2009 NHL Playoffs 2nd Round

So in Round 1 I went 5-8 because the Devils can't hold the a lead and John Tortorella is a moron.  Completely got the Flyers series wrong which bothers me as I should have known better than to believe Martin Biron could get a team out of the 1st round.

Oh well here is my chance at redemption as Round 2 begins tonight and my Canucks are still in it.  Here are my predictions for the 2nd round:

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes

Regular Season Record: 4-0 in favor of the Bruins

Breakdown: Virtually everything went right for the Bruins this season. Their young players developed into top line talent, their blueline was rock solid and they received elite level goaltending from Tim Thomas. All that added up to the Bruins capturing their first division title since 2004. The team racked up 116 points, the highest mark since 1972 - the last time the B's lifted Lord Stanley's grail. The first round sweep of the hated Habs - where they were the dominant team in every game - was the icing on the cake for Bruins fans and management.  They now look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and should have no problem doing so against the physically exhausted Hurricanes.

The first round series against the Devils was a back and fourth affair. Five of the seven contests were decided by a single goal and two went to overtime, if you count Carolina's winner with 0.2 seconds left in Game 4. Martin Brodeur played like crap for the Devils and was out preformed by Hurricane goaltender Cam Ward. People still make the case for Brodeur being the best goalie of all-time but I just don't see it as that softy he let in to allow the Hurricanes to advance looked like a shot I had a chance at stopping.  He is now a corpse and cost his team the playoffs.

Prediction:  Boston in 5

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Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Regular Season Record: 3-0-1 in favor of the Capitals

Breakdown: The Capitals are lucky that they made it this far.  If John Tortorella doesn't lose his shit on a fan and get suspended for Game 6 then the momentum would not have swing so favorably in Washington's favor.  They looked to be done yet came storming back to win 3 in a row on the strength of Ovechkin's highlight reel goal and the stellar play of Simeon Varlamov.  Now they are focused and have some serious momentum.

The Penguins have been playing extremely well not just in the playoffs but also in the final stretch to get to the playoffs.  Crosby and Malkin have been on fire and usually inconsistent goalie Marc Andre Fleury has been playing his best hockey of the season.  This series is a dream match up for the NHL as they have Crosby vs Ovechkin in the playoffs for the first time ever.  Hopefully for the sake of business the series will go 7 but I don't think it will.

Prediction: Penguins in 6

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Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Regular Season Record: 3-0-1 in favor of the Wings

Breakdown: The Red Wings walked right through the Columbus Blue Jackets and barely broke a sweat doing so.  This gave them time to rest their playoffs and get ready for the 2nd round.  Chris Osgood played well all series long but was rarely challenged so hopefully he can be ready for the offense of the Ducks.  This series should be a solid one as despite records these are the two best teams in the West.

Despite their 8th seed ranking the Ducks went into San Jose and ended the Sharks season.  They outplayed them in almost every area of the game and goalie Jonas Hiller looked like a veteran as he made countless saves against a formidable Sharks offense.  Things won't get easier for the youngster though as the Wings can score with the best of them and should have no problem putting pucks on net.

Prediction: Ducks in 7

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Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks

Regular Season Record: 2-2

Breakdown:  The Canucks present the best opportunity to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time in 16 years. They have terrific goaltending, a solid, gritty defensive unit and depth at forward. They can play a high paced finesse game or play a gritty physical game.  They aren't weak in any areas and their lesser known players like Kesler and Burrows are stepping up big to make contributions.  It also can't be overlooked that since they swept the Blues they have been resting and getting players like Sami Salo back from injury.  It would also be quite a spectacle to see the reaction of Maple Leafs fans if Mats Sundin captured the Cup after only half a season on the West Coast. 

The Blackhawks won their first playoff series in 13 years by taking out the Flames, 4-2, in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals (hahaha suck is Calgary). Nikolai Khabibulin lived up to his "Bulin Wall" handle in the series, although looking shaky in the two contests at Pengrowth Saddledome in Game 4 and 5. The Blackhawks' power play unit was also the difference in the series as they scored seven times on 24 attempts.  For all the talk of inexperience the Blackhawks looked good in their series and weren't afraid to get physical with the Flamers.  The last time these two teams met their were a few fights at the end of the game so some bad blood still exhists.  Should be a sweet series. 

