Tom’s Tremendous Touch Leads Pats

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I don’t know another person who finds the Jim Balsillie vs. Gary Bettman more annoying then I do so all I’m going to say about the fight for the Phoenix franchise is this.

As a Canadian, a Torontonian and as a hockey fan, I would love to see another team in southern Ontario.

I’m a die-hard Maple Leafs fan, but like many others, I’m not a die-hard Leafs fan who can pay $200 for a good seat at a game.

So yes I would love to see a team in Hamilton and yes, I would drive from Toronto to Hamilton to watch a game.

But the annoying battle for the Coyotes has got me thinking a little bit, not so much as how much a slice of pizza and a drink would cost at the new arena in Hamilton compared to the Air Canada Center, but moreover, what does it take to put fans in a stadium?

I did some research. I took five teams (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston and Carolina) and looked at their attendance in a season where they did poorly in the standings and a season where they did well in the standings or were coming off a strong season.

Chicago Blackhawks: In 2003/2004 the Blackhawks were atrocious, finishing 29th in the league with only 20 wins, their attendance fell victim only averaging 13,253 fans at home per game.

All the sudden with some rebuilding and good drafting the Blackhawks sit in the Western Conference finals and finished 6th in the league this season. Their attendance remarkably skyrocketed to an average of 22,243 per game. An average increase of close to 9,000 fans per game.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Back in 03/04 the Penguins were a disaster. Finishing in dead last in the league the Pens also averaged only 11,877 fans per game and were on the verge of going bankrupt.

But inking Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in back to back drafts and adding a pretty deep supporting cast the Pens are now on their way to the Stanley Cup finals for the second straight year. Their attendance has shot up as well; in 2008/2009 the Pens averaged 17,076 fans per game, a difference of over 5,000 fans per game.

Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes were a franchise that many felt would always struggle to fill their seats. In 2003/2004 they finished 11th in the Eastern Conference standings and only averaged 12,330 fans per game. All the sudden a season after winning the Stanley Cup the fans began to fill in.
In 2006/2007 the Hurricanes averaged 17,386 fans per game, an increase of over 5,000 fans per game. You can bet that as the team continues to improve on the ice, the fans will continue to pour in.

The same kind of idea exists now in Washington and Boston as well. As their team win games, teams that once struggled to fill their seats aren’t struggling anymore. Didn’t you see Washington’s version of “the sea of red?” Pretty incredible.

My point is that in cities where the hockey team isn’t the first priority, a lot of the time the arena seats can only be filled if the team is succeeding on the ice.

The funny part is I don’t think the Phoenix Coyotes are far away from success. I think they need to start by resigning the cheap young talent they picked up in Nigel Dawes, Scottie Upshall and Petr Prucha and then they need a couple of free agents.

With over 11 million dollars in cap space the opportunities to grab a big name center like Mike Cammalleri and a big man on the back end like Mike Komisarek are options not out of the question.

If they can then draft another solid defenseman like Spokane Chiefs, Jared Cowen or a forward like Brandon Wheat Kings, Brayden Schenn the Coyotes could be on their way to building a solid core of young talent.

The Coyotes have never been able to be consistently successful on the ice. Sure they’ve made the playoffs here and there but consistency is what I believe to be the main reason for the franchises major debt and problems. If teams in all parts of California can put people in seats then so can a team in Arizona.

As the famous line from the famous movie “Field of Dreams” goes, “Build it and they will come.”

Build a competitive team in Phoenix and the fans will come. But you need an owner who’s willing to spend money on players rather than lawyers.

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I’m not going to lie, in my playoff pool I had the Penguins going down in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers. Well call me any name you want now for that prediction.

On the other hand I called Bill Guerin to step up after a lousy round one performance and he has 10 points in his last 10 games.

So instead of making anymore crazy far fetched predictions, I’ll make a small prediction.

The Stanley Cup finals will consist of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings.

Don’t let your jaws drop too far I know that was right out of left field considering the Pens and Wings haven’t won their series’ yet, but I’ll take my chances since both have sizable leads in their conference final series.

But don’t take me to the bank on that statement, it wasn’t long ago that I wrote about how the Washington Capitals were as good as eliminated when they were down 3-1 in a series with the New York Rangers.

So then comes the real question: who hoists the Stanley Cup from mid June.

Here comes the prediction.

