Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Courage Under Pressure, NHL Playoffs: Day 14

Alex Burrows is the hero of the 1st round for the Vancouver Canucks, as the team avoided a catastrophic loss to the Hawks to advance to the next round.

Vancouver eliminates Chicago: What a magnificent game! The Canucks got it done and it was very entertaining hockey. Luongo was fired up and played a strong game, while the Canucks dominated the contest. They will beat Nashville. (Van wins series 4-3)

Philly eliminates Buffalo: They are who we thought they were, at least who I thought they were; my friend who loaded up on Sabres despite my prediction was not so lucky. His reasoning, Buffalo kept Toronto out of the playoffs, ergo they must win the 1st round series. Flawed logic, but it was close. (Phi wins series 4-3)

Montreal beats Boston: Carey Price won a game in Montreal, well done. The Lucic hit was clean, and I don't know who will win game 7. (series tied 3-3)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Shark Attack, NHL Playoffs: Day 13

There were two hockey games on Monday night, as San Jose eliminated Los Angeles and Tampa forced a game 7 against Pittsburgh. As we move on to game 7 in Vancouver, if the Canucks win they play Nashville, San Jose plays Detroit; and if the Hawks win, they play Detroit and San Jose plays Nashville. As a Wings fan, I'd rather see Detroit play Nashville.

San Jose eliminates LA: All's well that ends well. Should forget about the 5 terrible periods of hockey by Anti Niemi? At least we know that when they yank Niemi, Nittymaki plays well. The Sharks have a well balanced forward line-up that you really can't match lines against. I think this team will advance to the conference finals. (SJ wins series 4-2)

Tampa beats Pittsburgh: Okay, the Penguins are starting to look more like I expected them to. I put this series at about 50-50 before any games were played, but heading into game 7 I'm going to give the Lightning a 53-47 edge. I really haven't watched any of this series, so I do not have much of an opinion. (series tied 3-3)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Refs Fly Like Hawks, NHL Playoffs: Day 12

On a night where the Nashville Predators closed out the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Chicago benefited from friendly referees to steal game 6 from Vancouver. It was bordering on ridiculuous. David Bolland should have had 2-3 penalties, and the Canucks should ask the league to instruct their refs to watch Bolland's stick work after the play.

Chicago beats Vancouver: As a Red Wings fan, I would rather see Detroit play Nashville than San Jose. That being said, the referees were terrible and did everything they could to help the Hawks. Canucks fans are justified to be pissed off. The team played a great game, and should have had 8 more minutes of power play time. I'm not making any predictions for game 7. (series tied 3-3)

Nashville eliminates Anaheim: The Ducks season ended with the vertigo of Jonas Hiller. Ray Emery was nice, but he wasn't going to beat Pekka Rhinne in a 7 game series even with the best line in hockey. This was a good game for my playoff pool.(Nsh wins series 4-2)

Philly beats Buffalo: The Sabres have now lost Connelly and Pominville to injury as the Flyers forced a game 7. Advantage Philly. My friend who drafted 4 Sabres in his playoff pool despite my Philly prediction may owe me an apology. His theory was that Buffalo has to be great because they beat out the Maple Leafs for a playoff spot. Great logic bud... (series tied 3-3)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Oh No Niemi, NHL Playoffs: Day 11

After the Sharks won a convincing victory in game 5 to go up 3-1, goaltender Anti Niemi gave up 3 goals on 4 shots as the LA Kings live to play another day. Boston pushed Montreal to the brink of elimination, Tampa made their series interesting, and the Capitals finished off the Rangers.

LA beats San Jose: While the Sharks remain in the driver's seat to win the series, there are suddenly big question marks surrounding goaltender Anti Niemi who will likely be benched in game 6 in place of Antero Nittymaki. (SJ leads series 3-2)

Boston beats Montreal: Brad Marchand is going to be a great player in this league, as he was the best player on the ice as the Bruins went up 3 games to 2. PK Subban did not look like himself. This series belongs to the Bruins. (Bos leads series 3-2)

Tampa beats Pittsburgh: Steve Stamkos finally decided to show up, as the Lightning zapped the Penguins 8-2. If the genie is out of the bottle, this could present a big problem for the injury riddled Pens. (Pit leads series 3-2)

Washington eliminates New York: Was there ever any doubt? This might be the year of the Capitals. I know that I wasn't really going out on a limb to pick the 1st place team in the East to win the East, but it is still nice to see them advance. Ovechkin is fun to watch, and I like to see him continue playing. (Wsh won series 4-1)

Friday, April 22, 2011

What About Bobrovsky? NHL Playoffs: Day 10

This night belongs to Tyler Ennis and Jerred Smithson, as Nashville and Buffalo both go up 3 games to 2. Philly punished rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky by deciding to return to last year's playoff duo, and now they find themselves on the brink of elimination. Well done Buffalo.

