A New Era

An era is commonly defined as a period of time.  Further, it can define a specific length of time delimited by a start event and an end event (thank you Wikipedia for your extravagant word usage).  The 2012-2013 Columbus Blue Jackets have entered this new era.

2012-2013 NHL Schedule

This morning the NHL released it's upcoming regular season schedule. Fingers crossed the season actually starts on time with the CBA expiring in September. Similar to what I did here, here is the breakdown of some of the highlighted games as well as our favorite teams.
Opening night is Thursday, October 11th, featuring 4 games and 2 broadcasted nationally here on NBC Sports Network.  At 7 we have the Boston Bruins heading to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers and at 10 we'll see the St. Louis Blues take on the Colorado Avalance in Denver.  On Friday, October 12th, NBC Sports Network will also televise the 10:30 match up between the Kings and Rangers to show the raising of their championship banner.  The Kings and Devils only game will come on February 9th in New Jersey.

Tuesday, January 1st features only 1 game and that is the 2013 Winter Classic in Detroit featuring the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.  A 1pm start and nationally televised on NBC, it will be a classic original six match up.  This game is always fun to watch and will be played at the University of Michigan's football stadium.  This game will most likely break the record for highest attendance ever for any hockey game ever.

January 24th through the 28th is the All Star Break where players will get together in Columbus, Ohio for the annual All-Star game.  Speaking of which, let's check out what's in store for the Columbus Blue Jackets this upcoming season.

NHL All-Star Teams and the NHL Awards...My name is Geno, My name is Malkin, My name is M-V-P!!!

Here is your first and second all-star teams for this season.  I love seeing Malkin and Neal make it on the first team but the only reason this happened is because it's position specific.  They should probably just vote for 3 forwards instead of a Center, LW and RW.  This would have allowed Stamkos to be a first teamer because, well, the guy potted 60 goals, what else can you do??

2011-12 NHL First All-Star Team
G Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
D Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
D Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
C Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
RW James Neal, Pittsburgh Penguins
LW Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils

2011-12 NHL Second All-Star Team
G Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
D Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
C Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
RW Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers
LW Ray Whitney, Phoenix Coyotes

Pietrangelo was the odd man out for the Norris Trophy finalists but he's going to be a stud.  Ray Whitney at 40 years old is a great selection here as well.  Not sure you can argue having both Quick and Lundqvist on either squad.

What Happened?

It's been a couple weeks but Gainer is back...I think!

I'm not sure how Blue Jackets fans reacted to this one...oh wait, screw off!

Well the Stanley Cup Finals are in the books and so is the 2011-2012 NHL season.  Congrats to the Los Angeles Kings for their first ever Stanley Cup and those fans who've waited their whole lives for what happened Monday night at the Staples Center.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals...Because it's the Cup

Who wants it?!

Last Wednesday night, the LA Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes in overtime of game 5 just a few minutes into it.  There was a questionable knee on knee hit given by Kings Captain Dustin Brown and several Coyotes players were upset about it.  It was painfully obvious during the handshake line between Coyotes Captain Shane Doan and Brown.  Brown tried pleading his case but Doan was not having any of it.  Phoenix goalie after the game thought it was a joke there was no call and jestingly said Brown should be suspended forever in his angry state.  The NHL is currently looking into several of the comments made.  Nonetheless, Kings forward Dustin Penner, much ridiculed, buried the game winner as the Kings advance to their first Cup final since 1993 when they lost to Montreal.  

Friday night the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers in overtime of game 6 barely a minute into it.  This sealed the fate of the Rangers as their curse continues (1994!).  The Rangers had the initial energy in their first shift but missed a couple prime scoring opportunities.  This led to the Devils coming down and having a great forecheck of their own.  In an ironic twist for the Rangers, as a couple players were laying out for blocked shots, the puck got free around the crease and rookie Adam Henrique buried the series winner.  The Rangers really got this far thanks to their shot blocking prowess but in the end it was their demise as guys laying on the ice can't cover guys standing wide open in the crease.  Ha!