I’m going to go against the main stream on this one and say the Pens take the Wings this year and win the Stanley Cup finals rematch.

Call me whatever name you want for that one but let me give an explanation first.

Crosby aint no kid

I’m not Crosby’s biggest fan. Partly because I like Ovechkin better and partly because I think Sidney is way too by the book in terms of his personality.

But nothing I say about his personality is going to inflict on the fact that this guy is a remarkable talent.

His on ice product has clearly matured since last playoffs and his numbers show it. After 16 playoff games last year Sidney had just 4 goals. This season he has nearly quadrupled that number with 14 goals thus far. Crosby isn’t a kid anymore, well maybe his age says so, he’s only 21 but his on ice production is that of an all star veteran. I think he’s ready to make the next step.

The Best 2nd liner of all-time

Quite frankly I wanted to write an entire blog about Evgeni Malkin earlier in the season. My personal opinion is that the guy is under appreciated. A pretty ridiculous title for the one who tallied the most points this season with 113.

The under appreciated Malkin may only be the case in Canada where Crosby is the golden boy, but in truth any team with Malkin on their second line is headed in the right direction.

Leading the league in playoff points with 28 Malkin has responded to media criticism that said he failed to show up in round 2, with nine points in only three games against the Carolina Hurricanes in round 3.
If this continues Malkin will be on fire come the finals. I wouldn’t want to be his opponent.

Thicker Skin

Last season the Pittsburgh Penguins were not ready for the Detroit Red Wings when the finals commenced.

In reality the Penguins walked all over the three teams they played against in the previous rounds sweeping the Ottawa Senators rolling over the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, both in five games.

This season has been a little bit different. The Pens struggled in round one with the Flyers and were almost forced to the brink if it wasn’t for a game six comeback. They beat the Flyers in six games.

Any sports fan knows about the Pens/Caps showdown, one that saw the faces of the three best offensive players in the world under one roof. The Pens took the Capitals in an epic seven game series. Epic except for the dreadful game seven.

Now they are on the path of sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes, the same team who took out Marty Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils and the first place Boston Bruins. Beating the Canes could instill the perfect amount of confidence in the Penguins when they walk into the Joe Louis Arena for game 1.

Where is Pavel Datsyuk?

Yes, I know he’s hurt but where was he even before that? He has one goal in 13 games this playoffs. I understand that analysts say he does many other great things aside from putting pucks in the net but truth being, come the finals your best player needs to be your best player.

Solid on the back end and poised between the pipes

Former head coach, Michelle Therrien so eloquently once called the Pens defense “the softest defensive squad in the league.” That hasn’t been the case this playoff.

Eric Staal has been completely invisible this series, with zero goals. He has his brother Jordan and the Pens defense to thank for that. Hal Gill has been paired with Rob Scuderi in this series and the two combined with a solid Pens 3rd line have completely shut No. 12 down.

Kris Letang and Sergei Gonchar have been solid puck movers on defense where Mark Eaton and Brooks Orpik have continued to be “stay at home” defenders. Letang stepped up earlier in the playoffs when Gonchar went down and has tallied nine points in these playoffs and is continuing to learn from one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.

Between the pipes, Marc-Andre Fleury continues to improve and at points is this series, commentators have brought up Fleury in team Canada 2010. I personally wouldn’t go that far but Fleury has a lot to be proud about thus far.

A 4th line with talent

Head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dan Bylsma has given Canes coach Paul Maurice something to really think about when it comes to matchups. Bylsma has been double shifting Crosby on the 4th line with Miroslav Satan and Craig Adams. Satan and Adams have combined for 11 points this playoffs and playing with Crosby could ignite former all-star, Satan making for an extremely dangerous 4th line in Pittsburgh. Mike Babcock should start thinking.

Another notable move by Bylsma was putting Max Talbot up on the second line. After all he is a superstar. Chika Chika yea.

Check out this link if you didn’t catch that line.

A few days ago General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo resigned head coach Jay Triano to a three-year deal.

It’s not so much that the Triano deal bothers me it’s that the deal makes me contemplate what it is the Bryan Colangelo has done as General Manager for the Toronto Raptors since coming in 2006.

Now I know many Raptors fans reading this are already against me because you may feel that Colangelo is the best thing to happen to the Raptors since Damon Stoudamire but if you look at the moves and transactions he’s made since he got here you might understand where I’m coming from.

