Best Of Round One

What a crazy first round in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs! There were a grand total of zero sweeps, despite some series featuring one team who out-classed their opponents in every aspect of the game through the regular season. There were a few upsets, including a very painful exit for the Buffalo Sabres who were thought to be one of the favorites this season. The San Jose Sharks survived the first round without getting any goals from "Jumbo" Joe Thornton, while the Penguins basically rode Sidney Crosby's 14-point performance against the Senators in their series. If Round Two is anything like the previous round, this could be one of the more memorable Stanley Cup Playoffs in recent history. Tonight, we look at Round One's best performers in the HBIC Playoff Pool.

San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche

Two entrants score 11 points to lead this series in points, and they did it in slightly different ways. Alex F. called Games One, Two, Five, and Six correctly for a total of four points. He also called Cam Stewart's game-winning goal in Game One for another two points. Alex correctly predicted the Sharks would win in six games, and he received another five points for that, bringing his series total to 11.

Daniel W. went a slightly different route in calling the winning team of all six games correctly in this series for a quick six points. He also correctly predicted the Sharks would win in six games, netting him another five points. His series total was also 11 points.

Congratulations, gentlemen, and well done on your predictions!

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators

Three entrants scored 11 points in this series for their predictions. Kerry M. called Games Two, Three, Four, and Six correctly for a total of four points. He also called Patrick Sharp's game-winning goal in Game Four for an additional two points. And because he called the Blackhawks in six games, he picked up another five points for a total of 11 points in that series.

Konrad W. correctly predicted the winning team in Games Two, Three, Five, and Six for four points. He added two more when Marian Hossa scored the overtime winner in Game Five. Chicago took the series in six, so Konrad got another five points for that prediction, giving him 11 points in the series.

Robert M. gazed into his crystal ball to correctly call the winners in Games One, Two, Five, and Six. Like Konrad, Robert called the Hossa overtime goal in Game Five for another two points. And he added five more after predicting the Blackhawks would advance in six games, for a total of 11 points in the series.

Congratulations, gentlemen, and well done on your predictions!

Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings

One man went off in this series, scoring an amazing 14 points between these two teams. That man also recorded the highest point total of any entrant in any series in the Canucks-Kings clash with his 14 points. That man is your HBIC Playoff Pool leader, Ben T.

Ben correctly predicted the winning team in Games One, Three, Four, Five, and Six for a quick five points. He also called the Henrik Sedin game-winner in Game Four, and called the Daniel Sedin game-winner in Game Five for an additional four points. And because he called the Canucks to win the series in six games, he picked up another five points for the correct prediction. Add that up, and Ben T. scored 14 points in this series.

Congratulations, Ben, on your lead and your clairvoyance in this series, and good luck in the next round!

Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings

Only one competitor scored a series-high 12 points, and that man was Aaron D. Aaron called Games Two, Three, Four, Six, and Seven for five points. Aaron called Henrik Zetterberg's game-winner in Game Two for another two points. And he correctly predicted that the Detroit Red Wings would need all seven games to eliminate Phoenix, picking up another five points. All said, Aaron scored 12 points in this series.

Congratulations, Aaron, and well done on your predictions!

Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens

Did anyone see this upset coming? According to most poolies, we shouldn't have expected a Game Six, let alone a Game Seven. However, one man believed in the Canadiens, calling a series win, but only in six games. That man was Dave F. who earned the most points in this series with seven points.

Dave correctly called the winning team in Games One, Two, Four, Five, and Six for a quick five points. He correctly predicted the Mike Cammalleri game-winning goal in Game Six for an added two points, bringing his total to seven in the series.

Congratulations, Dave, and well done with your faith in Montreal!

New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers

This is another series that handicapped a lot of people thanks to the Philly upset. Not many people called a five-game series, but that's what we got. And as a result, there were two entrants who earned a series-high six points in this Eastern Conference clash.

Augustine R. correctly called Games One and Two in terms of the winning teams for two points. He correctly predicted Mike Richards as the game-winning goal scorer in Game One for another two points. And because he called the series in five games for New Jersey, he still gets two points for picking the correct number of games. His total is six points.

Mike F. was the other entrant who scored six points in this series. Mike correctly called the winners in Games Two and Four for two points. He was correct in calling Daniel Briere's game-winning goal in Game Four for another two points. And, like Augustine, he called the series in five games, but had the wrong team. With those two points, Mike scored six points in the series.

Congratulations, gentlemen, and well done on your predictions!

Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins

Two entrants racked up an impressive 13 points in this Eastern Conference battle, and nearly mirrored each other in their predictions. Forrest B. and Shannon P. had a great series in terms of the points they earned.

Forrest called all six games correctly in terms of the winners for six points. He correctly predicted Patrice Bergeron's game-winner in Game Three for Boston, adding another two points. He also called a Boston Bruins series win in six games, giving him an additional five points. Forrest earned a solid 13 points.

Shannon also called all six games correctly for six points. Shannon did differ in the game-winner, though, as Jason Pominville's game-winner in Game Five added another two points. Shannon also correctly called Boston in six games for another five points, totaling 13 points in the series.

Congratulations on calling the upset, and well done on your predictions!

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators

Three entrants scored 11 points in this series to lead the way. Andrew G., Tom O., and Andy S. dug a little deeper to win this series.

Andrew correctly called the winning team in Games Three through Six for four points. He also predicted that Maxime Talbot would score the game-winner in Game Four, and that gave him another two points. And because he called Pittsburgh in six games, Andrew picked up another five points for a total of 11 points.

Tom correctly called the winners in Games One, Two, Three, and Six for four points. He correctly called the Jarkko Ruutu game-winning goal in Game One for Ottawa, earning him another two points. Because he called Pittsburgh in six games, he scored another five points for 11 points total in the series.

Andy decided to go the easy route and just call the correct winning team in all six games for six points. Because he called the correct team in each game, he correctly predicted Pittsburgh in six games for an additional five points. That's the easiest way to score 11 points!

Congratulations, gentlemen, and well done on your predictions!

Round Two of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs starts tomorrow night with Detroit in San Jose, so don't waste any time in getting your picks into me! Email me by clicking here, and make sure the subject line reads "NHL Pool R2" so I can keep everything straight!

Well done to all the competitors, and remember: you're not out until the Stanley Cup has been awarded!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!