NHL Regular Season Predictions – 09/10

East

The Contenders

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

I see no reason why the Penguins won’t follow up on last year’s Stanley Cup win with another very good regular season. Crosby and Malkin will be as good as ever, if not better. As well, though Fleury has taken a fair bit of criticism in the past, I think that the Cup win really cemented some of the confidence that he’s been building, and I’d expect an excellent campaign out of him. The Penguin’s defense, led by Sergei Gonchar and Brooks Orpik, isn’t exceptionally good, but it’ll get the job done. Crosby and Malkin are too competitive to be complacent after their Cup win, and they’ll help the team avoid the typical ‘Cup hangover’.

2. Washington Capitals

The Capitals are full of young talent that’s only getting better, and they will seriously challenge the Penguins for the Eastern Conference Title this year. Expect another amazing year from Ovechkin, and if his supporting cast steps up and Varlamov proves to be a solid NHL netminder, this team has a good shot at the Cup. Certainly, big years are needed and expected from Mike Green and Alexander Semin, and that should give the Capitals one of the most explosive offenses in the league.

3. Boston Bruins

The best defensive team in the league last year, the Bruins should excel at the defensive end again this year. As well, though Tim Thomas may regress slightly from his Vezina form of last year, he still figures to be one of the NHL’s best goalies. The Bruins won’t score a ton of goals, but the forward corps, led by Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and David Krejci, will be good enough for the stingy Bruins to stay among the league’s elite teams.

4. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers, full of good young talent including Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, should be among the East’s best teams. However, they’ll be caught behind the Penguins in the Atlantic and will thus have to settle for 4^th in the East. Chris Pronger will shore up a solid defense and provide leadership, pushing the Flyers into the mix for the East Crown. However, the Flyers will be relying on Ray Emery in net, and that’s always a risky proposition. Until they solidify their goaltending situation, the Flyers will have difficulties matching up with the beasts of the East – Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington.

The Pretenders

5. New Jersey Devils

I was torn over what to do with the Devils. Every year they are expected to crumble in the face of off-season losses, yet they always manage to contend in the Eastern Conference, though playoff success has eluded them for the past few years. Without some major changes, the end is nearing for this Devils team, as successful as it has been for the past decade. Nonetheless, they’ll play excellent defensive hockey in front of Brodeur this year, and they’ll manage to make the playoffs, though they won’t be putting pressure on the East’s elite.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes, after last year’s surprising run to the Eastern Finals, will be good again this year. Led by Eric Staal and backed by Cam Ward, expect the ‘Canes to put together a solid, if unspectacular, season. Unfortunately, they’re simply not quite as good as the Penguins, Bruins and Capitals, and they’re going to have a hard time duplicating last year’s playoff success.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

Brian Burke has his fingerprints all over this team, and the resulting ‘Bay Street Bullies’ are an odd team. Though they lack star power up front, they still managed to finish 10^th in the NHL in scoring last year, and Phil Kessel will only make this forward unit better. The worst defensive team in the league last year, they figure to be far better in 09/10 with the additions of Beauchemin and Komisarek, in particular. Goaltending will make or break this team – Vesa Toskala was awful last year, and if he’s in better form this year, backed up by Jonas Gustavsson, then the Leafs should have some success. I think the tandem will be respectable, and the Leafs should squeak into the playoffs. However, this is still a mediocre hockey team that has a long way to go before any Cup parades should be planned.

8. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs look rather different from the team swept out of the first round by the Bruins last year. Though they’ll miss Kovalev, Mike Cammalleri will be a more-than-adequate, if less flashy, replacement. Scott Gomez is a risky acquisition, and I would be very surprised if he lived up to his rather large contract. Offense wasn’t an issue last year though, and it won’t be this year. Komisarek will be missed, and aside from Andre Markov, the team’s defense will not be its strongest point. Carey Price should be solid, which will reinforce the team’s weak defense. The Habs are flawed, but they should make the playoffs, though a deep run is not in the cards.

9. Ottawa Senators

The Sens are a difficult team to figure out. Losing Dany Heatley will hurt, but Bryan Murray, considering the circumstances, did net a decent return in exchange for the disgruntled star. Jonathan Cheechoo was a throw-in in the deal; It is Milan Michalek who the Sens really wanted, and rightfully so. Young and skilled, Michalek should be a big asset to the team for years to come. The Sens’ offense should be far more balanced than it has in the past decade, making it for more difficult on opposing teams to shut them down. If Pascal Leclaire is the solid goalie the Sens have long been looking for, then expect the Senators to be back in the playoffs this year. Though I have them barely missing the playoffs, they could easily finish as high as 5^th in the conference.

10. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres did little this offseason, and will in all likelihood miss the playoffs like they did last year. There’s a shortage of talent up front here, even if first line centre Tim Connolly is healthy. Thomas Vanek will have to be brilliant offensively to keep the team afloat. Ryan Miller should be solid in net, as always. Losing Jaroslav Spacek to the Canadiens, though, will hurt the weak Sabres’ D. The Sabres will be in playoff contention, but will probably end up watching the playoff dance.

11. New York Rangers

The Rangers will be solid this year, but without a healthy Marian Gaborik this team is short on skill, and will probably miss the playoffs. When healthy, Gaborik is one of the game’s premier scorers. However, staying healthy has been a huge issue for the star, and I would be very surprised to see him play more than 70 games. The Rangers were awful last year offensively, and that doesn’t figure to change this year, even if they play aggressive John Tortorella-style hockey. Henrik Lundqvist will be good, as always, but even he can only do so much.

12. Florida Panthers

After almost squeaking into the playoffs last year, the Panthers seem due to disappoint this year. Despite the best efforts of sophomore coach Peter DeBoer, I just don’t see enough talent on this roster for them to stay ahead of the teams above and earn a playoff spot. They won’t be awful like the teams below them, but the playoffs are a stretch, barring significant improvement from players such as Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss, both of whom were once though to be premier prospects but have failed to live up to expectations.

The Hopeless

13. Tampa Bay Lightning

Some are predicting a playoff berth is in order for the Lightning this year, but I don’t see it happening. Bringing in Ohlund from Vancouver was a good move, and Victor Hedman should be able to step in and be a capable player from the start, which will bolster their blueline. They’ve got plenty of talent up front in Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and the emerging Steven Stamkos. Nonetheless, I’m not sold on Mike Smith as a solid NHL number one goalie, and I lack faith in the abilities of Rich Tocchet. I’d be surprised if the Lightning put it all together like many predict they will. I expect that they’ll be a mess and end up near the East’s basement again.

14. New York Islanders

I have no idea what GM Garth Snow is doing with this team. Backing up Rick DiPietro with one of either Martin Biron or Dwayne Roloson might not have been a bad idea, but bringing both in is a rather strange move. Tavares will bolster a weak Isles’ offense, but he won’t be enough. Goals will be at a premium in Long Island this year. There’s little to be excited about defensively, too. On the whole, this simply isn’t a particularly talented roster, and the Isles have a long way to go before they can even think about the playoffs.

15. Atlanta Thrashers

The Thrashers have never won a playoff game. Don’t expect that to change this year. It’ll be a messy, messy year in Atlanta, and look for Ilya Kovalchuk’s imprending free agency to overshadow whatever the Thrashers are doing on the ice. That might not be a bad thing, though, as the Thrashers will be brutal this year. Former Leafs Pavel Kubina and Nik Antropov are solid additions, and underrated Bryan Little should have another good year. Kovalchuk should produce huge numbers, as he’s playing for a new contract, and he’ll be an explosive offensive force, as always. Nonetheless, there’s a lack of depth on the roster, and a big hole in net. Kari Lehtonen simply hasn’t proven himself to be a particularly good goaltender, and I’d be surprised if he suddenly put it together this year. He’s got a young defense in front of him, too, and that means that a lot of pucks are going to end up in Atlanta’s net. Expect another bad year for the Thrashers, on and off the ice.

West

The Contenders

1. Detroit Red Wings

The Wings will miss Hossa and Hudler, but this team is still far too talented to slip much. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are two of the league’s best offensive players, they still have Lidstrom and Rafalski on the blueline, and Osgood will be strong in the crease. The Wings’ core is one of the best in the league, and there’s no reason to think that they won’t be once again competing for the President’s Trophy.

2. San Jose Sharks

Heatley and Thornton will be phenomenal together. Heatley should be a 50 goal scorer again, and Thornton should get back to scoring 100+ points. Though perhaps not the best leader, Patrick Marleau will still provide lots of secondary scoring, and the Sharks will be an offensive powerhouse. The ageless Rob Blake and Dan Boyle lead a capable Sharks defensive corps, and Evgeni Nabokov should be solid in net. The Sharks are no strangers to regular season success, but the playoffs are a different story. Questions about tenacity and leadership will continue to plague the team, but they’ll post a solid regular season record, though it remains to be seen whether the team can win when it counts.

3. Vancouver Canucks

The Flames will challenge the Canucks for the Northwest Division lead, but I expect the ‘Nucks to pull it out. Captain Roberto Luongo should bounce back from the shelling he took in Vancouver’s season-ending loss to the Blackhawks in the 2^nd round last year. In front of him is a solid if unspectacular defense, only made better by the addition of Mathieu Schneider. Up front they lack the star power of other contenders, but the Sedin twins lead a solid contingent of forwards that will get the job done. The Canucks are one of the West’s best teams, but I think that they still need to add one elite player to put them over the top.

4. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are young and extremely talented. Adding Hossa to an already excellent offense makes them one of the league’s best offensive teams, and they’ll score a ton of goals. The team’s defense is also among the league’s best, led by criminally underrated Duncan Keith, who has Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker with him on the blueline. The only question mark facing the ‘Hawks is in the crease. Is Cristobal Huet good enough to be Chicago’s unquestioned number one goalie? I don’t think so. Expect the Hawks to be extremely good, but the lack of a proven goaltender prevents the team from being a favourite to win the Cup.

5. Calgary Flames

Led by one of hockey’s best, Jarome Iginla, the Flames figure to be among the West’s best teams. The loss of Mike Cammalleri will hurt on offense, but the team does have enough scoring to get by. Olli Jokinen needs to step up and get back to being a point-per-game player for the Flames to really be a threat. Adding Jay Bouwmeester gives the Flames one of the league’s best defenses, and that can only help Kiprusoff. The Flames will be extremely stingy. All this adds up to an excellent season, and I think the Flames will also make noise in the playoffs this year.

The Pretenders

6. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks took an excellent San Jose squad out of the playoff picture last year, and their tough style of play will once again lead to success this year. Getzlaf, Perry and Teemu Selanne lead a solid offense. The loss of Chris Pronger leaves a big hole on the Ducks blueline, but the addition of Ryan Whitney will certainly help fill that hole, and the team will still be good defensively.The goaltending situation is a little dicey in Anaheim – who will be the team’s #1, Jonas Hiller or Jean-Sebastian Giguere? Hiller was the better goalie last year, and was excellent in the playoffs. I’d expect the two to split the load until one or the other asserts himself as the clearcut number one, at which point the other will probably be traded, as there’s always a market for good goalies.

7. Minnesota Wild

This isn’t the most talented roster in the world, but the Wild play a damn good team game and will most likely sneak into the playoffs in a tight race. Havlat will give the team a boost on offense, though the team still won’t score a ton of goals. Nonetheless, their solid defense and goaltending will keep them in most games, which means that the offense doesn’t have to be spectacular. They won’t be competing for the West title, but a playoff appearance is likely.

8. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings, after a long, long stretch of terrible hockey, appear poised to finally begin contending again. The addition of solid veterans like playoff hero Rob Scuderi and ‘Captain Canada’ Ryan Smyth will strengthen a roster filled with young talent. Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov and Dustin Brown will lead an explosive Kings offense. Questions remain about the team’s overall defensive ability, and the team is relying on Jonathan Bernier to emerge as a bonafide NHL #1 goalie. I think it should all come together for the Kings, and they should find themselves playing playoff hockey for the first time in six seasons.

9. St. Louis Blues

After a surprising playoff appearance last year, the Blues will compete for a playoff spot again this year. I think they’ll miss out, but it’ll be tight. The offense should be good, led by Paul Kariya, Brad Boyes and Patrik Berglund. Defense and goaltending should also be decent, buoyed by the return of Erik Johnson. Chris Mason has to be as good as he was last year to keep the Blues in the race out west. Ultimately, I think they’ll just fall short of the playoffs, but it will be close.

10. Edmonton Oilers

Pat Quinn is back in the NHL, and he’s leading an Oilers team that hasn’t made the playoffs since their Finals appearance in 05/06. Fans are hungry in Edmonton, but I think the playoff drought will continue for another year. The offense is young and deep, but there’s a lack of first line talent. Defense is a bit of a weakness, though Khabibulin will be solid in net. Unfortunately for the Oilers, I just don’t see room for them in the playoffs.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets

Steve Mason’s amazing rookie season led the Blue Jackets to their first ever playoff berth last year, but I’m not sure that they’ll be in the playoff dance again this year. Rick Nash is in Columbus long term, and he’ll lead a capable offense again this year. The defense isn’t great, but as long as Mason is strong in net again, the Blue Jackets will be decent. Still, though, I don’t see the Blue Jackets growing playoff beards again this year.

12. Dallas Stars

The Stars have slowly slipped out of the West’s elite, and they missed the playoffs last year. I see that slide continuing this season, and I don’t think the Stars will be competing for a playoff spot. The team still has talent up front in Brendan Morrow, Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro. The defense is unproven and looks weak, though, which means that Marty Turco will have to be at his best as a lot of rubber comes his way.

13. Nashville Predators

Nashville will boast an excellent defense this year, led by Shea Weber, but the rest of the team looks shaky. The offense will be relying on aging veterans such as Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan, and scoring goals won’t be easy for this team. Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis will be between the pipes for Nashville, and though Rinne wasn’t bad last year for the Preds, I’m not sure that he’ll be good enough to keep the team in contention for a playoff spot this year.