Nashville beats Anaheim: This series went from 50-50 to 65-35 in favour of Nashville. Good news for anyone who does not own any Ducks in their playoff pool. The Jonas Hiller vertigo story doesn't get enough coverage, as it is likely to cost Anaheim a playoff run. Hiller was on a sensational post Christmas hot streak and suddenly disappeared with vertigo. The Ducks relied on offensive production to make the playoffs, but Rhinne-Emery is a serious mismatch. How much would the Anaheim Mighty Ducks love to have Sergei Bobrovsky right now? (Nsh leads series 3-2)

Buffalo beats Philly: Shame on the Philly Flyers for demoting Sergei Bobrovsky, who helped me win my fantasy hockey league. It's hard to blame them for wanting to go back to the tandem that took them to the finals last year, but they have ridden the Russian rookie hard this season. The odd part is that the team said he was #1 going into the playoffs, and he played very well. He only gave up one goal in the first game and got replaced with Boucher in game 2. I like Buffalo to win this series. (Buf leads series 3-2)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Trouble Brewing In Vancouver, 2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 8

The tension in the city of Vancouver is so thick you can smell it in the air. Fans are nervous, as they are asking what happens if the Canucks blow a 3-0 lead with game 7 at home? This was supposed to be the dream season, but 3-2 sure feels a lot different than 3-0, outscored 12-2 in the last two games against the team that eliminated Vancouver the last two seasons. My friends and I were talking about the probability of riots downtown if the Canucks lose game 7. Not only have they lost two in a row, the team has been terrible, on forward, defense, and in the net. This has been a complete team meltdown, and it started when Vigneault starting taking the Sedins off the ice when the checking line is on for Chicago.

Chicago beats Vancouver: Right now Duncan Keith is playing like a man possessed, and if he keeps this up he will be winning the Conn Smythe and Chicago will be winning the series. Something is wrong not only with Roberto Luongo, but the whole line-up. Vigneault is once again getting too cute with line changes, pulling the Sedins off the ice when the Bolland line is out. When you start telling two MVP calibre players to get off every time one guy is on the ice against them, you get in their head and drag the whole team down. Viggy should not try to match lines in game 6. I think Vancouver has a better chance of winning game 6 than game 7. (Van leads series 3-2)

Boston beats Montreal: Brad Marchand, Mike Ryder, and Chris Kelly played hero for the Boston Bruins who tied up their series with Montreal after going down 2-0. The road team has won every game in this series. If the Bruins can't win at home, Montreal will win the series. (series tied 2-2)

San Jose beats LA: As Dennis Green would say, they are who we thought they were. After 4 terrible periods, San Jose hasn't looked back and is getting balanced scoring from throughout the line-up. Thus far Ryane Clowe is their MVP, with their unsung hero being Ian White on D. After telling my friend that I liked San Jose to make it to the conference finals, he loaded up on Sharks in his playoff pool. I don't feel so bad about that now as I did two days ago. (SJ leads series 3-1)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dread The Red, 2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 8

The Detroit Red Wings have ended the season of the Phoenix Coyotes, possibly winning the last NHL game played in that city. It was a good night to sit back, drink a few beers, and watch my favourite team sweep the team I want relocated to Winnipeg. May the Jets fly back to Manitoba. The Penguins continue to defy my expectations, and Buffalo had a giant win. I still can't pick a winner of Ducks-Preds, but this has been a very exciting playoffs.

Detroit beats Phoenix: Dread the Red! As I texted my buddy tonight "Darren Helm is great, he's the next Kris Draper". It is what it is, and they did it without Zetterberg, their regular season most valuable forward. If San Jose wins, they play Detroit. If LA wins, Detroit plays the winner of Anaheim-Nashville. (Det wins series 4-0)

Pittsburgh beats Tampa: This is turning into a big story, the Penguins continuing to win without Malkin and Crosby. Either Dan Bylsma is the greatest coach that has ever lived, or it was often exaggerated how much this team needed its super duper stars. Steven Stamkos is a great young talent, but he's not all that effective right now; Jordan Staal is more valuable. Kris Letang deserves Norris consideration. (Pit leads series 3-1)

Anaheim beats Nashville: The outstanding play of Teemu Selanne has been one of the most under reported story of these playoffs. This series is a 50-50 proposition. (Series tied 2-2)

Washington beats New York: Much like last night's Kings-Sharks game, I changed channels when the Rangers went up 3-0. An hour or so later I switch back and it is heading into overtime. Two unlikely comebacks in as many nights, and both times I changed the channel only to see later on that the favourite came back and won in overtime. Washington will win this series. (Wsh leads series 3-1)

