This Isn't Twitter

Everyone says I should be on Facebook or Twitter. Especially during the playoffs. Apparently, everyone is twittering... tweeting... whatevering as the networking service happens to make the playoffs a more dynamic time. Or so I'm told. Personally, I have no interest in either of these sites. I didn't even have a MySpace page when everyone else was pouring over that site, so I'm not about to break my trend. However, I am flipping channels as I sit here, so I've decided to post some random thoughts from the games I am watching. This should be interesting.

• Chris Drury isn't in the lineup for the Rangers. Are they mailing in the loss?
• Sidney Crosby has scored the first goal of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Gatorade and Reebok began working on new commercials immediately.
• Is Wade Redden a graduate of the "Alexei Yashin Magic School"? He's been invisible all season long.
• Ovechkin looks like a man possessed. The only problem? Henrik Lundqvist is practicing voodoo in the crease. King Henry looks phenomenal so far.
• I called America's Most Wanted a few seconds ago. John Walsh is officially putting an APB out for Wade Redden.
• Mike Mottau - he who scored one goal all season - has New Jersey's first goal of the playoffs. Brian Burke is already on the phone with Lou Lamoriello.
• Scott Hartnell's hair makes him look like Sideshow Bob. I'm glad he lives up to the first half of that moniker.
• I could be wrong here, but Jose Theodore should probably take advantage of his company's vision benefits. He definitely needs glasses.
• Just had to check the calendar. I thought it might be Halloween. FREE CANDY all over the ice in Pittsburgh.
• Eric Staal left the ice midway through the second period. He's in the dressing room filling out a temporary restraining order against John Madden.
• The greatest trick the New Jersey Devils ever pulled was convincing the world they didn't care. Carolina is finding out the hard way.
• CBC's Scott Oake says that Vancouver has "playoff fever". I wonder if Mats Sundin has caught it yet?
• TSN's Gord Miller points out that Viktor Kozlov has never played on a team that has won a playoff series. Kozlov is 0-6 in playoff series.
• The Rangers' penalty kill is a passive box. My advice for John Tortorella? Send out a second goaltender. Your defence isn't doing a damned thing to stop Washington.
  
• Just in case people are wondering, Dan Bylsma coached the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the AHL Calder Cup Championship series last season. Stop talking about him like he just walked in off the street, ok?
• Alexander Ovechkin was using another player's helmet for almost one minute. His helmet was knocked off, so he grabbed a helmet from one of the Capitals. Weird.
• Philadelphia must be going through some serious "déja vu" because the Penguins are dominating that game.
• I'm pretty sure that Theodore has no idea what that leather thing is on his right hand. Maybe Boudreau should get him another blocker?
• TSN just flashed on the screen that Redden has an assist in tonight's game. I had no clue he had booked the arena for his magic tour. Redden is the NHL's David Blaine.
• Did they replace the Mellon Arena with a woodshed? Flyers are getting spanked.
• Henrik Lundqvist is unconscious in the net. If it weren't for him, the Capitals may lead by 20 or 30 goals. Easily.
• Who'da thunk that the New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist would win Game One of the Rangers-Capitals series?
• Philly seems to think that the Broad Street Bullies are back. Alberts with a hard slash, and then Parent with a hit from behind. Sideshow Scott was sent to the dressing room.
• Coburn and Guerin hug each other passionately. That wasn't a fight.
• New York has defeated Washington by a 4-3 score.
• Pittsburgh has defeated Philadelphia by a 4-1 score.
• New Jersey has defeated Carolina by a 4-1 score.

Alright, that was fun. But I'm still not joining Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or any other site like that. If you want to yap about my comments, leave me a comment and I will respond! I always love a good discussion.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Teebz's Five Stories

Every year, there are certain facts and stats that jump out at me as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around. These are not the obvious stats such as goals and assists, but lesser-known stats and stories that could come into play as you look over the matchups in the first round of the playoffs. Without doubt, some of these little tidbits of information are nothing more than numbers and words - simply pieces of random information that mean nothing other than what they represent. But if you believe stats and info are a way to determine a winner, you'll probably want to check these five important stories that I bring to you today.

