The Annual TML Death Watch

It's that magical time of year again, readers. Teams are gearing up for the playoffs, non-playoff teams are getting their scouts out to junior games and NCAA games for some last-minute studying of players, and players are gearing up for the stretch drive where they'll play the role of hero or spoiler in the drama we call "hockey". One team that has been a regular contributor on the spolier side has been the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last year, the Maple Leafs "death watch" began sometime after the puck dropped in the opening game, but the Leafs went on a big run this year to make things interesting. Let's take a look at their remaining schedule to see how the season will play out.

I just want to make this clear: I DO NOT HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL, AND I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BE WRONG ON MOST, IF NOT ALL, PROGNOSTICATIONS. IF I AM FOUND TO BE WRONG ON ANY OF THESE PREDICTIONS, YOUR SUBSCRIPTION FEE TO HBIC WILL BE REFUNDED IN FULL!

• at Carolina: should be a good test for the Leafs. They need to keep chasing down teams in front of them.
• at Florida: the home team has won each game in the three games these two have played. If the trend continues, the Leafs will be on the wrong end of this one. They need these points.
• vs. Boston: the Leafs beat the Bruins on February 15, so they'll need another big game. Beating teams above them in the standings = good!
• at Minnesota: if Minnesota doesn't lull them to sleep, this is a game that Toronto must win. Minnesota is in the same boat as Toronto, so this game might be a dogfight.
• at Colorado: Toronto has to win this game. Colorado is battling for a lottery pick, so these are two points that could prove large in the long run.
• at Detroit: Detroit is a well-oiled machine. Unless they develop a rash of injuries, this one looks like a loss for the Leafs.
• vs. Sabres: Buffalo has proven plucky over the last few weeks. Toronto is 2-3 against them at this point, but the last two games were won by Toronto. This is another team the Leafs are chasing, so these two points are huge in the standings.
• at Boston: Four points in one month from the same team in your division? Huge. Is it possible? Yes. And the Leafs need it.
• at Ottawa: Another divisional game, but this time against a foe at the bottom of the standings. Giving away any points to the Senators could prove fatal.
• vs. Washington: Tough game for the Leafs against a team that will be hungry down the stretch leading into the playoffs. I'm not confident in Toronto's chances against the Capitals.
• at New Jersey: This game features the two teams that seem to have the best chance to make a run at that eight-seed. One of these teams will play the role of spoiler in this game. The question is: which one?
• vs. Montreal: This might be a pivotal game for the Leafs if they are within a point or two of the eighth and final playoff spot. Toronto holds a 3-2 series lead thus far this season.

Toronto plays eight of their remaining twelve games on the road. That's a tough schedule, and not the best of times for a team that is below .500 on the road. They'll need to dig deep to pull this miracle off. I'd say they need 20 points to gain entry as the eighth-seeded team. That's ten wins, kids. The odds don't look good.

According to Sports Club Stats, a fabulous website that determines the chances of any team making the playoffs, the Leafs have a 3% chance of making the playoffs at this point. As far as Sports Club Stats can determine, the Leafs are destined to finish the season as the tenth-best team in the Eastern Conference. Again, the odds don't look good.

The key is that there is a 3% chance for them to make it. That means there's a chance, and that's all a team needs. Whether or not the Leafs make it will entirely depend on how they play over their remaining games, but there's a still a chance.

And that's good enough for most Leaf fans this late in the season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Going Further East

Yesterday, we took a look at the opening games for the Western Conference in the 2011 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs. One team, SKA Saint Petersburg, had already moved on to the second round after sweeping Spartak Moscow, but the other three series were still on-going. I didn't look at the four series in the Eastern Conference that began on Thursday, so tonight would be an appropriate time to update those skirmishes. One of these teams will represent the Eastern Conference in the Gagarin Cup final, so let's take a look at who is marching towards glory!

(1) Avangard Omsk Oblast vs. (8) Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk

Avangard was the top team in the KHL this season after having amassed 118 points in 54 games, so there wasn't much hope for Neftekhimik when this series started on Thursday night as 43 points separated these teams in the standings. However, an early goal by Igor Polygalov put the underdogs up just nine minutes into the game! Neftekhimik battled hard and refused to give up any chances through most of the game, but Avangard finally broke through just 54 seconds into the third period. Alexei Kaluzhny scored for Avangard, and the game was tied at 1-1. The two teams continued to play stingy defence, and we were off to overtime after sixty minutes. Just 4:19 into the extra frame, Igor Polygalov notched his second of the night past former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo, and Neftekhimik recorded the 2-1 overtime victory in Game One!

Game Two went on Friday night, and we saw more of the same defensive play in the second act of this series. In fact, both teams held each other at bay through all three periods, sending the game to overtime tied 0-0 as both Karri Ramo and Neftekhimik's Ivan Kasutin were perfect through sixty minutes! It didn't takevery long to decide a winner once overtime started, though. Avangard's Dmitry Semin put the puck behind Kasutin, and Avangard recorded the 1-0 overtime victory in Game Two to even the series at 1-1.

With the series heading back to Omsk on Sunday, there was some concern on the Avangard side about their play. More goals would be needed if the team was to succeed, and we got to see a few more in Game Three. Niklas Persson opened the scoring for Neftekhimik with a shorthanded marker just 2:52 in, but that deficit would be erased by Igor Volkov six minutes later. Renat Mamashev put Neftekhimik up by one goal 2:15 into the second period, but Avangard responded five minutes later when Yegor Averin wired home his first of the playoffs. With less than three minutes left in the second period, Neftekhimik's Libor Pivko deposited another puck behind Karri Ramo as Neftekhimik closed out the period up 3-2. Solid defence was played the rest of the way, and Neftekhimik closed out Game Three with the 3-2 victory to go up 2-1 in the series.

