Poolie Update

Well, the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are over, and there was some considerable heartbreak in some cities. The Rangers blew a 3-1 series lead as the Capitals advanced. The Devils, leading 3-2 with three minutes to play, watched Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal score to eliminate them. The Flames collapse down the stretch and into the playoffs continued as the Blackhawks eliminated them. The Sharks, proving that they can't win a big game, collapsed under the pressure of the Ducks' intense forecheck as they were eliminated 4-2 in their series.

So where does that leave the hockey pool participants? Well, last year's winner, Justin St. Louis, is leading this year's pool again, proving that his estimations on how long series will run is just as good as his picking of individual players. However, there are a number of people within striking distance, and that's why we keep track of the points. Even the people at the bottom of the pool can make a run with some wise picks in this round. All it takes is a little luck, and some good guesses.

Here's who won each series in the pool by points. Some of these guesses are amazing, while others show that we may be way off in our estimations.

Boston vs. Montreal: Winner - Connie Kim, Sammy Barbour, Justin St. Louis. All three participants picked the Boston sweep for four points plus an additional five points.

Washington vs. New York: Winner - John McEnaney. John correctly predicted the winning team in Games 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and also called the game-winners in Game Two (Semin) and Game Three (Drury) for a total of nine points.

New Jersey vs. Carolina: Winner - Dan Franko. Dan correctly predicted the winning team in Games 1, 2, and 7. Dan also called Parise in Game One for the winner, and Staal in Game Seven for the winner. Because Dan called the Hurricanes to win in seven games, he also receives an additional five points, giving him twelve points in this series.

Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia: Winner - Luigi Perillo. Luigi picked the winning team in all six games in the series for an easy six points. Simon Gagne's game-winning goal in Game Three added another two points to his total in this series. And because he correctly predicted Pittburgh in six games, Luigi received an additional five points for a total of thirteen points in this series.

San Jose vs. Anaheim: Winner - Dave Frolick. Dave correctly predicting the winning team in Games 3, 4, and 5 for three points. He also called Patrick Marleau's game-winning goals in Games Three and Five. Amazingly, seven points was the highest total in this series of all the participants.

Detroit vs. Columbus: Winner - James Huening, Mike Engle, Kirsten Barta. All three participants picked the Detroit sweep for four points plus an additional five points.

Vancouver vs. St. Louis: Winner - Mike Jaworski. Mike was the only participant to correctly predict a Vancouver sweep, giving him four points for each correct game and an additional five points for naming Vancouver in four games for a total of nine points in the series.

Chicago vs. Calgary: Winner - Justin St. Louis. Justin amassed the highest point total of the first round in this series. He called the winning team in each game for six points. He also predicted Havlat in Game One and Toews in Game Two as the game-winning goal scorers for another four points. And because he called Chicago in six, he receives an additional five points for a total of fifteen points in this series.

Ok, poolies, that's how the pool was won. At least in the first round, anyway. For the second round, get your picks in ASAP! The second round starts on Thursday. When you send your picks in please have the subject as "Round Two". Congratulations to all the participants, and start looking at the matchups for your second round picks!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!