Series Result: Ottawa Senators over Pittsburgh Penguins in 5
My Prediction: Ottawa Senators over Pittsburgh Penguins in 6
Make no mistake about it; this Penguin's team has got the talent. And what is really scary is that the talent; led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal; all kids younger than me. And my birthday is January 11th, 1986. Scary.
As I assumed would happen, Ottawa's experience just carried them in this series. That, and the fact that they've got themselves a damn good hockey team too. I put $15 on both them and the Sabres at the beginning of the season as teams to go all the way to the cup. And I still stand by those bets, as they are the two best teams in the East. Not to say that the Rangers/Lightning/Devils all don't have a legitimate shot against them... should be some great playoff hockey
Series Result: Anaheim Ducks over Minnesota Wild in 5
My Prediction: Minnesota Wild over Anaheim Ducks in 6
I knew it was a far fetched pick to begin with, but I was expecting a lot more of what I saw in game 4 of this series than in the other 4 games. But, alas, the Ducks were just the flat out better team. And now, I'm at a crossroad; do I analyze this team as the fan that I am, or the journalist I am trying to be? Well, lets do both.
Journalist:
As I discussed here, the Ducks really are the best team in the West. Furthermore, I love their chances to make it all the way to the finals again this year; and heres why. If Vancouver locks up their series against the Stars, and the Red Wings regain their composure and beat Calgary, I think the Ducks have a very favorable match-up against Vancouver. They've got more scoring depth (scored 36 more goals during the regular season), they've got the better defense, and while neither Giguere nor Bryzgalov can match up to Roberto Luongo (who, other than Brodeur and Kiprusoff, can?), the drop off isn't significant to the point where it will be a turning point in the series. Meanwhile, the Sharks/Predators winner (likely the Sharks) would face the Red Wings in what would promise to be both an emotional and physical battle to the finish. Either team isn't as fresh as the Ducks when they face off in the conference finals, who beat the Canucks in a much less heated 5 or 6 game series. I may be underrating the Canucks, and the Red Wings/Flames series isn't over yet... but things may very well be panning out perfectly for the Ducks this post season.
Fan:
Ducks fans do not deserve a team this good. Some Duck fans actually live in Anaheim and, when the franchise was born there, picked it up as their new home team. Fine. Others were fans of the Ducks movies and got into hockey that way, and watched the team when it formed. Okay, very lame, but fine.
The bulk of Ducks fans? Traitor Kings fans and people that just started to like them after their 2003 cup run; bandwagon fans. They hardly ever sell out. 90% of Ducks fans just disgust me. Meanwhile, King's fans who have stuck loyally by their team, some for as many as 40 years, are just now appearing to be heading in the right direction; while the Ducks are already there. And they've got such a strong young core that they aren't going anywhere, either. It is a near-perfectly run organization, and its fans are a bunch of bandwagoners and traitors. Where is the justice?
Oh, and by the way; I know its been said a million times, but Brian Hayward is the worst sack of **** color commentator in sports. Rex Hudler sucks; Angels fans as well as opponents will tell you that much. But Rex is fair; he loves his Angels (too much), but he doesn't bad mouth opposing teams, and gives credit where it is due. No exaggeration, Hayward will call a goal by an opposing team a lucky break if it is thrown on net and deflects in, and in the same exact breath talk about what a great heads up play it was by (insert Duck here) to throw the puck on net into traffic if it were a Ducks' goal. It is repulsive, it is terrible to hear as a sports fan as well as an aspiring journalist.
That last part about Hayward... goes in both the fan AND journalist category. I really do hate the way the guy calls games. Sue me.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Rangers cruise to the only sweep of the first round
Series Result: New York Rangers over Atlanta Thrashers in 4
My Prediction: New York Rangers over Atlanta Thrashers in 6
The end result of the series didn't surprise me at all. What did surprise me, however, was the Rangers' flat out dominance throughout the entire series. After 240 minutes of hockey were in the books, the final score read Rangers: 17, Thrashers: 6.
Thrashers: 6. The same Thrashers that already had Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk BEFORE adding Keith Tkachuk at the trade deadline. 6 goals was all they could muster in the series, a total trumped by the Rangers in game 3 alone when they won on home ice 7 - 0.
Credit Henrik Lundqvist for his excellent play in goal, but also credit the entire Rangers team for not only keeping pressure on in the offensive zone (averaging 35.75 shots per game), but for keeping pressure off of Lundqvist as well (averaging only 24 shots per game).