Rendezvous, Then I'm Through With You...About Last Night

First things first.  Our boys in the red, white, and blue came up empty handed...again...in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Championships yesterday.  After defeating Finland Sunday 5-2, they could not do so again losing 3-2 and giving up the winning goal with just a few seconds left in regulation.  Another early exit for the Americans as they haven't medaled since 2004 and not won gold since 1960.  On the bright side, Canada was also upset!  The Slovaks prove once again they are not a team to be messed with having only 4 NHL players on their roster.  The semi-finals are tomorrow with Russia taking on the Czechs and Slovakia taking on Finland.  Sunday is the Gold Medal game as well as the Bronze Medal game.  Go Russia. Go Malkin and Nikitin.

NHL Playoffs Week #6: The Conference Finals

Down to the final four teams.  The next step is playing for Lord Stanley's Cup.  It's gut check time.  What do we have? Well, a couple of division rivals.  One that is rather new and one that is rather old.

Last night kicked off the festivities with the Kings heading to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes in game 1.  With an empty net goal, the Kings sealed a seemingly close 4-2 victory.  However this was not the case if you watched the actual game.  Los Angeles dominated every facet and the Coyotes were lucky to be in it.  If not for this hilarious goal, the Kings would have walked away from this one pretty handily.

IIHF World Championships - Team USA preliminary rounds update

After slaughtering France 7-2 in the first game on May 4th, Team USA showed up Saturday, May 5th and took down the country up north (Canada) in a 5-4 overtime victory.  It was an exciting game as it was tied 1-1 after the first and 2-2 after the second.  The third period is where it got interesting as both teams traded goals twice all within 10 minutes including Canada (and Blackhawks) defenseman Duncan Keith who tied it up with under 2 minutes to go to tie at 4-4.  However, during the final play, Canada forward John Tavares (Islanders) shot the puck into the stands from his own defensive zone for a delay of game of penalty in the final second.  This carried over into overtime where the American's power play has been super effective thus far.  Who scored?  None other than Captain America, Jack Johnson, #3, (of the Blue Jackets!) with his 3rd goal of the tournament.

Nothing better than seeing stunned Canadian faces in the crowd...

NHL Playoffs Week #5: That's my secret Caps, I'm always hungry

Out of the 4 remaining series, 1 is over, 1 is tied, and 2 are on the brink of ending.  We'll start with the first team to have moved on this weekend:  the Los Angeles Kings.

The LA Kings American goalie Jon Quick (what a perfect goalie name eh?)
It's safe to say this guy is the front runner for the Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP)

As a newly proclaimed bandwagon fan of the LA Kings, I will finally give this team the respect it deserves.  Since 1994, when the NHL adopted the current 8 seeded playoff format, no team has done what LA has done thus far.  As a #8 seed, the worst seed in the West, they have defeated the #1 and #2 seeded Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, respectively.  It's been in dominating fashion as well with a 4-1 series over the Canucks and a sweep yesterday afternoon in front of their own in the Staples Center.

The only negative?  By making the final four, the Columbus Blue Jackets first round pick will drop from 17th overall to the 27-30 range.  This makes it certain the CBJ will pass on this year's pick and take their chances next year for a better pick.  It's too bad because with the 2nd overall pick, a 17th pick would have looked really nice from this year's draft class.

Triple Overtimes, Puppies, and Captain America = I LOVE HOCKEY

NHL PLAYOFFS

The first 3 games of each series are in the books! This will lead to an exciting weekend of key games that will most likely determine each series.

Current Standings:

In the East:
Wednesday night was not a night to remember for DC fans at the Verizon Center.  In a 2-1 victory, the Rangers defeated the Capitals in DC in TRIPLE OVERTIME to take a 2-1 series lead.  Game winning goal scorer Marian Gaborik secured the win with only 5 minutes remaining.  This game started around 7:45 EST and didn't end til almost 12:30am.  In fact, the Predators Coyotes game that started after 9pm EST finished before this one did!  It was the 20th longest game in NHL history and the 3rd longest since the lockout in 2004-05.  It was the longest game the Rangers had played since 1971 and it was their goalies first ever overtime playoff victory.  Meanwhile the Caps fell to 0-4 all time in triple overtimes.  Not that it made fans in Washington feel any better but the Metro did stay open an extra hour so people could get home.