Game Four saw one of the poster children for the KHL come alive. Avangard's Jaromir Jagr, who had been held pointless in the first three games, set up two goals on this night. Avangard's Roman Cervenka also added a pair of helpers as three different scorers found the back of the net for Avangard on Monday. Pavel Brendl was the only player to beat Ramo on this night, and Avangard skated to the 3-1 victory. Once again, the series was tied, and the 2-2 deadlock meant that this series was now a best-of-three!

Game Five of this series is set for Wednesday, March 3, and Game Six appears to be scheduled for Friday. If a Game Seven is necessary, we're looking at a Saturday or Sunday date for that game.

You have to think that Avangard will break pout of their funk and start scoring some goals on Neftekhimik. However, I really like the job that Neftekhimik is doing in neutralizing Avangard's scorers, especially Jaromir Jagr. If Neftekhimik can keep this up, we might see another upset! I'm pulling for Neftekhimik in this one just to see if I can predict both first-seeded teams eliminated in the first round!

(2) Ak Bars Kazan vs. (7) Barys Astana

Kazan are the defending Gagarin Cup Champions, and are looking to make it three KHL Championships in a row! Standing between them and glory are Barys Astana from Astana, Kazakhstan. Game One, like the series above, was a defence-first game as the two teams combined for one goal. Yep, just one. Barys' Vitaly Yeremeyev played an outstanding game, but he was the goaltender who allowed the one goal. Kazan's Jarkko Immonen scored at 13:34 of the first period, and it was all the offence that Petri Vehanen needed as he shut the door on Barys. Ak Bars Kazan win the game by a 1-0 score, and go up in the series 1-0.

Game Two on Friday saw Kazan treat Barys in the same fashion as they did in Game One. Goals by Alexei Morozov, Marcel Hossa, and Alexei Tereshchenko powered Kazan to a second straight victory. How was this game the same, you ask? Petri Vehanen pitched his second straight shutout in backstopping Kazan to the 3-0 victory. It doesn't look promising for Barys when they have yet to record a goal in two playoff games. Kazan jumps ahead 2-0 in the series with the victory.

Sunday's Game Three saw Kazan rolling again as they took Barys to the woodshed. Kazan hung half a dozen goals on Barys as Janne Pesonen, Danis Zaripov, Jarkko Immonen, and Grigory Panin all scored singles while Alexei Morozov recorded a pair of goals. Morozov finished the night with four points, and Evgeny Medvedev had a pair of helpers. Petri Vehanen was looking for his third straight shutout, but his bid to open a playoff series with three straight blankings ended when Lukas Kaspar scored a powerplay goal at 3:04 of the third period for Barys. If you're keeping track at home, that 163:04 of shutout hockey that Vehanen had going. Kazan rolls to the 6-1 victory in Game Three, and Barys found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 series deficit.

Game Four has already been completed, and I can tell you that the champs are marching onward. Kazan jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Danis Zaripov and Alexei Tarashchenkov, but Barys made this one interesting. A powerplay goal at the end of the second period by Maxim Khudyakov made it a 2-1 game, and then a shorthanded marker 4:33 into the third period from Roman Starchenko squared the game at 2-2. Less than two minutes later, Zaripov scored again, and Kazan was back up 3-2. With 32 seconds remaining and Barys' Jeff Glass sitting on the bench for an extra attacker, Kazan iced the game and series when Niko Kapanen scored into the vacant net. Kazan wins Game Four by a 4-2 score, and sweeps the series against Barys Astana.

No additional games or predictions are needed as Kazan now gets some precious time to rest up and get ready for the second round as they look to three-peat as KHL Champions!

(3) Salavat Yulaev Ufa vs. (6) Sibir Novosibirsk

Salavat and Sibir may have finished third and sixth in the conference, but the 26-point difference between the two teams became obvious as this series progressed. Game One on Thursday night saw Salavat build a 5-0 before Sibir woke up. Two goals each by Petr Schastlivy and Igor Grigorenko along with a single by Vladimir Anitpov had Salavat up 5-0 with 18 minutes to play. A couple of late goals by Sibir only took some shine off the win as Salavat cruised to the 5-2 victory, and moved to a 1-0 series lead.

Game Two on Friday night saw Sibir jump out in front as Stepan Sannikov scored 4:20 into the second period to open the scoring. That would be the last lead in the game that Sibir would have as Petr Schastlivy, Igor Grigorenko, and Kirill Koltsov scored for Salavat to lead them to a second straight win. Former LA King netminder Erik Ersberg stopped 25 of 26 shots for his second win as Salavat moved to a 2-0 series advantage. Former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov had a pair of assists for Salavat on the evening.

Game Three had Salavat at home, and they continued to roll. Alexander Radulov had a goal and three assists, Robert Nilsson scored twice and added a helper, Patrick Thoresen record his fourth and fifth assists of the series as Salavat thumped Sibir by a 6-2 score. Alexander Kutuzov had a goal and an assist for Sibir, but it clearly wasn't enough as Sibir's Liv Stefan allowed five goals on 32 shots before being relieved by Yuri Klyuchnikov. With the win, Salavat pushed Sibir to the brink as they led the series 3-0.