Now all the Rangers can do is watch and wait. If Tampa Bay can pull off the upset over New Jersey, the Rangers will play the winner of the Ottawa/Penguins series... which will likely be Ottawa. If Brodeur can power the Devils through that series, the Rangers will face off against the powerhouse of the east; the Buffalo Sabres (yes, I'm writing off the Islanders). Either way, it should make for an explosive series.
As for the Thrashers? Well, they traded away a lot of their farm system for this playoff run, so not winning a single game certainly isn't what they had in mind. All they can do is hope that this playoff experience was valuable, and they can build on it next year... and maybe add a key free agent or two.
My Prediction: New York Rangers over Atlanta Thrashers in 6
The end result of the series didn't surprise me at all. What did surprise me, however, was the Rangers' flat out dominance throughout the entire series. After 240 minutes of hockey were in the books, the final score read Rangers: 17, Thrashers: 6.
Thrashers: 6. The same Thrashers that already had Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk BEFORE adding Keith Tkachuk at the trade deadline. 6 goals was all they could muster in the series, a total trumped by the Rangers in game 3 alone when they won on home ice 7 - 0.
Credit Henrik Lundqvist for his excellent play in goal, but also credit the entire Rangers team for not only keeping pressure on in the offensive zone (averaging 35.75 shots per game), but for keeping pressure off of Lundqvist as well (averaging only 24 shots per game).
Now all the Rangers can do is watch and wait. If Tampa Bay can pull off the upset over New Jersey, the Rangers will play the winner of the Ottawa/Penguins series... which will likely be Ottawa. If Brodeur can power the Devils through that series, the Rangers will face off against the powerhouse of the east; the Buffalo Sabres (yes, I'm writing off the Islanders). Either way, it should make for an explosive series.
As for the Thrashers? Well, they traded away a lot of their farm system for this playoff run, so not winning a single game certainly isn't what they had in mind. All they can do is hope that this playoff experience was valuable, and they can build on it next year... and maybe add a key free agent or two.
A No-No and a baker's dozen round up a fine day of pitching.
Dan Haren pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball, gave up 4 hits and striking out 3.
John Maine also pitched 7 innings, gave up 2 runs, giving up only two hits while striking out 7.
Neither of those games was bad.
What was downright silly? Well, for starters, Brandon Webb allowed only one earned run in eight innings. Not too surprising. The kicker? 13 strikeouts. That made him the strikeout leader of the league in this young season.
But the real surprise came from a guy who was on my fantasy league's waiver wire; was being the key word, because anyone who tosses a game like he did is worthy of a pick up in my book; Mark Buehrle.
Only one walk away from a perfect game, Buehrle picked off the only runner to reach base. 27 batters up, 27 batters down. Eight of them via strikeout. 0 Hits.
Will this be the start of his return to his ace-like form from a few years back, or is it just a fluke game? Either way, his name has officially been etched into the history books.
Probably the funniest thing I've read in a while, in the 5th inning, Buehrle's teammates were giving him space and not talking to him, as is customary when your pitcher is in the middle of a no-hitter. Buehrle, though, walked up to multiple teammates and said "you know I got a no-hitter going."
Yes. They knew.
Nothing in baseball other than a perfect game is more impressive than a no-hitter. Congratulations Mark.
John Maine also pitched 7 innings, gave up 2 runs, giving up only two hits while striking out 7.
Neither of those games was bad.
What was downright silly? Well, for starters, Brandon Webb allowed only one earned run in eight innings. Not too surprising. The kicker? 13 strikeouts. That made him the strikeout leader of the league in this young season.
But the real surprise came from a guy who was on my fantasy league's waiver wire; was being the key word, because anyone who tosses a game like he did is worthy of a pick up in my book; Mark Buehrle.
Only one walk away from a perfect game, Buehrle picked off the only runner to reach base. 27 batters up, 27 batters down. Eight of them via strikeout. 0 Hits.
Will this be the start of his return to his ace-like form from a few years back, or is it just a fluke game? Either way, his name has officially been etched into the history books.
Probably the funniest thing I've read in a while, in the 5th inning, Buehrle's teammates were giving him space and not talking to him, as is customary when your pitcher is in the middle of a no-hitter. Buehrle, though, walked up to multiple teammates and said "you know I got a no-hitter going."
Yes. They knew.
Nothing in baseball other than a perfect game is more impressive than a no-hitter. Congratulations Mark.
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