

Two quick danger notes.

For the Penguins, watch out when Gill and Rob Scuderi are on the ice together. Both are great defensive defensemen who love to block shots. The problem is that they aren't exactly fast skaters. The Flyers could exploit this and force Michel Therrien to change it up a little.

For the Flyers, one of their best defensemen is most likely out for the playoffs after blood clots were discovered in his left foot. This is a HUGE loss for the Flyers. If there was one position besides in net that they could not afford to lose someone, it would be on defense.

Bottom Line This is going to get nasty and very quick. This could very well come down to who can keep their emotions in check. Special teams will be huge and the Penguins have the edge. Pittsburgh's PP is 4th in the playoffs clicking at 23.4%, while Philly is clicking at 24%.

The difference is that Philly is the most penalized team in the playoffs and has been shorthanded 57 times whereas Pittsburgh has only been shorthanded 38 and has killed off nearly 90% of them.

Penguins win in 6.

Western Conference

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #5 Dallas Stars

Can we say a classic battle of offense against defense? Let's throw another cliche out there. Defense wins championships.

I'm not saying that Detroit can't play defense, but their offense has been the story so far in these playoffs, especially Johan Franzen who has 15 goals in the playoffs including Game 1 against the Stars. (Yes, I'm aware this is a little late being posted, but if you knew the week I had, you'd understand.)

Marty Turco has been a big reason that one of the best defensive teams in the West has made it this far. They took out two of the most dominant teams in the conference in San Jose and Anaheim. I'm shocked really.

Brendan Morrow has been fantastic in these playoffs including ending the best game of the playoffs so far in Game 6 against San Jose to send the Stars into the finals. This team is coming together at just the right time and living up to the potential they have on paper to be one of the most suffocating teams in the entire league.

Detroit on the other hand, has cruised through the playoffs so far. The main reason for this is because they haven't played a team that has been able to force the issue and force them to skate.

Nashville did it for two games on home ice and won both. The problem was that their goaltending was suspect the rest of the time and Detroit pounced. The Stars might not have enough speed to be able to exploit this weakness, but if you look ahead to the Stanley Cup Finals, you can see where I'm going with this.

What the Stars should be able to do is clog up the ice and keep Detroit to the outsides and capitalize on turnovers. I still don't trust Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek with their AARP card memberships in the mail. Yes, Ozzie has played well so far while filling in for Hasek. I just don't trust his body holding up.

Bottom Line: If Dallas can stay out of the box and play the way they have against a high powered Anaheim team, they can pull off the upset here. Seriously. Marty Turco is finally playing like a playoff goalie coming off last season's great seven game series with the Canucks. That was not his fault at all, but he seems to have learned how to win in the playoffs. If the Stars align, it could be onto the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stars win in 7.

Ways You Know You Love Your Team Too Much

OK, so after Game 5 of the Penguins/Rangers series I was talking to Gopher. I decided to wait a little bit to rub it in as he's a Rangers fan and I'm obviously not. About 2 hours after Marian Hossa scored, I still had some nervous breathing going on. You know how you get when you nearly get into a car accident and your hole body shakes and you think you might have a reversal of fortune of your meals that day? We concluded that still feeling that way that long after the game might be a little much. The rest of the conversation became about ways you know you might love your NHL team too much.

These are in no particular order mind you. This is just meant to be something fun for me to do and for you all to read and see just how nuts I actually am.

#1 You Grow Your Own Playoff Beard

Yep, doing it right now. I've been toying with the idea of growing out a beard for a while now anyway so I figured, why not make it for the playoffs? I normally sport the goatee, so this playoff beard is off to a bad start seeing as how the goatee has been groomed for years and this "thing" has only been around for a month.

My girlfriend looked at me like I was nuts when I said I was doing this. I got that head cocked to the side half rolling eyes look as she walked away saying "You never cease to amaze me."

The things I do for my team.

Don't think I'm the only one either. Gopher never even blinked when I told him I was doing this. Apparently he's done it in the past and I must say, he put most of the NHL guys to shame. Check It Out Here!

I don't care who you are, that's an awesome playoff beard.

#2 You Have Sacred Pre-Game Rituals

Again, I'm guilty. I won't even go into details on this because you might make a couple calls and have the men in white coats come pick me up. I always wanted padded walls in my room. Mainly because we used to have knee hockey wars and the only way it could possibly get better would be to institute checking.

Here's how this works and I'm sure you all have your own. When I say pre-game I don't mean from the time you sit in your favorite chair and turn on the tv. Not at all. What I'm talking about is this.

From the time the final buzzer sounds in the previous game until the puck drops in the next game, you do the same things the same way every time as if your life depended on it. You celebrate a win or get over a loss the same way. Your daily routine stays the same. You go all out walking on egg shells as if one minor slip up such as dropping a spoon en route to the sink doesn't throw the universe out of whack and thus rendering your team dead. (Yes this happened before Game 4 against the Rangers, that's all I'm going to say.)

In most cases this lasts for 24-48 hours and every minute that goes by is a painful mindgame that keeps you awake at night with the voice in your head combing over your every move that day and you don't sleep at all if you screwed something up.

#2a. You Have Sacred Rituals During The Game

This is obviously a continuation of the above, but it must be mentioned.

This is probably the most crucial time for you as a fan. It's funny how one little body movement that results in something negative happening to your team will change how you watch the game.

You'll end up looking like you're playing twister by the end of the game if you've got a cold or a rash or anything else that doesn't let your health be at 100%. What happens when you make the slightest movement and it results in a goal? You apologize to the team through the television as if you've got a microphone on and everyone on the team has an earpiece to hear you.

You will risk bodily harm by not making a bathroom break until intermission even if the call of nature comes with 19:59 on the clock in the period. In your mind you are the center of the universe and anything you say and or do during a game has a massive impact on how the game turns out. The things you do and more importantly, don't do during the game would make and OCD patient look completely normal.

#3 Anything Can Become A Projectile

This should be self explanatory, but it's true. You get soo wrapped up in the game and think you're the coach of General Manager and whatever happens to be within an arms length is at risk. One example of a massive flip out had nothing to do with hockey.

2003 ALCS Game 7. Aaron Boone walk-off homer sends the Red Sox packing after they blew a big lead. I walked back into my dorm room entirely infuriated and bumped into my dresser with my upper thigh. I forgot I stil had keys in my pocket and they jabbed me in the leg ever so slightly. I reached into my pocket grabbed the keys and chucked it at the wall faster than Tim Wakefield has ever thrown in his life. I'm surprised I didn't lose an eye with the flying shrapnel that came off the key ring as a couple key chains disintegrated upon contact. The holes in the wall were still there 3 years later when we moved out.

Normally the remote takes all the abuse. It's the serf of electronics really. It always serves and never asks for anything but new batteries so it can perform its duties efficiently and we end up throwing it against the floor, wall or in some cases not my own, the television. What did the remote ever do? Oh and forget it if the batteries die at the exact instant you want to change the channel due to being so disgusted with how your team is playing. Get the kids out of the room and hide the women as that sucker might break the sound barrier as it leaves your hand.

#4 You Construct A Shrine For Your Team Somewhere In Your House

My entire basement would fall into this category. Have no fear though, I got full approval from the girlfriend to construct this room. I had to concede that I wouldn't make it look tacky or go too nuts with it, so in order to make her happy I enlisted her help. It's reached a point where we are both happy with how it looks and I'm OK with it.

