Antler Banter: Volume 24

Antler Banter returns on a Thursday as it's game day for the Moose. The AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs start this evening, and the Moose will be in Hamilton, Ontario to battle the North Division Champion Hamilton Bulldogs. These two teams battled to even 4-3-1 records this season, proving that there wasn't a lot of difference between the teams in the North Division. The familiarity also breeds contempt as the Bulldogs and Moose had moments of hand-to-hand combat this past season. We'll take a look at how these two teams match-up in this series, and what will be the keys to victory for the Moose. Any Manitoba Moose news and information can be found on the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose Calder Cup Playoff game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. "Believe In Green" as we look at some playoff Hardcore Hockey!

The Devil Is In The Details

The season series went as follows:

• October 19 in Hamilton: Manitoba wins 2-1 in overtime.
• October 20 in Hamilton: Hamilton wins 4-1.
• November 20 in Winnipeg: Manitoba wins 5-3.
• November 21 in Winnipeg: Hamilton wins 5-4 in overtime.
• March 23 in Winnipeg: Manitoba wins 3-2.
• March 24 in Winnipeg: Hamilton wins 7-1.
• April 4 in Hamilton: Hamilton wins 6-2.
• April 6 in Hamilton: Manitoba wins 2-1.

Series Stats

• Manitoba scored 20 goals, while Hamilton scored 29 goals.
• Manitoba recorded 170 shots on net, while Hamilton recorded 250.
• Manitoba scored on 11.8% of their shots, while Hamilton scored on 11.6% of their shots.
• Manitoba never had more than 27 shots in a game against Hamilton this season, but never less than 15. Hamilton, on the other hand, recorded 38 shots in a game, had over 30 shots in four games, and never recorded less than 26 shots in a game over the series.
  
• The Moose powerplay went 5-for-39, scoring on 12.8% of their chances. Hamilton went 7-for-46, scoring on 15.2% of their man-advantage chances.
• Manitoba's Cory Schneider played in seven games, going 4-2-1 while Daren Machesney was 0-1-0.
• Hamilton's Cedric Desjardins was 3-2-0 in his five appearances, while Curtis Sanford went 1-1-1.
• Sergei Shirokov was Manitoba's most dangerous scorer against Hamilton, recording three goals and four assists. Evan Oberg and Marco Rosa recorded two goals and four assists each. A total of 22 Moose players recorded one point in the eight games against Hamilton.
• Brock Trotter was Hamilton's most dangerous scorer against the Herd, recording four goals and seven assists. David Desharnais had two goals and seven assists, and Andrew Conboy had three goals and three assists. 25 Bulldogs recorded at least one point in the season series.

Team Comparison

Offence: There is no doubt that the Bulldogs have a potent offensive attack. Brock Trotter lit the lamp 36 times this season on his 77-point season, and linemate David Desharnais put up another 27 goals with 51 helpers. Including those two players, the Bulldogs had ten players with double-digits in goals. They get great support from their blueline, as PK Subban had a team-high 18 goals from the back end. The Bulldogs ended the season with 271 goals-for, and were +89 in the goal differential.

The Dogs play a very structured offensive system that begins in their own zone. They control the puck very well, and they make tape-to-tape passes if not challenged. Hamilton doesn't have a problem scoring, and this is helped by their overall team speed.

Manitoba, as has been documented all season, has struggled in the offence department. Marco Rosa and Sergei Shirokov shared the team lead in goals with 22 markers apiece, and Rosa led the team in scoring with 55 points. Shirokov had 45 points in his rookie campaign, and Peter Olvecky, who arrived from Milwaukee, had 38 points. Evan Oberg led all defencemen in points with 26, while Brian Salcido had the lead in goals from the blueliners with eight. The Moose ended the season with 204 goals-for, but their goal differential was a -28.

The Herd is a defence-oriented team due to the fact that they have no offensive superstars. They don't score a lot, but they do forecheck well to cause turnovers that can result in goals. However, goals mainly come from one line, and that won't carry you very far in the playoffs.

Advantage: Hamilton

Defence: The Bulldogs showed that they were one of the better teams in their own zone this season by allowing a league-low 182 goals-against. Part of this is due to how well they ran their offensive system, and part of it is due to their penchant for blocking shots. They pressure very well in the offensive zone on the forecheck, and seem to enjoy chasing the puck carrier in search of a turnover.

