• As far as the NFL Playoffs go, all four games this weekend were pretty entertaining. I didn't catch much of the Seahawks-Redskins game, or of the Titans-Chargers. I have to say that I was hoping the Titans would win against San Diego, for two reasons: One being that I like the underdog, and two being that LT is a huge whinebag, and seeing him and Philip "I was just cheering on my teammate" Rivers exit in the first round again would have been pretty sweet. It seems like taunting is OK, as long as its your team doing it, huh LT? Regardless of whether or not I like him, however, LT is the best running back in the game, and their matchup with the Colts next weekend should be a good one. (One of the good things about the Seahawks winning is we get to see a Matt Hasselbeck vs. Lambeau Field rematch. You gotta love Matt's enthusiasm here, but let's hope it turns out better for him this time around...)
  
• The other game that I thought was interesting was the Steelers-Jaguars game. When I originally saw the score, the Jags were way up, and I figured the game was over. Kudos to the Steelers for coming back, but I think their go ahead score was helped along by a questionable pass interference call. I can't find a video link to it, but the replay clearly showed that Ward had his hand in the Jags' player's facemask the entire time, letting go at the end to...complain to the ref. In the end, the Jags' prevailed, and have earned the right to face the Patriots next week. This should be a good game, as Garrard certainly showed some composure down the stretch, and Jones-Drew and Taylor are a formidable one-two punch. Saturday night will be fun in Foxboro.
• Boston College hosted a marquee matchup at the Heights on Saturday, and got absolutely steamrolled by the Kansas Jayhawks. It's good to see that BC continues to be completely inept when it comes to winning big games. Take THAT for not accepting me...
  
• The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to get stellar goaltending from journeyman Ty Conklin, who is now 7-0 as a starter. And I thought it was just the Bruins who made third-string goalies look spectacular...
• The Celtics got a huge win against the Pistons on Saturday night, and got a huge performance from "Big Baby", Glen Davis. Davis was all over the place down the stretch last night, going after rebounds like Cookie Monster after some snacks. Davis had a couple of And-1's and a key offensive rebound late, all amounting to a clutch fourth quarter performance. This was a big win for the C's, as they avenged their only home loss of the season and showed the Pistons that they aren't ready to just accept second place in the Eastern Conference. These two teams should engage in some more great battles down the stretch, and may be primed for an Eastern Conference Finals showdown.
• No post would be complete without some Bruins comments, as the B's have been playing a lot better since ending their losing streak last Monday. They've now one three straight, over the Thrashers, Capitals and Devils. They held on last night, and got a timely save from none other than Glen Metropolit in the closing seconds. Brian Gionta continues to try and start with Zdeno Chara, then watches as everyone on his team comes to his defense, mainly because Chara would send Gionta into next week with one punch. The B's are in what I'm going to call a "proving ground" stretch of their schedule, with games this week against the Devils, Hurricanes and Canadiens, all teams they have yet to beat this season (with the exception of beating the Devils yesterday). If the B's can emerge from this 3 game stretch at 2-1, and they're in good shape, having won the first one, I'd be thrilled.
• The Flyers propensity for throwing huge/borderline hits finally came back to hurt them, this time quite literally. To be honest, I can't throw much blame on Hatcher for the hit, but it was a questionable hit to throw in the first place. It's unfortunate that he hit his own teammate, and hopefully Lupul will be OK. I do wonder, however, if Flyers' fans are going to come out in droves again, calling this simple Old Time Hockey. Hmmmmm...
• The Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee carousel continues to turn, with essentially each calling the other a liar. I didn't see the 60 Minutes piece, but my brother who did said that it was essentially Clemens simply saying "No, I didn't do it" over and over again, without much elaboration. This article on ESPN.com tells a similar story, with one of Clemens' lawyers saying that anyone who didn't believe Clemens after seeing that interview is "not a well person". Uhhh...OK. Basically, this is amounting to a case of He said-He said. Clemens says it was lidocaine and B-12, McNamee says it was testosterone. Basically, one of these people is going to be shamed publicly and called a liar. If it's Clemens, many of his accomplishments may (whether it's the right way to view it or not) be invalidated. If it's McNamee, does this invalidate the whole Mitchell Report, to which he was a big contributer. Basically, it's the word of a 300 game winner against that of a "clubhouse mole". Hopefully, the "true truth" will come out, but it isn't going to be easy, and will probably get a lot uglier before this all ends.