The walls have pictures of various Penguin greats as well as most of the young guns I've enjoyed watching over the past couple years. Some of it is autographed, some of it just looked cool so I bought it.

Here's the thing with the shrine. You are never quite done adding to it. You'll always find space for that new item no matter how big or small it is. I've still got about 3 more framed pictures to put up and I don't know where I'm going to put it. I just might have to annex the shrine to another room and slowly take over our whole place. If you read this dear, I need your help measuring out the walls in the bedroom.

#5 You Will Risk Getting Some Disease For Your Team

I'm not talking something entirely disgusting here. Just simply wearing the same shirt or clothes for every game while your team is on a winning streak in the playoffs.

I haven't quite pulled this off during this year's playoffs as I've had to work for some of the games and that would just put off some people. That said, during last year's ALCS and first couple games of the World Series I refused to wash my Red Sox shirt I wore during Game 5 against Cleveland. We were on vacation in Florida at the time and wasted 4 evenings watching baseball, while the odor in the room grew with every pitch.

When we returned home from our trip I refused to wash the shirt until the series was over. My girlfriend tried to wash it without me knowing, but I caught her and got the rolled eye thing I noted above. It's the look I get when she knows I'm doing something crazy or beyond her understanding of how involved I get with a team.

Top 5 Surprises Of Playoffs So Far

Now that it looks as if the second round of the NHL playoffs will be over by the end of the weekend, I suppose I should do the follow up to the biggest disappointments post from the other day. Also to go along with yesterday's thoughts on something else other than hockey, read on and see what I'm commenting on for today.

#5 Colorado Avalanche Round 1 Style

Yeah, this post is meant to be a look at isolated incidents in the playoffs. The Avs from round one were mighty impressive. I didn't think they had it in them to actually knock off the Wild, but they proved me wrong.

Jose Theodore was fantastic in that series and actually looked like his old self. If I remember right in my overall predictions blog I said in order for the Avs to move on to the next round it would have to be because of Theodore.

Now let's look ahead to where they are now on this second round against Detroit while I still have a couple hours where that is actually true. This series ends tonight. The Avs have been terrible in this entire series. Maybe not the whole team, just one guy in particular.

Jose Theodore.

The only reasoning we've been given for Theodore's unfathomable suckfest in this series is he supposedly has the "flu." Really? That's the best we could come up with? If he had the flu that bad, why put him in net to begin with? You have a capable guy in Peter Budaj who could have at least stopped a puck in the first two games while Theodore rested up. Get out the brooms Red Wings fans, cause this one is over tonight.

#4 Boston Bruins Push Montreal To 7 Games

I don't think even the most rabid Bruins fans thought that they were going to win this series, much less come back from 3-1 down and force a Game 7. What was even more mindblowing was the stat that kept flashing during every game that said the Bruins have NEVER beaten the Canadiens in a playoff series.

Really? Two original six teams that played each other practically every year and Boston NEVER beat them once? That's worse than the Red Sox ineptitude against the hated Yankees until they came back from 0-3 down in 2004.

This was a great series and embodied what playoff hockey is all about.

Once this series was 3-1 in favor of Montreal, I could not believe that they lost Game 5 on home ice and then proceeded to lose Game 6 back in Boston. What then happened in Game 7 was basically like watching a sick animal be put to sleep. The Bruins had absolutely nothing left in the tank. Yeah they lost 5-0, but it wasn't a 5-0 game.

They, like any other team in that situation, started taking chances and got burned while fighting to live another day. This was at best a 2-0 or 3-0 game. The Bruins have nothing to be ashamed of or disappointed by. This was a team that many didn't think would even make the playoffs and they pushed the number one seed to the brink. That's gotta count for something doesn't it?

#3 How Much Does Philly Love Briere and Biron?

For as much as I have a deep hatred of the Flyers as a Pens fan, I can't overlook the fact that this team was the worst team in the league last year and now they sit just one win away from the Eastern Conference finals.

I'm chalking almost all of this up to the play of Daniel Briere and Martin Biron. Briere currently leads the NHL in points in the playoffs. (Make the argument all you want about how some teams like the Penguins have played almost half as many games. I'll back you up.)

His leadership skills along with the resurgence of Mike Knuble have carried this team this far along with Biron in goal. Biron has been disgusting in this postseason and especially in this series with Montreal where they've been outshot 1651574145 - 30. (yes I know that's a really big exaggeration, but ask Biron how much rubber he's faced and I bet he probably throws out a number close to that.)

This team has gotten healthy at the right time of year and it's showing. Imagine how much scarier this team would be if Simon Gagne would have not suffered three concussions this season. Baring a meltdown this team is moving on to the Eastern Conference finals.

#2 Dallas Stars Break Out Of Funk

Are you kidding me? Right after the trade deadline I was hanging out with Cheech and we were discussion who we thought had the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. At the time we both agreed that the Dallas Stars were probably the most complete team after getting Brad Richards.

Then for one reason or another this team just couldn't mesh together. A couple injuries to key players like Sergei Zubov and all of a sudden this team is dropping like a rock and they end up holding out thanks to an earlier lead in points and drew the Ducks in the opening round.

Then all of a sudden everyone wakes up and collectively says "OK Let's do this thing." They go on to completely dominate the Ducks and have smoked the Sharks for the most part and have Dallas fans once again looking ahead to a Wings/Stars playoff series.

If they continue to play like they have been and Marty Turco plays like he has, this team WILL beat Detroit in the Western Conference Finals. Write it down. If you don't give me a few days once everything is official and I'll write it down on here for you.

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins Are 7-0

This is self explanatory and I refuse to even talk about it for fear of jinxing this run we're on. The only thing I will say is that they are the first team since the 1994 Rangers and we all know how that turned out.

So instead of wasting my time on writing about this which will inevitably come back and bite me in the ass, let's move onto something else shall we?

Why Sports Are Great

Before I even start commenting on this subject, Read This!

I'll give you a few minutes to get through that.

Go ahead.

I'll still be here.

(Jeopardy Theme)

OK, now that you have read that this should be real easy to comment on.

Every once in a while a sports story comes along that makes you forget about how everyone on your favorite team makes more money per game than any of us probably make in a year. Something like that story makes you remember why you fell in love with sports in the first place.

Of course sports is all about who wins and who loses, or at least that's what we're taught to believe. Sport was based on the honor of competition and respecting the field of battle no matter what it might be.

I wish I would have been at this game just so I could gather those three young women together and shake their hands. These girls deserve more recognition than what they are getting. Maybe in the coming days more people will pick up on this and everyone will feel good about themselves for a minute or two, but not get the big picture.

The big picture here is that none of those girls on the field has a big dollar contract awaiting them. This was about making someone's dream come true. This was about a moment bigger than any individual person or even the game itself. Where else would you see anyone pick up an "enemy" and carry them to safety? This was more than just sportsmanship and is one of the most overlooked storylines and this is just my way of paying tribute to three remarkable women.

Pens Push Rangers To Brink

Before I get into this ridiculous game, I'm making an announcement. With the end to the NHL season fast approaching, I am starting to realize that getting a post up about the greatest sport in the world will be rather difficult come mid-June. From here on out I'm going to start commenting on big stories from other sports. This is just to fill the void that the hockey-less summer will provide until the draft and Free Agent period and such. Fear not puckheads, the main focus of this blog will remain hockey related. You will also begin seeing some guest posts from the infamous Gopher as we roll along. Thanks for all the support, it's much appreciated. Now...