They occasionally get caught when their defencemen pinch and press for goals, so this may be a concern for the Hamilton coaching staff if it can be exploited. Their speed is excellent on the back end, though, and they normally angle players off the puck before they can get shots off.

The Moose gave up a ton of shots this season as their goaltenders faced 2276 shots - 245 more than the Bulldogs' goalies faced. They were regularly outshot by their opposition, but it speaks volumes to their blueline's "bend but don't break" policy. You don't normally end up 40-33-5-2 by allowing teams to outshoot and outscore you during the season, but the Moose weathered a lot of storms in their own zones. This experience may prove to be valuable in this post-season.

The Moose have excellent, smart defencemen when they are focused and determined, but mental lapses occur. When they do, the Moose seem to get burned. Badly. The overall speed of the team is a little slower than what I'd like to see, but the Moose defencemen battle hard in front of their net, and there are no free passes given to the opposition. The forwards do a great job in backchecking, and work hard to keep players to the outside.

Advantage: Hamilton

Goaltending: There's no doubt that Cedric Desjardins has been spectacular this season for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He went 29-9-4 with a 2.00 GAA and a 91.9% save percentage. He also recorded six shutouts, showing that he is a very capable stopper in his own right. Desjardins was entirely the reason that the Bulldogs charged up the standings in December, resulting in their North Division title. Veteran Curtis Sanford backed up the talented youngster, and showed what two solid goaltenders can do as he went 23-11-3 with a 2.13 GAA, four shutouts, and a 91.6% save percentage. It's hard to argue with numbers like that, but Desjardins and Sanford rarely had to steal a game for their team.

The Moose were led by last year's top goaltender in the AHL in Cory Schneider. Schneider went 35-23-2 this season with a 2.51 GAA, four shutouts, and a 91.9% save percentage. Some nights, Schneider stood on his head in securing a win for the Moose, and, in my opinion, is the reason why the Moose are playing in this year's Calder Cup Playoffs. Back-up Daren Machesney was 5-14-0 with a 3.34 GAA and an 89.4% save percentage. It always seemed that Machesney never got any scoring when he was in the net, and his record is indicative of that. Machesney is a capable goaltender, but there's no doubt that the Moose will ride Schneider.

As surprising as this may be, I believe that if Schneider plays as his usual outstanding self, the Moose have a very legitimate shot at defeating the Bulldogs in this series.

Advantage: Manitoba

Moose Keys To Victory

1. Special Teams. If the Moose stay out of the penalty box, and can convert on a few powerplays of their own, Hamilton could find themselves in trouble. The Bulldogs don't take a lot of penalties, so the Moose have to make them pay when they do take a penalty.
2. Discipline. This goes without saying when playing an offensive juggernaut like Hamilton. The Moose can't take dumb penalties, and need to be faster, smarter, and more disciplined when playing the puck. Anything after the whistle should be avoided entirely. The Bulldogs can score, so there is no reason to allow them additional chances to capitalize.
3. Need A Blanket. If I were head coach Scott Arniel, Mike Keane would follow Brock Trotter around the ice like they were siamese twins. There's no secret that the majority of Hamilton's offence runs through Trotter, so I'd assign my best defensive forward to cover him. Keane has been in this role in his career many times, and the Moose captain may even be able to draw a few penalties if he can get Trotter off his game.
4. Force Mistakes. The Moose have to score the first goal to have the Bulldogs change their strategy. As stated above, the Bulldog blueliners love to jump into the play, so putting them behind the eight-ball would force those defencemen to start pressing a little earlier. Defensive breakdowns will happen, and the Moose can look to take advantage of those chances.
5. Sacrifice Everything. The Bulldogs love to shoot the puck. The Moose play extremely defensively. The only answer is to block shots, block shots, and block more shots. There should be no shortage of bruises and contusions if the Moose put their bodies between the puck and Cory Schneider, but the Moose have to help their defencemen and Schneider by limiting shots and second chance opportunities. The best way to do that is to stop the puck from getting to the net. Sacrifice the body, Moose players. And get the ice packs ready.