Buffalo beats Philly: The Sabres are still alive, and their probability of winning the series is better now than when the playoffs started. Jason Pominville scored the games only goal, as Ryan Miller shut out the offensive powerhouse Flyers. (Series tied 2-2)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 7

The 7th day of the 2011 NHL playoffs brought an incredible come from behind win for the San Jose Sharks. This was a giant win for the Sharks in dramatic overtime fashion, and made me feel better about myself for picking this team to advance to the conference finals. I was starting to question my judgement, and could not understand how LA was dominated as they did for 4 periods. Across the continent, Chicago finally won a game and were pretty jacked up for this elimination contest.

San Jose beats Los Angeles: This was a great game, though I missed most of the comeback. When the Kings went up 4-0, I thought the game was over and changed the channel to Greatest Tank Battles on Nat Geo. When I flipped back, the game was tied 5-5. The Sharks dominated the 3rd and won the game shortly into overtime with some Devin Setoguchi heroics. (SJ leads series 2-1)

Chicago beats Vancouver: It is nice that the Hawks got to feel good about themselves before being eliminated. This series was not destined to be a sweep and Chicago played a strong game while Luongo did not. (Van leads series 3-1)

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 6

It is day 6 of the NHL playoffs and I have to keep my wrap-up brief. I worked a 12 hour day and have to work again early in the morning. Go Wings Go!

Boston beats Montreal: Earlier in the year I predicted Tim Thomas would win the Vezina. He won a big game tonight. (Mtl leads series 2-1)

Detroit beats Phoenix: The Coyotes never had a chance. Detroit comes at you with 4 lines who can score. They had about a dozen different players with at least 10 goals this year. (Det leads series 3-0)

Pittsburgh beats Tampa: The Penguins won, and I have no opinion of this game. (Pit leads series 2-1)

Philly beats Buffalo: This is shaping out how I thought it would, but my buddy insisted on drafting Sabres in his playoff pool. I tried to warn him. (Philly leads series 2-1)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 5

Day 5 of the NHL playoffs was desperation time for the Chicago Blackhawks, and they couldn't get it done going down 3-0, one loss from an early departure to the golf course. Right now there is not a team in the Western conference that I would pick over Vancouver in a 7 game series, not Detroit or San Jose. The Rangers squeaked out a win, and the back and forth continued with a Nashville victory.

Here are my recaps of Sunday's games. I watched most of the Vancouver game, some of the Nashville game and none of the Rangers game.

Vancouver beats Chicago: Is it destiny, or is this just not Chicago's year? This might have been the Hawks best game of the series, but it still was not enough. The Sedin brothers showed up again, backed up by strong efforts from every line. Erhoff and Edler were outstanding. There was a controversial hit on Brent Seabrook by Raffi Torres that some said deserved a suspension, but I thought they were clean and good hockey hits. This could be the year. (Van leads series 3-0)

Nashville beats Anaheim: This series is a coin toss, but right now I like Nashville though a tip of the hat has to go to Teemu Selanne for his two goal performance in a losing effort. Nashville wins in 7 games. It was amusing to watch Mike Fischer fight Ryan Getzlaf with a concerned Carrie Underwood anxiously watched from her luxury suite. (Nsh leads series 2-1)

New York beats Washington: Brandon Dubinsky played the role of hero and prevented the Rangers from going down 3-0 to the Capitals. Dubinsky had a nice start, but he was dead weight on in my hockey pool for the 2nd half of the season. Despite the dramatic win, I still give New York no chance to win this series. (Wsh leads series 2-1)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 4

On the 4th day of the 2011 NHL playoffs, once again two teams went up 2 games to 0, and two teams tied their series. The four brightest stars of the night were Drew Doughty, Pavel Datsyuk, Jon Quick, and Carey Price. LA shocked me, while Philly and Detroit are who I thought they were (as Dennis Green might say). Montreal has been a big surprise, especially Price is right.