NHL Playoffs Week #4: "The Hockey Games"

May the odds ever be in your favor...

This week continues the early to mid round games of the Conference Semi-Finals in the East and West.  While it's too early to write off anyone at this point, here's a look at the current standings:

In the East:
#1 NY Rangers lead the #7 Capitals 1-0
The Rangers seemed to take game 1 with ease at 3-1.  Caps goalie Holtby seem bothered by the dim lighting at Madison Square Garden.  Game 2 is tonight as the Rangers look to close the door as soon as possible.  Is Alex Ovechkin relevant anymore?

#5 Flyers lead #6 Devils 1-0
After a week off, the Flyers came out with 0 shots in the first 10 minutes.  Bryzgalov, while winning, still gives up some soft goals.  If he clamps down, the Flyers breeze through this series.  If not, like game 1, we may see some more overtime games in which Marty Brodeur will whine.

SUMMARY - These series could be over quick if the Caps don't find their offensive prowess of year's past and the Flyers get above average goaltending from their netminder.

In the West:
#2 Blues trail #8 Kings 1-0
The Kings stole one here.  Jon Quick, even though I praised him constantly, can't win this series by himself...or can he?!  Like the Canucks before them, the Blues don't want to lose both at home.  Game 2 is also tonight.  The Blues need to score and stay out of the penalty box.

#3 Coyotes lead #4 Predators 2-0
The only series to have played two games thus far has been the biggest surprise.  Phoenix is the upper seed but Nashville had nearly 10 more points in the regular season.  Preds goalie Pekka Rinne has already given up more goals in 2 games than he did all first round!  Phoenix is the Cinderella team of the playoffs thus far...

SUMMARY - The Blues better be careful of going down 2-0 at home whereas the Predators need to take care of business at home to make sure they don't fall down 3-0.

The Columbus Blue Jackets All-Star Logo and the IIHF World Championships

Today at noon, the Columbus Blue Jackets unveiled the 2013 NHL All-Star Game logo for next year's game.  

Initial reaction?

Because it's the Cup - Round 2 Begins TONIGHT!

Are there 4 worst teams in the East left for a Pens fan?? Go Western Conference!

After three epic game 7's, the first round is in the books but let's take a look back on how we got to this point this week.  Game 7s are special.  Throw home ice advantage out the window (not that it matters anyway) and it's just 2 teams batting to play another day or go home.

Wednesday night in Boston the defending champs took on the feisty Washington Capitals.  Tim Thomas versus Braden Holtby has been the match up to watch all series and this one did not disappoint either.  Every game here was decided by one goal including this overtime winner by the Caps' Joel Ward to take the series:

I won't get into the ridiculous racial tweets from Boston fans about Joel Ward, who's black, scoring the game winner.  All I will say is it is embarrassing.  It doesn't represent the city or team well and those losers should get a life.  Pros and cons of the Internet right?

Last night there were another two epic finishes to hard fought series.  The Rangers taking the series after being down 3-2 and winning the final 2 games over Ottawa and down in South Beach last night the Florida Panthers battled back from a 2 goal deficit to tie the game in regulation and playing the Devils hard going into the 2nd overtime! Unfortunately it was not enough as rookie Henrique ended it with this:

I was really impressed with Florida's fan base last night.  They've been bad a lot of years and they showed last night if the team is competitive, they can be a VERY loud building.  The whole crowd stood the entire OT periods and the end of the third.

NHL Playoffs Week 3 - First Round Coming to a Close

Welp Bottom Dwellers, half of the 8 series are in the bag including my Pens losing a heart breaker in game 6.  Meanwhile the other half will finish up this week.  Two more could wrap up tonight, a third tomorrow, and the fourth definitely Wednesday.  It won't go any longer than Thursday.

The Good:  TV ratings.  At an all time high for non-Stanley Cup finals games and it's only the first round!

The Bad:  Who would have guessed the first four teams to be eliminated would be (in order) - Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver? These four are yearly Stanley Cup favorites.  It goes to show you how much parity exists in the league today.