Hamilton and Winnipeg kick off in about an hour's time, so it's time to get ready for the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs! This series should be a good one as there's nothing these two teams don't know about one another, and I expect a lot of close games and hard-fought battles. It's time for the Moose to bear down and help their MVP goaltender earn a few well-deserved wins. DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Official HBIC Playoff Scoring Page

I've decided, due to the enormous number of entries, to make an entire page out of the HBIC Playoff Pool. This page will be linked on the right-hand side for quick access if you need to check your point totals at any time. Please note that I will update the pool as often as I can in order to keep everyone apprised of their points, but, if I miss a day, please don't crash my email account with "you haven't updated my points" messages. I'm quite aware when I miss days, so be rest assured that they will be updated at my first available opportunity.

The list will be organized in alphabetical order by last name, but I will only use the last letter of your name for privacy reasons. The little notation in parentheses behind your name is your chosen team for the tie-breaker. If the team is listed as "NT", it means no team was selected and you need to email me immediately to register one.

Lastly, I will post a list of the top ten players on the right-hand side as well in order to highlight the leaders. If you don't see your name on that list, click the link to get you back to this page, and check out how close (or far) you are from the leaders. Ok? Ok.

1. Dan B. - (PHO) - 55
   
2. Forrest B. (CHI) - 73
   
3. Sammy B. (WAS) - 62
   
4. Ari C. (LAK) - 61
   
5. Austin C. (WAS) - 36
   
6. Greg C. (CHI) - 68
   
7. Jonathan C. (DET) - 65
   
8. Matt C. (VAN) - 45
   
9. Aaron D. (PIT) - 66
   
10. Corey D. (PHI) - 56
    
11. Martin E. (CHI) - 17
    
12. Mike E. (WAS) - 58
    
13. Patrick E. (PHI) - 49
    
14. Alex F. (VAN) - 31
    
15. Dan F. (WAS) - 60
    
16. Dave F. (SJS) - 59
    
17. Mike F. (PHI) - 62
    
18. Nathan F. (CHI) - 56
    
19. Ty F. (PHI) - 66
    
20. Andrew G. (PHI) - 63
    
21. Cory G. (PIT) - 40
    
22. Zach G. (LAK) - 27
    
23. Brian H. (PHI) - 42
    
24. Casey H. (PIT) - 58
    
25. James H. (PIT) - 65
    
26. Kirk H. (SJS) - 65
    
27. Phil H. (PHI) - 31
    
28. Ryan H. (WAS) - 26
    
29. Michael J. (CHI) - 64
    
30. Nick J. (LAK) - 55
    
31. Andrew K. (NT) - 46
    
32. Rick K. (PHI) - 75
    
33. Andrew L. (CHI) - 50
    
34. Joseph L. (CHI) - 51
    
35. Ron L. (PHI) - 51
    
36. Frank M. (BOS) - 68
    
37. Glenn M. (PHI) - 54
    
38. Greg M. (CHI) - 53
    
39. Jason M. (VAN) - 38
    
40. Kerry M. (VAN) - 74
    
41. Rich M. (PHI) - 49
    
42. Robert M. (WAS) - 72
    
43. Scott M. (SJS) - 72
    
44. Mari N. (CHI) - 78
    
45. Tom O. (PIT) - 74
    
46. Jeff P. (VAN) - 53
    
47. Luigi P. (VAN) - 74
    
48. Shannon P. (PHI) - 76
    
49. Augustine R. (NT) - 45
    
50. Brendan R. (WAS) - 40
    
51. Adam S. (WAS) - 48
    
52. Andy S. (PHI) - 78
    
53. Justin S. (CHI) - 69
    
54. Kenneth S. (PHI) - 48
    
55. Kyle S. (PHI) - 52
    
56. Spencer S. (BUF) - 29
    
57. Ben T. (VAN) - 79
    
58. Cole V. (PHI) - 73
    
59. Daniel W. (VAN) - 68
    
60. James W. (SJS) - 74
    
61. Kevin W. (SJS) - 57
    
62. Konrad W. (WAS) - 70
    

Phew! 62 people! Well done, folks!