With Sibir facing elimination on the road, they would need a substantial effort to get out Ufa and back on home ice. It didn't start well on Monday as Alexander Svitov opened the scoring for Salavat just 2:37 in. Viktor Kozlov made it 2-0 before the opening period was done with his second goal of the playoffs. The hole got deeper for Sibir in the second period as Alexander Radulov scored his second goal of the series with five minutes left in the second. Just to make it a little worse, Svitov scored his second goal of the game and playoffs two minutes later. It was all but over when former NHL star Vyacheslav Kozlov added his first goal of the playoffs midway through the third period. Erik Ersberg shut the door on Sibir as Salavat recorded the 5-0 win, ending the series in a sweep.

Much like the Kazan-Barys series, no additional games nor is a prediction needed as Salavat wrapped up the series this evening. Salavat now awaits to find out who their opponents are in the next series.

(4) Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. (5) Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk

While these two finished right next to each other in the standings, there was a clear divide in terms of talent when looking at the standings. Metallurg finished 13 points ahead of Yugra in the standings, so there seems to be a clear favorite in this series. Game One seemed like Metallurg had an advantage as they got goals from Juhamatti Aaltonen and Oleg Kvasha over a six-minute span in the second period. However, a powerplay goal by Ivan Khlyntsev pulled Yugra within one goal again. Another powerplay goal by Evgeny Blokhin just 19 seconds into the third pulled Yugra even. However, goals by Metallurg's Petri Kontiola and Enver Lisin less than a minute apart put Metallurg up for good. Georgy Gelashvili closed the door the rest of the way, giving Metallurg the 4-2 victory and the 1-0 series lead.

Game Two in Yugra's hometown of Khanty-Mansiysk saw the home team score first midway through the second period. Ivan Khlyntsev's second goal in as many games put the home squad up 1-0. Former NHL star Sergei Fedorov evened the score less than six minutes later as his shot found its way past Yugra goaltender Edgar Masalskis. 7:50 into the third period, Yugra would jump ahead again as Alexei Pepelyaev notched his first marker of the series. Masalskis would stop everything else thrown his way as he recorded saves on 37 of 38 shots while preserving the 2-1 win for Yugra. With the win, Yugra pulled the series even at 1-1.

Game Three would see another game decided by that one-goal margin. Yugra wasted no time in the opening frame as they got goals from Alexei Pepelyaev, Andrei Sidyakin, and Kirill Petrov to put Metallurg in a 3-0 hole. Juhamatti Aaltonen began chipping away at the deficit with his goal two minutes into the second period. Mikhail Tyulyapkin then restored the three-goal margin 40 seconds later for Yugra. Four minutes later, Enver Lisin drew Metallurg within two again with his second of the series. Sergei Fedorov tacked on another goal for Metallurg five-and-a-half minutes later, making it 4-3 for Yugra through two periods. Both goaltenders held their ground in the third period, giving Yugra the 4-3 victory to put them up 2-1 in the series.

The Monday game was another low-scoring affair. Stanislav Chistov opened the scoring for Metallurg at 18:21 of the first period. Yurga drew even 4:17 into the second period as Dmitry Altaryev beat Georgy Gelashvili to even the game at 1-1. The game-winner was scored at 7:29 of the third period on a penalty shot! Yurga's Dmitry Altaryev hauled down Metallurg's Denis Platonov on a breakaway, so Platonov got a chance to do it all over again. On the penalty shot, he made no mistake as he buried the puck behind Edgar Masalskis. That goal on the uncontested breakaway was the winner, and the 2-1 victory pulled Metallurg even in the series at 2-2.

Game Five goes Wednesday night, Game Six is scheduled for Friday night, and it appears Game Seven will go sometime on Saturday.

As for predictions, I really like Metallurg simply because of their legacy of producing strong teams and great players. While Yurga is an intriguing pick simply due to their underdog status, I have to go with Metallurg.

There are the Eastern Conference series up to this point. I'll try to update these on the weekend to round out who is moving on and who is going home. Of course, we'll check my fearless, albeit uneducated, prognostications and see how I fared with my limited KHL knowledge.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Over In That Other League...

While we approach and anticipate the NHL Trade Deadline in North America tomorrow, there's a big event going on in the NHL's rival league as the KHL began the Gagarin Cup Playoffs on Wednesday. Sixteen teams qualified for the playoffs, and there are some definite favorites that could go all the way to Gagarin Cup final, so we'll break down this look at the KHL's "second season". There have definitely been a couple of surprises so far in the playoffs, so let's break down each series and see who the favorites are based upon the already-decided games.

We'll start with the Western Conference series today, and tomorrow will have the Eastern Conference series showcased.

(1) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl vs. (8) Dinamo Minsk

Lokomotiv saw three former NHL stars pace them to a victory as Josef Stumpel had three asissts, Pavol Demitra had a pair of assists, and Josef Vasicek had a goal and two assists. Jeff Platt pulled Dinamo Minsk to within a goal late in the second period as Lokomotiv led by a 5-4 score, but two third-period goals by Lokomotiv sealed the deal as they won Game One on Wednesday by a 7-4 score.

Game Two was played on February 24, and there was definitely a different feeling about this one. Jeff Platt had himself a great game for Dinamo Minsk as he chipped in a goal and two assists. Had it not been for a Pavol Demitra goal on a penalty shot with less than three minutes to play in the game, Robert Esche would have recorded the shutout. However, Dinamo Minsk tied the series at 1-1 with a 4-1 victory.

Game Three was played last night, and Dinamo Minsk continued to roll. Four different scorers put pucks past Dimitrij Kotschnew, including Jeff Platt's third goal of the series. Robert Esche stopped 37 of 38 shots sent his way, and Dinamo Minsk took the 2-1 series lead on the strength of a second 4-1 victory.