The Ugly:  After the Marian Hossa hit laid by Raffi Torres of Phoenix, the NHL came down hard on the guy with a 25 game suspension.  This will continue as long as the Coyotes are in the playoffs and if it doesn't, it will carry into the regular season next year.  Which, by the way, is a forfeiture of over $20,000 a game.  If you think that's bad, check out this elbow yesterday from Metta World Peace going Ron Artest on James Harden.  Just based on prior history alone and the fact Harden has a concussion, "Artest" should be gone for some time.  What a joke.

NHL Update - Elimination Weekend and Award Finalists!

It's crunch time in the first round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs.  5 of the 8 series are now within 1 potential game of ending over the weekend including all 4 Western Conference series.  Meanwhile, in the East, three of the series have become a mini best of 3 series while my Pens are staying alive...barely.

Quick note:  Just realized back on March 4th, I made my NHL playoff predictions.  Got 6 of the 8 right in the East (easy) but totally failed on the 2 spots up for grabs.  I had Buffalo and Tampa but Florida and Washington really stepped up.  Stupid Ovechkin.  In the West I'm very pleased to announce that I nailed the final 3 spots with San Jose, LA, and Phoenix.  However, I picked San Jose to finish 3rd, I was wrong and now they are paying for it!

NHL Playoffs Week #2 Preview!

We are officially 2-3 games into the NHL Playoffs First Round!  Sometimes it feels like forever waiting all summer through training camp, preseason, and 82 regular season games just to get to this point.  Now that it is here, for some (including myself, nooooo!) that journey is nearly over...

Cross checking in the throat, probably not a good idea Asham...

Series Updates:
Eastern Conference
#1 Rangers & #8 Senators tied 1-1
#2 Bruins & #7 Capitals tied 1-1
#3 Panthers & #6 Devils tied 1-1
#5 Flyers leading #4 Pens 3-0

Western Conference
#8 Kings leading #1 Canucks 3-0
#2 Blues & #7 Sharks tied 1-1
#3 Coyotes & #6 Blackhawks tied 1-1
#4 Predators leading #5 Red Wings 2-1

Here are the games through Wednesday night:
Monday:
Rangers and Senators 7:30 CNBC
Bruins and Capitals 7:30 NBC Sports
Blues and Sharks 10:00 NBC Sports

Tuesday:
Panthers and Devils 7:30 NHL Network
Predators and Red Wings 7:30 NBC Sports
Coyotes and Blackhawks 9:00 CNBC

Wednesday:
Rangers and Senators 7:30 CNBC
Penguins and Flyers 7:30 NBC Sports (ELIMINATION GAME)
Canucks and Kings 10:00 NBC Sports (ELIMINATION GAME)

Biggest Shocks:
2 Heavy Cup Favorites are down 3-0 in the FIRST ROUND

• I knew going in that the top team (record/point-wise from the regular season) Vancouver was not as strong without goal scoring twin Daniel Sedin but to be down 3-0 to the Los Angeles Kings and 1 game from elimination? Man.  Sucks for them!  The Canucks have already made a goalie change and it's looking like they will have a huge controversy this summer about whom to keep long term.  Huge props to LA though, they made dynamite moves last summer and at the trade deadline to make themselves better.  It's working.  It's just funny to think last year's Western Conference winner and only 1 game away from winning it all is this close to being out in mid-April.  If the city rioted after losing game 7, imagine this disappointment!
• I'm not going to mess around here.  The Pens are down 3-0 to their hated in-state rivals Flyers.  The Pens were supposed to be 100% healthy with the games two best players in Crosby and Malkin.  They have given up 20 goals in 3 games.  Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury looks lost at best.  The defense is non-existent and now people are questioning whether last season's coach of the year's overall system can even work in the playoffs.  As I Google hangout with my buds Dougie Streets and Mr. Powers during the broadcasts, we have no words to describe our feelings.  It's not anger, not sadness, just nothing.  Wednesday night could be it and one has to wonder, if it ends, what will happen to the current squad this summer with Sidney Crosby's contract up after next season?