The scores will be updated before Friday, so check back either tomorrow or Friday for an updated total. Thank you all for entering, and get ready for a long playoff run!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Gagarin Cup Final

I'm still expecting a few more entries, but the list of people is impressive. You guys have really come through in this year's edition of the HBIC Playoff Pool, and I want to thank each and every one of you. However, I'll save that for the end of the pool when I hand out all the prizes. I am currently building the list of competitors from your entries, and those names will appear on the right-hand side. The list will be long, but everyone who entered will have their names and point totals posted starting on Wednesday night.

Tonight, I want to take a quick look at the KHL's Gagarin Cup Final as there are two teams remaining in the competition for the Kontinental League's top prize. There were four teams remaining in the semi-finals: second-ranked HC MVD was up against fifth-ranked Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the Western Conference Final, while top-ranked Salavat Yulaev Ufa battled third-ranked Ak Bars Kazan in the Eastern Conference Final.

Game One of the Western Conference Final saw HC MVD score the 3-2 overtime win over Lokomotiv. Alexei Tsvetkov's fourth goal of the playoffs in overtime was the winner for HC MVD.

Game Two saw Lokomotiv rally for a 2-1 overtime win to even the series at 1-1. Konstantin Rudenko's fifth goal of the playoffs at 19:32 of the overtime period gave Lokomotiv the victory.

April 4 saw HC MVD take the 2-1 series lead as they earned a hard-fought 6-4 victory in Game Three. Evgeny Fedorov had a pair of goals and Konstatin Rudenko had a pair of assists for HC MVD. Lokomotiv's Alexander Galimov had a goal and an assist in a losing effort.

Lokomotiv responded the following night with a 6-1 blowout over HC MVD to even the series at 2-2. Richard Zednik recorded two goals, Josef Vasicek had three assists, and Zbynek Irgl had a pair of assists for Lokomotiv in the victory.

On April 7, Lokomotiv took control of the series with their 4-0 shutout win over HC MVD. Alexander Galimov scored his eighth goal and added his seventh assist in the victory, and it put Yaroslavl Lokomotiv one win away from the Gagarin Cup Final.

April 9 saw HC MVD make the series a best-of-one series with their 3-1 win in Game Six. Defenceman Maxim Solovyev scored the game-winning goal, his second of the playoffs, at 3:06 of the third period as the series went back to Balashikha, Moscow for Game Seven.

Sunday, April 11 had Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in Moscow to play HC MVD. HC MVD's Alexei Tsvetkov scored his fifth goal of the playoffs just 35 seconds into the second period to open the scoring in this game. Lokomotiv's Ivan Tkachenko tied the game at the 12:53 mark with his third goal of the season. However, 1:09 later, Denis Kokarev's fifth goal of the playoffs put HC MVD back up by a goal as they jumped out to a 2-1 lead.

The two goaltenders would prevent any other goals from being scored, and HC MVD rallied from being down 3-2 in the series to win 4-3. Filip Novak recorded two assists in the Game Seven 2-1 win for HC MVD, and the Moscow-based team would advance to the Gagarin Cup Final.

In the Eastern Conference Final, Ak Bars Kazan looked to defend their KHL Championship by knocking off top-ranked Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Game One is played on Friday, April 2, and Kazan secures a 4-3 victory on Alexei Tereshchenko's game-winning goal. Tereshchenko's second goal of the playoffs came at 5:13 of the third period, and Kazan held strong to secure the win and the series lead.

Game Two the following night saw Kazan increase its lead in the series to 2-0 as they defeated Ufa by a 2-1 score in overtime. Hannes Hyvonen's fourth goal of the playoffs 4:23 into the overtime period gave Kazan the victory, and a large series lead over the top team in the Eastern Conference this season.

Monday, April 5 had the two teams back in action, and the result was all too familiar as Kazan defeated Ufa by a 3-2 score in overtime. Viktor Kozlov scored both of Ufa's goals at 14:22 of the first period and 6:08 of the second period, and it appeared that Ufa was in control. However, Kazan's Alexei Yemelin and Ilya Nikulin responded for Kazan to send the game into the extra frame. At 8:51 of overtime, Nikita Alexeyev gave Kazan the 3-0 series lead with his second goal of the playoffs as Ak Bars Kazan recorded the 3-2 overtime victory.

With their backs against the wall on the very next night, Ufa pulled out an all-important victory as they defeated Kazan by a 4-2 score. Ufa's Alexander Radulov had a pair of goals to give him six goals in this year's playoffs, and Igor Grigorenko had a pair of assists to keep Ufa alive. They might be down 3-1, but the series wasn't over.

