HBIC Pool: Round Three

I'm a little late in coming up with this article, but the third round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs also didn't last very long. Much like the previous rounds, there were a couple of people who stood out in their predictions for the two series, and these people deserve a little recognition for their clairvoyance. The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers played a total of five games, while the Chicago Blackhawks swept aside the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final. That means there weren't a lot of points to be earned via the games played unless you picked goal scorers and series lengths correctly. And a couple of people did that very well.

CHICAGO vs. SAN JOSE: No one in the HBIC Playoff Pool picked a sweep between these two teams, so series length points went out the door right at the start. However, one person did happen to predict a goal scorer, and that made all the difference in the point totals. That person? Andrew G. Andrew correctly predicted Chicago winning Games One, Three, and Four, and also added on Dustin Byfuglien's game-winner in Game Four for a total of five points. The vast majority of entrants had between two and four points in the series, so it just goes to show how important those bonus points for correctly predicting the game-winning goal scorers are.

Congratulations, Andrew, and keep up the great work in the Stanley Cup Final!

MONTREAL vs. PHILADELPHIA: With only five games, I fully expected some more low point totals for this series, but one person really went to town in this series. Andrew L. racked up an impressive 12 points in his prediction of Philadelphia to advance. Andrew correctly predicted the winning team in all five games for an easy five points. He also called Jeff Carter's game- and series-winning goal in Game Five for an additional two points. And because he predicted Philly to advance in five games, he earned an additional five points. Add it all up, and Andrew scored 12 points for his predictions.

Congratulations, Andrew, and well done on predicting this series correctly!

ROUND TOTAL: Andrew L. makes the list twice on the strength of the Montreal-Philly series as he was this round's highest point earner. Andrew, as stated directly above, scored 12 points in the Eastern Conference Final which would have been enough to win the round as it is. However, he tacked on two points in the Western Conference Final for a round total of 14 points in the Conference Finals.

Honourable mention goes out to Ty F. as he was the only other entrant to earn points in the double-digit range in this round.

Congratulations to Andrew on his round, and good luck in the Final!

The point totals have all been updated through to the end of the Conference Finals, and are reflected on the right-hand list. The points for the Stanley Cup Final will be added by Sunday, and we'll have a better idea as to who is leading, who is close, and who is in the top-22 for prizes!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!