What Shouldn't Shock You:

Road Teams Winning

• Home ice has never meant that much in this sport.  It's nice to have from a fan perspective and the extra potential game each series is nice for the owner's wallet but in the grand scheme of the games, it doesn't matter.
• Check this stat out!  Road teams are 11-8 in the playoffs so far.  That's amazing since the first 2 games are home for the lower seed.  In fact, not one team won both their games at home and the Penguins/Canucks both lost EACH of their first home games.  Still, there's nothing like playoff hockey.  The crowds, the hitting, the passion, the overtimes, the craziness.

What to Watch Moving Forward:

Brendan Shanahan and his suspensions/fines

• There have been numerous fights and bad hits throughout this playoff already.  This has lead to some minor fines and suspensions. If what we've seen already is leading to this, what will the future rounds be like?  No one wants to see top players out for any amount of time, but you cannot ignore illegal hits or cheap shots at this point just because it's the playoffs.  
• Shanahan is the head of NHL discipline, the czar so-to-speak and his videos throughout the regular season were rather humorous explaining why the punishment fit the crime.  They became popularly called "ShanaBans."  But what worries me is that he was very close to suspending all-world defender Shea Weber of the Predators for 1 game until he spoke to Detroit's GM who told him his player was fine.  Since there was no injury, he stuck with the max player fine of $2,500.  I don't know about you, but C'MON!

Watch #6 in yellow, he punches #40 in white then slams his head off the glass, dang.

A Better Friday the 13th NHL Playoffs Update

In case you forgot, here's what happened last time to Gainer on Friday the 13th.

First two nights are in the books of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs!  7 of the 8 series have played their game 1's with the final series starting tonight.

Series Update:
#1 Rangers leading the #8 Senators 1-0
#2 Bruins leading the #7 Capitals 1-0
#3 Panthers vs. #6 Devils starts tonight
#5 Flyers leading the #4 Penguins 1-0

#8 Kings leading the #1 Canucks 1-0
#7 Sharks leading the #2 Blues 1-0
#3 Coyotes leading the #6 Blackhawks 1-0
#4 Predators leading the #5 Red Wings 1-0

So far, of the 7 games, 4 of them have gone to extra time.  FOUR.  Not a bad way to start unless you are on the losing end in which it is the most painful thing any human must endure.  Lucky me, I've seen them all!

Overtime Game Winners thus far:

Pens vs. Flyers (I wanna cry, ugh)
Pens were up 3-0 and the Flyers battled all the way back to steal it 4-3 in OT thanks for former Blue Jacket Jake Voracek.

Bruins vs. Caps (I almost want to feel bad here, I really do)

In a shockingly scoreless game, Bruins veteran stud Tim Thomas and Caps rookie Braden Holtby both pitching shutouts until... 

Watch for Captain Alex Ovechkin to give pep talk to Holtby immediately afterwards, great move to help a guy in his first ever playoff game.  I'm impressed

Blues vs. Sharks (Fun fact: Jon Hamm a.k.a Don Draper of Mad Men, HUGE Blues fan, I bet he was crushed)

Blues were up 1 with 5 minutes to go before San Jose tied it up in regulation.  This epic game had to go to the SECOND overtime, Havlat showing what he can do when healthy...

Coyotes vs. Blackhawks (2 videos here because it was just that good, finally ended at 1am EST)

Toews coming back for the Hawks = instant impact.  The Yotes seemingly had the game won with under 20 seconds to go but it ain't over til it's over.  

Patrick Kane is really good but the Yotes never give up once it was in OT...

It's a Hockey Night in Pittsburgh!

Go Pens...Facebook bought this picture for a billion dollars btw

Thought I'd give you a look of me and my swag including a freshly shaved face and haircut before the playoffs begin.  If I'm lucky, I won't have to shave until June.  By that time I hope to be forced to use an actual razor instead of my electric one because my facial hair sucks.