Now I’m not blaming the Raptors failures simply on Colangelo, I’m simply stating what he’s done, compared to what he could have done.

Trading Charlie Villanueva

To be honest, this was Colangelo’s first mistake and it came in June of 2006. As I explain other deals Colangelo made following this one you will understand that future mistakes stemmed from this deal.

In June 2006 Colangelo traded Charlie Villanueva to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard T.J Ford.

The Raptors originally picked up T.J after he took a year off due to injury and therefore ran an immediate risk for the Raptors.

In the two seasons prior to coming to Toronto T.J averaged 7.1 points per game in 2003/2004 and 12.2 points per game in 2004/2005. 

His only season with the Raptors Charlie V averaged 13 points per game and was a legitimate fan favorite.

This trade went on to bite Colangelo a couple years later when T.J fell to injury and Charlie V continued putting up solid numbers in Milwaukee. This past season Villanueva put up an average of over 16 points per game and T.J is no longer a Raptor.

Drafting Andrea Bargnani

The T.J deal went on to bite Colangelo even harder come the 2007 draft. The Raptors got lucky in winning the lottery and snatching the number one pick. However, because the Raptors point guard spot was already filled by T.J Ford the Raptors went onto draft big Italian Andrea Bargnani over young point guard Brandon Roy.

In his first season Roy’s numbers were better then both T.J and Bargnani’s. Roy averaged close to 17 points per game compared to Bargnani’s 11 per game and T.J’s 14.

Even Roy’s rebounding numbers have been better then Bargnani’s over the course of their careers thus far. Roy is averaging 4.6 rebounds per game and Bargnani averaging 4.3.

Roy now plays shooting guard as apposed to point guard, meaning that if  he came to Toronto he would have evolved  into a shooting guard, making room in the starting lineup for Jose Calderon at point guard.

This season Brandon Roy led the Portland Trail Blazers to the postseason averaging close to 23 PPG as T.J and Andrea sat at home watching. Not to mention in two playoff appearances thus far in his career Bargnani is only averaging 8.9 points per game.

Jermaine O’Neal Acquisition

Quite frankly I don’t think this deal needs much explanation. Colangelo traded for O’Neal in the summer of 2008 with hopes that he would be another big man that would finally complement Chris Bosh.

The risk of the deal obviously being that O’Neal has been plagued by severe injuries throughout his career.

O’Neal only averaged 13 points per game and  7 rebounds per game in his 41 games as a Toronto Raptor. On February 13th 2009 O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat along with Jamario Moon in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, which leads me into my next point.

The Marcus Banks Contract

Paul Jay, a writer for CBC.ca explained that the Banks contract could hurt the flexibility of the Raptors in 2010 when big names like Chris Bosh become free agents. Banks will make 9 millions dollars over the next two years and to do what? Banks has averaged just over 6 points per game over the course of his career and will likely provide the Raptors with nothing more then a filled seat on the bench.

Colangelo’s Resume

I understand that when Colangelo first came to Toronto he was considered to be the messiah. But lets face it this messiah we know as Bryan Colangelo has never one a championship and has never led the Raptors past the first round in the playoffs, so I think its time we start raising some eyebrows. Especially after the disastrous season we just finished and quite frankly the terrible second half we had last season leading into the playoffs.

As I think about what the Raptors need to get back in the winners circle there is only thing that comes to mind:

Onions baby, onions!

The sports media and fans alike have labeled this era in baseball as the “steroid era” and rightfully so. When many of your biggest stars over the last five or ten years admit or are caught with using performance enhancing drugs, what could be a better name for them.

This dark cloud that follows these steroid linked players will follow them beyond their days in the ballpark and will make for an appealing storyline come 2013.

You see come 2013, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa all who have been linked to steroids will become eligible for the Hall of Fame. Not to mention that players such as Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire will most likely still be on the ballot as writers such as John Rolfe of Sports Illustrated have assumed.

Palmeiro, Canseco and McGwire will all be eligible for the HOF prior to 2013 (McGwire and Canseco were both eligible in 07) but most say that they will be snubbed by Baseball Writers because of their steroid link, making for in interesting ’13 ballot.

Begging the question, should these cheaters be left out of Cooperstown or will 2013 be the year of forgiveness?

John Rolfe, a writer for Sports Illustrated wrote a piece earlier in the year that took the mainstream approach when he basically said that anyone who put up big numbers in baseball in the last 20 years cannot be trusted. A valid point considering six of the top twenty home run hitters of all time are linked to steroids.

