How The Round Was Won

There were definitely some surprises that threw entrants into the HBIC Playoff Pool for a loop in the first round. Clearly, everyone had higher expectations for the Winnipeg Jets in their meeting with the Anaheim Ducks while a number of people saw St. Louis ending the magical run of the Minnesota Wild. Neither of those came true, but you still got points if you were mistaken so all wasn't lost. Today, though, we look at those whose picks and predictions set them apart for everyone else in each series as I honour those entrants for outstanding achievement in the field of excellence!

Anaheim vs. Winnipeg

Lots of people took hits in this series both on and off the ice, but there were two entrants who called the sweep, called Corey Perry's game-winner in the opening game, and picked up the five points for having the series called correctly. All totaled, these two entrants picked up 11 points in the series, so kudos belong to Dylan M. and Jay F.! Well done, gentlemen, on this series!

St. Louis vs. Minnesota

One entrant had a solid series in a series that I thought would generate better point totals. Apparently, a lot of you saw St. Louis going deep into the playoffs. I did as well, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. In any case, Casey H. picked himself up 10 points in this series to win the kudos! Casey called Games Two through Five correctly, added the two Tarasenko game-winning goals in Games Two and Four, and had the series right in six games but wrong in that he saw St. Louis advancing. Four for the games, four for the game-winners, and two more for the incorrect team in the right number of games, and Casey had a solid 10 points! Well done, Casey!

Nashville vs. Chicago

A number of people called this series correctly for all six games, but one man stands out from the rest thanks to his calling of a game-winning goal-scorer. Jared R. picked up all six points for correctly predicting all six games, added in the additional five points for predicting Chicago would advance in those six games, and added in Craig Smith's game-winner for Nashville in Game Two! All totaled, Jared picked up an impressive 13 points in this series to earn some kudos for his Round One predictions!

Vancouver vs. Calgary

This series was almost a 50/50 split between the two teams, but a lot of people simply predicted the games wrong in the early part of the series before concluding the series would end in six games. That being said, one entrant had a monster series here. He predicted every game correctly for six points. He also called Jiri Hudler's game-winner in Game Four and Daniel Sedin's game-winner in Game Five for four more points. And because he had all six games right, he picked up the added five points. Kudos go out to Andrew G. for his 15-point effort in this series, and for being the highest earner in any series in this round!

NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh

This was another series that a vast number of people called correctly in five games. However, the game-winning goals put one entrant ahead of six other people who had ten points in this series! This entrant called Games One, Three, and Five correctly for three points. He added Chris Kreider's game-winner in Game Three and Carl Hagelin's game-winner in Game Five! And because he had the Rangers advancing in five games, that's five more points. After the dust settled, Tyler J. picked up 12 points in this series to rise above the rest! Well done, Tyler!

Montreal vs. Ottawa

A lot of entrants Montreal pushing through in quick fashion or going the distance. With the series going six games, there were a number of people who got the series points, but not one person called this series correctly. One entrant, though, rose above all others by calling Games Two through Four and Game Six correctly for four points, picked up two more points for calling Mike Hoffman's game-winner in Game Four, and had Montreal winning the series in six games for five more points. Some quick addition had Andy S. with up 11 points in this series and the kudos as the series leader!

Tampa Bay vs. Detroit

A lot of people had this series going the distance, but the results were split pretty evenly between the teams. No one, however, foresaw the alternating wins, so points were actually quite low in this series. As a result, three entrants tied for the top score in this series and they did it in different ways.

Connor N. called Games 5 through Seven correctly, added Tyler Johnson's game-winning goal in Game Six to his total, and correctly predicted Tampa Bay's win in seven games. That's good for 10 points!

Heather K., the only female entrant in the pool as far as I know, called Game One and Games Four through Seven correctly for five points. She also had Tampa Bay as the winner in the seven games, so she too picked up 10 points for her predictions!

Corey D. called Games Two, Three, and Seven correctly, added Pavel Dastyuk's game-winner in Game Three, and picked Tampa Bay in seven games so he also grabbed 10 points!

Kudos to all three entrants on a solid series!

Washington vs. NY Islanders

A number of people grabbed a pile of points with this series, but there were two men who finished atop the pile and predicted the exact same series! Dan F. and Rik S. both predicted the correct winners in Games Two, Three, Five, Six, and Seven for five points. They both predicted that John Tavares would have the game-winning goal in Game Three. And both correctly predicted that Washington would advance in seven game for an additional five points. After all was said and done, both Dan and Rik had 12 points each in this series! Kudos, gentlemen!

There are your achievers from the opening round of the HBIC Playoff Pool! There is still a ton of hockey to be played, so keep reading that crystal ball and sending in your predictions!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!