Game Four was already completed today, and the series is now even at two games apiece. Alexander Kalyanin had two goals to give him four in the series, and Andrei Kiryuhin's first of the series was the game-winner as Lokomotiv drew even with a 4-2 victory.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday night, and Game Six is set for Thursday, March 3. If a seventh game is necessary in this series, that will most likely be played on Friday, March 4.

I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and say that I like Lokomotiv's offence, but Dinamo Minsk does have solid goaltending with Robert Esche between the pipes. Defence, as you know, wins in the playoffs, so I'm calling an upset here as choosing Dinamo Minsk to advance!

(2) Dynamo Moscow vs. (7) Dinamo Riga

Wednesday night saw this series open in thrilling fashion. Both teams battled hard defensively, not allowing for many opportunities to be had. Mark Hartigan opened the scoring midway through the second period for Riga. With less than five minutes to play, Leo Komarov even the game with his unassisted goal. With the way that this game had been played over the previous 56 minutes, you had to know that overtime was coming. However, just 2:43 into overtime, Oskars Cibulskis wired a shot past Michael Garnett to give Riga the 2-1 overtime victory and the early 1-0 series lead.

Game Two on Thursday was the polar opposite of the opening game in this series. Scoring came fast and furious as the two teams combined for twelve goals! Former NHL bruiser Chris Simon had a pair of goals for Dynamo Moscow as Moscow hung eight goals on the Riga goaltending tandem of Mikael Tellqvist and Chris Holt. Dynamo Moscow ties the series at 1-1 with an 8-4 victory.

Saturday saw Game Three played in Moscow. Riga's Leo Komarov scored his third goal of the series in as many game, and forward Brock Trotter put three helpers on the board for Riga. Mikael Tellqvist looked like himself again as he only allowed one goal in this one as Riga took Game Three by a 5-1 score to go up 2-1 in the series.

Much like the series above this one, the results for Sunday's game have already been posted. Game Four was another nail-biter as this game needed extra time as well. Dmitry Pestunov scored 7:51 into the first period for Moscow. Riga responded 12:18 into the second period as Girt Ankipans notched his first goal of the playoffs. The third period was played scoreless, so we were off to the second overtime game of this series. It took nearly a full period, but Riga's Krisjanis Redlihs scored a powerplay goal in overtime after Moscow's Alexei Kudashov was sent off for roughing. Sandis Ozolinsh picked up his fourth assist of the series on the game-winner, and Riga found themselves up 3-1 in the series after the win on Sunday.

Game Five will be played on Tuesday, March 1. If necessary, Game Six appears to be scheduled for Thursday while I would assume Game Seven, if necessary, would happen on Friday to wrap up this series.

I have to go with Riga in this one. Mikael Tellqvist, aside from the Game Two blowout, has only given up three goals in the other three games, and the Riga defence has really been stingy in terms of scoring chances. Overall, Riga has been the better team thus far, and they deserve to move on.

(3) SKA Saint Petersburg vs. (6) Spartak Moscow

Wednesday night saw this game go down to the wire as well. This game had a number of former NHL players hit the scoresheet, and the game went back-and-forth before a winner was crowned. Evgeny Artyukhin scored for SKA, and it was matched by Spartak's Branko Radivojevic. Anton But and Alexei Yashin put SKA up by two goals, but they were erased by Kirill Knyazev and Radivojevic once again. With no winner after sixty minutes, overtime was needed. 7:31 into the extra frame saw SKA's Mattias Weinhandl score the game-winner to give SKA the 4-3 victory and the 1-0 series lead.

Game Two went Thursday night, and it seemed almost like a replay from the night before. Denis Denisov opened the scoring for SKA on the powerplay, and Maxim Sushinsky made it 2-0 for SKA. Before the end of the first, Oleg Piganovich cut the deficit in half for Spartak as his goal made it 2-1. Petr Cajanek made it 3-1 eight minutes into the second, but Stefan Ruzicka scored shorthanded at 13:46 to close the gap to one goal again as the period closed with SKA up 3-2. 12:53 into the third period saw Spartak complete the comeback as Alexander Yunkov scored his first goal on the powerplay to make it 3-3. There was no winner after sixty minutes, so we were off to overtime for the second straight game. And for the second time in two nights, Mattias Weinhandl ended the game, this time at 6:43 of the overtime period. With their second 4-3 overtime victory, SKA led the series 2-0.

Game Three was much different as SKA's former NHL stars came to play. Mattias Weinhandl scored in the first period for a change, Petr Prucha added his first goal, and Maxim Afinoganov had a pair of goals. Alexei Yashin and Denis Grebeshkov each recorded one assist while Petr Cajanek had two assists. There was no comeback on this night as SKA recorded the 5-2 victory over Spartak to go up 3-0 in the series. Spartak, backstopped by Dominik Hasek, now face elimination if they can't pull off four straight victories over SKA.

Game Four was played today, and there was certainly some energy in the air as SKA could close out the series as home. While Spartak got the first goal from Stefan Ruzicka, Maxim Sushinsky and Petr Prucha put SKA up 2-1 before the end of the first period. Two goals by Kirill Knyazev canceled out Matias Weinhandl's second period marker, and the teams would go into the last twenty minutes tied 3-3. 8:28 into the third period, Petr Prucha would convert a Sergei Brylin pass to put SKA up 4-3, and Prucha's third goal of the series would stand as the winner as SKA would close out this game and series with a 4-3 victory.