Rolfe went on to say that the writers are going to have to look to guys like Mike Piazza when voting in 2013 and just hope that they don’t get caught for anything illegal in the near future.

Another writer for the Oakland Tribune argued the exact opposite. He basically stated that excluding the big three – Sosa, Bonds and Clemens in 2013 is not the answer and Cooperstown is a museum for baseball history, not baseball heaven.

A part of me agrees with Carl Steward, the writer for the Oakland Tribune. He raises a great point that in the end, yes these guys cheated, and yes they should be penalized but they can’t be forgotten completely and held out of the HOF forever considering they are some of the biggest names of our time.

However, the more and more I think about it I have to agree with Rolfe. These guys are cheaters and inducting them, even 20 years down the road sends a bad message to fans as well as players. What, you can cheat and if you were good at it and put up good numbers, a few years down the road we’ll forgive you and put you into the Hall of Fame?

I’m sorry but as much as these guys are some of the best players in baseball and I’ve watched them all put up some impressive numbers, I can’t agree with putting cheaters into the Hall of Fame no matter how far down the road it would be.

In particular as a Blue Jays fan, Roger Clemens was one of the best players I’ve ever been able to witness play on a daily basis.

I look back then to that moment when he was on the Yankees and tossed the broken bat at Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series.

Roid Rage? Probably.

One of the most amazing parts about playoffs in sports is that the teams and players involved have the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. As well, the fact that come playoff time it’s anybody’s ball game.

But rather then discussing the upsets we witness time and time again where the first place honcho is knocked out by the eighth place underdog I’m going to dig a little deeper and talk about the individuals who suddenly have come alive during the playoffs, specifically in the NHL.

In 2005/06, the hockey world watched as round by round the Edmonton Oilers, an 8th seed eliminated three higher ranked teams including the top seed in their conference and marched to the to the Stanley Cup finals. Leading the charge  was Oiler forward Fernando Pisani. Pisani scored 14 goals in the playoffs, only four less then he scored all season long.

In 2007/08 the Detroit Red Wings, who were known as “chocks” due to previous early exits from the playoffs after strong regular seasons, walked into the 07/08 playoffs, once again on top of the NHL mountain. After only notching 38 points in 80 regular season games, Johan “The Mule” Franzen tallied 13 playoff goals in 08 carrying the Detroit Red Wings over the playoff hump and to Lord Stanley’s Cup along with stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

The theme of unlikely heroes has carried itself into the 2008/09 playoffs as Jussi Jokinen who before this playoffs was really only known for his impressive shootout numbers, helped the Hurricanes to a first round upset over the New Jersey Devils and a 3-2 series lead over the Boston Bruins in round two. What’s amazing about Jokinen’s performance thus far is not his numerous goals but yet the timing of them. With six goals in the playoffs three of them are game winners and one led to Carolinas late game seven victory over the Devils.

If Jokinens knack for scoring late continues, the Canes could be walking the same road they did in 06… The road to the Stanley Cup.

The Battle of Two Heavyweights

In black shorts and yellow trim, Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is 6”9 and weights in at about 255 lbs.

His opponent, in red shorts and white trim, Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal is 6”4 and weighs in at about 205 lbs.

The two have been matched up against each other all series long and the 50 pound weight difference proved to be irrelevant to Eric Staal. In the first rounds [games] between the two, Staal basically dominated the Great Wall of Chara.

But likely Norris Trophy winner, Zdeno Chara isn’t going down without throwing a few blows to his opponent. In round five between the two tonight, Chara pummeled Staal on a few occasions as the Bruins cut the series lead to 3-2.

With great series’ like Washington vs. Pittsburgh and Anaheim vs. Detroit a Carolina vs. Boston series seemed to be an underdog when it came to excitement  and fan appreciation in the second round. But as the series moves to game six and story lines continue to build hockey fans have to be happy with what they’ve gotten out of this series thus far.

My personal favorite storyline… Paul Maurice behind the bench of a winning team. Anyone at MLSE want to comment?

Make sure to read the prediction that follows the short rant.

To be honest, when I was growing up eating breakfast was one of my favorite parts of the day. I’d walk downstairs grab a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Count Chocula and I’d sit down in the kitchen and watch an episode of Saved by the Bell. As I got a bit older the Saved by the Bell turned into Sports Center, but none the less it was never a game of playoff hockey.