The Hopeless

14. Colorado Avalanche

After a long stretch of success under captain Joe Sakic, things finally gave last year, and the Avs are now rebuilding. They have some good young players that provide hope for the future, but this season will be a rough one in Denver. Throughout the lineup there’s a shortage of skill, and the Avs simply won’t be able to compete most nights. Goaltending is also a major issue – Peter Budaj has been able to get the job done the past few years, but he’s no Patrick Roy. It’ll be a long year for the Avalanche and their fans, and there’s little hope for the near future.

15. Phoenix Coyotes

The Coyotes are a mess, on and off the ice. They’re without a coach after Wayne Gretzky’s departure, fans in Phoenix don’t seem to care about the team, as they figure that it’s only a matter of time before the Coyotes end up in Hamilton. Of course, though, the only man who has expressed interest in buying the team, Jim Balsillie, is considered a villain among NHL owners and the NHL is hellbent on ensuring that he doesn’t end up owning the team. On the ice the situation isn’t much better. After captain Shane Doan, the Coyotes are extremely thin up front, and also weak on defense. Ilja Bryzgalov provides some stability in goal, and should still post good numbers this year, though he won’t be rewarded with many wins. This is going to be an ugly year for the Coyotes, though there may not be many people in the Jobing.com Arena to watch the Coyotes lose.

Individual Awards

Hart – Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

This is Ovechkin’s trophy to lose. Though Malkin and Crosby are serious competition for the award, the fact that they both play for a loaded Penguins squad will always hurt their chances for the Hart. Though the Capitals are a deeper team than they’ve been in the past, there is still little doubt that they are Ovechkin’s team. I expect 60 goals and 60 assists from him this season, and that will be enough for Ovechkin to hold on to the Hart for another year.

Vezina – Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

Though Brodeur is 37, I think he still has at least one more elite season left in him. Given that New Jersey lost several key players this offseason, Brodeur will be more important to the team than ever. Brodeur will keep the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern conference’s upper echelon, and he’ll take home a 5^th Vezina for his efforts.

Norris – Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

Though he’ll face stiff competition from Mike Green, Duncan Keith and Zdeno Chara, Lidstrom is still the most complete defenseman in the league. Green will be an offensive force with the Capitals, but isn’t solid enough in his own zone to win the Norris. Keith will continue to improve after a breakout season last year, but still isn’t quite as good as Lidstrom. Chara will continue to lead a very stingy Bruins team, but I don’t expect the Bruins to be as good as they were last year, and that will affect his standing with voters. Though Lidstrom, like Brodeur, is nearing the end of an illustrious career, he’s still the NHL’s best blueliner, and he’ll take home his 7^th Norris trophy this year as a result.

Selke – Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers

Richards is an amazingly complete player. He plays hard at both ends of the ice and makes life difficult for opposing forwards. Though not as flashy as Pavel Datsyuk, Richards’ solid defensive play should go over well with Selke voters.

Calder – John Tavares, New York Islanders

Though Tavares won’t be an instant superstar in the mold of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, I do expect a very solid rookie season from him. He’ll get lots of ice time on a bad Islanders team, and I’d expect him to pot 30 goals to go with 40 helpers, which should be more than enough to make him the NHL’s top rookie.

Jack Adams -  Pat Quinn, Edmonton Oilers

Though I don’t have the Oilers making the playoffs in a tough Western conference, I do think that Pat Quinn will improve this young team. Expect the Oilers to be a much better offensive team under Quinn. After finishing last season 18^th in goals scored, the Oilers should be in the top third of the league this year, though defensive play will still be a weakness.

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals for all the Marbles

It all comes down to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The most important and most exciting game of the year. The Penguins were able to win all of their home games in this series, but they haven’t been able to win in Detroit and thanks to the home ice advantage the Red Wings won during the season, game 7 is back in the Motor City.

Detroit has been amazing at home dominating the 3 games with a combined 11-2 score. I don’t expect game 7 to be any different. Look for Detroit to come out strong with Datsyuk and Zetterberg leading the offense. Datsyuk had an awesome game 5 and 6 and will light it up in game 7. Osgood will be ready and he is a clutch goalie. If he wins this game you have to consider giving him the Conn Smythe.

For Pittsburgh to have a chance Malkin and Crosby need to get going again. The pair have been held pointless in the last two games and if this happens again the Wings will win easily. Fleury had a good game, now look for a bad game. He is just not clutch. Two silver medals for Team Canada at the World Juniors will tell you that.