Prediction: Canucks in 6

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NHL Playoffs Round 1 Recap

With the two game 7s that occurred tonight the first round of the NHL playoffs is now complete.  I made some predictions a few articles ago and for the most part I think I did pretty well.  I went 4-4 in the West but only 1-4 in East thanks to New Jersey blowing it tonight along with the Rangers.

Here are my predictions and how it actually went down:

East

Bruins vs Canadiens

I picked the Bruins to win this series in 5 games as I figured that Montreal would be able to pull out at least 1 game at home.  Unfortunately for all the Habs fans out there this didn't happen as Montreal was swept in 4 games and looked terrible while it happened.  Carey Price was garbage in net all series and even gave the Montreal fans the Patrick Roy arm raise during game 4. 

The Bruins looked good and steam-rolled the Habs who now have lots of questions to answer going forwards as the team is in disarray and is without direction.

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Capitals vs Rangers

In this series I had the Rangers upsetting the Caps as I thought that the superior goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist and the immense amount of firepower boasted by the Rangers would be enough.  Things looked good for my pick as the Rangers took a 3-1 series lead but then the wheels fell off.

John Tortorella benched Sean Avery for game 5, which the Rangers lost, and got involved with a fan earning himself a suspension for game 6 which the Rangers also lost.  Having absolutely no momentum the Rangers were put away by the Capitals tonight 2-1 in game 7.

This is a series the Rangers should have won had their coach not been a massive idiot.

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Devils vs Hurricanes

How on earth the Devils managed to lose this series is beyond me.  It went back and fourth the whole time and neither team never had a strangle hold on the series.  Even still the Devils were at one point leading game seven as with under 90 seconds to play they held a 3-2 lead.  Then all hell broke loose as the Devils proceeded to surrender two goals, one of which was a softy by Eric Staal that Party Marty Brodeur should have had, and lost the series.

I had the Devils winning this series in 5 and eventually going to the Eastern Conference Finals but that won't be happening because Martin Brodeur the supposed "Best Goalie of All-time" can't stop a snap shot waist high from the wing.  Good work Chubbzor.

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Penguins vs Flyers

I had the Flyers winning this series in 7 but that didn't come close to happening as the Penguins won 4-2 and took the series pretty easily.  The Flyers are a solid team but their lack of quality goaltending is their weakness and will continue to hurt them until they upgrade.

The Penguins will now play the Caps in the 2nd round which should provide TSN and Sportsnet with too much to talk about as Crosby goes up against Ovechkin.

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West

Sharks vs Ducks

Well I am happy to announce that I totally called this.  While the Ducks finished in 8th place they are still a dangerous team with talent on all 4 lines and a solid experienced defense.  No one expected Jonas Hiller to play as well as he did but he looked solid as he lead the Ducks to a 4-2 series win.

I thought this series would go 7 and be the most entertaining of the first round but neither of those came to fruition.  I don't understand how the Sharks can be so dominant in the regular season and then shit in the bed in the playoffs so consistently.  They have great forwards, solid defense, and amazing goaltending yet they still manage to lose.  A serious enigma.

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Red Wings vs Blue Jackets

I had picked this series to be won in 5 games by the Red Wings and unfortunately I was wrong.  They ended up winning in 4 and denied the Columbus fans the chance to see their team win a playoff game at home.  This was the first time Columbus had made the playoffs and I think they played like they were just happy to be there.

The Red Wings looked dominant and outplayed the Jackets in almost every area of play.  Look for them to continue their hot play in the 2nd round with Chris Osgood maintaining his high level of play.

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Canucks vs Blues

I had the Canucks winning in 5 as they are the superior team.  Once again I was wrong as the Canucks managed to win in 4 and dominant the Blues.  Credit can be given to Roberto Luongo who was incredible the whole series and kept Vancouver in some games they had no business being in.