Here are my recaps of the night's games:

Detroit beats Pheonix: How good is this team going to be when Zetterberg comes back, assuming he comes back? Datsyuk was incredible with a goal and 3 assists while Holmstrom and Lidstrom picked up 2 PTS each. The Coyotes are a terrible home team and the fans have given up on them ahead of their imminent move to Winnipeg. Detroit will win the series. The Jets will move back to Winnipeg. (Det leads series 2-0)

Montreal beats Boston: Carey Price is on his way to being the first star of this series, though an honourable mention has to go to PK Subban. Montreal has two great young players that you can build a team around. Hall Gill might be the most under-appreciated very valuable player in the NHL. Boston doesn't look right. How many teams who lost the first two games at home went on to win the series? I have lost a little bit of respect for Milan Lucic, though not having Chara tonight was a huge blow for the Bruins. (Mtl leads series 2-0)

Los Angeles beats San Jose: In December a dude in my fantasy hockey league offered me Drew Doughty for Tyler Ennis (Doughty started slow). I accepted the trade as fast as fast could be. Drew led the Kings to a 4-0 victory tonight collecting points on every goal. San Jose had a lot of shots but couldn't beat Quick, and LA took advantage of some power plays. This could get interesting, but I still think the Sharks are the better team. They have to play better than this to win the series. (series tied 1-1)

Philly beats Buffalo: Here is the high scoring game that I expected in game 1, with the Flyers winning 5-4. The Philly's scoring was spread evenly throughout the line-up, with 3 of their top 4 point getters coming from the blue line. Tom Vanek scored 2 goals for Buffalo, with Boucher collecting the win in place of Bobrovsky (which is odd because what about Bob played very well in game 1). (series tied 1-1)

Friday, April 15, 2011

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 3

On the 3rd day of the NHL playoffs, Vancouver and Washington went up 2 games to 0, while Anaheim and Tampa evened their series. I had to work and could only watch the last period of the Canucks game, but I have been watching highlights on NHL On The Fly, so that qualifies me as expert in tonight's events.

Vancouver beats Chicago: It may be to early to predict a sweep, but this series is close to over. The Canucks are the better team, and in game 2 the Sedin twins stepped up with a big game when Luongo was mediocre. Chicago made it interesting at the end, but ultimately this team needs Byfuglien to beat Vancouver in a 7 game series. (Van leads series 2-0)

Washington beats New York: The inability to score has doomed the Rangers, whom I never gave any chance of winning this series. No PTS from Marian Gaborik through 2 games defeats the purpose of such a highly paid offensive player. This is Washington's year. My friend got Ovechkin in the 7th pick of their playoff pool and loaded up on Capitals. To quote Borat, "I like". (Wsh leads series 2-0)

Anaheim beats Nashville: This was the offensive outburst we all knew that Anaheim was capable of, as they overwhelmed Vezina challenger Pekka Rhinne 5-3. Ray Emery wasn't exactly spectacular, but with Perry-Getzlaff-Ryan in top gear, he didn't need to be. Before this series started I predicted it was 50-50. My opinion remains unchanged. (series tied 1-1)

Tampa beats Pittsburgh: Of all the people you expected to lead the Lightning to a 5-1 victory in game 2 vs the Penguins, Eric Brewer wouldn't be high on anyone's list (except maybe his family's). I am cheering for Pittsburgh, but Tampa has more fire power. If the Penguins win, it will come down to coaching, defense, and goaltending, a battle they lost on Friday. (series tied 1-1)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 2

The second day of the 2011 NHL playoffs saw a heroic performance by Montreal's Carey Price, who turned aside all 31 shots he faced to shutout the Boston Bruins 2-0. There was an exciting overtime goal by Joe Pavelski, and a big upset in Philly. It was a great night to watch playoff hockey.

Montreal beats Boston: Carey carried the team on his shoulders in this 2-0 victory. Brian Gionta scored 2 goals, this after I recommended my friend take him in the 8th round of his playoff pool. While I predicted that Boston would beat Montreal in the playoffs after they blew them out in the last game of the regular season, the Bruins didn't look very good. (MTL leads series 1-0)

Buffalo beats Philly: Ryan Miller showed up to play against Philly, and much like Price led his team to an underdog shutout victory. A lone goal by Patrick Kaleta was the difference. I had expected this to be a high scoring series, as Philly has both a dominating offense and unreliable goaltending. While I rode Bobrovsky and Boucher to victory in my fantasy hockey league, they had a lot of bad games. (Buf leads series 1-0)

San Jose beats Los Angeles: This was a very exciting hockey game to watch, with the Big Pavelski scoring the overtime winner. Jonathon Quick played an outstanding game and was the only reason LA had a chance. Anti Niemi is a significant upgrade from Evgeni Nabokov. (SJ leads series 1-0)

Golfing Furry Creek

I recently had the opportunity to golf the Furry Creek golf course in British Columbia, the same grass where Happy Gilmore fought Bob Barker. It was early in the season and course conditions were a little rough, but the course itself is marvelous and beautiful none the less. It will eat novice players alive, but if you are an intermediate player this is the kind of course that everybody needs to experience at least once in their golfing lives. The PGA should be doing events at Furry Creek, or at least an annual skins game. On a personal note I played one of the best rounds of my career with a birdie and 3 pars. The secret to my success was not hitting deep balls, but rather just hitting it straight and in the air.


