"Just stop enough of the limitless critical comments on my life, just drop the judgement and all the pseudo-involvement in my life." -- Disturbed, "Just Stop."

It is unlikely the band knew Brian Burke when they wrote the song, which is ironically played at most Anaheim Ducks home games, but it could not be any more appropriate.

Just ask Kevin Lowe.

Or, for that matter, anyone else who is tired of the gong show in Anaheim.

At one point, the bombastic general manager of the Anaheim Ducks was entertaining. He seemed to be a breath of fresh air, a bit of honesty, a front office man with an entertainment factor.

That seems like such a long time ago.

Yes, Burke presided over last year's Stanley Cup championship squad, so it seems a bit odd to criticize him at this point. However, at a certain point, it is hard to take anymore.

Like most people who grew up in Canada or the United States' hockey belt, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the game. I also have a tremendous amount of respect for the people in the game, so writing a column criticizing anyone who has reached this level is not something I aim to do.

Having said that -- Burke, please quit talking.

And while you are at it, please show some of that aforementioned respect to your colleagues.

At some point, it goes from entertaining and honest to self-centered and bombastic. That line seemed to be crossed months ago, but if there was any question, just look at his recent interview on TSN.

"If I had run my team into the sewer like that I wouldn't throw a grenade at the other 29 teams and my own indirectly," Burke told TSN's James Duthie. "So I have no intention of speaking to him anytime soon."

Burke went on to say would not even talk to Lowe if he wanted to talk trade with the Oilers later in the season, saying assistant GM Bob Murray would contact the Oilers.

Don't bother. There's no reason for Lowe to listen to anything coming from Anaheim at this point.

The comment that Lowe has run the team into the sewer is absurd. For years, Lowe found a way to get the low-budget Oilers into the playoffs, even at a time when the loonie dipped as low as 61 cents U.S.

In the 2005-06 season, Lowe's Oilers came one game away from winning the Stanley Cup. The next year, they found themselves a few points out of the playoff picture at the trade deadline, and at that point, the wheels indeed came off.

Without their top two goal scorers from last season, as well as Scott Niedermayer, there is no guarantee the same thing will not happen to Anaheim this year, which makes Burke’s comments even more odd. Still, the Oilers could easily be playoff-bound once again this year, thanks to rookies like Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano, as well as free-agent additions such as Sheldon Souray, Joni Pitkanen, and.... Dustin Penner.

 Of course, the latter is the cause for Burke's comments. Burke flew off the handle when Lowe offered Penner -- a restricted free agent -- a five-year offer sheet worth $4.3 million per year.

In rejecting the chance to match the offer sheet, Burke said he would be as stupid as the guy who made the offer if he matched the offer.  

Keep in mind Penner had 29 goals last season. Burke gave $4 million per year to Todd Bertuzzi, a similar player to Penner, except he had just 3 goals last season and is battling chronic back injuries.

It is very hard to understand why Burke thinks Lowe's offer was stupid, given his signing of Bertuzzi at that amount. Yet somehow, this is not surprising.

Burke has made some off the wall comments in the past, such as defending Donald Brashear's taunting of the opposition bench after scoring a goal. Burke said after the incident Brashear had done nothing wrong and if people did not like that, to pass a rule against excessive celebration.

As is so often the case, he missed the point. Celebrating goals is part of hockey -- thankfully, this is not the No Fun League (NFL). Taunting is not. But Burke failed to grasp the lack of class in Brashear's actions.

Ironically, Brashear's taunting of the Boston bench a few months later helped lead to the infamous incident involving him and Marty McSorley.

On an interview with Home Ice XM 204 last season, Burke defended his decision to vote against meaningful change to the NHL schedule. He said the team polled season ticket holders, and there was "only" 16 percentage point difference between those who wanted change and those who did not.

Last time I looked, 16 percentage points was pretty overwhelming.

At the same time, Burke went on TSN and said he strongly opposed every team going to every arena every year -- the only solution that pleases most fans. The next night, he went on the Ducks' pre-game show on FSN Prime Ticket and said the fans wanted change and he definitely wanted some kind of change.

Which is it, Brian? You keep opposing every team in every arena, saying the most you will go to is seeing teams from the opposite conference every other year in each arena. Yet you seem to indicate to the home fans you favor meaningful change.