Well for hockey fans along the West Coast, playoff hockey will be apart of a complete breakfast on Saturday.

Quite frankly the most hyped up playoff series in recent memory, with three of the best stars in the game today all in the same building and some hockey fans have to wake up in order the catch the game?

I don’t know about others but I wait all year for playoff hockey, and for a series like this my entire life to able to watch it I have to be in a certain mind set. You know pizza, wings, friends a big screen.

Many writers have done pieces on how the Penguins/Capitals series is any NHL marketers dream. I don’t think an afternoon/morning game was apart of that dream. Hockey fans all over Alberta and British Columbia, few in California and many others across North America won’t have even had their morning coffee once the pregame show takes the air.

I know this whole situation isn’t the NHL’s fault since the scheduling for the playoffs is probably done months in advance, but this series is such a great opportunity for the NHL to air the best of its talent to the entire world and to throw game one in the afternoon/morning is like taking Bob Cole off full time playoff coverage on CBC… It’s a sin.

What’s next, Game 7 on TSN 2? Oh God!

Now for my series prediction.

Now obviously, the performances of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Mike Green vs. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar are huge in terms of swaying the series. As fans we hope for many spectacular performances from these guys because each of them has the power to electrify the crowd and take charge of a game.

But in the end I don’t believe that this series will be won or lost based on the performances of one or two guys on each team. I think it will be a combination of the superstars, goaltenders and the secondary players who need to step up for their team to win.

The Caps – Beyond the obvious stars

In my “Capping Out” blog I talked about how Mike Green needed some support on the back end in order for the Capitals to have a shot of a comeback. Well he got that support from veteran, Tom Poti. In game five, six and seven of the first round, Poti averaged about 23 minutes of ice time and in game 6 he led the Capitals to victory with a goal and three assists. In the seven game series Poti tallied seven points three of which were on the powerplay, meaning Pittsburgh has to watch Poti and Green on the point in round 2.

It was like a blast from the past when Sergei Fedorov ripped home the game-winning goal against the New York Rangers in game 7 of their first round series. After an extremely slow start in the first four games of the first round where he only notched one point, he stepped in up in game five through seven tallying a point in each of the three Capitals victories. As the playoff grind rolls on, a veteran like Fedorov needs to continue to produce in clutch situations.

Critics are saying that Simeon Varlamov wasn’t tested very much in round 1. I think the guy deserves a ton of credit, after surprisingly starting in game 2 after a lack luster performance by Jose Theodore in game 1. I’m a numbers guy and Varlamov posted pretty good ones with a 1.17 GAA and a .952 save percentage. Obviously I’m not expecting the same numbers from him in round 2, but if he can be consistent between the pipes it would make for a big help for the Caps.

The Pens – Beyond the obvious stars

Bill Guerin and Sergei Fedorov fall into the same category for me. Obviously not the same player types but they are both skilled veterans who scored few or one goal in round one. The only difference being that Fedorov won the series with his goal and excelled throughout the series where as Guerin started round 1 strong and practically did nothing in the second half. Guerin needs to bring his physical as well as skilled sides for round 2.

Mark Eaton scored a couple of big goals in round 1. Definitely not known for his offense Eaton helped the Pens march back from a 3-0 defecit with a goal in Game 7 against the Flyers. He posted a +4 ratng in that game. Eaton also scored a big insurance marker in game one to secure the opening game for the Pens. If he can continue to provide that extra push it could help the Pens march on.

Marc-Andre Fleury posted solid numbers in round 1 with a 2.39 GAA and a .922 save percentage. However I questioned Fleury on a few occasions in that series. He got beaten up by the Flyers on two occasions and if wasn’t for a strong Pens offense it would have been a third time in game 6. It’s only right to believe that the hefty Washington offense s going to throw more at Fleury then the Flyers did. We need to see the Fleury of the 2008 playoffs.

This series is so tough to predict going into game 1 Saturday but my edge is going with the Caps in 7. Partly because of the high they are on after a huge comeback in the Rangers series. But if the Caps start slow like they did in round 1 you can bet the Pens will burry them.

Caps in 7.

The Washington Capitals have had a tough time in their first round match up with the New York Rangers.

Most would have seen this series as a walk in the park for the offensively explosive Capitals, but their offense in the 2009 playoffs thus far has been one of the reasons the Caps will be hitting the greens early.