The game has been over for a few hours now and I have just one question. Did that just really happen? My blood pressure just returned to normal about 5 minutes ago and my hands are still shaking after being put through the torture that was Game 3. Think I’m joking? Call up Tums and ask them who their best customer is cause it’s this guy.

During the game I looked at a co-worker and said, “I remember when the Pens weren’t in the playoffs over the last couple years. I remember saying then that I wished we were in the playoffs. Now that we’re in again, I’m slowly realizing why I have a love/hate relationship with seeing the Pens in the playoffs.”

Here’s why, when they weren’t in it was much easier to just sit back and complain about how terrible we were and look ahead to the future to when we would be back in the playoffs again. There was no pressure, no high blood pressure, no ulcers etc. Now that we’re in the playoffs again and doing well, I’m afraid to even speak about the team to friends and family, much less come on here and write for you all for fear of waking up from what has got to be a dream. Every second that goes by feels like an eternity during the games. Every goal scored against feels like someone is stabbing me in the chest. Every goal we score results in a near orgasmic euphoria. I know this may sound nuts, but real fans out there know what I’m talking about. For as much as I hate the nervousness and torture of watching playoff hockey, I love every minute of it. It’s just a good thing that the playoffs only last for a couple months each year because I never would have seen my 24th birthday.

Anyway onto tonight’s game. The only complaint I have tonight about the game is the same one you’ve heard me say about this team down the stretch. We had a near cataclysmic meltdown in the second period. We led 3-1 after the first and yet for some reason I knew the letdown was coming. Even as I saw it happening I couldn’t turn away. It was like watching a train wreck where you want to look away, but try as you might, you just can’t do it. I was talking to my buddy Gopher during the game and while he was running around his living room when the Jagr walked around the cage and rifled a wrister past Fleury for the tying goal, I said to Gopher “Remember that letdown I’ve been harping on? You’ve now witnessed it first hand.”

Michael Therrien immediately calls a time out, which was obviously the correct move as the Rangers tied the game in just over a minute. You’d think the time out would have been a wake up call to the Pens. Nope. They came out after the breather just as flat as they had started the period and if not for the sweet sweet sound of iron, the Rangers would have led 4-3 and I would have been throwing things. Instead, the puck rings out and a couple minutes later Ryan Hollweg takes a completely stupid boarding penalty and Malkin comes to the rescue once again.



That was the key moment in the game tonight. I work right up the street from MSG and I felt the wind blow immediately after the Malkin goal. My theory is that the breeze that went by was the rush of air being let out of the arena. It was that huge.

The Pens then come out in the third period and played the same lock down defense they played in Game 2 and got the insurance marker to put us up 5-3.

You could see the Rangers just weren’t skating the way they had for the first two periods. They had accepted that they were losing this game and were just going through the motions. Their power play was atrocious in the third period. All five guys were just standing around playing patty-cake with each other. There was no passion, no effort. I’m not complaining as a Pens fan, just merely stating what I saw.

All I wanted in NY was a split and we’ve already earned it. Now we have a chance to make quick work of the Rangers and rest up for either Montreal or Philadelphia. I’m not overlooking the fact that twice in NHL history a team has come back from an 0-3 hole to win the series and the Pens were one of those team that have blown the lead. This series is not over. We need to come out in Game 4 and weather the storm again, bide our time and play our game. If we do that, we just might pull off the sweep.

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As stated above here's some thoughts about other stories in sports right now.

Roger Clemens

Has anyone ever had this big of a fall from grace? To compare this sports icon's fall from the top you'd have to look to the likes of Britney Spears. Both were near the top of their respective games, only to see them go into a tail spin that has no bottom in sight.

We recently find out that Roger Clemens might not just be lying about juicing up since he left Boston. Now, he's apparently had an affair with country music singer Mindy McCreedy. No big deal right? Just another famous person having an affair. Here's the golden nugget that had me rather disgusted as well as most of the people who read about or saw this on SportsCenter.

Allegedly now and unconfirmed, but rumor has it that the Rocket was nailing her before she could have appeared on MTV's "My Super Sweet 16." Might be a little too vague there, but in case you didn't get the joke....SHE MAY HAVE BEEN AS YOUNG AS 15 YEARS OLD!

Here's what she looks like now. Mugshot Goodness!! I don't care who you are, if I woke up next to that in the morning I'd be in my car speeding away in such a way that would make Dale Earnhardt Jr. jealous.

I really hope that this turns out to be false, because I really hate seeing people fall from their ivory towers. Really, I do. I don't wish bad things on anyone, even if that person left my favorite team and left me with some bad blood. I only hoped that his career numbers would continue to plummet like they were in his last year in Boston, never did I imagine this would happen.

Top 5 Disappointments Of The Playoffs (So Far)

I was sitting around thinking the other day about some of the biggest surprises of the first round so far and why I'm giddy as a Pens fan. I figured that would be good for a later post and started thinking about the flip side of that scenario being the biggest disappointments of the playoffs so far. After running this by Gopher and bouncing off my few ideas and with some of his own I narrowed the list down to a cool five. Here they are:

#5 - Martin Brodeur's Play Against The Rangers

Has he ever played a worse playoff series in his career? I don't think so. Go back to the two blunders he had in Game 1 on home ice. With the score tied in the third period and on the power play, Brodeur either had a massive brain lapse or was his typical cocky puck playing self. (Yes, he's one of the best puck handling goalies in the league, but he gets a little over-confident some times.)

With Ryan Callahan curling around the net, Brodeur drops the puck in his crease about a foot from the goalline thinking that the man coming around the net was his defenseman only to see Callahan hack it into the net for a backbreaking shorthanded goal.

As if it wasn't bad enough, later in the same period Brodeur overplays Scott Gomez on a 2-on-1. Gomez was practically in the 5th row of the crowd when he realized Brodeur was staring him in the face and not in the crease when he passed it out front to Sean Avery for an easy tap in goal to pad the lead.



These are just two examples of his poor play in this series. A majority of the goals he allowed in this series were pucks he should have stopped or were pucks that had no business being in the net. Did Avery's antics really get into his head that bad, or is this just the first signs of an aging goaltender in the new NHL? Time will only tell, but needless to say this was not the Brodeur we are all used to seeing at this time of year.

#4 - The Dominator Becomes The Dominated

This is pretty self explanatory, but can you really blame Mike Babcock for turning to Chris Osgood this soon? I think I saw Hasek filling out his AARP membership info during Game 6 against Nashville.

He was brutal in Games 3 and 4 in Nashville. He singlehandedly put Hockeytown into a state of panic not seen since the Sharks upset them many a moon ago. I enjoyed watching Hasek play during his career, but I hate seeing athletes hang on too long. Look at Jerry Rice, does it get much worse than seeing a Hall of Famer be cut and no one pick him up and then see him have success on "Dancing With The Stars?" I don't think so.

This needs to be Hasek's last season. Yes he put up great numbers this season, but honestly put a pylon in net and the wings still win at least 48-52 games. That team is loaded and is a well oiled machine. The Wings have a very capable goalie in Jimmy Howard waiting in the wings for his turn. He's the future of this franchise and has proven that he can play at the NHL level when he filled in for the osteoporosis-ridden Hasek earlier this season.

#3 - Carey Price Is Either On Or Can't Stop A Beachball

I hate to see someone struggle like this and for me to have to come on here and say "I told you so," but here it is. I TOLD YOU SO.