As a Canucks fan I was glad to see this series in in 4 as the Canucks had quite a few injuries that they needed to rehab and the lay off should help them with that.  Hopefully players like Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows Safari Planet can continue their great play.

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Flames vs BlackHawks

My favorite series of the playoffs.  There was nothing better than watching the Calgary Flames lose so poorly to the Chicago BlackHawks.  Calgary backed their way into the playoffs and showed few signs of life the whole series.  I had picked Chicago to win but I thought it would take them 7 hard fought games to do it.  Instead they beat the Calgary Flamers in 6 and proved the critics wrong that they weren't too young and inexperienced.

This was seriously like Christmas in April for me as I hate the Flames and everything about that team.  After the loss instead of bowing out gracefully that prick Mike Keenan blamed the series loss on injuries.  He then remarked, "our top 3 guys were out.  If they had even 1 of their top players out it would have been a different story I can tell you."  

You suck.  Your team sucks.  Jokinen was a waste.  Now go play golf for a few months so you can come back and lose in the 1st round of the playoffs for the 4th straight year.

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So overall I went 5-8 which isn't horrible.  If the Rangers and Devils didn't blow it I would have been 7-8 but oh well.  The first round had a little of everything and with the Penguins vs Capitals matchup in round 2 the NHL should be able to attract a few more fans to the game.  Let's just hope the Canucks can continue to win.

A Round 2 preview will be coming tomorrow.

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Leading By Example

On Friday night John Tortorella cost his team the New York Rangers their first round playoff series against the Washington Capitals by throwing a beer at a fan and getting himself suspended for game 6.  Tortorella had been getting yelled at all night by several Capitals fans who took advantage of the gaps in between the sections of glass behind the bench to make their comments heard.  

It was this comment by Caps fan Ron which sent Tortorella into the rage.  "'Nice job coach, your guys put up 15 shots and you [slang term for cats] couldn't even put in a goal.'

From his days in the Cap Centre, Ron said he was accustomed to coaches spritzing rowdy fans with water bottles, and when Tortorella turned, that's what he anticipated. But he said Tortorella crossed a line by soaking him with water.

"If it had been just a little squirt I would have just laughed it off, but he just went crazy and darn near emptied that bottle on me," Ron said. "After he emptied that bottle on me I just threw that beer. Well, it was half a beer....And it just went crazy from there."

According to Ron's account, Tortorella rose up to throw the bottle at him. Ron ducked, and the bottle hit a female fan seated behind him. Tortorella grabbed the stick and the two men stared at each other, with Ron not saying much besides "You want me, I'm right here," and things of that nature.

The childish act by Tortorella earned him a suspension and forced him to watch game 6 from the press box where he watched his team get outplayed and lose 5-3 to force a game 7.  Game 7 will be in Washington where the momentum will clearly be on the Capitals side as they have twice staved off elimination.  The Rangers who looked to have this series in the bag are now going to blow it and they can blame it on their moron of a head coach.

This by the way is the same man who benched Sean Avery due to numerous stupid acts while on the ice.  He came down hard on Avery to the media and was even filmed shaking his head in disgust a number of times. How the tables have turned now as Tortorella looks like a hypocrite and should learn to follow his own advice and follow the rules that he sets out for the players on his team.

I wasn't too surprised by these actions to tell you the truth as Tortorella is a hot head idiot who too often runs his mouth off or does something stupid.  His team was catching a beating and he couldn't handle some chirps from the fans.  How has he been a coach for so long and not heard any slander or profanity before?  He over reacted and got what he deserved.

As a coach you are supposed to be the leader of the team.  The players look to you for guidance and wisdom and in times of need they are supposed to feed off of the coaches strength and his resolve not to give up.  Now when the Rangers players look to their coach they will simply see an idiot who couldn't control himself and put himself above the best interests of the team.

I have never liked Tortorella before and this incident here doesn't help his case.  When he is coaching he is getting paid millions of dollars to do a job.  If the guy was right in his ear yelling then by all means move up or down the bench to a different spot.  It is as simple as that.  He is supposed to be representing not only himself but the New York Rangers and the NHL. 

John Tortorella is like school in summertime...no class. 