Here is the 1st tee box. You start your day 150 yards from the fairway.

Some of the hazards boggle the mind, and are very difficult for your amateur and novice players. Bring a lot of golf balls with you to Furry Creek. The next picture is one of the most impossible shots you can ever experience as a golfer. This should almost be illegal.


Or how about being 150 yards away from the flag according to your golf cart's GPS, but the green is about 30 yards above the fairway. I hit a 6 iron with a clean shot that was far enough but not enough loft. There were no clubs in my bag that could match the loft and distance required. None of my threesome made it up the cliff. We all took drops at the top of the hill.



Then there is the tee box 60 yards from the cart path.


I strongly recommend trying out this course if you have the opportunity. Novice players, male and female, should all play from the ladies tees, at least on half of the holes. If you play in March or April the price might be right, but the course is spongey. At peak season this course is $99 a round. We played on the first day the course was open for half price.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

2011 NHL Playoffs: Day 1

Welcome to Night 1 of my 2011 NHL Playoff diary as the Canucks, Red Wings, Capitals, Predators, and Penguins all pick up wins on the opening night of the big show. I want to have my own Doogie Howser moment on my blog every night for the playoffs. Having predicted a Canucks-Capitals Stanley Cup finals, I am on my way to validation. Though, picking the top two seeds to win their Conference isn't exactly going out on a limb. The San Jose Sharks are my next favourite team, one of the NHL's best in the second half thanks to production from Marleau, Pavelski, and Setoguchi.

Here is my brief recap of Night 1.

Vancouver beats Chicago: The Canucks are going to win this series, and the difference between this year and last is clearly the lack of Dustin Byfuglien. Luongo played great, the Sedin twins did not, but goals from Chris Higgins and Janik Hansen powered Van to a 2-0 victory. (Van leads series 1-0)

Detroit beats Phoenix: No Zetterberg, no problem. Johan Franzen's 2 points helped the Wings secure a come from behind 4-2 victory. The Coyotes might have been doomed from day 1, as it was announced today that the franchise would move to Winnipeg after this season, but the NHL was quick to come out and deny the "allegation". (Det leads series 1-0)

Washington beats New York: The ref probably should have blown his whistle before the puck went into the net on the late game tying goal, but that doesn't change the fact that I gave the Rangers virtually no chance of winning the series and my opinion remains the same. (Wsh leads series 1-0)

Nashville beats Anaheim: As exciting as the Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan line has been, Dan Ellis is not going to beat Pekka Rhinne in a 7 game series. Nashville had a rare explosion of offense against the Ducks in a 4-1 win, led by Mr. Carrie Underwood's 2 goals. Mike Fischer provided very little production after arriving in Nashville, but if he helps him win a playoff series he was worth the 1st round pick. (Nsh leads series 1-0)

Pittsburgh beats Tampa Bay: It is astonishing to me how well Pittsburgh has continued to play without Crosby and Malkin. Thanks to Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury, this team wins hockey games, and blanked the offensive juggernaut in Tampa in a 3-0 victory. If Crosby returns, this could get interesting and make for a great story. (Pit leads series 1-0)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

NHL 2011 Playoff Scoring Forecast

Here are my predictions for 2011 NHL playoff scoring, but it does come with a disclaimer. The list is an approximate forecast of production that does not necessarily constitute where these guys will go in your draft. My formula may predict Marleau to be top 5 in scoring, but you can likely get him 10-15 picks later. Same with Joe Pavelski. It is difficult to predict where players will be drafted in playoff pools, because different contestants have different approximations of games played and value. I counselled one of my friends through a draft Monday night, and some of the picks were nutty to say the least.

Injuries have been accounted for, and points per game was forecast using points since the allstar break. The GP forecast was more a function of probability theory and expected value. For example, I think Anaheim V Nashville is 50/50. So instead of giving a slight favourite 12 expected games and a slight underdog 6 expected games, I give both teams 9 expected games and split the 30% that the winner goes to the Conference final at a final E[GP]=10. Without further adieu, here's my list the two numbers you see are Expected Games Played and Expected Points.