No other games are necessary, and there's no needed predictions here, so I'll leave you with this quote from 93 year-old Dominik Hasek after his team was eliminated in four straight games: "I need two or three weeks to decide about my career. I will think about my family. I hope that if I will continue my career, it will be in the KHL. It is the best league in Europe."

Maybe the 45 year-old stopper isn't done just yet.

(4) Atlant Moscow Oblast vs. (5) Severstal Cherepovets

The fourth series to start Wednesday featured Atlant and Severstal. Atlant has three former Vancouver Canucks on their roster, and all of them figured into the scoring in their first game. Kirill Lyamin and Vadim Shipachev scored for Severstal while Igor Musatov and Jan Bulis had goals for Atlant. However, nothing was settled through sixty minutes, so extra time was tacked on for a winner to emerge. It took 13:22, but defenceman Jaroslav Obsut finally gave Atlant the 3-2 overtime win. Obsut also added an assist on Bulis' second-period goal, and former Canuck Fedor Fedorov recorded an assist on Obsut's game-winner. Atlant was out to the early 1-0 series lead.

Severstal and Atlant clashed again on Thursday evening, and there was fire behind the Severstal lads. Severstal jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old as Yury Trubachev and Andrei Shefer scored their first goals of the playoffs. Fedor Fedorov closed the gap to 2-1 before the period ended, but the second period was all Severstal. Another goal early in the second period by Josef Straka chased Atlant goaltender Konstantin Barulin as he was replaced by Vitaly Koval in the blue paint, but that change didn't help. Goals by Vadim Shipachev and Sergei Soin made it 5-1 as the second period closed. Atlant got a third period goal from Edward Lewandowski, but Severstal cruised to the 5-2 victory to knot up the series at 1-1 again.

Game Three on Saturday was all about three: three goals in three periods. Ivan Nepryayev scored for Atlant in the first while Severstal got goals in the second and third periods from Evgeny Ketov. Vasily Koshechkin stopped 37 of 38 shots for Severstal in the victory as Severstal skated to the 2-1 victory for the 2-1 series lead.

Game Four on Sunday saw Atlant break out of their scoring funk in a big way. Oleg Petrov recorded a natural hat trick in the first period in three minutes, and Atlant had staked themselves to a 5-0 victory after the first frame! Had it not been for a second period goal by Alexei Tsvetkov on the powerplay, this would have been a whitewashing with a shutout! Instead, Petrov had three, Fedor Fedorov had two, and Atlant skated to a dominant 8-1 victory over Severstal to even the series at 2-2.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday evening, and Game Six has been set for Thursday night. If Game Seven is necessary, I'm guessing Friday would see this series wrap up.

As for predictions, this is a tougher series, but it seems as though Atlant has too much firepower to be held down for four games out of seven. While Severstal has done an excellent job in their two wins, Vasily Koshechkin has seen a lot of rubber already in this series, and we've only played four game. I have to think that Atlant will eventually dispose of Severstal, but it doesn't look to be an easy task.

Those are all the games thus far from the Western Conference of the KHL. The Western Conference is made up of eleven teams in two divisions: the Tarasov Division and the Bobrov Division. If you're counting, that's eight of eleven teams making the playoffs, meaning only CSKA, Vityaz Chekhov, and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod missed the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Tomorrow, we'll look at how the Eastern Conference has been faring on their side of the bracket in the KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Friday Walkthrough

I'm busy at work tonight, so I won't be write some long-winded article, but that doesn't mean I can't find others who have. Because I'll be excommunicado for the evening (and into tomorrow), I've done some blog-walking to collect some of the greatest article from the past week off various websites. I haven't alerted any of these people about my blog-walking, but I liked the articles they wrote, and I feel that they should get some credit when it comes to their writing - even if that credit is from just a fellow blogger. And if these articles inspire you in some way to begin writing your own blog, that's good too. All I know is that blog-walking is a good way to gauge the thoughts of the sport, and hockey is a sport that really produces a vast number of opinions. Let's start blog-walking!

• Anyone But Detroit has his predictions for the Colorado Avalanche, the team he follows. I'm a little shocked at the Peter Mueller prediction as I think Colorado still has high hopes for the kid, but the Shattenkirk prediction of 20+ games is probably right.
• Canes Country has an excellent Canes-centric recap of the win over the Wild in Helsinki, Finland. I have to say that Jeff Skinner might be the darkhorse in the Calder Trophy race, but he looks good on the ice. Carolina might have another young stud for a long, long time.
• Down Goes Brown offers up a quiz to see how your team will fare this season. As usual, the always-hilarious DGB takes the edge off worrying about your team and, instead, provides some much needed laughter.
• Five For Howling points out the fallacy in the "Not Going to Surprise Anyone" argument about the Coyotes. Mr. Hair makes a good point in how professionalism trumps the "night off" comments made by some sportscasters. Good read, and very thought-provoking.
• Jewels From The Crown finds a bit of a twist regarding the rules that allow NHL clubs to send US junior-aged players straight to the AHL. Players like Jarred Tinordi and Jeremy Morin can now play in the AHL despite them being younger than 20. Windsor Spitfires' GM Warren Rychel feels that the CHL will now need to be proactive in trying to keep elite-level American talent. What a tangled web we weave!
• Uni Watch Blog is always a great source of information, but Paul Lukas has his annual team-by-team breakdown of uniform changes over on ESPN.com's Page 2. Also posted this morning was his annual goaltender equipment update. Two great pieces of information for those of you looking to update your versions of NHL11.