Carey Price looked great for five of the seven games against Boston. Games 5 and 6 were terrible where he gave up 10 goals in those two games and allowed Boston to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-1 in the series. Now I haven't been able to figure out if his shutout in Game 7 is anything to be overly excited about as the Bruins had absolutely nothing left in the tank for that game. Price did have some great saves in the game, but his team had already spotted him a 3 goal lead before anything he did mattered.

Flash ahead to the current series against Philadelphia. He hasn't looked solid in any of the first three games and was pulled in Game 3 after the second period. He let up three goals on 12 shots and was replaced by Jaroslav Halak who didn't allow a goal in the third period as the Habs almost forced overtime after heading into the final period down 3-0.



Who will be in net for Game 4? If I'm running the show I go with Halak. You can't waste time waiting for a kid to show up and play like we all know he's capable of playing. I've said this before. I like Price. I really do, but the inexperience of a 21-year-old kid playing in Montreal with the hopes of all of Canada on his shoulders right now to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada, is starting to show.

The backbreaking goal he allowed in Game 2 in the third period had no business being scored. On a floating puck in the air he nonchalantly put his glove out to catch it only to see it batted out of his glove and then into the net. You have to fight for that puck at all times as a goalie. Maybe he'll turn it around, but he's got to do it quick if the Habs are going to keep advancing in the playoffs.

#2 What's Up With San Jose?

I felt obliged to put this in near the top of the list since I picked them to win the Stanley Cup.

I don't quite get it. This team was the hottest of any team heading into the playoffs, but has been just good enough to advance. The one game that sticks out in my mind was when they ran Kipper from the net in Calgary with three goals in less than four minutes. Things looked great for the Sharks in that game and then it all fell apart as they went on to lose the game.

You can't blow three goal leads in the playoffs and expect to win. Ask the Rangers about how Game 1 against Pittsburgh turned out after they did the exact same thing.

Now they find themselves down 0-2 against the Stars and heading BACK TO DALLAS for the next two games. The Stars have completely dominated the first two games of this series and I wonder if San Jose is feeling some fatigue from playing a very physical seven game series against the Flames.

This team has no business losing like this. They are too deep and too good of a team to be tossed around like this.

#1 - Anaheim Ducks Made The Playoffs?

Boy I bet Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne are glad they came out of semi-retirement for this splendid Stanley Cup defense.

What a pathetic showing from the defending champs against the Stars who were one of the coldest most out of sync teams heading into the playoffs. It was almost like the Ducks expected to win and didn't put any effort into doing so.

J.S. Giguere was solid in only two games and those were the two they ended up winning.

The Stars controlled this series from the opening puck drop and the added boost of knocking off the defending champs has carried over into their series with the Sharks. I can't believe how the Ducks rolled over in this series. You can't take anything for granted in the playoffs even as the defending champs. With the way the Ducks played in the first round, I wouldn't have been surprised if the Lightning could have knocked them out. (Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, but come on this was almost as bad as how the Senators played against the Penguins.)

The only thing I can come up with is that someone had really good tee times at Pebble Beach that making a run at defending the Stanley Cup was an afterthought.

Pens Win Game 2, Lead Series 2-0

What a ride we’re on right now and I hope it doesn’t end for quite some time. I was out of town for the last couple days which is why there is nothing up about Game 1. I was attending my grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary party, but fear not. I had up to the minute scoring updates throughout the evening thanks to a Blackberry.

I began that night rather annoyed to see the Pens go down 3-0 in the second, but finished the night giddy as a schoolgirl when a shot by Sidney Crosby deflected off Evgeni Malkin into the net with 1:40 to play.

For today’s game I had to head to work after the first intermission. I woke up in time for the opening puck drop, sweated out the first period then listened to the second period in the car and saw the third period from my desk. That’s dedication right there for you.

Anyway, the Rangers seemed to be sloppy and flat for most of the game today. If it wasn’t for Henrik Lundqvist, this game could have been a laugher instead of a very close 1-0 game that became 2-0 with an empty net goal. I was talking to my buddy Gopher during most of the game as he is a Ranger fan and he was about ready to hurt someone by the end of the game.

Marc-Andre Fleury played well, but did not have to be spectacular. The Penguins defense was much improved from Game 1 and looked much more like the unit that swept away the Senators in round one. Sticks and bodies were in the passing lanes and many shots were kept to the outside. I can only think of about 3-4 really good chances that the Rangers had in this game.

There was a noticeable effort by the Penguins today to go upstairs on Lundqvist. The kid is tough to beat down low and is very good at picking up pucks through traffic. He saw yet another stellar effort in goal go to waste as his team up front couldn’t get anything going in the game. In the middle of the third period Gopher said to me “We are an entirely different team when we crash the net.”

I responded: “You’re right, you guys aren’t a finesse team like the Penguins are.”

Gopher: “Nope, but we think we are.”

That got me to thinking and watching the Rangers play with a more critical eye while popping Tums as the seconds ticked on by in the third. The Rangers were happy to try and take pucks to the net through 4 defenders or make high risk passes into traffic, rather than throwing the puck on goal and crash for rebounds. Fleury had next to no traffic in front of him for most of the game and when you don’t get traffic at this time of year, you’re not going to win many games.

Key example of this from today’s game was when the Rangers appeared to have tied the game late in the third period. Rangers throw it to the cage and finally showing some desperation, start hacking at Fleury like there is no tomorrow. Dan O’Hallaran blows the play dead as the puck squirts through Fleury and into the net. Goal doesn’t count as the whistle blew before the puck crossed the line, but that should show something to the Rangers. If it doesn’t, the Pens are going to roll in this series.

Here's the highlights:



As for my boys today, they showed that they can win a tight checking 1-0 game. This little fact proven today is the key difference between this year’s squad and last year’s team. You can cite experience all you want and I agree with you to a point, but last year the baby Pens couldn’t win a low scoring game. They needed to score 4-5 goals a game to have a shot. This year however, they have the team and the players to shut the opposition down and kill the clock.

I nearly punched my girlfriend in the face while we were driving into work today when Jordan Staal broke the tie in the second period. When I finally saw the replay of the goal while at work, my jaw hit the desk. Malkin made one heck of a play to get that puck to Staal who had the presence of mind to pull that puck back to his forehand and put a hurting on the water-bottle to send the Igloo into a frenzy.

Game 3 is Tuesday night back in New York and I’m only asking one thing from the Pens over these next two games. Win at least one of the next two. I want a split at worst at Madison Square Garden and that might be a lot to ask for. The Penguins lost all four meetings at MSG this season and looked terrible in the last two meetings there. If I remember right, in one of those games the Penguins only had a handful of shots through two periods and barely broke double digits for the game. Granted the Pens team in those games wasn’t near the same team that is playing right now, but they cannot sit and be content with a 2-0 series lead. This is a very dangerous Rangers team that will no doubt come out flying in Game 3. The Pens will have to weather the storm early, much like they did in the first round against Ottawa.

Second Round Analysis

The second round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway tonight and I couldn't be happier about it.

We had a couple of surprises in the first round that are worth mentioning. First off congrats to the Boston Bruins for showing some fight and forcing a Game 7 after bing down 3-1 in the series. There seems to be a bright future in Boston and they have nothing to hang their heads about.

Secondly, what was up with the Anaheim Ducks? Of course it's harder than ever to repeat as champs now, but the effort just didn't seem to consistently be there against the Stars. The two games they actually showed up for they won and the second of which they were still badly outshot.