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New Poll

The 2009 NFL Draft has come and gone and provided me with not only countless hours of enjoyment but also plenty of material for the blog and even some chances to extend my Streak for the Cash (which didn't go well but whatever).

Yesterday I did a Day 1 Recap and instead of doing a Day 2 recap I am going to start a new poll instead.  The poll will obviously center around the draft and which of the top picks in the draft will have the biggest impact on their respective team.

Here are the choices:

QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions - Chances are Stafford doesn't see the field this season and will more than likely earn his $42 million holding a clipboard and learning from Daunte Culpepper how to be a scrub.  While the Lions would love to show off their #1 pick they don't dare risk him getting worked over and losing his confidence.  However if the Lions get off to a crappy start and reach the 0-10 mark they may have no choice but to throw Stafford out there to satisfy what remains of their dwindling fan base.

QB Mark Sanchez, New York Jets - Since the Jets traded Brett Ratliff to Cleveland in order to move up to get Sanchez and Kellen Clemons sucks it seems likely Sanchez will get the starting job.  You know I cheer for the Jets so I am hoping Sanchez has a big year but I don't think he is the next Matt Ryan and while Brett Favre is a dumb he is infinitely better than Sanchez so I foresee a rough year for the USC standout as he is inexperienced and in a tough division.

WR Darrius Heyward-Bay, Oakland Raiders - This pick was the shock of the draft as many experts had Bay going late 1st or early 2nd round and yet the Raiders took him at #7 so high expectations.  The kid can flat our fly tho and ran a 4.32 at the combine.  He will be the primary target for Jamarcus Russell or Jeff Garcia as while Javon Walker is on the team he sucks and can't get open anymore.  Bay should also benefit from Russell's cannon like arm as he can just sprint downfield and catch some hail marys.  Look for him to stretch the field for the Raiders and give them the deep threat they have been looking for.

WR Michael Crabtree, San Fransisco 49ers - Crabtree is undoubtedly the best Wide Receiver in the draft and it is ridiculous that he fell all the way to the 49ers at #10.  He has all the talent in the world and should turn out to be a great pro.  The only thing holding him back is the name of his quarterback.  Shaun Hill is about as talented as Vinny Testaverde when he was 36 on a bad day.  The man is a complete duster and Crabtree will no doubt get frustrated that his quarterback can't play on his level.

RB Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos - Moreno is a solid running back who should do well at the pro level.  He lacks that certain creativity as a runner and doesn't have the true speed to break runs to the outside.  Luckily though he is going to Denver where anyone can rush for 1,000 yards.  The problem however is that there is lots of competition in Denver as the Broncos currently have about 3 running backs that could legitimately start.  Luckily for Moreno though is Kyle Orton is the quarterback and since he is no Jay Cutler look for the Broncos to run more often meaning more touches.

There are lots of other rookies that will have an immediate impact on their team but these are just some of the ones that stand out.  Other players that I left out include Tyson Jackson, Aaron Curry, BJ Raji, Aaron Maybin, and Jeremy Maclin.  All of these rookies should make an impact but only time will tell whose impact will be more significant.

Stafford Goes #1

There is no longer a guess as to who the Detroit Lions will select with their #1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft as last night they came to a six-year $72 million dollar contract that could escalate to $78 million after incentives. This is the richest rookie contract in NFL history and will earn Stafford $41 million in guaranteed money meaning no matter what happened dude is getting PAID.  The only question I have though is why Stafford?

I understand that the Lions went 0-16 last year and that they have a glaring need at quarterback as currently their starter is Daunte Culpepper but I don't think Stafford is going to be a great pro nor do I think the money the Lions have invested in him is worth it.  The Lions were cursed with needing a quarterback in a draft that doesn't have any standouts like certain drafts have had in the past.

Yes Stafford is good as is Mark Sanchez but neither is phenomenal nor worth a 1st overall pick in my opinion.  The Lions just feel like their whole organization needs a face lift and drafting a franchise quarterback is a great way to start. 

