Poolie Update: Round Two

Ok, so let's run this down quickly. We had one series decided in six games by a 7-5 score in Game Six. We had an epic seven-game series battle between Pittsburgh and Washington that, aside from the last game, delivered everything that the hype had built. We had a seven-game series where "tough" was everything both teams needed and more, and was decided with a late third-period goal to send the defending champions to the next round. And finally, we had a Game Seven decided in overtime between two teams that have developed a deep-seeded hatred for one another, in particular that Scott Walker guy. If you haven't been watching the NHL playoffs, what the heck has your TV been showing?

Here are your series updates, poolies. As you can see to the right, there is a new leader thanks to a serious run in the second round. James Huening, enjoy the spotlight as we start the third round next week. You certainly earned it with your second-round picks to overtake Justin St. Louis.

Vancouver vs. Chicago: Sammy Barbour and Mike Engle both picked up nine points in this series. Both Mike and Sammy correctly predicted games 1, 4, 5, and 6, and grabbed five points for calling Chicago in six games for a total of nine points.

Detroit vs. Anaheim: Mike Jaworski did the unthinkable. He correctly predicted the winner in all seven games of the series, and earned himself the additional five points because of it. Twelve points never was so easy. Excellent prognostications, Mike!

Boston vs. Carolina: Just about everyone in the pool earned a total of five points in this series. Everyone, that is, except for Dan Franko. Dan correctly picked winners in games 1, 2, 4, and 5. He also called Marc Savard's game-winning goal in Game One for another two points. And because he said it would go seven, he got another two points. Yeah, he picked Boston to win... which didn't happen. Overall, though, Dan earned eight points in this series.

Washington vs. Pittsburgh: Two poolies need to be mentioned here. Luigi Perillo and Corey Davis were the top point-earners in this series. Luigi correctly predicted the winning team in games 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7. He added Evgeni Malkin's game-winning goal in Game Five to add another two points. And because he picked the Penguins in seven games, he gets another five points. Corey, on the other hand, correctly predicted the winning team in games 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. He correctly picked Alexander Ovechkin to score the game-winner in Game Two. And he also predicted the Penguins in seven, giving him another five points. Both men receive 12 points for their predictions.

Top Point-Getter: Remember how Mike Engle and Sammy Barbour tied for the top score in the Blackhawks-Canucks series? Well, both men tied for the most points in the second round as well. Both Mike and Sammy earned a total of 27 points in the second round with their picks, good for top spot. The key for both men were correctly predicting two series in terms of length and winning team. That's 10 points right there, and that made a huge dent in catching the leaders. Congratulations, gentlemen!

Slight Disappointment: Two poolies regretfully did not send in Round Two picks, and they plummeted through the standings. You can still send in Round Three picks, but it might be a case of "too little, too late". There are prizes available for people who don't win, though, so I recommend you get your picks in for Round Three!

Next Round: You'll be seeing Chicago battle Detroit, and Carolina heads to Pittsburgh. For everyone who wants to get in on Round Three, I would like your picks no later than Saturday, May 16 at 11:59pm. You can send them to me here. Please have the subject as "Round Three picks".

Congratulations to everyone, and the race is on to see who will win the HBIC 2009 NHL Playoff Pool! No one is eliminated, and everyone is still eligible for prizes!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!