Before I get my 2 cents in regarding the official start of the NHL playoffs, check out this travesty that was the NHL Draft Lottery last night.  Similar to the NBA, 5 teams are eligible for the #1 pick in the NHL.  Toronto sucks at life and got the #5 pick, good for them.  The worthless franchise that is the Islanders on Long Island got the 4th pick, so they can keep sucking, awesome.  The 3rd pick went to the "hey our team is so important to us we have to have a coach and GM that speaks French" Montreal Canadiens, don't even get me started.  Then they went straight to the overall top pick.  The Columbus Blue Jackets had a 48.2% chance of winning this pick.  Instead, they drew the Edmonton Oilers.  For the third year in a row, they have the overall #1 pick.  Unreal.  To prove my point, check out the viewing party down in Columbus (at BW3 where T-Rex and I attended CannonFest last summer before the season got started, awesome place)...the video says it all:

Meanwhile, in relevant news, the real teams are playing meaningful games starting TONIGHT at 7:30pm.

Get your fill with:

• Pens and Flyers at 7:30pm on NBC Sports
• Predators and Red Wings at 8pm on CNBC
• Canucks and Kings at 10:30pm following the Pens games on NBC Sports

Mike Lange calls the Pens games on their radio station and used to do play-by-play on TV, no idea why he no longer does it besides the fact the current guys must do dirty things to keep Mario Lemieux happy if you know what I mean.  Check out some of these highlights from the 2009 Cup run.  You'll enjoy it even if you aren't a die hard fan, just a great voice and frankly, it's funny.

IT'S ON!

The Pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup: 2012 NHL Playoffs Preview

The second season begins Wednesday, April 11th...

It's my favorite time of year.  The NHL playoffs.  It's the best postseason with the coolest traditions.  The game is on another level and the reward is the greatest trophy in all of sports.  If your team is in it, you live and die by every single shot.  If you win a game, you're on the highest of highs for 48 hours and if you lose a game, you think the series is over.  If you've never seen a hockey game, now is the time to seek one out.  You won't be disappointed.  Over the course of the next two months, battle lines will be drawn and playoff beards will be in full effect.  Get ready Bottom Dwellers because it's the Cup...

Last summer the NHL agreed to a nice new 10 year TV deal with NBC.  This postseason it will pay off immediately.  For the first time in the history of the league, all playoff games will be televised nationally.  You can catch all games on NBC, NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus), CNBC, and the NHL Network.  I don't have the NHL Network but I don't care because it's carrying the crappier series haha!

As quick reminder, the lower seeds (1,2,3,4) have home ice and the games breakdown is 2 home, 2 away, 1 home, 1 away, 1 home (if it goes 7 games).  After the first round, teams will re-seed for the conference semifinals.  I'll be bringing you day-by-day updates throughout the playoffs, nothing thorough, just reminders of where we are at, so get ready!

In regards to rules, in the regular season, games that did not end in regulation went to a 4 on 4 five minute overtime followed by a shootout if necessary.  In the playoffs, there will be continuous full 20 minute periods of 5 on 5 until the winning goal is made.  Yes, that means we could see 2, 3, or perhaps 4 overtimes.  It is sudden death so every time the other team has the puck you will die a little on the inside.

Here are the Eastern Conference match ups:

#1 New York Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa Senators (Ottawa won season series 3-1)

Don't let the #1 seeding fool you, this will not be a 4 game sweep.  The Sens match up really well with the Rangers and I expect this series will go 6 games at the least.  Look for free agent pick up Brad Richards to finally show up this season for the NYR.  It will be a good test of depth for the younger Senators but I don't see King Henrik (Lundqvist the goalie) losing in the first round.  

Gainer's Pick:  NYR 4 - OTT 2

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Washington Capitals (Washington won season series 3-1)

Again, another time the higher seed dominated regular season match ups.  Ovechkin and the Caps got hot super hot late and snagged a late playoff spot.  This series is going 7 but the Caps goaltending situation (third stringer Braden Holtby) will cost them in the end.  Boston is the defending champs and Tim Thomas will look to repeat his Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP) performance of last year.

Gainer's Pick: BOS 4 - WASH 3

#3 Florida Panthers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils (Season series split 2-2)

The Panthers have made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.  It was the longest drought of any team in the NHL.  Unfortunately they draw a veteran squad led by hall of famer goalie Marty Brodeur.  Parise, Kovalchuck and company for the Devils will withstand the initial excitement down in Miami to take this series in relatively easy fashion.