Thursday, April 8 had the two teams back in action, and Ufa avoided elimination again as they defeated Kazan by a 2-1 score. Alexander Radulov scored the game-winner with 1:12 remaining in the game for Ufa, and added an assist on Ufa's game-tying goal at 10:09 of the third period. Patrick Thoresen recorded assists on both goals, giving him nine helpers this post-season. Ufa would live to see another day with the series now 3-2.

Saturday night, Kazan looked to stop the bleeding while Ufa had to play desperate hockey again. 11:24 into the game, Kazan was on the board as Janne Pesonen scored his first of the playoffs, and Kazan was out to the 1-0 lead. Alexander Radulov pulled Ufa even at 18:13 of the second period as he scored his eighth goal of the playoffs, and the game was knotted at 1-1. However, with 4:53 to play in the game, Kazan's Ilya Nikulin scored his fourth goal of the playoffs, and Kazan rode Petri Vehanen's goaltending the rest of the way as they secured the 2-1 series-clinching victory.

While Ufa put a scare into Kazan with their two wins after falling behind by three games in the series, Ak Bars Kazan will have a shot at defending their KHL Championship as they advance to the Gagarin Cup Championship.

The Gagarin Cup Final starts Thursday with HC MVD visiting Ak Bars Kazan. Alexander Radulov, who led the KHL Playoffs in goals (8), assists (11), and points (19) won't have a chance to add to his totals as Ufa will watch from home. The top-scoring player who is still in the playoffs would be HC MVD's Alexei Tsvetkov who has 14 points. HC MVD's Alexei Ugarov has the most goals in terms of active players with seven.

There's your update since I missed it on the weekend. If you get a chance to tune into the game (if you can find it on the Internet), I recommend doing so as the games themselves are quite competitive!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Interesting Statistics

With over thirty entrants registered in the HBIC Playoff Pool, this year's event will be the largest in this blog's three-year history. There are a ton of prizes that are still coming in, so we'll have lots of prizes to hand out this spring. The best part? There are probably another ten people who have indicated that they will enter, so we could see the number of people in the Playoff Pool balloon to fifty before Wednesday night's games. How cool is that? I decided to take the thirty people who had entered, and do a little statistical analysis as to how the series will break down. It's quite interesting, in fact, to see how everyone has voted, and it tells a big story as to how everyone thinks Round One of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs will play out.

Let me just say this first: thank you to everyone who has entered, and to anyone who is planning on entering. I wouldn't run this pool if no one entered, and, with the numbers growing, it encourages me to go out and find more prizes for everyone who enters. Thank you, everyone, for making this fun for me!

Let's break these playoff series down according to your choices.

Eastern Conference

Washington vs. Montreal: Of the 31 people who have entered thus far, it's unanimous that Washington will advance past the Canadiens. All 31 people voted for Washington as the series-winning team. 19.4% of you think the series will be a Capitals sweep; 67.7% of you think that five games is all the Capitals will need; 9.7% of you think the series will go six games; and, 3.2% of you think it will take all seven games for Washington to eliminate Montreal.

New Jersey vs. Philadelphia: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, 80.6% of the entrants, or 25 people, feel New Jersey will advance. Of those 25 people, 16% feel the Devils will pull off a sweep; 16% feel the Devils will end the series in five games; 40% feel that the Devils will end the series in six games; and, 28% think that the Devils will need all seven games.

Of course, the other 19.4% of the entrants, or six people, feel the Philadelphia will upset the Devils. 67% think the Flyers can pull it off in six games, while the other 33% say the Flyers will need all seven games for the upset.

Buffalo vs. Boston: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, 67.7% of the entrants, or 21 people, feel Buffalo will advance over Boston. 4.8% of those people think that the Sabres will sweep the Bruins; 23.8% see the Sabres needing only five games; 42.9% feel that the Sabres will need six games to get by Boston; and, 28.6% see Buffalo using all seven games to advance.