1. Goaltending Wins Championships

If you don't believe in goaltending, you're probably still watching Gretzky and the Oilers score teams into submission in the mid-1980s. And that's fine, but it doesn't apply in today's NHL, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Goaltending is more important than ever before, and a hot goalie can carry you deep into the playoffs.

Consider these numbers for your first round matchups:

• Nikolai Khabibulin is 22-5-2 all-time versus the Calgary Flames with a 2.06 GAA. This season, Khabibulin went 3-0, surrendering only six goals against the Flames.
• Jose Theodore is 4-0 in the first round in his career as a starting goaltender. He has not lost a series to date in the first round, and he looks to continue that trend against the Rangers.
• If you're looking for an edge between Philly and Pittsburgh, you have to go with Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is 15-10 in 25 starts in the post-season, while Biron is 9-8. The edge? Pittsburgh defeated Philly in five games last season to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Biron was 2-2-1 against the Penguins this year.
• While everyone has been all over Chris Osgood's play in Detroit this season, consider that he's 59-41 in his career in the post-season with a miniscule 2.11 GAA. Granted, Osgood's GAA is up to 3.09 this season, far off his career mark, but I'd expect Mike Babcock to get his goalie in gear for the second season.
• The two Masons - Steve and Chris - have led the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues into the playoffs when it was expected they would challenge for a lottery spot. The problem? Steve Mason has never been there, and Chris Mason has played a total of five playoff games, going 1-4. Big questions there if you're looking for an upset.

2. Special Teams Will Win You Series

If special teams are any indication of how good a team will be in the playoffs, every single powerplay and penalty kill is vitally important to your team's success. Detroit showed how lethal their powerplay can be last year, and it carried them to a Stanley Cup.

Consider these numbers for your first round picks:

• The Columbus Blue Jackets were the worst team in the NHL on the powerplay this season, scoring on 12.7% of their chances. The good news? Detroit was the 25th-best team while shorthanded this season.
• The New York Rangers finished just ahead of the Blue Jackets at 29th in the NHL at a 13.9% pace. Washington finished 17th on the penalty kill, so the Rangers need to get their powerplay going. Like now.
• The Detroit Red Wings finished first on the powerplay at 25.5%. That's one powerplay goal for every four powerplays. Columbus had better be disciplined if they want to survive.
• With all of Pittburgh's firepower on the powerplay, they had better be aware of Philadelphia's penalty kill. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter had 11 goals total together. The Pittsburgh Penguins as a team had seven shorthanded goals - as many as Mike Richards had this season!

3. Everyone Talks About Chemistry

It's the one thing that is nearly impossible to measure except when a team is clicking along. And a win streak in the playoffs makes it that much easier to get closer to the Holy Grail. Chemistry can't be overlooked, and here are a few things to consider:

• There is no doubt that Cam Ward has been a large part of the Carolina Hurricanes' recent tear through the Eastern Conference standings, but has there been any better reunion than Eric Staal and Erik Cole? These two seem to go together better than peanut butter and jelly.
• Getting Sergei Gonchar back on the Penguins' blueline has been instrumental in turning their fortunes around in the second half of the season, but Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin have been huge contributors alongside Sidney Crosby. I'll even go out on a limb and say that the Penguins are better this year with Kunitz and Guerin than they were with Hossa at this time last year.
• The St. Louis Blues have been getting contributions from youngsters all year, but how about the clutch performances from TJ Oshie, David Perron, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, BJ Crombeen, and Alex Steen down the stretch? All of those guys are 25 years-old or younger, and all have been key contributors to the Blues' run to the post-season.

4. Grit Goes A Long, Long Way

The grinders, the muckers, the third- and fourth-liners cannot be forgotten. Teams always pick up these grinding, depth players at the deadline, and this season was no different. Several grinders were moved, and their grit is often the unsung hero of a series.