PLAYER POS TEAM E[GP] E[PTS]
Alex Ovechkin, LW WSH 19 23
Daniel Sedin, LW VAN 17 21
Patrick Marleau, C SJ 16 19
Henrik Sedin, C VAN 17 18
Joe Pavelski, C SJ 16 18
Corey Perry, RW ANA 10 16
Mikael Samuelsson, RW VAN 17 15
Ryan Getzlaf, C ANA 10 14
Alexander Semin, LW WSH 19 14
Nicklas Backstrom, C WSH 19 14
Ryan Kesler, C VAN 17 14
Claude Giroux, RW PHI 15 14
Devin Setoguchi, RW SJ 16 13
Joe Thornton, C SJ 16 13
Pavel Datsyuk, C DET 15 13
Brooks Laich, C WSH 19 13
Martin St. Louis, RW TB 10 13
Logan Couture, C SJ 16 12
Mike Knuble, RW WSH 19 12
Milan Lucic, LW BOS 13 12
David Krejci, C BOS 13 12
Christian Ehrhoff, D VAN 17 12
Teemu Selanne, RW ANA 10 12
Danny Briere, C PHI 15 12
Henrik Zetterberg, C DET 13 11
Dany Heatley, RW SJ 16 11
Dan Boyle, D SJ 16 11
Jeff Carter, C PHI 15 11
Ryane Clowe, RW SJ 13 11
Bobby Ryan, RW ANA 10 11
Alex Burrows, C VAN 17 11
Johan Franzen, LW DET 15 11
Nathan Horton, RW BOS 13 10
Jonathan Toews, C CHI 9 10
Vincent Lecavalier, C TB 10 10
Patrick Kane, RW CHI 9 10
Jiri Hudler, LW DET 15 10
Nicklas Lidstrom, D DET 15 9
Brian Rafalski, D DET 15 9
Mike Richards, C PHI 15 9
Marcus Johansson, C WSH 19 9
Patrick Sharp, C CHI 9 9
Simon Gagne, LW TB 10 9
Torrey Mitchell, C SJ 16 9
Mason Raymond, LW VAN 17 9
Marian Hossa, RW CHI 9 9
Daniel Cleary, RW DET 15 8
Lubomir Visnovsky, D ANA 10 8
James van Riemsdyk, LW PHI 15 8
Ville Leino, LW PHI 15 8
Sergei Kostitsyn, LW NSH 10 8
Steven Stamkos, C TB 10 8
Martin Erat, LW NSH 8 8
Patrice Bergeron, C BOS 13 8
Marco Sturm, LW WSH 19 8
Zdeno Chara, D BOS 13 8
Saku Koivu, C ANA 10 8
Tomas Holmstrom, LW DET 15 8
Matt Carle, D PHI 15 8
Chris Kunitz, LW PIT 9 8
Jannik Hansen, RW VAN 17 7
Thomas Vanek, LW BUF 7 7
Christopher Higgins, LW VAN 17 7
David Legwand, C NSH 10 7
Brad Marchand, LW BOS 13 7
Scott Hartnell, RW PHI 15 7
Ian White, D SJ 16 7
Tomas Kaberle, D BOS 13 7
Todd Bertuzzi, RW DET 15 7
Teddy Purcell, RW TB 10 7
Mark Recchi, LW BOS 13 7
Jordan Staal, C PIT 9 7
Kris Versteeg, RW PHI 15 7
Tyler Kennedy, C PIT 9 7
Patric Hornqvist, RW NSH 10 7
Andrej Meszaros, D PHI 15 7
Matt Hendricks, C WSH 19 7
Kyle Wellwood, C SJ 16 7
Mike Green, D WSH 16 6
Drew Stafford, RW BUF 7 6
Daniel Paille, LW BOS 13 6
Brent Seabrook, D CHI 9 6
Niklas Kronwall, D DET 13 6
Jason Arnott, C WSH 16 6
Shane Doan, RW PHX 7 6
Jason Chimera, LW WSH 19 6
Ray Whitney, LW PHX 7 6
Shea Weber, D NSH 10 6
Kimmo Timonen, D PHI 15 6
Michael Ryder, RW BOS 13 6
Mike Cammalleri, LW MTL 8 6
Vaclav Prospal, C NYR 7 6
Mike Modano, C DET 15 6
Ryan Suter, D NSH 10 5
Dan Hamhuis, D VAN 17 5
Jason Blake, LW ANA 10 5
Brian Gionta, RW MTL 8 5
Eric Fehr, RW WSH 19 5
Darren Helm, C DET 15 5
Jason Pominville, RW BUF 7 5
Valtteri Filppula, C DET 15 5
Kevin Bieksa, D VAN 17 5
Radim Vrbata, RW PHX 7 5
Marian Gaborik, RW NYR 7 5
Brad Boyes, C BUF 7 5
Tomas Plekanec, C MTL 8 5
Dominic Moore, C TB 10 5
Brad Stuart, D DET 15 5
James Wisniewski, D MTL 8 5
P.K. Subban, D MTL 8 5
Cam Fowler, D ANA 10 5
Tim Connolly, C BUF 7 5
Alexei Kovalev, RW PIT 9 5
Jason Demers, D SJ 16 5
Duncan Keith, D CHI 9 5
Gregory Campbell, C BOS 13 5
Tyler Ennis, LW BUF 7 4
Sami Salo, D VAN 17 4
Dustin Brown, RW LA 7 4
Mike Fisher, C NSH 10 4
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D SJ 16 4
Andrej Sekera, D BUF 7 4
Andrei Kostitsyn, RW MTL 8 4