There's a quick update of the stories I've been reading the last couple of days. There are some great articles in there, and you should take a peek at a few of those articles, if not all of them. I'll be back tomorrow at some point!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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He Who Owns A Crystal Ball

There is a lot that can be said for those who can accurately predict the future. While some prefer to read the fairly-generic horoscope each day in the local newspaper, others seek out mediums who may be able to catch a glimpse of the future. I am no cliarvoyant whatsoever, and all predictions I make are worth the money you pay for access to this site (E5). You'd be better off not listening to me, but HBIC will provide you with one man's vision of the 2010-11 NHL season. HBIC is proud to bring back Justin St. Louis with his predictions for this upcoming hockey season.

We met Justin last week when he took a look at five records that may never be broken. Justin and I are co-workers, and he's a devoted hockey fanatic. He has a miniture Stanley Cup on his desk, he never misses a minute of playoff hockey, and he even runs his own hockey pool! Details on that one below, but here's Justin with his look at the ten biggest questions of the 2010-11 NHL season.

Want to hibernate for the winter? Don't want to watch 1230 NHL games plus playoffs? Want to know what happens in advance? I have all the information here for you. I have peaked into the crystal ball and here it what it says will happen in the 2010-11 NHL season. Warning: best used when betting with someone else's money!

1. Will a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup?

No. Vancouver is the closest team this year but as has been the case since Montreal in 1993, Stanley will elude home soil again.

2. Which team will win the President's trophy?

Safe bet - Washington. They return the core group of players and have all the firepower of the US military. Ovie, Backstrom, Green lead the offence. There will be lots of shoot-outs this season in DC as the Caps go into the season with two unproven goaltenders. Hard to not see them as the class of the NHL again this year.
Mild bet - Vancouver. Lots to like with this group of players led by Hart trophy winner (and soon to be captain) Hank Sedin. Brother Daniel, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Bobby Lou in goal. Suspect defence could be the downfall.
Wildcard - LA Kings. Solid young team on the way up.

3. Who will win the Art Ross?

Safe bet - Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin.
Mild bet - Henrik or Daniel Sedin.
Wildcard - Ilya Kovalchuk.

4. Will the Blackhawks repeat?

No. They will be a good team but it takes so much to even get to the Stanley Cup tournament, much less win the sixteen games required to hoist the hardest trophy to win in sports.

5. Will the Winter Classic be "classic"?

Yes. Sid vs Ovie? Check. Backstrom vs Malkin? Check. Green vs Letang? Check. This has all the makings of a great day at Heinz Field.

6. What about the Leafs?

Safe bet - They will suck.
Medium bet - They will improve their standing from last season, but still miss the playoffs.
Wildcard - They make the playoffs.. barely. Even if they do, they are not Montreal and they will bow out in the first round.

7. Will the Jets return to Winnipeg be a headline this season?

Yes. There is a building and an ownership group in place backed by the richest man in Canada. This will happen prior to the start of next season. Whether it will be the Coyotes remains to be seen. If not there are other teams on the bubble right now - hello Atlanta?

8. Will the Nordiques return to Quebec City before 2011-12?

No. Even with the support to build a $400 million sports complex, the city is not ready to support the return... yet.

9. Where will NHL attendance be this year?

The league will tell you that it is up; the highlights will tell you that it is down. In this recession era I am not sure how teams like Atlanta, Nashville, Tampa Bay, or Florida will survive. Actually they won't - they will move. Eventually.

10. Does anyone else know that Sean Avery has his own website?

Seriously... www.seanavery.com.

West Playoff Seeds
1. Chicago
2. Vancouver
3. LA Kings
4. Detroit
5. San Jose
6. St. Louis
7. Phoenix
8. Calgary

East Playoffs Seeds
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Boston
4. New Jersey
5. Ottawa
6. Buffalo
7. Philadelphia
8. NY Rangers

Conference Finals - Washington vs Pittsburgh; Vancouver vs San Jose
Stanley Cup Champion in 2010/11 - San Jose Sharks

There you have it - all you have to do now is sit back and watch.

For those that are interested, I have created a Fantasy league for hockey through Yahoo Sports. I made it as easy as possible and used their default rules. The first eleven teams entered there get in, and it is head-to-head for the season and set to auto-draft. Let's put the skills to the test, readers. This will only be open for readers of this blog so you don't have to worry about any ringers... in theory. Follow this link!

BRING IT!!

Great article, Justin, and some very good questions and answers! Thanks for the preview of some of the major stories of this season, as well as your predictions for the playoffs. We'll examine those at the end of the upcoming season to see how well your crystal ball sees the future!

I can't see Detroit finishing below Chicago this season, but I do feel that those two teams will be neck-and-neck for most of the season as they battle for the Central Division title. I think Buffalo will finish higher than Ottawa unless Alex Kovalev has a magical season. If he does, I see Ottawa finishing as high as fourth. My guess is that Ottawa finishes seventh, though, and matches up with Pittsburgh in the first round again.

As always, all predictions are guaranteed or your money back, kids! Settle in, and let's see how this season plays out!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Scoring Is Complete

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. All of the games have been played, the hardware handed out, and scoring is now complete for the 2010 HBIC Playoff Pool. Some of you might be a little bothered by the fact that I didn't update the Stanley Cup Final Round until tonight, but I decided that rather than spoil the fun, I'd keep everyone in suspense as to who finished where. Why? Because that's what makes contests so great - the anticipation of finding out where you finished. I seriously had a lot of fun running this contest, and I'm happy to report that 22 of the entrants will be going home with a prize. However, we have a little paperwork to do first.