Perhaps something is being lost in the translation. Half the Eastern teams in the West every year is not meaningful change -- it is only two or three more games against the other conference. And that is not meaningful by any standards.

In the current situation with Lowe, Burke simply does not make sense. Yes, Burke won the Stanley Cup last year, and he seems rightfully aware. But it was far from all Burke -- a lot of the credit goes to former GM Bryan Murray.

Burke inherited an organization with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Andy McDonald, Chris Kunitz (who actually left through waivers and was claimed back under Burke), and perhaps most importantly, Rob Niedermayer.

Scott Niedermayer signed with the Ducks largely because of his brother's presence. The brothers are very close, and Rob was the one without a Stanley Cup. Winning a Stanley Cup with his brother completed the elder Niedermayer's career, and many feel he would have signed anywhere his brother was playing.

Burke did a good job in dumping salaries such as Sergei Fedorov, Petr Sykora, and Sandis Ozolinsh, and the Chris Pronger trade worked out well. Yet once again, Anaheim would not likely have been on Pronger's list of potential teams had it not been for the ground work done prior to Burke's arrival.

Unfortunately, too much of the time, it all seems to be about Burke. What other organization can say their highest profile person is not a player or a coach, but rather, a general manager?

It should not have to be that way.

If Todd Bertuzzi signed in Anaheim thinking a low pressure, quiet, hockey outpost would be a comfortable situation to get his career back on track, he may be sadly mistaken.

Thursday morning, the Ducks chose not to match Edmonton's five-year, $21.5 million offer sheet for Dustin Penner, the man many consider to be the next Bertuzzi.

Even Ducks general manager Brian Burke, in between comments that his (former?) friend Kevin Lowe was "stupid" -- apparently "gutless" and "classless" were not enough -- admitted Bertuzzi's signing put the Ducks in a tough position when it comes to resigning Penner.

Bertuzzi signed for $8 million over two years -- just $125,000 less per season than Penner's offer sheet.

Last season, Bertuzzi played 15 games, scoring two goals and adding 8 assists for 11 points.

Penner played all 82 games, scoring 29 goals and adding 16 assists for 45 points.

Yet all along, it was clear Burke would sign Bertuzzi. After the 2005-06 season, Burke hinted to season ticket holders at the select-a-seat he would go after Bertuzzi when he was an unrestricted free agent. Although he said he could not say much because of tampering, his intentions were clear.

Bertuzzi had five solid seasons for Burke in Vancouver, including a career high 97 points in 2002-03, but his career has been derailed by injuries since the lockout. Most troubling, the biggest problem has been his back, an injury that often fails to heal completely.

For $1 million plus incentives, Bertuzzi would be a good signing. For $4 million per season -- nearly as much as Teemu Selanne made the past two seasons combined while scoring 98 goals -- the contract made no sense at the time.

And now, the man who seemed ready to take Bertuzzi's torch as one of the game's better finesse power forwards -- if there is such a thing -- was essentially let go because of Bertuzzi's signing.

Oh sure, many will say there is no correlation. But look at the numbers -- Bertuzzi is locked up for two years. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are restricted free agents after next season, and after watching their linemate get a huge payday, do not count on either of them signing before July 1.

If Burke matched the Penner offer sheet, he could be put in the position of losing one, or both, of the other two young stars if an offer sheet came their way next summer. After all, Bertuzzi's money -- as well as the money of 38-year-old defenseman Mathieu Schneider (two years, $11.25 million) -- will still be on the books at the time.

Most of Anaheim's contracts last beyond the end of this coming season, so Burke had little option but to let Penner walk.

After the Bertuzzi signing, that is.

Nobody wishes ill will on Bertuzzi, and most Ducks fans are hoping he finds his form of the early part of the decade. Yet by the same token, Burke has lost several of the blue chip prospects he inherited when he took the reins two years ago.

Joffrey Lupul -- gone in the Chris Pronger trade. This one made sense, as the chance to get Pronger was irresistible.

Shane O'Brien -- traded for a mid-to-late first round draft pick.

Penner -- lost to an offer sheet.

Many are saying Penner will be under intense pressure in Edmonton, and they point to Lupul as an example. After a 28 goal campaign in Anaheim, Lupul scored just 16 goals and tallied 28 points with the Oilers last season.

