Ask Me Anything! (#1)

Thanks go out to Joshua for officially getting this new segment of my blog underway. Here goes;

"Here's a question that I don't get...

You, Vegas, are my go-to source when I want to try to understand the ice-capades *cough* i mean the NHL. (sorry, but football is king. anything else is merely a court jester)"

Well, I think baseball and hockey deserve spots as maybe princes or cousins as opposed to court jesters, but I won't argue against football being king.

"You've picked against the Senators in the last two rounds, and even tho they dropped today's game to the once-mighty Buffalo Sabres, they are still in a great position to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I have two questions for ya:
1. How have the Ottawa Senators been able to fly past the Sabres after a taxing series against the Devils? Other than today's game, Buffalo hasn't even shown up. Is this more the Sabres being overrated or are the Senators just "that team" that gets hot at the right time?"

Well before I answer this, let me just point out that this series actually isn't over yet. Granted, I know it sounds cliche - but in this case its true. Usually when a team takes a 3 - 0 lead, it is because they are the significantly better team. Not quite the case here; Buffalo is certainly evenly matched if not better than Ottawa. This series had all the makings of a 7 game series. Buffalo taking game 4 sends them back to Buffalo for game 5, which they dropped the first two there, but they could easily win. All of a sudden game 6 is a bit of a must win for the Senators. I'm not calling the comeback, but I'm not ruling it out either. To answer one part of your question, the Sabres ARE the real deal and are not overrated.

So why is it the Sens are cruising? Well, first of all, the series against the Devils wasn't all that "taxing". It only took 5 games and most of the time the Senators were in command. There was little doubt about who the better team was out there. In fact, it has been that way these entire playoffs for the Sens. So are they "just that hot team"? Actually, no. Since December 23rd (when the team was 18 wins - 18 losses - 1 overtime loss), including these playoffs, the Senators are 41 - 9 - 9. If that doesn't speak towards their legitimacy, nothing will. They have the talent to beat anyone.

The biggest knock on them has been their physical game, which I didn't think was addressed this off-season or at the trade deadline. Also, goaltending was a question mark; could Ray Emery really outshine the likes of Marty Brodeur or Ryan Miller? The answer to that question has been an emphatic yes. As for physicality, they don't need it against similar-styled Buffalo and Pittsburgh. And as for the Devils series, in that instance, skill trumped toughness. And don't get me wrong... they haven't been playing like a bunch of pansies. They simply have had the good fortune of being able to play to their strengths.

But the real reason they are beating Buffalo so bad is special teams. The New York Rangers threw off the Sabres' rhythm on the power play with their stern defense, and it took the Sabres 19 chances to get their first power play goal of the series Wednesday night. When two evenly matched teams face off, special teams is key; and the Sabres have been ice cold. Credit also the Senators' penalty killers.

"2. You haven't picked Ottawa to win a series since the first round. If the Ducks advance to the finals to play the Senators, will you pick the Ducks in the hopes that your anti-Sens picks will turn out in Ottawa's favor, thus smighting the hated Anaheim Quack-Attackers? Or will you pick against Anaheim, picking with your heart but also with the knowledge that the Ducks - as you've been sayin for some time - will probably win it all?"

As of right now, believe it or not, that is a pretty big if. The Detroit Red Wings not only took back home ice by beating the Ducks 5 - 0 in Anaheim, but they also planted a seed of doubt and put a crack in the Ducks-are-invincible mentality. Even more importantly, superstar defenseman Chris Pronger got suspended for elbowing Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom in the back of the head into the boards. This leaves a gaping hole in the Ducks' defensive corps, and the Wings could very easily win game 4, leaving the Ducks in very, very bad shape. After all, the Wings are 35 - 5 - 9 at home this season.

But to answer your question, I will very likely be picking against the Senators in the finals. As I said above, I don't think they have really been physically tested yet; and both the Ducks and the Wings play a very tough physical brand of hockey. And, unlike the Devils, they also have the talent to back it up. Not to mention, the team in the West will have the more experienced goaltender AND home ice advantage. I will certainly be rooting for the Senators - I hate the Wings and Ducks AND I have money riding on a Sens' victory; but I will likely pick against them.

I know your answer will probably have to wait until we have a set Stanley Cup Finals, but the question stands; WHO YA GOT?!

Indeed we do need to wait, but if I had to give an answer at this very moment in time;

The Detroit Red Wings.

(To have your question answered, email me any questions you've got at socaltrojan31@aol.com OR simply leave a comment here and your question will be addressed in a new post. Don't be shy. "Anything" is a pretty broad topic. Sports related, of course.)