Look for Detroit to win game 7 by a final score of 4-1 and Osgood to win the Conn Smythe trophy which he deserves.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals Betting

The rematch has been set.  It’s the defending Stanley Cup Champions Detroit Red Wings in a rematch with defending and present Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.  Last year the series took 6 games to decide, but the Wings never looked like they could lose.  This year it’s basically the same Red Wings team against a slightly tweaked Penguins team.  The series odds look like this:

Penguins +135
Red Wings -155

The Red Wings are given a slight edge in this series by the bookies, but in my opinion their edge is actually much higher.  The Wings stormed through the Hawks, even without Datsyuk and Lidstrom for a few games in the series.  (Given Havlat and Khabibulin were also out and those 2 are huge parts of the Hawks team).  A few Red Wings including Datsyuk, Holmstrom and even arguably Hossa are still waiting to play their best hockey and when better to play it than the Stanley Cup Finals.  Look for Zetterberg to have another great series, as well as “The Mule” Franzen.

Pittsburgh is currently firing on all cylinders riding a 5 game winning streak into the finals and having both Crosby and Malkin finding their A games at the same time.  A good reason for this might be that they were playing defensively challenged teams Washington and Carolina, and an injured Cam Ward.  But you still have to give them credit, especially Malkin, for realy bringing it when it matters.  In my hockey opinion this level of offense isn’t going to continue for them against Detroit.  The Wings aren’t even that great a defensive team, but they will be able to shut down at least one line as long as Lidstrom is healthy.  If the Penguins are going to win they will need an amazing performance from Fleury and both Crosby and Malkin to be firing on all cylinders for the duration of the finals.  The Pens definitely have a better chance than last year, but they are just not good enough to dethrone the champs.

Bet on the Detroit Red Wings in this series.

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Red Wings vs Ducks Recap and Prediction for the Detroit vs Chicago Blackhawks Conference Finals

Wings and Ducks recap

Well the Wings barely snuck out of this series, but what a series this was.  Starting right off the bat with controversey in game one with the Hudler hit, and then the triple overtime in game two.  Moving to Anaheim we saw the disallowed goal, and then the Wings come back and chase Hiller out of the net in game 5. Game six saw the Ducks rebound and prevent the Wings from finishing another series out on the road.  Game 7 was the best game seven of these playoff we saw hits, goals, saves, and of course octapi.  With the Wings taking this series they move on to the conferance finals to meet Chicago.

The Wings won this series because of many things.  Firstly Osgood still showed us why he is one of the best playoff goaltenders of all time besting Patrick Roy in goals against average (2.11 Vs. 2.30 in the playoffs), but also following that up with three Stanley Cup Rings.  Beyond the crease Rafalski returned for game 6 and 7 quickly returning to form and moving alongside his usual partner of Lindstrom, thus keeping the other two tandums in tact (Stuart and Kronwall, Lebda and Ericsson).  The Defense played well but Lindstrom couldnt find the offensive production he had in game one, and Rafalski needs to get back on the scoreboard.  Offensively the Wings were terrific all lines were contributing, on both ends of the ice.  Babcock did shuffle the lines successfully to win game 4 moving Franzen with Filpulla and Hossa, while reuniting Datsyuk, Holmstrom and Zetterberg.  This trio didnt stay together long as Holmstrom quickley made his way into the dog house.  Babcock will keep shuffling Holmstrom around till he starts producing.

The Ducks lost for one reason they couldnt find secondary scoring beyond the first line.  Carlyle did shuffle up Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry but never kep them apart for long.  Selanne did contribute but that was it.  The Ducks were not rolling four lines as well as the Wings were and this tired them out after that long game 2.  The Ducks weren’t the disciplined team that they needed to be taking stupid penalties throughout the whole series, but luckily the Wings powerplay took a drop without Rafalski in the lineup.  While Hiller shone greatly in this series, he lost his confidence and edge in games 4 and 5 getting chased and letting in nine goals.

Moving on for this Ducks team is this the last game for Selanne, and Niedermayer two future hall of famers?  What happens to Giguere after the emergence of Hiller. What is Anaheim going to do to adress their secondary scoring problems?

Detroit and Chicago

This will be another great series.  Detroit beat Chicago in the season series 4-2 including a great Winter Classic showdown.  Both these teams will be energized and ready to play sunday, this two day break, along with the minimal travel time between Chicago and Detroit will keep this a fast paced, high goal scoring series.

Detroit will win because of experiance and depth plain and simple They’ve been here the last two years and seem better this year then they were last year. All four lines for Detroit are firing, and Detroit still has some players in teh reserve if needed in Maltby, Mcarthy, and Meech.  Homer and Datsyuk will have to come up big this series, they need to revitalize their first line specially against the Keith Seabrook tandum.  The Franzen line will be against Campbell Hjalmarsson which will be tough but Campbell has lost some of his edge in the playoffs, and they haven’t faced players the likes of Hossa and Franzen yet so that will be an interesting battle.