Lupul was sent to Philadelphia for Joni Pitkanen, and many feel Penner could follow suit by failing to live up to expectations. However, there is no relevant comparison.

Lupul is an Edmonton boy, and his grandfather is even a minority owner of the Oilers. The pressure of playing in your hometown can be overwhelming anywhere, but in Edmonton, the pressure is ratcheted up a few notches.

Edmonton is a hockey town with incredible tradition. Players will be recognized everywhere they go, and playing there is like playing in a fish bowl. To be honest, it is an incredible environment and is one of the best places to play in the NHL.

Sure, the weather gets a little chilly and there is a lot of travel involved, but it is an intense hockey environment.

But for Lupul, the environment may have been a little too intense. In addition to being a highly touted local, Lupul was viewed as the key cog the Oilers received for Pronger. A pressure packed situation for anyone, never mind a 23-year-old hometown boy.

Penner hails from Winkler, Manitoba, a prairie town best known for cold weather and a strong Mennonite community. He is used to the weather and the culture of the area, but he does not have the hometown pressure -- not to mention, he is completely separate from the Pronger deal.

It is hard not to be happy for Penner. A young player who could not even make his local junior team, he went to a small junior college in Bottineau, North Dakota, and then played a year at the University of Maine before being signed to an entry level contract by Anaheim.

Now, he is incredibly wealthy, a young emerging superstar, and is on top of the world.

North America loves success stories and self-made people. Penner fits the bill as well as anyone.

Regardless of what Burke says about Lowe's recent performance, the fact is, the Oilers always find a way to be competitive. Two bad months at the end of last season seem to have made people forget about the Western Conference Championship the previous year.

Not to mention years of impressive playoff berths while the Oilers struggled financially, in large part because of the then-weak Canadian dollar.

The Oilers are no longer a small-market team. Their revenues were reported to be seventh of the league's 30 teams last season, and the loonie is nearing par with the American greenback.

Everyone has seemingly written off the Oilers for next year, but never count out an Edmonton squad. It is a hockey town, and hockey towns produce consistently strong hockey teams.

It was not desperation on Edmonton's part that landed Penner in Oil Country. Rather, it is a commitment to win, and a commitment to win now.

And suddenly, those Anaheim-Edmonton tilts appear nearly as compelling as they appeared last year at this time.

Tuesday was supposed to be Mark Messier's day in Edmonton.

A day after one of the city's major highways was renamed Mark Messier Trail, the native son of St. Albert had his jersey retired prior to Tuesday's matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes.

In theory, the choice of date seemed logical. Messier's longtime teammate and friend Wayne Gretzky would be there as the Coyotes' coach, and few dreamed the Oilers would be sellers at the trade deadline.

As it turns out, the story of the day had to do with another great Oiler leader.

Tuesday afternoon, Edmonton's heart and soul, also known as Ryan Smyth, was dealt to the New York Islanders for highly-touted prospect Ryan O'Marra, former first round pick Robert Nilsson, and a 2007 first-round pick. Still, the thought of the life-long Oiler in an Islanders jersey seemed strange, and yet so familiar.

Oilers fans thought the post-lockout era would be different. With a salary cap and a level playing field, the days of watching star players leave for greener pastures -- or make that more green in the wallet -- would be gone.

Last spring, the Oilers turned the clock back by reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 16 years. Since then, the clock has been turned back in a far less positive manner.

It started last summer when Chris Pronger requested a trade. There has been much speculation as to why Pronger asked for the trade, with the commonly held belief being his family did not enjoy living in Edmonton. Edmonton general manager Kevin Lowe honored Pronger's request by dealing him to Anaheim, and he got a pretty good return.

A collection of high draft picks, hometown boy Joffrey Lupul, and young defenseman Ladislav Smid went to Edmonton in return, but many fans commented it felt like the 1990s -- an era when Oilers fans continually watched star players leave the City of Champions.

Even without Pronger, the Oilers looked to be a powerhouse coming into the season. A collection of forwards second to none and Dwayne Roloson between the pipes for the whole season gave Edmontonians reason for hope.

Somewhere along the line, things did not work out. Without Pronger and Jaroslav Spacek on the blueline, the Oilers did not get the puck movement they had hoped for. By mid-February, it became clear the Oilers were more likely to be sellers than buyers at the trade deadline.