Here are a few of grinders who have the ability to affect an entire series:

• Sean Avery - New York Rangers. If he plays against Ovechkin, his job for the entire series will be to annoy the Russian superstar. If he doesn't, Jose Theodore will be his target. In either case, Avery will be noticed by the Washington Capitals.
• Ryan Kesler/Alex Burrows - Vancouver Canucks. These two play the game like crazed men. They hit everything that moves, they play hard every shift, and they can score in bunches as well. It will be tough for St. Louis to out-grind these two men, and Vancouver is always better with them on the ice.
• Travis Moen/Claude Lemieux - San Jose Sharks. The former Anaheim Duck faces his former teammates who he skated with a mere two months ago. However, Moen has shown he can shutdown the best players in the game with his suffocating defence, and he can score. Lemieux is the throwback grinding forward, and he'll be counted on for leadership and wearing down opponents. Lemieux knows all the dirty tricks, and the Sharks should benefit from his years of experience.
  

5. Expectations Can Crush Souls

It's no stretch to suggest that fans in certain cities are tapping their fingers on their desks while staring at their teams' roster. Why doesn't he score? How come he disappears in the playoffs? What happened to our goaltending? Some players have a lot riding on them in terms of playoff expectations, but so do a number of teams.

Here are a few things to remember:

• The Boston Bruins have won one playoff round in the last 14 years. Tim Thomas needs to take this team deep to keep the Bruins' faithful happy.
• The Montreal Canadiens only have 100 years of history riding on this season, and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Do the playoffs present an opportunity for redemption?
• The San Jose Sharks keep toying with their fans by dominating through the regular season before making an early curtain call in the playoffs. This is their 12th appearance in the playoffs since 1994, and 2004 was the only time this club has seen the Conference Finals. San Jose fans have seen more disappearing acts than David Copperfield's assistants.
• The New Jersey Devils looked shaken last year in their series against the Rangers, and fears of that team returning shook Devils fans as the team limped through March. Martin Brodeur needs to rediscover the form that allowed him to overtake Patrick Roy's record, or this could be another short playoff run from the Devils.
• The Carolina Hurricanes are appearing in their fifth playoff appearance, and this is the fourth time they will meet up with the New Jersey Devils, and the third time in the first round. There's still some lingering bad blood over Scott Stevens sending Shane Willis into an alternate dimension, and his attempt to lay out Ron Francis. The weird part is that in all four meetings between these two teams, the higher seed has always prevailed.

Playoff start tomorrow! Get your gameface on, and don't forget about the HBIC Playoff Pool! Get your entries in ASAP!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

WDIHC - Two Games

With me being stuck at work today, I didn't get a chance to see the early game at the 2009 World Deaf Hockey Championships, but it looks like Finland is establishing itself as a dominant force in these games. According to the official scoresheet from today's early game, Russia was the home team with Finland taking the visitors' bench. It didn't take long for the Finns to score as they victimized Russian goaltender Anatoliy Potapov early and often in this game. In fact, according to official scoresheet, Finland scored seven goals on 14 shots in the first period. Needless to say, this game was out of reach before the first intermission. Finland went on to victory by a 15-1 margin, giving them a 3-0 record in the tournament. With the loss, the Russian squad fell to 1-1.

That sets up tonight's game between the Canadians and Slovaks as a chance for Canada to move into sole possession of second place at 2-0. Canada defeated the United States on Saturday afternoon by an 8-2 score for their first win. Slovakia, the newest team to the World Deaf Ice Hockey Tournament, has been defeated by both the Russians and Finns, and sits last at 0-2. Both games were blowouts to put it mildly.

The lone Russian goal today was scored by Denis Kholin who, in my view, is having himself an excellent tournament. It appears that Russian Aleksey Baburkin was given a match penalty at 12:37 of the first period for kicking or attempting to kick Finnish forward Kristian Lantto. From what I gather, Lantto was guilty of charging on the play, and Baburkin didn't appreciate the physicality that Lantto had applied towards him. No word on a suspension yet, but since this tournament isn't an IIHF-sanctioned tournament, it's possible Baburkin could return for Russia's next game.