But I’m going to start from the goaltending and work my way up to the forwards to explain why the Caps won’t be advancing to round 2.

The goaltending for the Washington Capitals this season hasn’t been something to brag about. Jose Theodore was barely able to break a .900 SV% and his GAA was a very sub par 2.88 with only two shutouts.

Theodores playoff career has never been something to get too excited about either. In 43 NHL playoff starts Theodore has posted a record of 19-24, a 2.70 and has never carried a team past the second round. So although Simeon Varlamov has been stellar in net for the Caps since taking over in game two, in a back and forth, pivotal game like game one, you need a goalie that can make the big saves in order to potentially steal the game for you and help you draw first blood in the series. Theodore  only managed to make 17 saves on 21 shots. 

 Moving up the ladder, Washington has not been known to play a shut down defensive game but this series has exposed their weaknesses defensively. In fact in their round 1 series thus far the Caps defensive core has combined for a minus five rating.

Leading the charge on defense, Mike Green who looked brilliant in the regular season has done close to nothing in this series. The guy scored 30 goals and 73 points in 68 games and the Washington Times said he showed comparisons to legend, Paul Coffey. But Green has practically been held off the score sheet in the four games against the Rangers. He’s registered just two assists.

Next up on the chopping block, the Caps offense.

I hate to be the one to call out the Capitals offense after the spectacular season they had but every playoff fanatic knows that once the puck is dropped in Game 1 of the quarterfinals, whatever your team accomplished in the regular season, means nothing other then what building you’re playing in.

In this series the Caps offense has not been good enough. More specifically Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Sergei Federov. The three Euros have combined for one goal in this series. The Caps also need guys like Brooks Laich, and veterans Viktor Kozlov and Michael Nylander to pick up their socks and start producing offensively.

All of that combined could spark a little magic for a struggling Caps team who face elimination Friday Night.

And maybe a little vodka for Alex Ovechkin might help too.

Minutes before the Vancouver Canucks and the St Louis Blues break open Western Conference post season play. The Blues join the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets as teams who have either never been to the playoffs or are returning to the post season after a long hiatus. But enough blabbering, lets get to some predictions.

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)

I have to say about a week ago I was looking at a Ducks teams who were seeded 7th to play the Detroit Red Wings and I was excited to see an upset in the making. However now that the Ducks have been matched up to play the Sharks I’m doubting a Ducks upset in the first round more and more.

The Sharks have always been a team I choose to win the Cup but this year more then ever because of the offensive and veteran additions of Dan Boyle and Rob Blake on the blue line. Blake and Boyle both provide the “been there” attitude that San Jose has not had in previous years.

However don’t count the Ducks out. After in early exit last season the Ducks had to play playoff hockey down the stretch in order to secure their playoff spot and it would be stupid to doubt stars like Getzlaf, Perry, Selanne, Niedermayer and Pronger all guys who one the Cup in 07 with Anaheim.

My one question for Anaheim is who is starting in goal? I believe that’s why the Sharks win this series, simply goaltending.

Sharks in 7.

Detroit (2) vs Columbus (7)

This is my playoff upset. After watching the Ducks team who won the Cup in 07 be eliminated in 08 in the first round I realized how tough it probably is for players who win one year to have the same intensity and playoff desperation the following year. That combined with Columbus being a fresh addition the NHL playoff picture who have a lot of young excited talent mixed with a few veterans players like Mike Commodore and Raffi Torres as well as Mike Peca is a big part of why I think the Jackets will upset the Wings.

But much like the Sharks Ducks series I think this series hangs largely with the goaltenders and Chris Osgoods 3.09 GAA and .889 save percentage just doesn’t do it for me.

If Steve Mason can be the same goaltender that has some critics voting him for the Vezina then I think the Blue Jackets can take this series.

Columbus in 7.

Vancouver (3) St Louis (6)

Two teams that are hot. Both have hot goaltenders. I give the Canucks an edge however with more experience.

Although the Sundin pick up has not worked out as well offensively as the Canucks would have liked it to but Sundin will provide the presence on and off the ice to push the Canucks the extra mile.

Goaltending: Although Chris Mason is hot with only 2 regualtion losses and 10 wins since March 15th, Luongo has been hot as well. His 2.34 GAA and .920 Save percentage have a slight edge over Masons numbers this season.