Gainer's Pick: NJD 4 - FLA 1

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers (Philadelphia won season series 4-2)

My Pens take on hated inter-state rivals the Flyers.  Frankly, that's all you need to know.  It will feature 2 of the top players in all the NHL with the Penguins' MVP candidate Evgeni Malkin and Flyers young stud Claude Giroux.  Special teams will decide this series as boiling points will be reached in this battle.  I predicted the Flyers in the Finals back in January but screw that, Sid the Kid is BACK!

Gainer's Pick: PITT 4 - PHIL 3

2nd Round Predictions:

#1 New York Rangers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #4 Pittsburgh Penguins

On to the Western Conference Series:

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings (Vancouver won season series 2-1-1)

The Canucks took home the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL.  The Kings squeaked into the playoffs.  However this is a trapper series for Vancouver.  Their goalie Roberto Luongo can be Jekyll and Hyde at points and he's going up against a Vezina (top goalie) contender in Jon Quick of LA.  Can the Sedins rebound after their disappearing act in last year's finals?

Gainer's Pick: VAN 4 - LA 3

#2 St. Louis Blues vs. #7 San Jose Sharks (St. Louis won season series 4-0)

This would seem like a no brainer especially since the Sharks failed to beat the Blues at all.  I, like Boomer, like the Sharks in an upset here.  While the Blues are built from the net out through defense, the Sharks have experience and past champions on their side.  Look for Jumbo Joe Thornton of SJ to dominate and their power play changing the series.

Gainer's Pick: SJ 4 - STL 2

#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks (Phoenix won season series 3-1)

This series has been tabbed by many as the "easy" upset pick.  I disagree.  The Blackhawks still aren't certain if Captain Jonathan Toews will be back, that's huge.  I don't like Crawford in net for them.  The Yotes are riding THE hottest goalie in the NHL Mike Smith and he will steal games.  Marian Hossa sucks and look for former CBJ stand outs Ray Whitney and Antoine Vermette to be X-Factors.

Gainer's Pick: PHX 4 - CHI 3

#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings (Season series split 3-3)

The 4-5 match ups are usually the greatest series (see Pitt/Philly) and this one is no different.  Division rivals. David and Goliath.  The Red Wings have made the playoffs 21 seasons in a row.  Nashville hasn't left the 2nd round in their brief history.  Preds goalie Pekka Rinne (NHL's wins leader) is the difference maker.  Sorry Detroit but your age has caught up to you.  Shea Weber is awesome.

Gainer's Pick: NASH 4 - DET 3

2nd Round Predictions:

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #7 San Jose Sharks

#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #4 Nashville Predators

Here is the TV schedule breakdown for all the series:

NHL Draft Lottery

And for you guys and gals out there who's team is not in this year's hunt, the NHL Draft Lottery is tomorrow (Tuesday, April 10th) at 8pm on NBC Sports.  Especially you Ohioans, the Columbus Blue Jackets have the highest odds for the overall #1 pick in which they have never had (minus the trade up to get Rick Nash). This will determine the order for the 14 teams that did not qualify.  Best of luck to you...NEXT YEAR!

The NHL Regular Season Finale...This is it

The madness has just begun...

The last 6 days are upon us and while many teams have been eliminated, it will be a dogfight for not only a top 8 seed but also which of the 8 seeds a team can grab.  It's a big difference between 4 and 5 when you can get home ice in the first round!  Teams are down to their final 2-3 games and it should be a wild finish.

Here is a look at the updated standings as of this morning:

Eastern Conference
 Team                GP Pts
 1. x-NY Rangers 79 107
 2. y-Boston         79 98
 3. * Florida         79 91
 4. x-Pittsburgh 79 102
 5. x-Philadelphia 79 101
 6. x-New Jersey 79 96
 7. x-Ottawa         79 92
 8. Washington 79 88
 9. Buffalo         79 86
 * = Division Leader

The top 6 of 7 teams have all clinched a playoff spot.  Florida, right now at 3, is the division leader but hasn't clinched just yet because Washington can still win that seed and Buffalo take the 8th spot, leaving Florida out.  It looks like the NY Rangers and Boston will be the top 2 seeds.  Everything else is rather up for grabs!  In my predictions, I liked Buffalo to grab that 8th seed and leaving the Caps out, so fingers crossed.