Finland got hat tricks from both Kristian Lantto and Janne Yrjola while Jan-Erik Granvik added a pair. Finland has excellent scoring from all lines, and really looks solid as a team. The one area they really seem to excel at is their discipline. Russia was whistled for 16 minor penalties today in the game against Finland compared to only six minor penalties taken by the Finns. With Finland's aggressive, up-tempo style of game, they have really shown a great deal of discipline in not taking unnecessary penalties.

Defensively, the Finns held the Russians to a mere 14 shots while peppering the Russian goal with 46 shots. If there is one team who consistently gets pucks to the net, it's Finland. It has clearly helped them put pucks in the net, and they are winning games convincingly. Their goal differential is a ridiculous +55 as they have scored 58 goals in three games while only giving up three goals. Of course, I needn't remind you that 37 of those goals were against Slovakia.

As we look ahead to Canada-Slovakia, it is reported that Jason Plumb - the Canadian forward assessed a game misconduct for charging against the Americans - will play in the game tonight. Again, this is a non-IIHF tournament, so the rules here are slightly different. Otherwise, there are no roster changes reported by either side, meaning all players are healthy for both teams.

I don't have my camera with me tonight, but it's probably best that I don't. Slovakia is back on the ice as the designated home team, so they're wearing white. Canada is the visiting team, and they've taken to the ice in black-and-red.

Now, if you're a long-time reader of this blog, you know exactly how much I abhor black jerseys.

I'll be honest here: Canada does not even look like a Canadian team. Which is disappointing. They look a lot like the Carolina Hurricanes' alternate jerseys except there is a lot less gray. And in another jersey misconduct, the numbers and lettering are red-on-gray. From this distance, if they had names on the back instead of "Canada", I wouldn't be able to read any of the names. And I'm only sitting about 50-feet away. White outlines, people. If you're doing red font on black jersey, you need the contrast of a white outline. Like these guys. At least Carolina got that part right.

Back to the hockey, I expect another blowout against Slovakia. It needs to be said that Canada only has to score more than 19 goals against Slovakia to have them keep pace with the Russians, but I'm hoping this game doesn't get out of hand like the Finland-Slovakia game did. No one seemed interested after the first period, and that's not very good when trying to attract fans to the game.

There appears to be about 200 people in the stands - good for a weekday night in the round-robin. There are still quite a few Canadian hockey jerseys visible, and that's good for the game as the Canadian crowds are showing up to support the "home" team.

Here are your first period highlights!

• Goaltender Tyler Plett will get the start for Canada, and Jon Kuchta heads to the blue ice for the Slovaks. Kuchta has been one of the highlights for me in this tournament. Despite his team giving up 58 goals thus far, Kuchta has played hard for every minute he has been in net.
• #19 Robert Palicka is called for interference with 18:00 to go, sending Canada to the powerplay. So far, Slovakia is playing pretty well despite being overmatched by the Canadian skill.
• A cross-crease pass by #25 Scott Savard gets lost in the feet of #17 Mark Howitt. Both players shake their heads as the puck is moved back out to the point, and the game remains scoreless.
• At 15:42, Canada breaks the stalemate. #29 Brett McLaren puts Canada up just after the powerplay expires. Canada leads 1-0.
• With 13:45 remaining, #2 Casey O'Brien's shot from the high slot finds its way through three players and past Kuchta. Canada leads 2-0.
• Canada continues to pressure the Slovaks within their own zone. The difference between the Canadian offensive pressure and Finnish offensive pressure is that Canada is using everyone on the ice. Pucks are being passed back to the point, and they are cycling well along the endboards. If Canada is looking ahead to their game against Russia on Wednesday, they are certainly working on the finer points of their game.
• With 10:28 remaining, Kuchta covers a puck that #14 Cole Pearson takes a swipe at. He'll spend two minutes or less in the penalty box.
• With 9:17 left in the first, #7 Steve Devine rips a slapshot home from the right hash marks while shorthanded. Canada leads 3-0.
• 8:36 remaining, and #11 Jason Plumb is sent in on a breakaway. He makes no mistake as he buries it low blocker-side on Kuchta. Canada leads 4-0.
• The 7:47 mark sees #17 add to Canada's lead as he fires home a great pass from #25 Scott Savard. Savard set up in behind the net and fed #17 in a Gretzky-Kurri-esque goal. Canada leads 5-0.
• #15 Dawson Friesen adds to Canada's lead at 7:32 as he drives to the net and fires a puck past Kuchta. Canada leads 6-0.
• At the 6:10 mark, #91 Maros Sagula finds himself open behind the Canadian defenceman, but just can't corral the pass. Had he been able to get to that puck, he would have had two steps on the Canadian blueliners from the center ice line for a possible breakaway.
• Kuchta's glovehand has been sharp tonight. He's taken a couple of goals away from Canada with a quick hand. Again, I am thoroughly impressed by Kuchta's "never say die" attitude in net.
• With 3:01 remaining, Canada strikes on the powerplay. #13 Jason Veilieux chips in his first of the game from the right-side of the net. Canada leads 7-0.
• With 53 seconds remaining, Canada takes a tripping penalty. #5 David Garbacz is sent to the box, and Slovakia will have a powerplay that carries over to the second period if they don't score first.
• Canada strikes again with 24 seconds left on a goal-mouth scramble. #15 Dawson Friesen has his second of the game, and Canada's second shorthanded marker of the game. Canada leads 8-0.