David Desharnais, C MTL 8 4
Artem Anisimov, C NYR 7 4
Brett Clark, D TB 10 4
Chris Campoli, D CHI 9 4
Matt Halischuk, RW NSH 10 4
Pascal Dupuis, RW PIT 9 4
Blake Geoffrion, LW NSH 10 4
Douglas Murray, D SJ 16 4
Steve Downie, RW TB 8 4
Raffi Torres, LW VAN 15 4
Mathieu Perreault, C WSH 19 4
Dennis Seidenberg, D BOS 13 4
Eric Belanger, C PHX 7 4
Justin Abdelkader, LW DET 15 4
Drew Miller, LW DET 15 4
Lauri Korpikoski, C PHX 7 4
Brandon Dubinsky, LW NYR 7 4
Nathan Gerbe, LW BUF 7 4
Shawn Thornton, RW BOS 13 4
Brandon McMillan, C ANA 10 4
Joel Ward, RW NSH 10 4
Jordin Tootoo, RW NSH 10 4
Andrew Ference, D BOS 13 4
Paul Gaustad, C BUF 7 4
Derek Stepan, C NYR 7 4
Erik Christensen, C NYR 7 4
David Schlemko, D PHX 7 4
Jamal Mayers, C SJ 16 4
Zbynek Michalek, D PIT 9 3
Jonathon Blum, D NSH 10 3
Marc-Andre Bergeron, D TB 10 3
Adam McQuaid, D BOS 13 3
Nikolay Zherdev, RW PHI 15 3
Andrew Desjardins, C SJ 16 3
Tyler Myers, D BUF 7 3
Sean O'Donnell, D PHI 15 3
Keith Yandle, D PHX 7 3
Mats Zuccarello, RW NYR 7 3
Mikkel Boedker, RW PHX 7 3
Dan Sexton, RW ANA 10 3
Bryan Bickell, LW CHI 9 3
Ben Lovejoy, D PIT 9 3
Roman Hamrlik, D MTL 8 3
Sean Bergenheim, LW TB 10 3
Steve Montador, D BUF 7 3
Mathieu Darche, LW MTL 8 3
Tomas Kopecky, C CHI 9 3
Michael Frolik, C CHI 9 3
Victor Oreskovich, RW VAN 17 3
Cody Franson, D NSH 10 3
Tyler Seguin, C BOS 13 3
Karl Alzner, D WSH 19 3
Drew Doughty, D LA 7 3
Ryan Smyth, LW LA 7 3
Brian Campbell, D CHI 9 3
Scott Gomez, C MTL 8 3
Wojtek Wolski, LW NYR 7 3
Darroll Powe, LW PHI 15 3
Nate Thompson, C TB 10 3
Dustin Penner, LW LA 7 3
Wayne Simmonds, RW LA 7 3
Colin Wilson, C NSH 10 3
Braydon Coburn, D PHI 15 3
Marc Staal, D NYR 7 3
Johnny Boychuk, D BOS 13 3
Chris Pronger, D PHI 10 3
Taylor Pyatt, LW PHX 7 3
Maxime Talbot, C PIT 9 3
Kris Letang, D PIT 9 3
Mike Weber, D BUF 7 3
Scott Hannan, D WSH 19 3
Boyd Gordon, RW WSH 19 3
James Neal, LW PIT 9 2
Justin Braun, D SJ 16 2
Vernon Fiddler, C PHX 7 2
Jarret Stoll, C LA 7 2
Michal Handzus, C LA 7 2
Viktor Stalberg, LW CHI 9 2
Luca Sbisa, D ANA 10 2
Jeff Halpern, C MTL 8 2
Brandon Prust, RW NYR 7 2
Ruslan Fedotenko, RW NYR 7 2
Kyle Turris, C PHX 7 2
Paul Martin, D PIT 9 2
Lars Eller, C MTL 8 2
Mike Rupp, LW PIT 9 2
Andreas Nodl, RW PHI 15 2
Nick Boynton, D PHI 15 2
Rob Niedermayer, C BUF 7 2
Adam Hall, RW TB 10 2
Benoit Pouliot, LW MTL 8 2
Nick Spaling, C NSH 10 2
Ryan Johnson, C CHI 9 2
Michael Sauer, D NYR 7 2
Patrick Eaves, RW DET 15 2
Brad Richardson, C LA 7 2
Bryan McCabe, D NYR 7 2
Lee Stempniak, RW PHX 7 2
Toni Lydman, D ANA 10 2
Mark Mancari, RW BUF 7 2
Marc-Andre Gragnani, D BUF 7 2
Yannick Weber, D MTL 8 2
Jack Johnson, D LA 7 2
Victor Hedman, D TB 8 2
Ryan McDonagh, D NYR 7 2
Francois Beauchemin, D ANA 10 2
Kevin Klein, D NSH 10 2
Alec Martinez, D LA 7 2
Travis Moen, LW MTL 8 2
Brian Boyle, C NYR 7 2
Dan Girardi, D NYR 7 2
Steve Kampfer, D BOS 13 2
Blair Betts, C PHI 15 2
Trevor Lewis, C LA 7 2
Craig Adams, RW PIT 9 2
Ruslan Salei, D DET 15 2
Jakub Kindl, D DET 15 2
Chris Conner, RW PIT 9 2
Aaron Rome, D VAN 17 2
Ryan White, C MTL 8 2
Mike Lundin, D TB 10 2
Troy Brouwer, RW CHI 6 2
Niclas Wallin, D SJ 16 2
Paul Mara, D MTL 8 2
Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW LA 7 2
Matt Greene, D LA 7 2
Chris Butler, D BUF 7 2
Jake Dowell, C CHI 9 2
Brooks Orpik, D PIT 9 2