First off, I want to thank each and every one of you who entered the 2010 HBIC Playoff Pool. There were a bunch of guys, and a few ladies, who did very well in their prognostications, and I'm impressed with the final scores. It takes a lot of time and patience to work through four rounds - not to mention a little luck - and come out on top of the pile. But one person did, and we'll get to him below. Thank you, everyone, for making this year's Playoff Pool so much fun!

As for the "Best In Show" for this round, one person went on a rampage in racking up points. By doing so, he moved himself into the prize list as well. Daniel W. scored an incredible 15 points in the Stanley Cup Final! He did this by predicting all six games correctly for six points. He also correctly predicted the game-winning goals by Ville Leino in Game Four and Dustin Byfuglien in Game Five. And because he correctly predicted the series to be won by Chicago in six games, he earned another five points. Put that jumble of numbers together, and Daniel scored 15 points in the round.

Congratulations, Daniel, on your excellent Stanley Cup Final! For everyone else, you'll see why those game-winning goal scorers became so important once the final standings are posted below.

We'll get the tie-breakers out of the way right now by explaining how they were calculated.

I had asked everyone at the start of the playoffs to select the one team you thought was going to be the leader in penalty minutes by the end of the playoffs. While some people continually gave me a team each round, I stuck with your original pick for the team with the most penalty minutes. As a result, here is the final standings for PIM in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

1. Philadelphia Flyers - 110
2. Chicago Blackhawks - 98
3. Montreal Canadiens - 96
4. Detroit Red Wings - 76
5. Boston Bruins - 68 (in 13 games)
   
6. San Jose Sharks - 68 (in 15 games)
7. Vancouver Canucks - 64
8. Pittsburgh Penguins - 59
9. Ottawa Senators - 41
10. Phoenix Coyotes - 39
11. Buffalo Sabres - 36
12. New Jersey Devils - 35
13. Los Angeles Kings - 31 (in 6 games)
14. Washington Capitals - 31 (in 7 games)
15. Colorado Avalanche - 30
16. Nashville Predators - 23

Now, there were a few people who had selected the same team as their PIM leader for the playoffs. In order to break those ties, I simply went back and looked at the number of correctly-predicted games you had made in the Stanley Cup Final. If still tied, I went back to the Conference Finals, and so on and so forth. This solved all the tie-breakers, so this works fine for me. After all, your predictions won you a prize, so your predictions will also determine your standing.

And that brings us to the most important part of your day: the final standings. These standings have been verified by an independent, non-participating individual to ensure that all calculations and point totals are correct. I can safely say that my brother, who did not participate in the contest, worked the calculator feverishly and has double-checked the totals. If you have a question about the final standings, please send it to me here.

Here are the final standings of the 2010 HBIC Playoff Pool prize winners:

1. Ben T. - 79
2. Andy S. - 78
3. Mari N. - 78
4. Shannon P. - 76
5. Rick K. - 75
6. Luigi P. - 74
7. James W. - 74
8. Kerry M. - 74
9. Tom O. - 74
10. Cole V. - 73
11. Forrest B. - 73
12. Scott M. - 72
13. Robert M. - 72
14. Konrad W. - 70
15. Justin S. - 69
16. Greg C. - 68
17. Frank M. - 68
18. Daniel W. - 68
19. Ty F. - 66
20. Aaron D. - 66
21. Jonathan C. - 65
22. Kirk H. - 65

Now, there was one other entrant with a total of 65 points. James H. racked up enough points to be in the tie-breaker, but lost out due to Pittsburgh's lack of penalty minutes. A lot of people, including my points-verifying brother, said that it would suck to be James because he simply missed the cut due to the Penguins not taking penalties.

I sat here thinking about the truth to that statement, and realized that, while he did predict the Penguins to have the most penalty minutes, James did play through all four rounds religiously. Is it fair to have him lose out on the tie-breaker? Yes, it's very fair. Everyone knew about how the tie-breaker worked. However, Teebz isn't here to tell someone that his work fell short because a team refused to put its penalty-killing units on the ice.

In that regard, James, I'll be in contact with you about a prize as well. I simply can't count you out because, like the New York Rangers, you lost in a shootout on the final day of the regular season. I'll make this work, and you'll get something too.

Emails will start on Saturday regarding your prizes, and I'll be emailing everyone in the order that they finished. If you finished in first place (Ben), you'll get your choice of all the prizes. If you finished in second (Andy), you'll get your choice of the 21 remaining prizes after Ben has selected his, and so on.

If there are no prizes on the list you would like once your name comes up for the prize list, I understand if you decline a prize. However, if you decline, there is no alternate or second-chance at prizes. So I suggest taking a prize if offered as there's only regret if you don't choose one.

Once again, thank you everyone for entering, and I'll be in contact with Ben on Saturday to start the prize carousel. Keep your eyes on your inbox for the following few days after Saturday so you can claim your prize!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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HBIC Pool: Round Three

I'm a little late in coming up with this article, but the third round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs also didn't last very long. Much like the previous rounds, there were a couple of people who stood out in their predictions for the two series, and these people deserve a little recognition for their clairvoyance. The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers played a total of five games, while the Chicago Blackhawks swept aside the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Final. That means there weren't a lot of points to be earned via the games played unless you picked goal scorers and series lengths correctly. And a couple of people did that very well.