Lastly, we learned that assembling a Stanley Cup champion team from several years ago might actually be a good move after all. The Colorado Avalanche looked pretty good against the defensive minded Minnesota Wild and Jose Theodore was brilliant between the pipes.

With that said, let's take a look at how my predictions from the first round went.

I nailed the Eastern Conference dead on and even hit the exact amount of games correctly in the Philadelphia/Washington series. Out west was a different story where I went 2/4 giving me a grand total of 6 out of 8 correct picks. Not too shabby I suppose. Since I hit the East dead on, I feel obligated to defend the playoff pool picks, so without further ado here's my analysis and predictions for the second round in both conferences.

Eastern Conference

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

Rather than use the old format of why each wins and such I'll just do this quick hitter style.

The Flyers will be without veteran leader and one of their top scorers in Mike Knuble who went down in Game 5 against the Caps with a partially torn hamstring. According to TSN.ca, Knuble is working to get back on the ice for this series, but it's going to depend on how quickly he heals. Without him it's going to be tough for the Flyers to knock off the top team in the East.

Carey Price nearly made me look like a genius. If you'll recall, in the Eastern Conference breakdown I did I said the reason the Habs wouldn't win would be because of this kid. He nearly proved me right too. He looked solid in net for the first four games of the series. Then Games 5 and 6 he might not have been able to stop a beachball as he gave up 10 goals in two games. As a Pens fan I started cheering for Boston to win Game 7 so we'd play them in the next round. Price settled down and the Habs won 5-0 in a game where the scoreboard doesn't reflect how close the game was.

The key for the Habs in this series is that Price cannot have a funk like this again if the Habs are going to make a deep run. They should win this series rather easily as they are a more deep team than the Caps were and are just as fast if not faster.

For the Flyers, they are going to have to suffocate their opponent in the defensive end. They did a good job of limiting the damage Alexander Ovechkin and Co. did against them and that's why they prevailed in the series. They have a decisive edge when you look at physicality and will have to jump on the Habs early by hitting anything that moves to make their forwards think twice about touching the puck. If they can do that the Flyers might have a chance at the upset.

Bottom Line: The Canadiens looked vulnerable at times against the Bruins, but I don't think the Flyers are the team who can exploit those weaknesses and win four games from it. If Price stays sharp this is over quick. Canadiens win in 5.

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 New York Rangers

Did I predict this would happen? Yes. Am I happy it turned out this way? I don't know. As a Pens fan I much rather would have seen the Caps or Bruins who played very tough and demanding seven game series and I think we could have easily skated past both of them as we're well rested after a quick sweep of the Sens.

The Rangers looked impressive against the Devils in their first round series, but I question just how good they were. I really think it would have been a much longer series than five games had Martin Brodeur not allowed about 7 soft goals that come to mind. Specifically Game 1 where he inexplicably left a puck sitting a foot from the goal-line in his crease thinking that the Rangers' player skating by was a teammate only to see it end up in the back of his net. Brodeur looked awful for most of this series and awful goaltending does not win you games in the playoffs.

The Devils aside, the Rangers have been a much improved team down th stretch and so far in the playoffs than they were for most of the season. Henrik Lundqvist appears to have returned to the Vezina Trophy form we all knew he was capable of, but the big question that looms in this series is can their defense slow down the speedy Penguins? If they can the Rangers could win this series.

For the Penguins this comes down to one key. Don't let Sean Avery have his way on the ice. This guy should be inducted into the Pests In Sports Hall Of Fame. The Penguins cannot take stupid penalties because they are frustrated with Sean Avery. The Devils did it and were gone in five games.

The Pens have a much deeper team on offense and have a much different team than the one the Rangers saw throughout the season eight times. They are a healthy bunch with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scoring points at will it seems like. Marian Hossa was amazing in the first round even if he doesn't have the point total to show that. He's been buzzing around the net and eventually that will pay off. Also, Marc-Andre Fleury looks like an entirely different goalie than he did even before he had the high-ankle sprain. He's been fantastic down the stretch and so far in the playoffs. He will need to keep it up and know that JAGR ONLY SHOOTS FROM THE RIGHT FACE-OFF DOT. THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE HE EVER SHOOTS FROM! BE AWARE OF IT!

I honestly don't know how the scouting report on Jagr doesn't say that exact same thing. It boggles my mind how teams let him shoot from there all day long. He did it in Pittsburgh too. It's always been his "spot."

Bottom line: Jagr returns to Pittsburgh for the first time in the playoffs and will see his arch enemy Hal Gill. Think I'm joking? Few years back Jagr publicly admitted that he hates playing against Gill because his big frame shuts him down. There will be no rust factor that will give either side an edge. Both sides have had long layoffs and are anxious to get back on the ice. To me, the Penguins have too much firepower and are playing their best hockey of the season. There's a reason they're the division champs and it will show in this series. This next line is for Gopher. Pray Marek Malik doesn't make an appearance in this series or you and your Rangers will be weeping. Penguins win in 7.

Western Conference

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche

A month or so ago I did up a post on first round nightmare scenarios. This is the series I picked involving the Red Wings. Granted it didn't happen in the first round, but even if you're not a fan of these teams you have to be jacked up about this series.

This series will get nasty and get nasty very quick. To say these two teams loathe each other would be an understatement. I don't particularly think either side has as much physical presence as they did for their first few playoff match-ups, but the Wings have guys like Chris Chelios who like to bring the pain so everyone is going to have to keep their head on a swivel.

For the Avalanche to pull off the upset, they are going to need Jose Theodore to steal a couple games. He did it against the Wild and might just be playing the best hockey we've seen him play since his days in Montreal. Guys like Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny are going to need to step up big time in this series and the Avs d-corps is going to have to figure out a way to slow down Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

For the Wings it starts and ends in net. Hasek was brutal in Games 3 and 4 and Mike Babcock wasted no time in going to Chris Osgood who played well in the final two games of the series. I haven't trusted this goaltending duo since day one this year and I'm still suspect of how those old bones are holding up after a total of 88 games so far this season.

The only way I see the Wings losing this series is if they beat themselves or get too wrapped up in the rivalry and start taking unnecessary shots at the Avs.

Bottom Line The Wings are too good of a team for the Avs to handle. As much as I'd like to pick the Avalanche to win this series to further fuel the rivalry, I just can't do it. The Wings have more firepower up front and have a veteran defensive corps led by Nick Lidstrom who's once again up for the Norris Trophy. Wings win in 6.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Dallas Stars

Now I'm torn on this one. On the one hand I picked San Jose to win the Stanley Cup this year. On the other you have a team that dispatched the defending champs in rather easy fashion. This is a tough one.

The Stars finally snapped out of whatever funk they were in down the stretch and made the Ducks look silly in their series. I will say this though, had they lost Game 6 at home, I wouldn't be sitting here typing about the Stars. There is no way they win Game 7 in Anaheim. None.

Anyway, Marty Turco wasn't brilliant in net, but he didn't have to be. When your team puts up 4-5 goals a game you can afford to give up a goal or two. He will have to be spectacular against the Sharks or the Stars will ride off into the Texas sunset.

For the Sharks it's very simple. Take the lessons learned against Calgary and apply them to the Stars. The big wake-up call in this series was Game 3. San Jose chased Kipper from the net with three goals in under four minutes of play only to see the Flames storm back and win.

Going down 2-1 in the series right then and there and then coming back to eventually win in seven games is the kind of adversity championship teams have to overcome. They earned the right to be in the second round and it's time to prove that they belong.