Sunday, April 3, 2011

April 2011 NHL Power Rankings

The NHL playoffs are coming soon to an arena near you, and here are my pre-playoff Power Rankings

1. Vancouver, 113 PTS (last rank #1): Losing Malhotra hurts, but this is still the best team in the league.

2. Washington, 103 PTS (last rank #3): After a slow start, we learn that they are who we thought they were.

3. San Jose, 101 PTS (last rank #4): They are who they were supposed to be.

4. Detroit, 100 PTS (last rank #2): This team will show up in the playoffs.

5. Philadelphia, 102 PTS (last rank #5): This team is vulnerable in the playoffs. Their goaltending is an issue. I owned Boucher and Bobrovsky on my fantasy team, so I know.

6. Boston, 99 PTS (last rank #6): This team will beat Montreal if they meet in the playoffs.

7. Tampa Bay, 97 PTS (last rank #8): Won 4 straight.

8. Chicago, 92 PTS (last rank #9): It is tough to tell how good this team really is, but I got the Canucks in 6 if they meet in the playoffs.

9. Pittsburgh, 100 PTS (last rank #11): I can't believe how well they are doing without Crosby, who is now skating with the team.

10. Anaheim, 93 PTS (last rank #16): Hiller is back, Corey Perry is on a tear. This team could upset a top seed in round 1.

11. Los Angeles, 96 PTS (last rank #7): Losing Kopitar hurts hard.

12. Nashville, 95 PTS (last rank #15): I would rather see my Wings play Nashville than Anaheim or Chicago in round 1. Pekka Rhinne is a serious candidate for the Vezina.

13. Montreal, 91 PTS (last rank #10): I don't see this team repeating its playoff success of last season.

14. Phoenix, 96 PTS (last rank #12): This team is not going deep.

15. Buffalo, 88 PTS (last rank #19): They won't win a playoff series.

16. Calgary, 89 PTS (last rank #14): Not a playoff team.

17. Dallas, 87 PTS (last rank #13): Not a playoff team.

18. NY Rangers, 87 PTS (last rank #17): Trouble brewing.

19. Carolina, 86 PTS (last rank #21): Staying alive.

20. Toronto, 84 PTS (last rank #22): Not yet eliminated, but it is pretty much over. At least Boston won't get another lottery pick.

21. Minnesota, 82 PTS (last rank #18): Coming back to reality.

22. Columbus, 81 PTS (last rank #20): Falling off pace.

23. St. Louis, 80 PTS (last rank #24): Bright future, foggy present.

24. New Jersey, 77 PTS (last rank #23): Second half run cost them draft status, but I still like Lemaire for the Jack Adams.

25. Atlanta, 78 PTS (last rank #25): This could be a playoff team next season. Tobias Enstrom doesn't get the credit he deserves.

26. NY Islanders, 72 PTS (last rank #26): Need new ownership, management, and a new city. But otherwise the future is bright.

27. Ottawa, 70 PTS (last rank #28): Decent end to the season.

28. Florida, 70 PTS (last rank #27): Move to Quebec City, ASAP.

29. Colorado, 66 PTS (last rank #29): Extent of their collapse almost unbelievable.

30. Edmonton, 59 PTS (last rank #30): Worst team in the league right now.