At the same time, Smyth was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. With well-respected agent Don Meehan representing him, few doubted Smyth would be resigned well before the trade deadline.

Yet as the deadline approached, rumors abounded. It still did not make sense -- Smyth in anything but copper and blue just did not sound right.

Monday afternoon, the news came out Meehan and Lowe were set for one final meeting Tuesday morning prior to the deadline. Suddenly, things started to look shaky. A last minute meeting does not exactly exude confidence.

Sure enough, minutes before Tuesday's deadline, Smyth was dealt to the Islanders. Suddenly, the focus was not on the Oilers' great leader of the 1980s, but it was on his successor.

With Smyth becoming an unrestricted free agent July 1, many believe he may return to Edmonton. While that is certainly a possibility, do not underestimate the ability of Islanders owner Charles Wang to offer Smyth a lucrative, long-term contract. Just ask Rick DiPietro about Wang's contract offers -- they can be impossible to refuse.

In the meantime, Tuesday night will be a night for Oilers fans to remember a great leader. Unfortunately for them, they will be missing another one at the same time.

If there was ever a day that should have been great for Southern California hockey fans, Thursday was that day.

One night after the Anaheim Ducks knocked off the Calgary Flames in Cowtown to advance to the second round, the discussion should have centered around the play on the ice.

Unfortunately, in today's modern times, that is not possible. A litany of absurd television decisions has caused enough stress among Ducks fans that some are wondering whether winning the first round was a good thing after all.

Most obvious is the ridiculous game times in the second round. With all four lower-seeded teams winning in the opening round, Anaheim has home ice for the second round. It would seem that is a good thing, but when the schedules were released, it is obvious that is not the case.

The Ducks and their fans are rewarded by two of their first three home games starting at noon. Yes -- hockey, the one sport that mercifully has eschewed afternoon games through the game's history -- has given the team with home ice two noon games.

Afternoon games are bad enough as players tend to be out of their normal biorhythm, but a lunch time game is downright absurd. The whole point of a home game is comfort -- players sleep in their own beds and go about their normal game day routines. Starting a game seven and a half hours earlier than a normal game completely eliminates that advantage.

In addition, most crowds are not as enthusiastic during afternoon games. Yes, NFL crowds are rowdy, but that comes from the pre-game libations more than anything. Do not count on the rowdy tailgating to happen for the weekend games in Anaheim, as summer daytime weekend traffic can often be worse than rush hour.

If more than half the seats are filled at game time, it will be a miracle. And if they are not, it is not the fault of the fans. Rather, it is the fault of NBC, the network that has foolishly timed their game times all season long so most of their broadcasts actually start in the morning on the west coast.

To top off the absurdity, consider this is a Western Conference series, and yet it is being played at a time that is more convenient in the Eastern Time zone. For fans in Southern California and Colorado's Front Range, it is more than a bit of an inconvenience. Both regions are places where people take pride in their outdoor activities, and few people are interested in watching television on a warm spring afternoon.

If this is what having an NBC contract means, the NHL needs to terminate the contract with NBC immediately, if not sooner. NBC's picture quality has been the worst seen in decades, a sign they are simply not using a good enough satellite link. Many fans wonder how CBC and OLN can broadcast a game in quality good enough to clearly make out players' numbers from a distant center ice camera, yet on NBC, the picture is so fuzzy it can actually be hard to tell the teams apart.

The NBC fiasco must come to an end. Between inconvenient game times and brutal picture quality, NHL fans would be better served by watching the game on the Center Ice package.

Even if the NBC issue could be resolved -- something that looks unlikely -- the NHL has another television headache on their hands in Southern California. Unable to get all playoff games on their normal station, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, the Ducks put two first round games on KDOC, an independent station from Anaheim. Unfortunately, KDOC is not available on all Southern California cable systems, and even the most powerful antenna can be powerless to pick up the station from some locales. For example, the entire San Diego metropolitan area is shut out, as the station is not offered to cable or satellite customers for the area's 3 million-plus residents.

When the games are on a local station, OLN's broadcast is blacked out. Game seven was one of those games. In other words, San Diego residents were unable to watch game seven, as the broadcast was blacked out on OLN because it was on KDOC. However, San Diego residents do not receive KDOC.