After going 8 for 8 in the first round (though I will concede I made those picks with a late start), it's time for the predictions and thoughts for the second round of what have already been great games in the NHL Playoffs. The first round is always the easiest to pick, as the higher seed won all but 2 series (San Jose and New York Rangers). The second round match-ups should be great ones, and if the first round is any indication, hockey fans are in for as good a playoffs as we saw last season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Buffalo Sabres vs 6. New York Rangers (Season series: Buffalo, 3-1)- Buffalo took care of business in the first round, dispatching the Islanders in 5 games. As the 1 seed, this isn't much of an accomplishment, more like the fulfillment of an expectation. Either way, the Sabres looked strong in the first round, and it appears certain that their 113 point season was no fluke. The Rangers, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive sweep of the Southeast Conference champion Atlanta Thrashers, including a 7-0 beating in game 3. The series win helped the Rangers get the #### off their back of having not won a playoff series since 1997, and certainly cemented the confidence of the team. This should be a great match-up, and it's hard to pick which way it will go. It'll be interesting to see if Sean Avery makes good on his promise to "hurt" the Sabres, or if it just further motivates the talented Buffalo group. For whatever reason, I feel like the Rangers may have the edge in this series, and may be on enough of a rule to sneak past the Sabres. Rangers in 6.

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2. New Jersey Devils vs 4. Ottawa Senators (Season series: New Jersey, 3-1)- Ottawa disappointed the national media in dismissing the Penguins, and in doing so sending home the biggest star in the league, but Pittsburgh was simply too young and Ottawa too talented for that series to go any other way. The Devils came back strong to beat the Lightning, winning in 6 after falling behind 2-1. An area of concern for Devils fans is, surprisingly enough, goaltending, as Brodeur has at times been inconsistent this postseason. After watching game 6 however, I think it's safe to say he may be back. He turned back shot after shot in Tampa's last gasp rush at the end of the 3rd, and looked like the goaltender he really is. Also, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Patrik Elias began to produce near the end of the series, which is a big bonus for the Devils. Ray Emery has played well for the Sens, and they need him to keep playing well to have the best chance to win. It'll be close, but I think the Senators will expose the Devils and take the series. Senators in 7.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Detroit Red Wings vs 5. San Jose Sharks (Season series: San Jose, 3-1)- This should be a fantastic series, even if the seedings make it seem a little uneven. Detroit took care of their "number 1 seed" business in the first round, holding off the Flames after a late charge by Calgary. The Sharks impressively dispatched the Predators in 5 games, and looked good doing it. Evgeni Nabokov continues to play well in the playoffs, and Dominik Hasek was a little unsteady against Calgary. I'd give the goaltending advantage to San Jose, but the offensive firepower is pretty even. Detroit is under a lot of pressure, or should be anyways, after a few disappointing playoffs in a row, especially considering last season's series defeat at the hands of Edmonton. Even with the home ice advantage, Detroit won't be able to hold off San Jose's offensive onslaught and will be sent home early again his summer. San Jose in 6.

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2. Anaheim Ducks vs 3. Vancouver Canucks (Season series: Anaheim, 3-1)- These two teams are coming off two completely different series. Anaheim easily sent Minnesota home, winning their series in 5 games. Vancouver, on the other hand, finally beat the Stars in a marathon of a series, especially considering the length of the first game of that series. Anaheim has been a Cup favorite since the beginning of the season, and they have done little to show that they don't deserve such recognition. They are a force to be reckoned with, and will give the Canucks more than they can handle. Even with the way Roberto Luongo has been playing, the Ducks will be able to outlast the Canucks. I think it will go 7, but the Ducks will prevail in the end. Ducks in 7.

So there you have it. These picks are a lot less confident than my first round selections, but we'll have to wait and see. Feel free to leave any comments or your picks too.

Thanks for stopping by, hockey fans.

I still think that the NHL has the best playoffs out of any major sport, with baseball probably being close behind. I'm sure I'll be ripped by fans of the NFL and NBA who claim that their playoffs are just as good, if not better. The NFL does sometimes hold my interest when the Patriots aren't involved, but I just cannot get into an NBA playoff game unless the Celtics are playing. With the NHL, I can watch every game, even without a vested interest in either side, and still be very entertained. Last year's Stanley Cup Finals was once of the best series I have ever seen in any playoffs, and most of the other series didn't disappoint either.

 I know at least a little bit about all of the teams in this year's playoffs, and know a lot about some of them too. I don't really have a favorite team this year, but there are some teams that I guess I "wouldn't mind" seeing hoist Lord Stanley in June.