With the first twenty minutes in the books, Canada has really controlled the puck well. Slovakia has played well thus far, but is simply overmatched by Canada's skill. That being said, the Slovaks have nothing to hang their heads about as they played a solid, disciplined style of hockey in the first period. Goaltender Jon Kuchta has been steady despite the score against him, and has made a number of key saves.

The second period draws near. On with the game!

• With 18:39 left in the second, Canada strikes again. #19 Mike Merriman hammers a puck from the top of the left faceoff circle over Kuchta's shoulder as he drops to his knees. Canada leads 9-0.
• #4 Jon Lobodzinski adds to Canada's lead at 00:00 of the second with his first of the game. Canada leads 10-0.
• Canada strikes again at 14:50. #19 Mike Merriman cleans up in front of the net as he bats home a loose puck. Canada leads 11-0.
• With 12:07 left, Slovakia goes down two men as #66 Martin Simon is called for tripping behind the net. Canada will have a five-on-three advantage for 52 seconds.
• #19 Mike Merriman picks up another goal from his favorite spot on the ice. With 11:35 remaining, Merriman rips home a slapshot from the left faceoff circle just inside the post. Canada leads 12-0.
• Canada finishes off its powerplay with another goal at the 11:06 mark. #19 Mike Merriman pots his fourth of the game. Canada leads 13-0.
• With 10:44 remaining, Canada notches another goal. #12 David Garbacz scores on a pass from his brother, #5 David Garbacz. Canada leads 14-0.
• The 9:05 mark sees #16 throw a vicious hit on Slovakia's Martin Zizka. Both hands came up and into Zizka's face, sending him hard to the ice. Somehow, there's no penalty call on the play, considering it was a textbook case of roughing.
• With 7:38 remaining, Mike Merriman is making a run at the record books. He stepped out from behind the net and slid a backhand home through the five-hole of Kuchta. Canada leads 15-0.
• The 7:15 mark sees Canada increase its lead. #25 Scott Savard pots his first of the game. Canada leads 16-0.
• 10 seconds later, Canada adds their 17th goal. #15 Dawson Friesen completes the hat trick. Canada leads 17-0.
  
• Standing all alone in front of the net, #12 Chris Garbacz slams a puck home between Kuchta's pads at the 6:18 mark. Canada leads 18-0.
• #14 Cole Pearson converts a slick pass from #4 Jon Lobodzonski to add to Canada's lead at the 5:28 mark. Canada leads 19-0.
• #88 Patrik Sromota got absolutely crushed by Canada's #7 Steve Devine with 4:44 to go. He's slow to get to his feet, but skates off under his own power. He doesn't appear to be too pleased with Devine, however, as he shakes off Devine's apology. The Slovakian coach, Ladislav Hlavaty, is irate on the bench, giving the officials a tongue-lashing like I haven't seen yet in this tournament. I would assume he's unhappy about there being no penalty on the hit, but it looks like his complaint is going nowhere with the referee. Kuchta is also on the bench, and Branislav Puskac is heading towards the net. A goaltending change?
  