Jonathan Cheechoo may not have even combined over the last two years to equal his single season goal mark of 56 in 2005-06 and if he has it's gotta be real close, but he showed signs of life against the Flames. The big question for the Stars is can they contain Joe Thornton. San Jose's offense more or less starts and stops with Big Joe. If the Stars limit his chances and get sticks and bodies in his passing lanes, they could pull this off.

Bottom Line: If I hadn't taken the Sharks to win the cup I'd be picking the Stars in this series. The Sharks have underachieved every time they are a favorite or a Cup contender and eventually that will come back to haunt them and me. Sharks win in 6.

Martin Brodeur Is No Better Than Sean Avery

The title on this should be self explanatory, but I'll go into some detail here. Before that, I must apologize for not getting something new up here in a few days. I had a buddy in town for all of last week and it was rather difficult to find the time to be able to sit down and write something up. He left yesterday and now here I am once again.

Anyway, Friday night after the Rangers had turned any normal day into one of my favorite holidays (Devils Elimination Day), Martin Brodeur did one of the most classless acts I have ever seen. I'm not saying this is as bad as Todd Bertuzzi or Marty McSorley, but it's close in terms of tradition.

In the handshake line, Brodeur and Sean Avery gradually got closer and closer. The cameras were fixated on the two as if it was a foregone conclusion that something would go down and it did.

Sean Avery extends his hand to Brodeur and Marty takes the low road and skates on by without accepting the handshake.



I have a serious problem with this. The handshake is one of the longest standing and greatest tradition that the NHL has. How many other professional American sports have this in place? One. The NFL, and even that is just one big sausage fest of hugging. If the teams are going to hug like that after battling each other, here's what I propose.

You get the cheerleaders to travel to road games. You have them compete against each other at halftime. Make it a quick 10 minute game of flag football. You keep records and standings just like you would for the NFL. Once the 10 minute game is over, the girls can hug it out. I can tell you right now that the lines at the urinal would be rather short at the half.

Furthermore, the Super Bowl halftime show continues to get worse and worse every year. I didn't like it when MTV had it before the infamous wardrobe malfunction and I don't like the watered down version we get every year now. Here's how you make the Super Bowl halftime show amazing.

Remember those standings from the cheerleader flag football? You take the top 2 records from the season and have them play a 30 minute game for all the marbles. It can be 30 minutes since halftime at the Super Bowl is about 2 hours long anyway. Once it's over you have a trophy presentation and one final Super Hugoff.

Anyway, back to hockey. The handshake line is one of the greatest sights in all of sports in my opinion. It's a symbol of tradition as guys who battled hard for upwards of seven games meet at center ice to man up one final time. You extend your hand to the guy as a sign of respect for a tough battle. In the handshake line, it doesn't matter who won or lost. All that matters is the respect among warriors.

What Brodeur did was the equivalent of a little kid throwing a temper tantrum when their parents took their favorite toy away. Do I see where Brodeur is coming from on this? Of course, especially after what Avery did in Game 3. Upon further review, I have a slight issue with the stick wagging, but still have no problem with how he as screening Brodeur face to face. None at all.

Brodeur gets all this talk and praise for being such a nice guy and a class act. This now makes two instances where I have lost even more respect for him. The first was two years ago at their practice rink. My parents came down for my father's birthday and we went to a Penguins/Devils game at the old Continental Airlines Arena. The Penguins won, which I was obviously happy about.

The next day we went to the rink where the Devils used to practice to try and get an autograph or a picture for my father. Every player who came off the ice that day stopped to sign stuff for the little kids and whoever wanted one. Not Marty. Brodeur walked right by and was halfway to the locker room when the screaming kids got in his head.

He turned around with an annoyed look on his face, walked back over to where we were standing and sign four things. I'll repeat that. Four. Then walked away. He actually took the card I had, looked at it and handed it back to me and then walked off without signing it. That would have been one of the best gifts I could have ever gotten my father and Marty screwed me and all the kids who look up to him that day.

Maybe he's just getting cranky in his old age and was annoyed that he let up way too many soft goals in the series. I don't know, but it was a disgrace to see him skate past an outstretched hand.

Pens Bust Out The Brooms

Going to keep this relatively short today as I'm still too giddy to really write anything. I went to bad last night thinking that they couldn't possibly have swept the Ottawa Senators after being dispatched in five games last season.

I woke up today and had to check the scoreboards just to make sure that what happened last night, actually happened.

I can't get over how much improved the Penguins are from last year. They have a sense of purpose this year, an almost undeniable sense of the moment. You can see it in their eyes on the bench. They know they have the chance to do something special this season, just how special remains to be seen.

The only thing I don't like about the Penguins brushing the Senators under the rug is that they will have about a week off or so between games. Who they will play in the next round remains to be seen as the Devils/Rangers and Capitals/Flyers series are shaping up to be long ones. (Yes, I'm aware that the Devils are down 3-1, but do you really think they won't show up at home in front of the 12 fans who will come out to the game and attempt to defend their home ice?)

The Pens have looked sharp this entire series and proved that they can win a tight game in the playoffs. They also showed that they have a killer instinct and won't mess around when it comes to putting the final nail in the coffin.

Last night in Game 4, the Pens led 2-1 heading into the third. There comes a time in every rod playoff game that you have to weather the storm and since the Pens dominated the first two periods, that time became the third period.

In the third period, the Senators came out with a desperation that was unseen for most of the series. They outshot the Penguins 9-3 in the third and Marc-Andre Fleury had to make a couple of sparking saves to preserve the lead. The Senators pulled Martin Gerber with about 90 seconds to play and kept the puck in the Pens' end for most of it, but how fitting is it that a loose puck pops in the air right to Sidney Crosby who took off up ice and deposited the puck into the empty cage? Sens fans booed Sid every time he touched the puck and if there was a better way to give the proverbial middle finger to the crowd, I'd like to know what it is.

Here's the highlights from the game:



Just throwing this out there, but Jarkko Ruutu may be one of the most under rated guys in the league. Coach Michael Therrien uses him in shootouts often and for good reason. That goal he scored last night should not have been scored by an enforcer type like him. I was at a Penguins game last January with Cheech and Ruutu was awarded a penalty shot and made it look easy as he stuffed it behind Andrew Raycroft.

This is a much different team than last year and they've elevated their play to a level unseen in the regular season. It's scary how much the team is focussed and driven to avenge last season. Now that they have, they need to keep the same focus heading into the second round against whoever they end up playing. I know I won't be happy with a second round exit and neither will they.

Sean Avery Rule

By now I'm sure you've all seen the highlights of New York Rangers pest, Sean Avery standing in front of Martin Brodeur wagging his stick and such.

If not, here you go and keep your eye on the front of the net:



Since this move the NHL has decided to change the rules on the fly and institute the "Sean Avery" rule where that is now a penalty. The NHL is calling this an intent to instigate an opponent into taking a penalty.

I am in total disagreement with the league on this one for a couple reasons.

First off, there was no rule until 48 hours ago about standing face to face with the goalie to screen him the way Avery was in Game 3. Now, the NHL closed the "loophole" in the middle of the playoffs. If the league has a problem with what happened you address it after the season. You can't go changing or amending the rules in the middle of the playoffs like they did.

Secondly, I don't see what the big deal is. If you are dumb enough to stand with you back to the play knowing that heavy shots are coming your way, go ahead and do it. Also, if you've got the testicular fortitude to stand there like that you should be able to.