 My favorite teams in this year's playoffs are:

-San Jose Sharks:  I've always liked the Sharks, for reasons that I don't really remember. It probably began when I just liked their cool logo back when they were an expansion team. Now, they have an exciting team, and also have some former Bruins with a guy named Joe and Kyle McLaren. They also have one of the better scorers in the league in Jonathan Cheechoo, an exciting young rookie in Milan Michalek, and a formidable goalie tandem in Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. They will be strong contenders for the Cup, but they do face a strong first round opponent in the 110 point-Nashville Predators.

 -Calgary Flames: I also don't know why I'm a fan of the Flames. I'm interested in seeing how Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart perform. Also, I loved the passion shown by the Calgary fans in the '03-'04 Stanley Cup Finals loss in seven games to the Lightning. I don't know what it is, but Calgary would be a cool winner, especially because they are an 8-seed out West, and I'm always a fan of the underdog.

-Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are what I wish the Bruins would be, mainly because of their physical style of play that seems to almost be the norm out West. They have a very strong defensive corps, led by Francois Beauchemin, Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. They also have good offensive weapons in Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz and Rob Niedermayer. Like the Sharks, they also have a strong two-pronged goalie duo with Ilya Bryzgalov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. They are going to be very tough to beat out West.

I don't think it's any coincidence that no teams from the East are among my favorites, simply because they are all frequent opponents of the Bruins. I'd jump on the Pittsburgh bandwagon, because a Stanley Cup victory by Sidney Crosby's Penguins would be a huge marketing boost for the NHL, but I think that enough of the national sports media has climbed on the bandwagon, and it might be a little full.

Let's take a look at each series in the first round, with the predictions for each at the end in bold. Since I'm writing this after all of the series are in full swing, the current series records are in parentheses after the team names.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

 1. Buffalo Sabres vs 8. New York Islanders (Series tied 1-1)- This seems like it would be a completely one-sided series, since the Sabres have been amongst the best teams in the league all year. I wouldn't mind seeing the Sabres go down, mainly because Daniel Briere is my least favorite player in the league. The Islanders entered the playoffs in probably the coolest way possible (and eliminated the hated Leafs in the process) by winning a shootout against the New Jersey Devils. They have been riding the hot hand of Wade Dubielewicz, and got a solid performance from Rick DiPietro in his first game back in game 2. However, even with my overall distaste for the Sabres, I can't deny the amount of weapons they have as a team, and think they will prevail in the end. Sabres in 6 games.

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2. New Jersey Devils vs 7. Tampa Bay Lightning (Series tied 1-1)- This is a great match-up, with two of the league's top five scorers in Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis of the Lightning facing off against one of the greatest goalies in history in Martin Brodeur. The Devils have been playing really well all year, and even made a run at the Sabres for best record in the East towards the end of the year. I can't pick against solid goaltending, so I think the Devils will come out on top. Devils in 6 games.

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3. Atlanta Thrashers vs 6. New York Rangers (Rangers up 2-0)- This seemed like it would be a really close series, with both teams playing really well down the stretch to secure a playoff berth. The Rangers were on the verge of being out of it, then went on a tear and moved all the way up to sixth place. The Thrashers seemed rejuvenated with the arrival of Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik. However, after the first 2 games, the Rangers seem like they have the series under control. They took the first two games on the road in Atlanta, and are now firmly in control of the series, and I can't really see them losing control. Atlanta will take one, but the Rangers will take the series. Rangers in 5 games.

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4. Ottawa Senators vs 5. Pittsburgh Penguins (Ottawa up 2-1)- This is the series that everyone is watching. The Senators have been perennial playoff disappointments, and the Penguins have been the league's darlings all year. Everyone wants Sidney Crosby's team to succeed. To his credit, his team has had an amazing turn around, one of the top 5 point turn-arounds season to season in NHL history. They have a great group of players in Crosby, Colby Armstrong, Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and a great young goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury. The Senators have a strong team as well, with Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and the always-entertaining Ray Emery in net. This series is going to be a dogfight, but I think the Senators will be able to pull it out. Senators in 7 games.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Detroit Red Wings vs 8. Calgary Flames (Detroit up 2-0)- Detroit has been a quiet success, not receiving much media attention while accumulating 113 points and tying Buffalo for the most wins at 53. Calgary snuck in as the 8 seed, squeezing in ahead of the surging Colorado Avalanche. Detroit still has a ton of talent, and the steady playoff hand of Dominik Hasek in net. Calgary also has talent, with plenty of toughness as well in Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regher. They also have one of the best goalies in the league between the pipes in Miikka Kiprusoff. After losing the first two games in Detroit, I think Calgary will be able to take at least one of the next two at home on the Red Mile. Even so, Detroit is too good to blow this series lead. They have been dominating this series so far, outshooting the Flames 97-35 in the first two games, and will be able to close it out without much of an issue. Detroit in 5 games.