OLN reportedly received more than 300 angry phone calls from San Diego Wednesday night, but nobody seems to know who is to blame for the fiasco.

The NHL has rebounded better than any other league has from a year-long lockout, but these television issues could alienate many fans. The casual fan does not, and should not, accept absurd blackouts and inconvenient game times. The die-hard fan may take time off work and drive a couple of hours to watch a game on television, but that can not be a long-term solution.

The NHL needs to stand up to NBC and inform them hockey is traditionally a night game. Canadian viewers, most of whom greatly dislike afternoon games, deserve better. CBC and TSN do not make incredulous game time demands as NBC does, and for that, Canadian fans and networks get tossed aside as if they were unimportant. This comes despite ratings that indicate a higher total number of people -- not just percent of population -- tend to watch in Canada than in the United States.

In reality, the heart of the game is in Canada, and that may be truer today than ever before. A story three years ago in the American media expressed shock that a playoff game involving the Ottawa Senators received less than half the television ratings of most regular season Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts.

What the American media did not say is the game was an afternoon game. Canadian fans tend to be more steadfast in their dislike of afternoon games than American fans, and rightfully so. Hockey is traditionally a night game, and afternoon games simply do not have the same excitement for many true fans.

In an ideal world, Canadian telecasts would be available to American viewers, and contracts such as the deal with NBC would not be needed. Since that is unlikely to happen, it is time for the NHL to stand up for the fans in arenas and all fans who dislike afternoon games.

Tell NBC the games are in the evening, and that is final. The amount of casual fans picked up by having a game on NBC -- as if anyone does not have cable or satellite these days anyway -- is far less than the number of fans who are being alienated by inconvenient game times.

There was a time, back in the 21-team era, when making first round NHL predictions was relatively easy.

With four of the five teams in three divisions, and four of six in the Patrick Division, qualifying for the playoffs, the difference between teams was significant. This was especially true with the 1 vs 4 matchup, where a 50 or 60 point difference was not uncommon.

As the league has expanded the number of teams but not the number of playoff teams, things have become a lot tougher. Throw in the conference playoff format, and there really is no such thing as a major upset anymore.

This year, it is just a little more difficult than normal. The new rule enforcement standards have led to a solid season for up-tempo teams such as Carolina, Anaheim, Edmonton, and San Jose, but many still question if the standard will be maintained in the playoffs.

More than likely, it will be maintained. Recent comments from Gary Bettman indicate the league is committed to wide-open playoff hockey, and prognosticators must take him at his word.

With that in mind, here are the first round predictions for the Western Conference.

#3 Calgary vs #6 Anaheim

When the two teams were told Edmonton had defeated Colorado, meaning the Ducks and Flames would meet in the first round, Monday's tilt between the two clubs in Anaheim got very interesting.

The game might have been meaningless in the standings, but both teams were out to send a message through physical play. Although the common notion is the Flames will try to push around the Ducks' skill players, Anaheim can more than hold their own when the going gets tough.

If Calgary is successful in knocking around Anaheim stars Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald, Todd Fedoruk could become a key to this series. The Anaheim enforcer sat out Monday's game with back spasms, but he is healthy and ready to go Friday night. Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle has not hesitated to put Fedoruk on the top line with Selanne and McDonald in physical games, and he could do so again in this series.

The Ducks are not a one-line team, however, and that could be the difference in this series. Rookie Ryan Getzlaf has been scoring at a pace of more than a point per game since the Olympic break, much of which has come on the power play.

If the Flames take penalties, the Ducks could make them pay. Anaheim's power play is 15th in the league at 18.1 percent, but that number increases to 21.5 percent at the Pond. Interestingly, Calgary's penalty kill is seventh at 84.2 percent, but is a mediocre 80.5 percent on the road.

The Flames struggle to score goals, ranking 28th in the 30-team NHL in that category. On the other hand, the Ducks ranked 13th in goals scored. Clearly, Calgary's strength is goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff, the favorite for the Vezina Trophy. Calgary also plays solid team defense, making Kiprusoff's job easier by eliminating second chances.

Jarome Iginla leads the less than potent Flames offense, but even he only tallied 35 goals and 32 assists for 67 points in the regular season. If Iginla struggles, this could be a long series for Calgary.