The problem however is that if Stafford doesn't turn out to be what the Lions think he is going to be then they just dumped over $40 million in guaranteed money on a scrub.  That kind of move can set your team back for years to come and begs the question why not pick linebacker Aaron Curry or left tackle Jason Smith?  Both of these players have a much better chance of becoming solid pros, would cost the Lions far less money, and would still have a strong impact on the team.

The Lions have said that they are going to keep Stafford on the bench for a whole season before he plays at all. To me this means that the team is going to suck again and in all likelihood will wind up with another top 5 pick next year.  Why not wait until then and grab one of the elite quarterbacks that will be coming out then like Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy?

Stafford wasn't even that amazing in college.  Yes he led Georgia to a 10-3 record but it wasn't done entirely by him.  As far as quarterbacks go he was 15th in the nation in terms of Quarterback Rating, tied for 17th in touchdowns, 14th in yardage, and tied for 38th in completion percentage.  These are hardly numbers that are making me upset that the Jets didn't draft him.

Not only is this a bad move personnel wise but just look at the recent history of the draft.  Eight of the past 11 players taken first overall in the NFL have been QBs, and half of them either haven't or didn't pan out for the teams that took them.

Stafford is a smart kid with a strong head on his shoulders and judging by everything I have read about him he seems like an alright guy.  Unfortunately being a nice guy dones't account for anything in the NFL and Stafford will have to step up and prove he is worth all the money the Lions dumped on him.

Hey at least they didn't take Michael Crabtree.

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What's the Deal With the Toronto Blue Jays

Tonight the Jays laid a beatdown on the Chicago White Sox as they blasted 21 for 14 runs in a 14-0 skunking.  The Jays got to Chicago early and often as in the early innings they had White Sox starter "Fat" Gavin Floyd in trouble never letting him go three up and three down.  Floyd allowed 6 runs in just 4.1 innings ruining both the White Sox night and mine as I watched my fantasy ERA balloon. 

The Sox on the other hand could do nothing against Hays starter Brian Tallet who was replacing Jesse Litsch in the rotation.  Tallet allowed only four hits in 5.2 innings and seemed to have the potent White Sox lineup figured out.  

The crazy thing about this game is that it is not unusual as this season the Jays have been dominant and have been feeding it to teams on a consitent basis.  This has fans in Toronto excited as currently the Jays sit atop the AL East with a 13-5 record and lead the league in runs.

So far this season the Jays are yet to lose a series and with their over the Texas Rangers on thursday night became the first team since 2004 to start a season by winning 5 series in a row. Butlooking at the teams that they have beaten in order to accomplish this feat it takes away from the luster of the stat.

So far this year the Jays have beaten the Tigers (8-8) Indians (6-11) Rangers (7-9) Twins (8-9) and the A's (5-9).  This is hardly the cream of the crop as all of these teams have gotten off to bad starts and really probably won't be competetive this year.  This isn't neccesarily bad however as over the past few seasons the Jays always had problems beating weaker teams so it seems that is no longer an issue.

That is the only glaring hole in the Jays success so far this season though as other than the lack of elite competition the Jays have been nearly flawless.  If they hadn't trotted out the cropse of BJ Ryan so many times their record would be even better as would some of their stats.

This season the Jays have been doing everything right and fixing a lot of the problems that cost them a lot of games last year.  They have been getting hits with 2 outs, not stranding as many runners on base, and giving their pitchers run support when they have good games.  Last year it always seemed like either the pitching or the hitting was on but never together.  If a pitcher had a good game then he would get no offense and likewise if the offense showed up the pitching staff would take the night off.

The turn around seems to have occurred once the Jays brought back fan favorite Cito Gaston as manager.  Gaston lead the Jays to back to back World Series titles in 92 and 93 and seems to have not lost a step in his managerial skill.  Since taking over the Jays mid-season last year the Jays have been the best team in the AL East. 

Hopefully this trend can continue and the Jays can prove that they are no fluke and don't just beat up on crappy teams.  Only time will tell if Adam Lind can continue to be an offensive force and if Scott Rolen has risen from the dead and remembered how to hit a baseball.  The Jays had very low expectations coming into this season but they have put the rest of the AL on notice that they don't suck anymore.

You have been warned.

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