Chicago  Will need to keep firing, and they have a chance if their secondary scoring comes up big like it did in round two, this is what Anaheim lacked to win.  Khabibulin hasent played as spectacular as Hiller has, but wiht cup experiance he has it in him, so we will see how he performs.  Kane, Toews, and Havlat haven’t faced a great defensive squad like the Wings so that will be the Hawks biggest test

Prediction

I think Detroit takes this in 6, the young Chicago team hasn’t played at this level yet it will be interesting to see how they react

Bet on Round 3 Conference Finals of the NHL Playoffs

So, in round 2 I told you 3 teams to bet on.  The Penguins, the Blackhawks and the Bruins.  Two of my three picks came through, but those Bruins couldn’t beat the Cardiac Canes.  This round the match-ups are very interesting and I hope to pick them both right this time around.

Eastern Conference Finals

Hurricanes +175
Penguins – 205

Personally I think this series could go either way.   I would probably give the Pens a small edge, but not as big an edge as these odds are implying they have.  There just seems to be something special about the Hurricanes this year and the big brothers usually win their fights.  Look for Cam Ward to stand on his head and this series to go at least 6 games.   Both of these teams won their second round match ups in 7 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this series go the distance as well.  If that is the case it’s anyones guess who would take it, so go with the underdogs and the good return on your bet because the Canes just don’t seem like they will lay down at this point.

Bet on Carolina

Western Conference Finals

Blackhawks +195
Red Wings -235

This is another series that I think could go either way.  The odds are extremely one sided and I can’t see any reason for this.  The Blackhawks have had a much tougher road the Conference Finals and will be the first team that will actually test Osgood in net.  The young Blackhawks team has shown a lot of character thus far in the playoffs and they are now my pick to win the cup.  Watch for Havlat to pick it up this series and Kane and Toews to continue their solid play from game 6 of the previous series.  The Wings do have more weapons than either the Flames or the Nucks did, so a lot of pressure will fall on Brian Campbell and Hjalmarsson to shut down the extremely strong second line of the Wings.  We know Keith and Seabrook will do their part on whichever line Quennville feels is most dangerous so it will come down to Campbell and Hjalmarsson having a solid series.  If these two step up and Khabibulin plays a little better than he has so far in the playoffs the Blackhawks will continue on their way to the finals.  I think the series could go either way and for this reason again you should be on the team with the best return on the investment, which in this case is the Blackhawks.

Bet on Chicago.

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These are my hockey betting opinions.  Use them wisely!

Early Thoughts on The Second Round (And Balsillie)

This second round of the playoffs is turning out great.  Four good, and hard series being played now, but all eyes are on the Washington Pittsburgh series, and for good reason.  This series is turning into an epic battle between the two best players in the game.  Crosby and Ovechkin are going toe to toe in almost every category.  I noted before that perhaps this series can give some leverage in the Ovechkin, Crosby argument, but it seems like the argument won’t be solved this round.  Now the third best player in the game (Malkin) has been invisible this series he needs to step it up at home for The Pens to have a shot here, otherwise itl be an early exit for The Pens

On The West side of things the Vancouver Chicago series is turning into a good ‘greasy’ battle (As Bieksa would put it), these two teams are fighting hard and it will go a long way.  Byfuglien has been working hard in front of Luongo and he might start to be in the goaltenders head, we will see how game 4 plays out.

The Wings series is turning out to be the series with, maybe the most buzz.  First off we have to discuss game one and the antics that took place there.  The Brown hit on Hudler is the most talked about item of that game.  In my opinion it was a dirty hit, but the refs called it right on the ice.  It was a head shot, that was late.  Even though there was no elbow it was a blow to the head, and specifically the type of hit we want out of the game.  Also Brown jumped off the ice to hit the much smaller, and more skilled Hudler.  The emergence of Ericsson has been amazing.  This rookie is playing more minutes a game than the best defensemen in the league (Lidstrom), this will most likely change when Rafalski gets back, but it is nice to see Ericsson play at this level, and even fight with Perry (and win).

Game two saw Rafalski sit out again, and the Wings need him their power play isnt as efficient and they are playing worse.  I always like the long overtime games, and this one wasn’t any different. Some people are arguing that these overtime game lack in substance, but they are amazing the watch, and also the way the games in the playoffs should be decided.  Even though the Wings lost this one, it was a good game to watch and Hiller deserved the win for the way he played.