Prediction: Anaheim's four-line attack will be too much for the Flames over a long series. If Calgary is forced to take penalties, Anaheim's recently potent power play could take over. Ducks in six.

#1 Detroit vs #8 Edmonton

There is a notion among many observers this will be the easiest first round series.

Not so fast.

Sure, Detroit cruised to the President's Trophy with a 58-16-8 record, good for 119 points. Edmonton, on the other hand, slipped into the playoffs with a 41-28-13 record for a total of 95 points.

However, the Red Wings played in the league's weakest division, the Central. A total of 24 games against St. Louis, Chicago, and Columbus certainly made an impact, as the Wings went 25-3-4 in the division. On the other hand, Edmonton plays in the league's toughest division, the Northwest, and posted a 15-15-2 divisional record.

When division records are discarded, the Wings went 33-13-4 against the rest of the league, while Edmonton was 26-13-11. A difference in wins to be sure, but many of Edmonton's losses were shootout losses -- something that will not happen in the playoffs. And the number of losses stands even at 13, yet another indication this might be a closer series than many expect.

Much has been said about Detroit's eight 20-goal scorers, but the Oilers have five 20-goal scorers of their own. The Oilers also have a proven playoff performer in Michael Peca, as well as gritty youngsters such as Raffi Torres and Jarret Stoll.

Prediction: The fast ice in Edmonton seems to favor both teams, but no team is built around that style more than the Oilers. Rexall Place is one of the loudest buildings in the playoffs, while Joe Louis Arena does not get crazy until a round or two later. Put the crowd and the ice together, and the Oilers' advantage in Edmonton should not be underestimated. The youth and speed of the Oilers could wear down the Wings' aging defensive corps if the series drags on. Oilers in seven.

#2 Dallas vs #7 Colorado

In so many ways, this series seems primed for an upset. Colorado has augmented their offensive firepower with veteran character players such as Ian Laperriere and Pierre Turgeon, the defense is solid with Rob Blake and John-Michael Liles, and the goaltending....

Oops. There is the problem -- goaltending. Peter Budaj has been serviceable, but his 2.86 goals against and .900 save percentage will have to improve significantly if he is the go-to guy in the playoffs.

Recently acquired Jose Theodore has been very average in limited time with the Avalanche, and while he will likely regain his form next season, this has been a nightmare year for Theodore.

On the other hand, the Stars counter with Marty Turco, one of the league's top netminders. Turco has been up and down in the playoffs, but his solid play throughout the regular season can not be ignored.

Dallas also boasts a solid core of forwards in Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, and Jason Arnott, while the blueline is solid with Sergei Zubov, Philippe Boucher, and Willie Mitchell.

The one thing that could trip up the Stars is the officiating. If the league continues the increased rule enforcement, that could spell trouble for the Stars. Dallas is the sixth-highest penalized team in the league, and they have shown a penchant for hooking and holding penalties at times.

Prediction: If Theodore regains his pre-lockout form, the Avs could actually be considered the favorite. Even if he does not, the Stars could find themselves in trouble if they take too many penalties. Colorado has injury issues with Marek Svatos and Steve Konowalchuk out, but they have more than enough firepower to pull out the upset. Avs in seven.

#4 Nashville at #5 San Jose

It is unusual for a fifth seed to be a heavy favorite against a fourth seed, but that appears to be the case in the West.

Since Joe Thornton arrived in the Bay Area, the Sharks have been one of the league's hottest teams. San Jose moved from ninth to fifth in the season's dying days, and they look to continue that hot streak in the playoffs.

Adding to Nashville's concern is the goaltending situation. Although Chris Mason has filled in admirably for Tomas Vokoun, who is out for the season with a blood disorder, the Preds will miss Vokoun, one of the league's top goaltenders.

On the other hand, San Jose can turn to either Vesa Toskala or Evgeni Nabokov, two elite-level goaltenders, to backstop their potent offense.

If Nashville can find an answer to the combination of Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, this series could be interesting. However, that is far easier said than done.

Prediction: Thornton and Cheechoo will be too much for the Preds' small defense to handle. Cheechoo likes to park himself at the post to the goalie's right and look for the easy goals. He could find a few of those against Nashville. Sharks in five.