• Kuchta is now standing by the door to the bench fully-dressed. Maybe he had an equipment issue? At the 2:39 mark, he is returning to the net and Puskac is heading back towards the bench.

With one period to play, the game has changed slightly. Slovakia, playing their third game in four days, looks a little fatigued while chasing the Canadian skaters. Canada, on the other hand, isn't pumping goals by Kuchta like another team did. Canada is working on making hard, crisp passes and smart decisions. When they have, the puck has found the back of the net. The game isn't in doubt by any means, but it will be interesting to see what the final score is. My only hope is that Canada doesnt run up the score on Slovakia like Finland did.

Third period action is about to get underway!

• 1:40 into the third period, and I don't think Canadian goaltender Tyler Plett has faced a shot yet. None that I can remember, that is.
• The 17:12 mark sees #5 David Garbacz score Canada's first goal of the third period with a shot from inside the left circle. Canada leads 20-0.
• 15:09 remaining, and Canada strikes again. #7 Steve Devine adds to Canada's total. Canada leads 21-0.
• 14:51 has Canada on the board again as #14 Cole Pearson chips in a goal from the top of the crease. Canada leads 22-0.
• The 13:05 mark sees #3 Jalen Harris score his first of the game from in front of the net. Canada leads 23-0.
• #12 Chris Garbacz adds another Canadian goal at the 9:53 mark. His goal from the slot builds on an insurmountable lead. Canada leads 24-0.
• #2 Casey O'Brien looks like he's plaing shinny out there as he goes blueline to goal line before tucking the puck inside the left post at 9:17. Canada leads 25-0.
• Jalen Harris jumps all over a loose puck in the slot for his second of the game. Canada leads 26-0.
• With 5:24 remaining, #13 Jason Veilieux receives a pass as he cruises into the slot with no one between him and Kuchta. A quick wrist shot over Kuchta's blocker sends the faceoff back to center ice. Canada leads 27-0.
• 50 seconds later, #3 Jalen Harris picks up another goal. Canada leads 28-0.
• The 2:26 mark sees #21 Terry Maloney pockets his first of the night on a clear breakaway from the blueline in. Canada leads 29-0.
• In what is a completely unnecessary thing to do, #2 Casey O'Brien skates into the high slot and unloads a slapshot that beats Kuchta's glovehand at 1:11. Canada leads 30-0.

Game, set, and match sees Canada take this one by three touchdowns and three field goals. Again, I'm not a fan of running up the score, and seeing O'Brien launch that slapshot when up 29-0 just doesn't sit well with me. Canada improves to 2-0, while Slovakia falls to 0-3.

Player Of The Game - Slovakia: #9 Robert Knapec.
Player Of The Game - Canada: #17 Mark Howitt.

There are no games scheduled tomorrow, and both games on Wednesday take place during the day. Of course, I'll be working, so I won't be at those games. I will, however, return for the Russia-United States game on Thursday evening. I'll also have a recap from the Finland-Canada showdown that will determine who wins the round robin.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

You Pick 'Em

With last year's HBIC Playoff Pool, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that I needed to do. I'm not against doing work by any means, but, with summer approaching quickly, I find myself becoming busier as the days push forward. Of course, we all enjoy warm summer weather, so you all know this. In looking forward to this year's playoff pool, I have decided to make a few changes. I had a few people complain that they weren't all that confident in their ability to pick players last season, and didn't enter the pool because of this lack of confidence in themselves. I want as many people as possible to enjoy the NHL Playoffs, so I've made a change to the format this year. It will still present challenges for you, the entrant, so I'm confident that you will still enjoy accumulating points throughout the playoffs.

Here is the format for the 2009 Hockey Blog In Canada Playoff Pool.

• Entrants will be required to pick the winner of each game for each series. In doing so, one will also choose the number of games played by the two teams in each series.
• Entrants will be required to pick the game-winning goal scorer for each game.

Sounds pretty easy, right? No real strategy as to which team will go further, who is playing whom, and all that jazz.