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2. Anaheim Ducks vs 7. Minnesota Wild (Anaheim up 2-0)- When Minnesota came to Boston in early March, I was surprised to hear that they were in solid playoff standing, simply because I hadn't heard much about them. They are a good young team, led by Marian Gaborik and Brian Rolston, and have pretty solid goaltending with Manny Fernandez and Niklas Backstrom. Even so, I don't think there is a chance for the Wild to win this series. They may sneak one in at home in front of those rabid Minnesota hockey fans at the Excel Center, but the Ducks will win the series. Anaheim in 5 games.

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3. Vancouver Canucks vs 6. Dallas Stars (Vancouver up 2-1)- Before even getting into who has the advantage in this series, I have to say that game 1 between these two teams pretty much captured what is so great about playoff hockey. FOUR overtimes! That's nearly 140 minutes of full tilt, pedal to the metal, playoff intensity hockey. Vancouver had 3 players with more than 50 minutes of ice time (Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa), and Dallas had 2 (Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher). Zubov led all players in ice time at 55:08. That's nearly 56 minutes on the ice, which is almost a full game. Roberto Luongo made 72 saves in his first career playoff game. SEVENTY-TWO!!! An amazing game, one that I wish I had been able to watch but couldn't due to Versus not being offered on my dorm's TV. Either way, I read stories and saw highlights, and this game was everything that the playoffs should be. As far as the actual series goes, it should be a good one. Vancouver has been quietly fantastic all year, as has Dallas. Both teams have solid goaltenders in Luongo and the Stars' Marty Turco, and both also have proven scorers in Dallas' Mike Modano and Vancouver's Markus Naslund. This should be a great series, though it may seem like a let-down after such a thriller in game one. I think Roberto Luongo will be the difference maker. If he can continue to play as well as he has (and I think he will), the Canucks will be able to hold of Dallas. This series does have the potential to go the distance, especially after another overtime game in game 3, but Vancouver will prevail. Vancouver in 6 games.

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4. Nashville Predators vs 5. San Jose Sharks (Series Tied 1-1)- This series, when I looked at the seedings, really surprised me. Nashville with 110 points at number 4, and San Jose with 107 points at number 5? Both of these teams are very talented, and are only numbers 4 and 5 respectively because of who else is in their division (Detroit for Nashville and Anaheim for San Jose). This is probably going to be the best series of the playoffs, and it's hard to decide which way to go. In the end, the duo of Toskala and Nabokov could prove too much for Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg and the Preds. San Jose in 7 games.

So there you have it, playoff predictions just a week late...

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No blog post is complete without Bruins news or thoughts, and this one is no excuse. Here are some "quick hits" from the Bruins.

• The Bruins took a lot of grief all year from Toronto and Montreal fans, so one can imagine my happiness as both teams were eliminated from the playoffs in the last two games of the season. So what did these two teams gain by being "this close" to the playoffs? Nothing. They are still taking an extended summer vacation, and are actually worse off than the Bruins are, since they are now picking further down in the draft. Taking joy in others' misfortunes isn't usually an admirable thing do to, but rules are out the window when dealing the Toronto and Montreal.
• In looking at the above playoff predictions, one thing stands out. A lot of the elite teams have 2 dependable goalies, and their success isn't just a coincidence. The Bruins have a wealth of goaltenders in their system, and just need to figure out what their plan is for the future. In talking with my brother the other night about this team, the tough position that this team is in came to light. They showed flashes of excellence this season when Tim Thomas was on his game, and he can be a solid goalie. However, the team is in a bind as to what to do next. Should they bail on Toivonen and bring in a Toskala, Nabokov or Giguere? The sticky situation gets worse when thinking about how young Hannu is, and a team never wants to give up on a young player who has shown so much talent at times. He just needs a little more experience and more development. Also, bringing in a high-caliber goalie would probably delay the NHL arrival of the "Chosen One", Tuukka Rask. Even this has a catch though, as Rask is going to need some time. He is likely going to spend all of next season in Providence, then see where he is headed after that. Should the team really base the next 2 years (at least) on the possibility that Rask will be the goalie of the future? By all accounts, Rask will be great. He is already near the top (if not the number one) goalie prospect in the world, but it's never good to put that much pressure on such a young kid. My opinion? Do nothing. Keep Thomas and Toivonen, let them play 1-2 next year, and let Dave Lewis ride the hot hand in 2007-2008. This team's problem last year was both inconsistence and defense. If the defense can be shored up with a small trade or free-agent signing, that would be the best solution. Toivonen and Thomas can do the job, and if Toivonen steadies his game, Bruins could be looking a Finnish-tandem of Toivonen and Rask a few years down the road.
• In watching "The Bricks", Andy Brickley's end of season awards show for the Bruins that highlighted the best plays of the year, it became apparent that this team's offense really fell apart with the loss of Glen Murray. The flak that this guy gets is puzzling. Sure, he's not that young, but he's also no Chris Chelios. He had 28 goals in 59 games, missing a bulk of the end of the year due to injury. As the show showed highlights of the great goals of the season, the Bruins' power play worked like clockwork at times. Pass from Bergeron to Chara, Chara to Savard, Savard back across to Bergeron, Bergeron across to Murray in the slot, Murray into the back of the net. Bing, ####, boom. This is why the "TRADE MURRAY!" complaints are so puzzling. He is one of the key cogs to this offense, probably second only to Marc Savard's amazing playmaking ability. Sure he may be getting up there, and he does have a pretty large contract, but he's still a pure scorer and a great player.
• Dave Lewis' job has been all but secured for at least the START of next season, and I'm really not disappointed. I think he deserves another shot, considering he was as new with his players as they were with him. If he doesn't start off well next year though, Chiarelli won't hesitate to let him go. If next October is as sluggish as October '06, Dave Lewis will be looking for a new job.
• Please, please, please, please, PLEASE don't trade Patrice Bergeron. This came up in an article by Kevin Paul Dupont in the Boston Globe a few weeks ago. Dupont said that if a trade was to be proposed to San Jose for Nabokov, a Murray/Toivonen package would no longer cut it due to Murray's injury, and Dupont then elaborated, saying that Sharks GM Doug Wilson would probably ask for Patrice Bergeron instead. If this trade happened, it would push me away from the Bruins probably for good. I don't think Chiarelli is this rash or, to put it bluntly, this stupid, but I felt like it needed to be said.