I like the Canucks in 6.

Chicago (4) Calgary (5)

I love Toews and I love Kane. But they are just too young. I believe the rough and tough Flames will outlast the Blackhawks.

Looking at Chicago there two stars remind me of a lesser version of Crosby and Malkin in their first playoff. They were just too young and inexperienced to get by the highly skilled and tough Ottawa Senators.

However, if Mike Cammallerli and Olli Jokinen don’t show up in there first playoff appearance and Mikka Kiprusoff decides to take the spring off the Blackhawks could pull this out.

I say Flames in 6.

Here we go again. Throw your razors in the garbage because its playoff time so what better time to post the NHL playoff blog then minutes before the puck drop of Game 1 of the 2009 NHL playoffs.

I think us hockey fans are in for a real treat as this could shape out to be one of the most interesting playoffs in recent years. So without further adieu my 1st round playoff predictions from the Eastern Conference. Stay tuned later tonight prior the drop of the puck in the Vancouver/St Louis game when I post my Western Conference Predictions.

Boston(1) vs Montreal(8)

This series needs no introduction. The history between these two teams goes way back and as any fan knows these teams have met several times in recent years in the playoffs. Since 2002 Boston and Montreal have met three times in the 16 team hunt for the Stanley Cup and all three times the Canadiens have come out victorious.

This year however I think the tables are going to be turned in Bostons favour. The Bruins finished 1st in the east and have quite frankly become an offensive powerhouse this season. With the likes of Savard, Kessel, Krejci, Chara and a hopefully healthy Bergeron it will be tough to stop the Bruins. Not to mention the Canadiens anchor on the blue line, Andrei Markov is out due to injury and will likely miss the series or at least the first few, pivotal games.

Carey Price has posted decent numbers this season with a GAA of 2.83 and a .905 save percentage. Hopefully he will have a better playoff showing then he had last year but the numbers sure aren’t in the 21 year olds favour. In five starts against the Bruins this season Price went 1-2-2 and posted a 1-2-2 GAA.

On the other side of the rink we have Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas who has a season good enough to give him serious Vezina Trophy consideration.

I say Bruins in 5.

Washington(2) vs New York Rangers(7)

I don’t have much to say about this series. I’m not a huge Rangers fan other then Sean Avery but if veterans like Gomez and Drury get going we could have a series on our hands. There is an extreme lack on playoff experience in the Capital dressing room and a goaltender who is very hot and cold.

Then again Alex Ovechkin has the talent to tear open a game and we’ve seen what he can do in a regular season game. Hopefully he has learned a lot from the seven game series with Philadelphia last season and can break open in the playoffs this year.

I say Caps in 6.

New Jersey(3) vs Carolina(6)

This is a series that many people will be paying attention to due to the fact that over the final stretch of the season the Canes have been so good and the Devils so bad. But to be honest every team goes through a rough patch at one time or another as the season goes, the Devils just did it when everyone was paying attention. Look where Pittsburgh was a couple of months ago. Tenth in the conference and now they have home ice in the first round. Look at the team the Devils are playing. They were a just above .500 at the all star break and look at them now. Many are favouring them to win this series.

For those of you who read my “Devils Demons” blog, you know that I’m a big fan of the Devils mix of young and old. Guys like Parise, Zajac, Langenbrunner and Shanahan. Throw in a little Marty “playoff” Brodeur and the Devils are on their way to a first round victory. 

If you put the Canes against any other team in the conference I say they win in the 1st round but the Devils, I don’t think so.

Lets not forget what the Devils are made of.

I say Devils in 6.

Pittsburgh(4) vs Philadelphia(5)

Fans need to understand that this Penguins team is not the same team they were last season. In fact they aren’t even close. No Hossa, Whitney, Roberts, Laraque, and Malone just to name a few. This teams has ZERO secondary scoring and I mean that. They did not have any player on their roster score more then 30 points other then Crosby and Malkin. So unless Ruslan Fedetenko and a repeat of the 03 playoffs with Tampa this team is going to struggle.

Philadelphia on the other had seven players score over 30 points this season and they look very similar to the team we saw last year in the post season plus Simon Gagne.

I think the Flyers are still looking for revenge on that 6-0 loss in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals last season when they were embarrassingly eliminated by the Penguins.

This will be a great first round match up but I say Flyers in 7.

Not enough time for a clever one liner. Enjoy the games.