Points will be based upon your predictions.

• For each correctly-predicted team that wins the game, one point will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length, two points will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length and winning team, five points will be awarded. If one correctly predicts the series length and winning team, the two-point option is overrided by the higher-scoring option.
• For predicting the player who scores the game-winning goal per game, that entrant will receive an additional two points per game per correctly-chosen player.

The following example should help you weed through the rules:

• For the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia series, I predict that Pittsburgh will win Games 1, 2, 4, and 6. Philadelphia will win Games 3 and 5. I also predict that Evgeni Malkin will score the game-winner in Game 1; Chris Kunitz in Game 2; Jordan Staal in Game 4; and, Bill Guerin in Game 6. Jeff Carter will score Philly's winner in Game 3 while Mike Knuble will score in Game 5.
• If I correctly predicted the entire series (highly improbable with my record of prognostications) of Pittsburgh winning in six games with all my game-winner scoring choices being right, I would earn 23 points (6 for each correct game + 5 for correctly predicting length and series winner + 12 for each game-winning goal scorer).

The catch to this whole thing is that no one will be eliminated until the Stanley Cup is handed out. With each new round beginning, each entrant will be required to send in their picks just as they did in the previous round. This way, everyone has a chance at some free shwag. And everyone loves free shwag.

I would hazard a guess at there possibly being a tie between two or more people, so your tie-breaker, required at the start of the first round, is to name the team who will accumulate the most penalty minutes. Those who are tied will have their answers reviewed, and the entrant who picked the team with the higher PIM total for the playoffs will be crowned as the winner. Secondary tie-breaker, in case two entrants pick the same team for PIMs, will be number of series correctly predicted in length of games.

For example, if Entrant A picks Boston and Entrant B picks Detroit, and Boston has the higher PIM total, Entrant A would be the winner.

The best part of the HBIC Playoff Pool? It's FREE! That's right, kids. You can enter at no cost, and the shwag is up for grabs. The only thing I ask, to be fair, is that you only enter once, please. Make sure to include your full name on your email with your first round picks, and we'll get the show on the road on Wednesday night.

Please send your emails with your first-round choices and tie-breaker choice to me ASAP. I'll get your picks recorded, and we'll see who is the best predictor in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

What Long Weekend?

Normally, I reserve the right to sleep in on long weekends. That includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Occasionally, I'll replace the Friday with a Monday, but it's still three days worth of sleeping in. Which is good. Only this weekend had me preoccupied with hockey, so I'm not complaining. I spent the last two days watching some excellent hockey being played at the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, and I'll be back there tomorrow night for more action. In the mean time, I've let the rest of the hockey world evolve without mentioning anything, so I'm here to put my spin on what's been happening in the world of hockey from the last couple of days. And there have been a number of major stories. Let's take a look at what I think of what the hockey has offered.

• The IIHF World Women's Hockey Championship in Hameenlinna, Finland wrapped up today. In the bronze medal game, the host Finns defeated their arch-rival Swedish team by a 4-1 score to take third-place. Michelle Karvinen had a pair of goals for the Finns while Mari Pehkonen and Mari Saarinen added singles. Danijela Rundqvist had the lone Swedish goal. After losing two blow-outs against Canada and the USA, Finland responded well, and looks like a medal favorite as the 2010 Winter Olympics near. Congratulations to Team Finland on their bronze medal victory!
  
• In the gold medal game, Canada and the US met up once again for bragging rights as they look towards the Olympics. Things didn't start well for the Canadians as the Americans got on the board just 24 seconds in as Caitlin Cahow finished off a two-on-one with Jenny Potter to give the Americans the lead. Jennifer Botterill replied for Canada to tie the game in the second period, but the quicker American team was not to be denied today. Meghan Duggan made it 2-1 USA before a powerplay goal by Cahow made it a 3-1 lead. Hilary Knight added an empty net goal to end the game with a 4-1 victory. Congratulations to Team USA on their gold medal victory!
  