Western Conference
 Team                GP Pts
 1. y-Vancouver 79 107
 2. y-St. Louis 79 106
 3. * Los Angeles 79 91
 4. x-Detroit         79 99
 5. x-Nashville 79 98
 6. x-Chicago    80 98
 7. Phoenix         79 91
 8. San Jose         79 90
 9. Dallas         79 89
 10. Colorado         80 88
 * = Division Leader

Five out of the top 6 teams in the West have clinched a playoff spot in the crazy tight West.  Los Angeles is the current Pacific division leader in the 3 spot but Phoenix, San Jose, and Dallas are all within 2 points!  Basically what you are seeing is 5 teams battling for 3 spots here.  In my predictions I liked LA, San Jose and Phoenix to grab all 3 remaining spots so I'm looking decent still.

The battle for the President's Trophy (top team in the league) is down to 3 teams:  NY Rangers, Vancouver, and St. Louis.  I actually like one of the 2 Western Conference teams to take it particularly the Canucks.

Here are the games to watch this week (and it should be an epic finale):
Tonight:
Washington @ Tampa Bay 7:30pm on NBC Sports Network
I think it's safe to say that the Caps cannot afford to not get at least 1 point in their remaining 3 games.  Side story here is that Tampa's Steven Stamkos has 56 goals, can he get to 60?

Tuesday:
Pittsburgh @ Boston 7:30pm on NBC Sports Network
My once mighty Pens have lost 4 of 6 and have let in over 40 goals in the past 10+ games.  No better way to turn it around then against the defending champs in the final week.

Wednesday:
Detroit @ St. Louis 7:30pm on NBC Sports Network
Central Division is getting 4 teams in the playoff (minus Columbus of course!) and although St. Louis has clinched the division, the Red Wings desperately want to hold that 4 seed over their rivals Nashville and Chicago who only trail by a point.

Thursday:
New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh 7pm on NBC Sports Network
Last week I would have said this could have the 1 seed spot on the line.  This week I just hope the Pens can turn it around.  The NYR still haven't clinched the top spot so there's a glimmer of hope.

Florida @ Washington 7pm
Basically this game will be for the division title in my opinion.  Whomever wins this match up will be sitting a little more comfortably come Saturday night.  The other? Hoping they don't miss the playoffs entirely...

Friday:
Phoenix @ St. Louis 7:30pm on NBC Sports Network
Phoenix is probably thinking why are they ever so lucky to draw a top team in their final week as they need every single point imaginable?  The nice thing is both teams have something to play for seeding wise.

Saturday (REGULAR SEASON LAST DAY):
Chicago @ Detroit 1pm on NBC
Like I mentioned earlier, Detroit, Nashville and Chicago are all within a point and the difference among seeds 4, 5, and 6 is huge.  Should be fun!

Buffalo @ Boston 4pm
Most likely this game will have everything riding on it for Buffalo.  Boston is stuck in no man's land at the 2 seed so it will be interesting to see what effort is put forth from them.

Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh 4pm on NBC Sports Network
If yesterday is any indication of this probable 4-5 seed match up in the playoffs, then hockey and sports in general are in for a treat.  Me on the other hand?  Heart attack waiting to happen...

Washington @ NY Rangers 6:30pm on NBC Sports Network
Similar to the Buffalo game, everything is riding on this game for the Caps.  We'll have a better idea of what the NYR will be playing for but I doubt they cake walk it in under their coach.

Los Angeles @ San Jose 10:30pm on NHL Network
This game maybe will have not only the division title and a 3 spot on the line but also a playoff spot in general.  I think they both make it but it's possible only 1 gets in, could be the game of the year if that's the scenario.

The new television deal the NHL has set up with NBC Sports is really paying dividends this time of year with all the coverage of the games.  In fact, this year's playoffs will mark the first time in the league's history all playoff games will be shown on television.  Thanks to NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC, and the NHL Network, fans won't miss out on a single game unless you're me and you don't have NHL Network.  Stupid Cleveland...