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.

Before I get to the trades, a couple of things that were especially painful about last night's home loss to the Atlanta Thrashers:

• 1. Atlanta is a team who is ahead of them in the standings, another quality opponent where a win could have built confidence for this team. Not only that, they were reeling themselves, having gone 2-5-2 in their last 9 before last night's game. They were 8 points in front of the Bruins last night, and this could have been a great win for the team.

• 2. This was one of the Bruins hidden tools down the stretch: a game in hand. One of the reasons I've yet to concede defeat this season is that the Bruins have at least 2 games in hand on nearly every team in front of them. This was one of them, and it was wasted in a losing effort.

• 3. I couldn't watch the game, since my dorm's satellite TV doesn't carry Versus (Sorry, this is more of a personal complaint).

This upcoming game vs. Philadelphia is a must win (aren't they all down the stretch, though?), since this team can barely afford another loss, let alone another one of their infamous mini-skids. The game vs. Florida Saturday night was a lost cause, and fans probably could have sensed this one coming going into the game. It came on the tail end of a long, difficult road trip, and was against a team that the Bruins have struggled mightily against all season. Sure, 7-2 is a bit much of a loss, but a loss is a loss, no matter by how many or how few. I think some of the internet message boards bashing of Hannu Toivonen is unjustified. Yes, he let up 4 goals in 2 periods, but he also faced 33 shots, an amount that most goalies will face in an entire game. Blame should be put on Toivonen for the goals, but he shouldn't bear the brunt of it, as a sieve-like defense in front of him did little to prevent Florida's offensive onslaught.

Chiarelli has finally done the right thing with Toivonen in sending him down to Providence. Joey MacDonald can serve as an emergency backup down the stretch, and Toivonen can continue to develop and play regularly down in Providence. A point was made the other day that Toivonen, had he been an American born player, could be (just as an example) be a starting senior goalie at Boston University this year. He's just a kid at this point, and hasn't gotten the time or chances that he both deserves and needs to develop into the player that he should be.

Now, on to a wild day of trades, and not just by the Bruins. However, since they affect me the most, I'll start there.

Paul Mara (D) to the New York Rangers for Aaron Ward (D): In my opinion, this trade is a wash. I liked what Mara brought to this team. He was a local guy who seemingly wanted to play here. He also brought a little edge to the team, and his fight against Leafs' punk Darcy Tucker remains one of the highlights of the season. Ward is older (34 vs. 27), but brings a lot of experience with his age. He was a member of Carolina's Stanley Cup winning team last year before signing with the Rangers this summer as an Unrestricted Free Agent. He was a member of 2 other Cup teams as well, both times with the Detroit Red Wings (1996-1997 and 1997-1998). The only area where this trade benefits the Bruins is monetarily, as Ward's salary is slightly lower than Mara's ($3 mil. vs. $2.75 mil.).

Brad Boyes (C/RW) to the St. Louis Blues for Dennis Wideman (D): This was a head scratcher for me. I love Boyes, and as a player, he was one of my favorites on the team. There is no denying that he wasn't producing this year, but I think Chiarelli may have given up on him too early. Boyes is a second year player, only 24 years old. Everyone in sports knows of the famed "sophomore slump". Yes, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin aren't suffering from the same slump, but no one would ever suggest that Boyes is of the same talent level as those 2. Wideman is a young guy who has been in the league for a year. I don't really get this trade because of the seeming wealth of young defenseman that the Bruins have in Providence (Matt Lashoff, Mark Stuart, Jonathan Sigalet, etc.). He is listed on TSN as a "career potential" power play specialist. Hopefully he can blossom into a great offensive defenseman, and hopefully Boyes can go on to have a great career for St. Louis. He's a great kid, and deserves the best.

The title of my post comes from the question that I have in my head right now, which is did Chiarelli make these moves just for the sake of making a trade? In most cases, teams are either buyers or sellers at the deadline. The Bruins made a wash of a trade and a questionable one, neither one greatly benefiting the team or giving an indication of giving up. I hope Chiarelli did his research, and these don't end up being mistakes.

This was a HUGE trade deadline around the NHL, with a ton of big name players changing hands. Some that stuck out, just because of the Bruins connection, were made by Pittsburgh. What's the connection? Ray Shero, the Penguins GM, turned down the Bruins job, and in the opinions of some message boards posters, did a great job of ripping off teams to make great deals for the Penguins. They acquired an enforcer to protect Sid the Kid in tough guy Georges Laraque from Phoenix, and added power forward Gary Robers in a trade with Florida. Pittsburgh was on a tear before the deadline, and they seem to be ready to make a playoff push.