The other 32.3% of entrants, or ten people, see the Bruins upsetting the Sabres. 50% of those people see the series ending in six games with the Bruins victorious, while the other 50% think Boston will need all seven games.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, a surprising 83.9% of entrants, or 26 people, think that Pittsburgh will advance past the Ottawa Senators. 19.2% of those 26 people think that Pittsburgh will sweep past Ottawa; 30.8% see Pittsburgh advancing in five games; 30.8% think Pittsburgh will need six games; and, 19.2% think that Pittsburgh will prevail in seven games.

The other 16.1%, or five people, see Ottawa advancing to the second round. 40% have Ottawa moving on after six games, while the other 60% have Ottawa playing all seven games before advancing.

Western Conference

San Jose vs. Colorado: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, 93.5% of the entrants, or 29 people, feel that San Jose will eliminate Colorado. 20.7% of those 29 people think that San Jose will win in a sweep; 44.8% see San Jose needing five games to get past Colorado; 20.7% feel that six games will be enough; and, 10.3% think that San Jose will need all seven games to advance.

The other 6.5%, or two people, feel that Colorado will upset the Sharks. 50% say that six games will be enough for the upset, while the other 50% say that seven games will do in the Sharks at the hands of the Avalanche.

Chicago vs. Nashville: If you're a member of the Predators, you're the undisputed underdog as all 31 entrants picked Chicago to advance. 29.0% feel that Chicago will sweep the Predators; 35.5% see Chicago advancing in five games; 25.8% see the Predators taking two games off the Blackhawks; and, 9.7% feel that it will take Chicago all seven games to eliminate the Predators.

Vancouver vs. Los Angeles: I thought this one would be closer than it currently is, but 71.0% of the entrants, or 22 people, feel that Vancouver will eliminate the Los Angeles Kings. 13.6% of the 22 people see Vancouver advancing in a sweep; 18.2% have Vancouver needing five games; 36.4% believe that Vancouver will win in six games; and, 31.8% see Vancouver and Los Angeles battling through seven games before the Canucks advance.

The other 29%, or nine people, have Los Angeles needing all seven games to upset the Canucks.

Phoenix vs. Detroit: If people in the NHL were saying that Detroit might be the worst team to match-up with in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the entrants in this pool agree with that sentiment. 80.6% of the entrants, or 25 people, feel that Detroit will eliminate the Coyotes in their series. Of those 25 people, 8.0% feel that Detroit will advance in a sweep; 36.0% feel that Detroit will need five games; 32.0% think that Detroit will need six games to get past Phoenix; and, 24.0% think it will take all seven games for Detroit to dispose of the Coyotes.

The other 19.4%, or six people, feel that Phoenix will eliminate the Red Wings. 33.3% feel that it will only take Phoenix six games to knock off the reigning Western Conference champions, while the other 66.7% see the series ending in seven games with Phoenix moving on.

Of course, nothing is decided on paper, and the games must be played. That leads to anyone beating anyone else on any given day, so anything can happen. Much like the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the HBIC Playoff Pool can change dramatically through one series as an upset can change everything.

More entries are still rolling in, so get yourself ready for Wednesday night! The 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - history will be made!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

That Magical Time Of Year

With all of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff seeds now determined, we get to a regular feature on this blog that I know a lot of people enjoy. The HBIC Playoff Pool is a fun way to show off your prognostication skills without having to know a lot about each team's roster. I made a change to the way the Playoff Pool is run last season, and it turned out to be a lot of fun for each of the contestants. Why? Well, everyone loves getting a prize, and HBIC is aware of this fact. Much like last year, prizes are being accumulated as you read this, and I can tell you that there will be a ton of excellent prizes this season. And, similar to last season, I will try to get as many prizes as possible so that everyone comes away with something. That's how HBIC rolls.

Straight from last year's Playoff Pool rules, here is the format for the 2010 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-Ottawa series, I predict that Pittsburgh will win Games 1, 2, 4, and 6. Ottawa 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. Daniel Alfredsson will score Ottawa's winner in Game 3 while Mike Fisher 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. The subject should read "HBIC Pool R1" so that I can keep track of all the entrants. You don't want your Poolie Picks to go missing in my disorganized mailbox, do you?

Also, if you want to be eligible for all prizes, you need to play all four rounds of the 2010 Playoff Pool. I don't think it's fair if someone is forced to take a lower prize if they finish lower than someone else who didn't participate right through to the end. For those only play one round and do well, complain all you want about this rule, but showing up is the first step in any activity.

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!