Any Bruins fan can vouch for the fact that this season has been far from quiet, far from easy and far from predictable. This team has looked like they could take on the World All-Stars and shut them out, them come out on the following night and looked like they were a Pee-Wee team that took a wrong turn on the way to the rink. The inconsistency has been, in my opinion, the most frustrating part of the season. Last year, the B's were out of it early. Now it's March 13, and they are still remotely in contention for a playoff berth, as unlikely as it may be. With all of the problems, this team is still only 5 points out of 8th place in the conference with 13 games to play. Their "games in hand" secret weapon is really no longer a factor. They squandered each of those games completely, failing to make up any ground at all. The 5 points seems like nothing, but they also need to leap over 4 teams to claim the 8th spot. Impossible? Of course not, but definitely unlikely.

Since my last post, there have been 7 games played, and, surprisingly enough, this stretch has been a microcosm of their season. Here's a game by game mini-breakdown, mainly with how big of a win or loss each was:

 3/1: OT Loss to Philly- I was at this game, and it was pretty frustrating. Tim Thomas made more than 50 saves, and the Bruins had a 2-0 lead after less than 5 minutes. If it's any consolation, Scottie Upshall made a great play to end the game, and they did take at least 1 point out of it. Ugly Loss.

3/3: Win versus Montreal- Great game, full house, action packed. Coming off the Philly game, this was an important one. Big Win.

3/4: Win versus New Jersey- With Joey MacDonald in net, this was probably the best effort of the season. The Devils are challenging the Sabres for 1st in the East, and the Bruins essentially shut them down. Coming off the big Montreal win, this game should have done wonders for this team's confidence. Should have. Another Big Win.

3/6: Loss against Colorado- I was at this game, and boy, was it ugly. No offense, no rhythm, no tempo, nothing remotely threatening against the Avalanche. Bad game following a great effort against the Devils. Bad Loss.

3/8: Loss versus the Wild- I was at this game too, and saw my second straight home stinker. This game showed a little more offense from the Bruins, and they made it interesting at the end, but it was still a terrible game. Even worse loss.

3/10: Loss at Philadelphia- Awful is the one word that can sum up this game. Sure, Philly has been playing better since the Forsberg and Biron trades, but come on boys. Have some pride. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible Loss.

3/11: Win versus the Red Wings- Again, similar to the Devils game, the Bruins seemed to play up to their opponents, beating the second best team in the NHL 6-3 at home in front of the entire nation on NBC. Great Win.

So there you have it. Up and down this team continues to go. Where it stops? Hopefully the playoffs, but who knows? With 2 more games against the Rangers, whom they haven't played well against all year, and 3 against Montreal, anything is possible. A consistent and strong effort versus the Caps on Thursday would be a good place to start. I'm not ready to shift my focus to just Daisuke, Beckett, Manny and the bullpen just yet.