Game 3 is where everything spins out of control.  First off the Ducks second goal was interference by Niedermayer.  You can’t jump on the goalie when he is trying to make a save.  This ticks me off, and surely every Wings fan out there.  Holmstrom gets within an inch of the goalie and gets called for interference, but Niedermayer can jump on the goalie to prevent Osgood from making a goal stopping save?  I fail to see the logic in that.  Now at the end of the game the puck clearly went in before the whistle, but it is intent to blow the whistle that matter, not the actual sound.  Brad Watson  the referee in question was in a horrible position, all the way in the corner when the play was at the net, but Bob Mckenzie said it best on tsn.  Stating that human error will happen by the officials as long as their are human officials and not everything is reviewable.  Now this one will get blow up because of the time, but their is nothing we can do about it now.  The Wings need to forget about this and move to game 4.  Datsyuk, and Hossa really need to start scoring, or Babcock has to mix up the lines but losing game 4 would be horrible for the Wings chances.  Now, game aside hopefully Wisnieski has a speedy recovery, taking off on a strecher is scary, and their is no u pdate on what happend to him, other then he is in stable condition

A quick note on the Pheonix situation.  Balsillie made a bid to buy the team with a clause that they would be moved to Southern Ontario.  This is great for hockey, while I do support all teams, these lower market teams (Nashville, Pheonix, Florida etc.. ) are losing money and it makes sense to move them to a place where they make money.  In the past we have seen some teams get revitalized such as Chicago, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Tampa after they won the cup.  Saying that it’s best to weigh all the option, but the bottom line is Pheonix has fallen under and their is a dedicated owner willing to buy them and move them to a great market.  Balsillie learnt from his previous outings and used the bankruptcy court this time.  He is putting all the power in the courts hands, and the question is does the bankruptcy court have the right to dictate a move by an nhl franchise?  This situation will unfold thrusday as all parties are meeting to start discussions.

NHL Playoff 2009 Round 2 Predictions

ROUND 2 Predictions

Boston(1) vs. Carolina(6)

A maybe too well rested Boston squad faces off against Carolina, a team who should most probably be weary after knocking off the Devils in what I thought was a bit more than a slight upset. There are only two main hypotheses that come to mind in this case. Boston will take some time to get back into the rhythm of things while Carolina will struggle to keep up the pace as the series lengthens. On that fact alone, I’d have to give the series to Boston, but seeing as how it’s the eastern conference leading Bruins up against the Canes, I can’t see this going any farther than 5 games.

Prediction: Boston in 5

Washington(2) vs. Pittsburgh(4)

As much as I enjoyed the Washington comeback in the previous round, I doubt that run will continue into the second round. Pittsburgh simply won’t provide the Capitals with the same comeback opportunities that a weak Rangers team did in round one. The only way I could see the Capitals making it to the next round is with outstanding backing by Varlamov to counter a strong Penguins offense, which seems unlikely as they go further into the playoffs considering his lack of experience.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6

Detroit(2) vs. Anaheim(8)

I’m not saying that Anaheim’s victory in the first round was anything less than what it was, but I’m sure San Jose would have found a way to lose against any team they played. This seemed like a fairly straight-forward prediction in Detroit. Between the play-off experience and steady goaltending Detroit should be able to pull through without too many problems. That being said, I do expect a Detroit hick-up sometime this series. It just seems to happen almost every year. So with that and Hiller possibly stealing a game or two, I expect this series to make it to 6 games.

Prediction: Detroit in 6

Vancouver(3) vs. Chicago(4)

Hmmm…So here’s the tough decision. Do I go with a tough, emotional Canucks team who have a strong defensive presence centered around arguably, the best goaltender currently in the game, or do I go with a young, up and coming Hawks team with a lot of talent, who is quickly making a name for themselves this playoff season. For me this comes down directly between Chicago’s pipes. Will we see the “Bulin Wall”? I don’t think we will and that’s why I ultimately have to go with Vancouver. Either way, I think this is bound to be an exciting series which will most likely flip-flop in terms of wins.

Prediction: Vancouver in 7

Woohoo Round 2 Predictions

Round 1 is finished and round 2 is just around the corner.  This means it’s prediction time.  Last round I went 8 for 8 so listen up folks for some prediction gold.

Canucks (3) vs Blackhawks (4)

Me and Einz just made a bet on this series last night.  I have the Hawks in 6 and he has the Canucks in 6.  Bet gets doubled if the game guess is correct.

I may be slightly biased in this choice because the Blackhawks are my favourite team in the playoffs and Martin Havlat is my favourite player, but I truly believe that the Hawks will pull it out.  They are a solid team throughout.  When you look at the fact that Pahlsson and Byfuglien led the forwards in time on ice in the close out game against Calgary you see just how deep the Blackhawks are.  The question mark is of course goaltending.  Can the Hawks find a way to score on Luongo.  I think the answer is yes.  If Khabibulin can play a solid series the Hawks will win.