It's not like Avery was touching Brodeur or hindering his movement at all. I used to play goal and if someone was screening me, I moved him out of the way. It doesn't take much to move a guy out of the way. A quick little chop at his skate blades and the way is clear again.

If someone was ever standing face to face with me, I'd do the same thing. I also played forward for much of my playing days and after seeing Avery do that, I thought to myself "Why didn't I ever think of that?"

It's such a simple concept. What is the big deal with standing face to face with the goalie so you can see his eyes and know where he's trying to find the puck? If guys are allowed to stand at the top of he crease and block the goalie's sight-line, why does it matter if he's sticking his rear end in his face or standing face to face? A screen is a screen.

It will be interesting to see how Avery is dealt with in Game 4 tonight. As a Penguins fan I don't really like the guy, but I know if he was on the Pens he'd be one of my favorite players in no time. You can hate on Avery all you want, but I'd be willing to bet that most of you would like him too if he suited up for your club.

Penguins vs. Senators Game 3

OK so since I'm admittedly a huge Penguins fan I decided to do something I did a couple years back with the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm going to try the best I can to keep a running log of my emotions and reactions to things going on during the game.

6:30pm - Half hour until the puck drops. This will be the first game I've actually been able to watch in this series because I had to work during Game 1 and had a previous engagement during Game 2. I've got the day off today due to a buddy from back home being in town for the week and staying with us. This should be a fun one tonight.

7:00pm - The hockey package just kicked in and we've got the CBC feed tonight. which means Jim Husson will be the play by play guy. Opening montage showing highlights from the first two games is pretty sweet. CBC reporting that Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson will play tonight.

7:04 - On ice ceremony begins with a Roman Empire type theme. A senator is standing at center ice with a shield and sword giving one hell of a battle cry speech. This may have been the coolest team entrance in the history of hockey. Wow.

7:08 - National anthem time. United States up first. This guy singing has a great booming voice. I'm impressed. Fans respectful, which is good.

7:10 - Canadian national anthem. Mix of English and French....and the fans just took it over. I love when the fans sing the national anthem like that. I seriously get chills. We're going to the puck drop right now.

7:13 - Devorski and Leggo calling the game. Puck drops and the Sens win it. We're under way in Ottawa.

7:14 - Alfredsson makes his 2008 playoff debut to a standing ovation. Sens with the first shot and Fleury covers.

7:15 - Chris Neil runs own Kris Letang in the corner and while on the ice he punches him in the face. Power play Penguins. Come on boys, let's get one.

7:17 - Hossa in clean, slapper...POST! Soo close. Pens back in the zone, couple good saves by Gerber.

7:18 - Penalty killed, Pens with a couple good chances. As the penalty expires Dupuis lets a rocket go and Gerber eats it up.

7:19 - Max Talbot runs into Gerber while going for a loose puck. Gerber and Talbot both going for the puck. Power play Senators.

7:21 - Fleury makes two solid saves during the kill. The second one was on a rebound chance by Alfredsson who is looking good in his first game back since getting his bell rung by Mark Bell of Toronto.

7:23 - Fast pace to start the game as we head to the first commercial break of the evening. Penguins kill the penalty and only surrender one good scoring chance. The penalty kill has been much improved since getting Hal Gill and Pascal Dupuis. It's going to have to be good if they want to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

7:28 - It looks as if the Penguins are trying to weather the storm right now. It's been pretty much all Ottawa so far. Fans chanting Fleury's name for the first time tonight.

7:31 - Pens generating a couple more chances now. Fleury is standing tall and keeping Ottawa off the board in this crucial time of the game, stopping 11 shots so far.

7:37 - Hitting is picking up as the pace is slowing just a bit. Gonchas just threw a huge hit in the offensive zone. Yeah, Gonchar...who knew right?

7:42 - Penalty on Ottawa. Donovan lost his stick and ripped Ruutu's stick away. Donovan sits fr 2 minutes.

7:44 - Gerber absolutely tones Malone from point blank range with the glove. Nice save. Pens best chance so far.

7:45 - Penalty killed. Pens being too passive on the power play. Plenty of chances to just put it on net and they elected to pass. I'm not exactly happy with how the second half of the power play went.

7:47 - Massive scrum in front of Fleury with three Senators hacking at it. No idea how it doesn't go in.

7:49 - First period comes to a close. The Pens seem to be finding some space now and are attacking the net much better than they were to start the game. Fleury is the hands down star of the period. After one period your score is 0-0.

8:01: Don Cherry has me near tears from laughing so hard. They just showed two clips of Marc Savard looking at his stick and caressing the blade on the bench. Don narrates "see what he's saying there....I love you.....I'll stroke you. You kids out there, pay attention. Take care of your sticks, they cost a lot of money."

8:07 - Second period underway.

8:09 - Bouncing puck eludes Whitney, Foligno picks up the puck and fires it through the legs of Fleury. 1-0 Senators.

8:11- Pens fourth line forces three turnovers in the offensive zone and force Gerber to make a couple solid saves.

8:16-SCCCCOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! MAX TALBOT GOES 5-HOLE ON A BRILLIANT MOVE!!! 1-1!! Announcers were just talking about how the Senators goal seemed to wake up the Pens who are now skating harder and making crisper passes.

8:23 - Talbot is being rewarded with more ice time as he has had a ton of chances so far this period along with the rest of the fourth line in Ruutu and Laraque.

8:26 - Penguins are controlling the play right now. Gonchar had a great chance after dancing his way into the slot, but refused to shoot the puck. The Sykora, Malone, Malkin line is starting to come on as well. Pens going on the PP again after Neil takes another dumb penalty.

8:31 - Massive pile in front of Gerber. Leggo blows it dead as the puck was still free from the tv camera angle. Letang fires into the net, but it obviously doesn't count. Bunch of penalties assessed during the scrum and the Pens will have another power play as a result.

8:35 - Puck worked down low to Hossa who tried to tap in a puck that bounced through and off the post. Pens soo close once again.

8:40 - Wow is the pace picking up again and just like the first period, the hitting has picked up as well. Lots of bodies being crunched into the boards. Man do I love playoff hockey!

8:46 - 27-26 in shots at the end of the second period in favor of the Senators. My heart is racing and I think I'm going to be sick from all the nerves. There's something not right about that, but I don't care, I'm a die-hard fan and live and die with every second that passes during games. Need to go take a walk to calm down a bit after a pretty even period.

9:03 - Time to strap in for what should be a great third period.

9:04 - SCCCCCOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! SIDNEY CROSBY SCORES ON A 2-ON-1!!!! 2-1 PENGUINS. Goal scored at :12 of the period. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

9:07 - SCOOOOOORRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! JORDAN STAAL TIPS ONE BEHIND GERBER AND IT'S 3-1!!! Goal scored at 1:11 of the period. What a start to the third period for my boys!!!

9:09 - Chris Neil does it again. His third dumb penalty of the game. Eventually this will come back to haunt them and already down two goals this could be fatal. Play under review to see if it's 3-2 after Fleury got plowed into.

9:10 - Leggo waives it off. No goal. YAY!

9:13 - Gonchar is going to be a hated man by the rink crew after that power play. Three slappers from the point leave welts in the endboards. At least he's shooting now though, so I can't complain too much.

9:14 - Dave Nonis fired as Canucks GM. Wonder if that's because he couldn't make a deadline deal for someone who could actually score.

9:15 - What a scrum in front of Fleury who somehow made about 4 saves while on his stomach in the crease. I'm sitting on pins and needles here. This clock needs to start moving a lot faster. Penalty on the Penguins during the scrum and the Senators will get a chance to cut the lead to 1 goal.