• In my own view, Canada looked a step slower than the Americans all night. Canadian defenceman Colleen Sostorics seemed to struggle all game against the Americans, and was caught up ice on the Americans' opening goal. If Canada wants to compete with the speedy American team, they will have to work on their agility and foot speed. The American women simply out-skated and outworked the Canadians today.
• The KHL has crowned its first champion, and the series went down to the wire for the Gagarin Cup. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Ak Bars Kazan had battled their way to a stalemate over six games, so a seventh and deciding game was necessary. Lokomotiv had won all the odd-numbered games, while Ak Bars responded each time by winning the even-numbered games. In Game Seven, however, all bets were off as it was a one-game, winner-takes-all Championship. Former NHLer Aleksey Morozov was the only player to hit the scoresheet, scoring a goal midway through the third period, giving Ak Bars Kazan the inaugural KHL Gagarin Cup Championship. Congratulations to Ak Bars Kazan on their victory!
• Jacques Lemaire, head coach of the Minnesota Wild, has stepped down from the position, citing that "it's time for the players to get a new coach and myself to look for other stuff". The announcement, made on Easter Sunday, seems to indicate that Lemaire will look for opportunities outside the Wild organization, but Lemaire stated he would not speculate on that as he was still under contract with the Wild. It has been reported by several media outlets that Bob Gainey is interested in hiring the defensively-minded coach if he were available, so only time will tell whether or not Gainey will bring back another former Canadien to lead the troops.
• The Detroit Red Wings made some news yesterday with the announcement that they had signed Johan "The Mule" Franzen to an 11-year deal worth a reported $43 million. The $3.9 million cap hit is a huge discount for the Red Wings, and will keep the 29 year-old in red-and-white until he is 40. The Red Wings are reportedly now in talks in with Marian Hossa on a similar long-term deal to keep the sniper in town as well. Only Henrik Zetterberg's 12-year deal is longer in Red Wings' history than Franzen's new deal. And keeping Franzen in town makes the Red Wings formidable for years to come.
• Boston University's Matt Gilroy, a highly-touted, undrafted defenceman, was named the 2008-09 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner as the top player in NCAA hockey. He was selected ahead of BU teammate Colin Wilson and Northeastern goaltender Brad Thiessen as this year's winner. Because of his age, he has free agent rights, and is eligible to sign with any NHL team he wishes. Toronto is reportedly making a strong push to sign the puck-moving defenceman, but Philadelphia is also apparently making a push to sign the blueliner. Gilroy is obviously in the driver's seat here as a free agent, so it will be interesting to see where he decides to play.
• Speaking of Boston University, the #1-ranked team in US Collegiate hockey pulled off the improbable Saturday night. The Miami-Ohio Redhawks had built a 3-1 lead over the Terriers before the Terriers woke up late in the third period. BU head coach Jack Parker pulled the goaltender with 3:32 remaining, opening the path for the Redhawks to seal the deal and win their first national title. Except that Boston University didn't give in. With 59.5 seconds left, Zach Cohen flipped a backhander over Miami goaltender Cody Reichard to make it 3-2. Momentum shifted immediately, and the Terriers rode the wave as Nick Bonino's wrist shot with 17 seconds remaining found the back of the net to tie the game at 3-3. Overtime was next, but it didn't last long. 12 minutes into the extra frame, BU defenceman Colby Cohen ripped a slapshot that caught Miami defenceman Kevin Roeder on the shinpad as he sprawled to block the shot. The deflected shot eluded Reichard, and BU had won the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship. Congratulations to the Terriers on their fifth national collegiate championship!
• NHL Playoffs start on Wednesday. I'll have a rundown on the series that day. The AHL Calder Cup Playoffs also start Wednesday, and I'll take a quick look at those series as well. ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs have already started, and I'll update who is doing what on Wednesday.
• Lastly, I'm changing the Playoff Pool that I ran last season. Justin St. Louis won last season's HBIC Playoff Pool, but this season will be a little different. Details coming tomorrow. Tune in for that. Free shwag for the winner, and we all love free shwag!

That's all for today. Easter Sunday means dinner with the family, so I have to get my rear in gear for that. I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of the Canada-Slovakia game from the World Deaf Hockey Championships, as well as the Playoff Pool information.

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!