Blackhawks in 6

Red Wings (2) vs Ducks (8)

I took the Ducks over the Sharks in the first round, but I can’t see a repeat performance in the books.  I have a lot more respect for the Red Wings team and I feel they will easily be able to dispatch the Ducks.  Hiller isn’t going to be able to shut down all the Red Wing weapons.  The Ducks do have the edge in goal, but I feel that is their only edge and it’s not a big enough one to make a real difference in the series.  The Wings will just keep coming at Hiller hard and with more purpose in their shots than the ones he was facing against San Jose.

Red Wings in 5

Bruins (1) vs Hurricanes (6)

Carolina put together a great last minute in their series against New Jersey, scoring the tieing and winning goals a few minutes apart.  They will need to play like that all game everygame to beat Boston.  The Bruins are just heads and shoulders above everyone else in the East this year.  The WhatIf Sports simulation had the Bruins with an over 75% chance to make the conference finals.  I have to agree.  Ward may steal a game or two for the Canes, but it won’t be enough.

Bruins in 6

Capitals (2) vs Penguins (4)

The Capitals put together a valiant effort last round becoming the first team since the 2004 Montreal Canadiens to come back and win a series after being down 3-1.  Ok, let’s get serious, it wasn’t that impressive because the New York Rangers were not a solid team.  The Capitals did not look good in game 7 and Ovechkin has not been playing well at all.  The over the blueline shots Ovechkin is taking and trying to score on a 1 on 4 instead of just dumping the puck in is hurting the Capitals and unlike the Rangers, the Penguins actually have the firepower to make Ovechkin and the Caps play.  No doubt this will be the most exciting serious with the Ovechkin/Semin vs Malkin/Crosby rivalry sure to heat up.

Penguins in 7

So there are my predictions.  Also known as my hockey opinions.  Place your bets for the series’ at Bookmaker.com.  Use Bookmaker.com bonus code ‘BMBONUS’ when signing up to get a 100% matching bonus.

8 for 8 in the First Round of the NHL Playoffs

I am the man.  I own the NHL.  It’s like I went into the future and saw what was going to happen in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and predicted exactly what was happening.  I had Anaheim.   I had Carolina.  I had all the upsets and all the favourites.  Everyone who won was my team.  I own.  Now let me tell you why.

First of all Anaheim.  In my bracket with my buddies there were 7 entries and I was the only one who took Anaheim over SJ.  I like to look at recent games in the season to predict what is going on in the playoffs.  San Jose was 17 wins and 19 losses in their last 36 games.  That’s brutal when you consider they are a presidents trophy, first place in the NHL team.  Let’s compare this to the Ducks who were 10 wins and 3 losses in their last 13.  Who do you think has the momentum going into the playoffs.

Sure, Hiller played his ass off and the stats would show that San Jose outplayed Anaheim throughout the series.  San Jose’s shots were often from non threatening positions and even though Hiller did play amazing he was not the difference in the series.  Anaheim played solid defensively keeping most of the Sharks chances to the outside.  The Ducks even only needed 1 line, of Ryan, Perry and Getzlaf, to score enough goals to win the series.  The stars of the Ducks stepped up, which includes the line mentioned above, as well as Niedermayer and Pronger.  The stars of the Ducks outplayed the stars of the Sharks and that was the difference in the series.  Don’t expect the Ducks to have much chance next round against the high octane offense of the Detroit Red Wings, because the Red Wings, unlike the Sharks, actually have weapons at their disposal.

Same thing goes for my other underdog pick the Canes.  8 and 2 in their last 10 compared to New Jerseys 4 and 6.  I also felt that Ward would outplay Brodeur.  This last piece of the puzzle didn’t come together until Brodeur was unable to hold the 2-1 lead with about 2 minutes left in the third period of game 7.  For such a supposedly “clutch” goaltender Brodeur really dropped the ball against the Canes.  Two goals in the last few minutes of a seventh game to drop the series is pretty disappointing no matter who you are.  Maybe Brodeur needed to freak out at the end of game 6 and throw his stick a bit to ensure he came to play in game 7.  Brodeur is an overrated goalie who in my opinion does not deserve the respect he has accumulated over his many years in the league.

For those of you who are interested, or for those of you who want to profit off of my knowledge, my picks for next round are Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago.  I’m 8 for 8 so far and only 7 series left to go.  If you are interested in betting you should check out bookmaker.com and use Bookmaker.com bonus code ‘BMBONUS’ when signing up to receive your bonus.  I’m planning to go 15 for 15 and if I do, I expect to take Maggie the Monkeys job at TSN.

Also, for those of you who care, I am in a solid position in the bracket pool with my buddies after going 8 for 8.  The next closest is Davey who went  7 for 8, but since he has SJ winning the cup he’s hard pressed to take down the bracket.   Einz is the main competition at this point as he had 6 of 8 right from the first round.  Jizzm was a donkey and took PHI to the finals so he is out.  It should be an interesting rest of the playoffs.  Stay tuned.