Here are some other trades that stand out:

• Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers-- Glen Metropolit, 2007 1st and 3rd round picks and 2008 2nd round pick to the St. Louis Blues: The Thrashers are making a desperate playoff push at this point, seriously mortgaging their future for here and now. Tkachuk gives them another big scoring threat, giving them more firepower to add to Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Also, St. Louis got a pretty good return for the aging forward, and seems to be arming itself for the future.
• Bill Guerin to the San Jose Sharks-- Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball and 2007 1st round pick to the St. Louis Blues: "Dollar Bill" Guerin reunites with Jumbo Joe in San Jose, again bolstering an already potent offense. The main interest I have in this trade is again on the St. Louis end, as they got 2 young players and a first round pick in exchange for another aging veteran. Again, arming themselves for the future.
• Todd Bertuzzi to the Detroit Red Wings-- Shawn Matthias, 2007 conditional draft pick, 2008 conditional 2nd round draft pick to the Florida Panthers: Detroit picks up a guy who has the potential to add a lot to their team. The key word in that last sentence, however, is POTENTIAL, and I haven't read into it, but I'm guessing the conditions of the draft picks depend on how many games Bertuzzi actually plays as a Red Wing. The Red Wings already currently have the 3rd most points in the NHL, and a healthy Bertuzzi would make them that much more formidable down the stretch.
• Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders-- Robert Nilson, Ryan O'Marra, 2007 1st round pick to the Edmonton Oilers: This is a really big trade. Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe actually said "It was probably the most difficult phone call I've ever had to make" when talking about informing Smyth that he had been traded. Smyth was an assistant captain, and one of the most (if not the most) popular player on the team. Apparently, Lowe felt he couldn't resign Smyth, and had to move him. This is also bad news for the Bruins, as the Islanders are ahead of them in the standings and acquired a great player to help them down the stretch.

Since my last post a little more than 2 weeks ago, the Bruins have gone up and down, only to recently go back up again. Since the 4th of February, the Bruins have gone on a mini-streak of sorts, going 6-2, losing a tough one at home to Carolina 5-2 and a seemingly crushing loss at the time out on Long Island. They've also won 3 in a row, beating Buffalo in another epic shootout, overpowering the Flyers in a game that seemingly lacked defense, and, in their biggest game of the season, shutting out division rival and 8th place (at the time) team the Maple Leafs. Tim Thomas came up huge again, this time making a remarkable 44 saves. He was the reason that the Bruins won that game, making huge saves down the stretch including some saves that he shouldn't have had to make on a 4 minute Bruins power play.

If your a Bruins fan and you gave up on the season, which it would have been easy to do, it's hard to not get excited again right now. One of my favorite parts of last night's huge win had to be that it was done without key offensive cogs Patrice Bergeron and Glen Murray. I think both are still questionable for Tampa on Friday. In my eyes, the game against Tampa is a must win as well. Tampa would be a huge confidence boost for this team, considering they currently sit in first place in the Southeast division and third place in the conference with 71 points. As this post is being written, here are the current Eastern Conference standings (or at least the important parts for the Bruins):

((Games Played)-Wins-Losses-Overtime Losses-Points)

7. Montreal: (62) 31-25-6 68

8. Carolina: (62) 30-25-7 67

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9. Toronto: (60) 29-23-8 66

10. NY Islanders: (60) 29-23-8 66

11. NY Rangers: (60) 29-26-5 63

12. Boston Bruins: (59) 29-26-4 62

13. Florida Panthers: (61) 23-26-12 58

A number that sticks out on this list is Florida's 12 overtime losses. Take 6 of those and turn them into wins and they'd be right back in the thick of things. The thing that these standings show is that the Bruins are far from dead. They are 6 points out of 7th place in the conference, with at least 3 games left against the currently-7th place Canadiens.

Overall, I feel confident about the way the Bruins have been playing lately. Also since my last post, Brandon Bochenski came to the B's from the Blackhawks for Kris Versteeg, and Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau were shipped to Calgary for Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference. I like both trades. The Versteeg one I was a little unsure of since I didn't know much about Bochenski, but it ended up being one young guy for another young guy, which is never really a bad trade. Bochenski has provided an offensive spark since his arrival, and

The next week of games will decide the Bruins' fate this season, and I am confident in this team. Tim Thomas may be on one of his "streaks", and if the Bruins can ride him and keep the offense going, the playoffs may not be out of the question...