9:18 - Two penalties on Ottawa. Staal gets a stick to the face resulting in a 4-minute penalty and Malone gets tripped up in the neutral zone. As a result it's a 4-on-3 powerplay for the Penguins. A goal here could quite possibly end this game and make me very happy.

9:23 - Whitney returns to the ice and it's now 5-on-3. Great chance at the side of the net gets blown dead by a quick whistle. The Penguins decide to call timeout to keep the top unit on the ice.

9:25 - SCCCCOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH MARIAN HOSSA!!!!! A POWER PLAY GOAL AND IT'S 4-1 PENS! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! This is one guy I've wanted to see get one for a while. He's had soo many chances in this series so far and one finally goes in.

9:28 - TV timeout with 8:55 to play. I'm starting to be able to taste a 3-0 series lead, but I refuse to say that this game is over. Until the clock reads 00:00 I'm not celebrating.

9:33 - Pens are now playing shut down hockey and seem to be content with just dumping the puck in the corner and letting the Sens skate 200 feet. 6:00 left in the period, which is good because I haven't eaten dinner yet and I'm sure that's playing into my upset stomach right now.

9:40 - Two minutes left. Still not getting excited.

9:41 - One minute left in the third. Getting closer.....

9:42 - IT'S OVER! PENGUINS WIN 4-1!!! TAKE A COMMANDING 3-0 SERIES LEAD!!!!!

What a game! I was nervous as all hell heading into the third period, but Sidney Crosby eased my fears with that goal just 12 seconds into the period. Now we will have a chance on Wednesday night to send the Senators packing. I'll be at work, but I'm going to seek out a broom in the building just in case.

This was a lot of fun for me and I hope you enjoyed it even if you're a Senators fan.

Full Playoff Pool Type Predictions

OK, these last couple of days have been crazy busy for me. I won't bore you with the details, but I wanted to get this up before the first round got too deep in and then I'd look like a moron.

Normally every year I ran a NHL playoff pool. None of this round by round stuff like you all do in your NFL pools. This is exactly like an NCAA basketball pool. I must say, I usually am pretty close on these. Came in second the last time I hosted the pool two years ago before we all graduated from college. I don't run it anymore because I can't get the money from people and it's just a pain. Someday I'll start it up again.

Anyway, as you've seen from the previous two posts I broke down the first round in both conferences and made predictions about them as well. To continue on with that trend, here's what my picks would have been if I was in a pool this year with just a little explanation about each one. We'll start with what would be my second round and go from there,

But first, a refresher on my first round picks for those of you who are new to the site.

Eastern Conference

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #8 Boston Bruins

Montreal wins in 5. This is such a mismatch it's not even funny and I'd actually be impressed if Boston stretches this to six games.

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators

Penguins win in 6. After a season of growing and thinking about last year, the Penguins are back and much improved. New guns like Marian Hossa and Petr Sykora give this already deep team, another dimension. The Pens will turn the tables on the Sens and skate into the second round.

#3 Washington Capitals vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

The Caps are one of the best stories of the year, but the fairy tale ends in the first round. Flyers in 7.

#4 New Jersey Devils vs. #5 New York Rangers

The Devils once again get into the playoffs based on their trap style of play despite having less offensive talent than a pee-wee hockey team. Anyway, the Rangers are playing their best hockey of the season and hold a 7-1 regular season record over the Devils. Rangers win in 6.

Now for the second round predictions.

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

For as good as Philly has been for most of the season (the injuries are the only reason they aren't a higher seed), the Habs are a better rounded team. The Flyers bruising style of play becomes ineffective when you can't catch what you're trying to hit. The Habs have plenty of speed and in this league, speed kills. Montreal in 6.

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 New York Rangers

As a Pens fan I'd be a little uneasy about facing this team in the second round. The Pens have been totally shut down at Madison Square Garden the last couple meetings there this season. They also haven't shown the Rangers a full roster all season. As much as I like how the Rangers are playing and how good Henrik Lundqvist is, they have been a very streaky team this season and I'm banking on them going on a cold streak against Pittsburgh. Penguins win in 7.

Eastern Conference Finals

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #2 Pittsburgh Penguins

This would be a very fun series to see I must admit. Even if you don't like either team you know you'd be glued to the tv for every game. The two teams match up very well against each other, play similar styles and have young goaltenders who will be stars in the league for a long time.

To illustrate how close these teams are, here's the season series.

Oct. 10 - Pens 3 - Habs 2
Oct. 27 - Habs 4 - Pens 3 (Shootout)
Jan. 19 - Pens 2 - Habs 0
Feb. 21 - Pens 5 - Habs 4

All four games were one goal games. The 2-0 Penguins win saw Evgeni Malkin score into an empty net in the dying seconds.

This series will be a fast paced one no doubt. The Canadiens have a great team, but I think the Penguins may have a little bit of a physical edge with guys like Georges Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu and Hal Gill. Pens win in 6.

Western Conference Playoffs

As with the above, here's the quick recap of the picks from the first round out west.

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #8 Nashville Predators

The Predators are a great story this year and shattered expectations, but the Red Wings are too dominant and too deep for the Predators to have a chance in this series. Red Wings win in 5.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #7 Calgary Flames

This will no doubt be a tight checking, defensive battle. San Jose is the hottest team in the league heading into the playoffs so they get my nod. Sharks win in 6.

#3 Minnesota Avalanche vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche

Plain and simple, I like Minnesota's goaltending more than I do Colorado's. The Wild play a fairly defensive style and should be able to slow down Peter Forsberg and the Avs. Wild win in 7.

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs. #5 Dallas Stars

The Stars lead the regular season series, but the Ducks currently hold the cup and that's why I give them the edge here in what will be a fantastic series. Ducks win in 6.

Second Round

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #4 Anaheim Ducks

I know what you're thinking. "Way to take all the favorites in the first round." Funny you should say that, I want to see this matchup because I think the Ducks may be the only team in the league that could not only slow down the Wings with their physical play, but also take them out. Ducks win in 7.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #3 Minnesota Wild

I question if the Wild would have been able to win a series in the first round without home ice and again, the Sharks are too hot to not think they'd go far. Sharks win in 5.

Western Conference Finals

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #4 Anaheim Ducks

An all California Western Conference Finals. This could be one of the greatest series of all-time if it actually happens. (Remember, these are just one slightly demented man's picks based on some personal preference and a lot of nights watching hockey alone while his girlfriend wonders if she's dating a man or the NHL Center Ice package.)

If this happens I'll go into more detail, but I think the Sharks finally get over the hump and represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Sharks win in overtime in Game 7.

Stanley Cup Finals

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #2 San Jose Sharks

As much as I'd like to annoy everyone and take the homer pick and say the Penguins will win the Cup this season, none of you would ever read this again and I don't want that.

Also, I think the Western Conference is a much better conference than the East in terms of talent. The Penguins have a legit chance for the first time in many years, but the Sharks have an edge in the defensive aspect of the game and in net. The Penguins have the hands down offensive edge, but in this league defense wins championships.

The San Jose Sharks in my opinion will be the 2007-2008 Stanley Cup Champions. It won't be an easy finals against the Penguins, but I see it going 6 games.

There you have it, my full out predictions of how the playoffs will turn out. I'll use this as a measuring stick as the playoffs go along and also do more round by round breakdowns like the previous two posts. Thanks for reading!