CHICAGO vs. SAN JOSE: No one in the HBIC Playoff Pool picked a sweep between these two teams, so series length points went out the door right at the start. However, one person did happen to predict a goal scorer, and that made all the difference in the point totals. That person? Andrew G. Andrew correctly predicted Chicago winning Games One, Three, and Four, and also added on Dustin Byfuglien's game-winner in Game Four for a total of five points. The vast majority of entrants had between two and four points in the series, so it just goes to show how important those bonus points for correctly predicting the game-winning goal scorers are.

Congratulations, Andrew, and keep up the great work in the Stanley Cup Final!

MONTREAL vs. PHILADELPHIA: With only five games, I fully expected some more low point totals for this series, but one person really went to town in this series. Andrew L. racked up an impressive 12 points in his prediction of Philadelphia to advance. Andrew correctly predicted the winning team in all five games for an easy five points. He also called Jeff Carter's game- and series-winning goal in Game Five for an additional two points. And because he predicted Philly to advance in five games, he earned an additional five points. Add it all up, and Andrew scored 12 points for his predictions.

Congratulations, Andrew, and well done on predicting this series correctly!

ROUND TOTAL: Andrew L. makes the list twice on the strength of the Montreal-Philly series as he was this round's highest point earner. Andrew, as stated directly above, scored 12 points in the Eastern Conference Final which would have been enough to win the round as it is. However, he tacked on two points in the Western Conference Final for a round total of 14 points in the Conference Finals.

Honourable mention goes out to Ty F. as he was the only other entrant to earn points in the double-digit range in this round.

Congratulations to Andrew on his round, and good luck in the Final!

The point totals have all been updated through to the end of the Conference Finals, and are reflected on the right-hand list. The points for the Stanley Cup Final will be added by Sunday, and we'll have a better idea as to who is leading, who is close, and who is in the top-22 for prizes!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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How'd You Do In Round Two?

I'm here to tell you that UFC ring girl Edith Labelle does not work for HBIC in any way, shape, or form. In fact, she probably wouldn't appear here if not for a quick Interwebs search for someone holding a "Round Two" sign, but I digress. Much like what we saw after the first round of the HBIC Playoff Pool, I want to highlight those entrants who performed extremely well in the second round. The four series, especially those in the Eastern Conference, threw a bunch of people for a loop, but there were some poolies who decided that statistics and favorites be damned. Those people, as we'll see below, had themselves quite a solid second round in the HBIC Playoff Pool.

San Jose vs. Detroit: There was only one entrant who called all five games correctly in this series, and even added a goal-scorer just for good measure. Konrad W. decided to be clairvoyant for this Western Conference matchup as he called all five games for an easy five points. He tossed in Johan Franzen with the winner in Game Four for an additional two points. And because he called the correct team in San Jose in the correct number of games, that's an additional five points. All said, Konrad W. picked up 12 points in this series.

Congratulations, Konrad, and well done!

Chicago vs. Vancouver: For the first time in this pool this season, we've had a repeat winner as the top-earning entrant for a series. Konrad W. did it again, dominating the Western Conference in the second round as he came up with the best predictions for the Chicago-Vancouver series. Konrad correctly called the winning team in Games Two, Four, Five, and Six for four points. He correctly called the Kris Versteeg game-winner in Game Six for an additional two points. And he called Chicago to win in six games, earning him another five points. His 11 points in this series was tops of all the entrants.

Congratulations once again, Konrad, and keep up the amazing work!

Pittsburgh vs. Montreal: A few people had the insight to believe in Montreal. If you had asked me, I wouldn't have scored very high in this series, but one person did: Mari N. Mari called the winning team in Games One, Two, Four, Five, and Seven for five points. She also correctly called the game-winner in three games: Mike Cammalleri in Game Two, Brian Gionta in Game Four, and Mike Cammalleri in Game Seven. That's another six points. And considering that she called the correct winning team in Game Seven, she correctly predicted a Montreal series win, adding another five points to his total. After all that, Mari had earned an incredible 16 points in this series!

Congratulations, Mari, and keep on believing in Les Habitants!

Boston vs. Philadelphia: This series really threw a lot of people in terms of the total points earned thanks to Boston's historical collapse. However, one person scored a total of 11 points, and that man is your current HBIC Playoff Pool leader, Ben T. He correctly predicted the winning team in Games Two, Four, Six, and Seven for four points. He picked up another two points in predicting Daniel Briere's game-winner in Game Six. And because he called the Flyers in seven games, he picked up another five points. That's 11 more points for Ben in his quest to win the pool.

Congratulations, Ben! Your lead remains intact after two rounds!

Second Round Top-Earner: We all know Ben T. was the leader after the first round simply by checking the leaderboard. That was the easy one. However, there was a lot of movement in this round by entrants, and the result was that one man ended up earning a total of 30 points in the second round. You already know his name well as he's appeared twice in this posting.

Konrad W. picked up 12 points in the San Jose-Detroit series, 11 points in the Chicago-Vancouver series, and slowed down in the Eastern Conference as he earned just four points in the Pittsburgh-Montreal series, and only three points in the Boston-Philadelphia series. However, those 23 points in the Western Conference gave him a big advantage, and it carried him to the best increase in the second round with 30 points.

Congratulations, Konrad, on a superb round!

Round Three starts today, and I'm hoping everyone has their entries in. I apologize if I didn't email you a reminder, but I have been extremely busy over this weekend, so it was pushed to the back-burner. However, email me here if you haven't got them in yet. I can't give you any points for today's games, but you still have a chance to add to your total!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Official HBIC Playoff Scoring Page

I've decided, due to the enormous number of entries, to make an entire page out of the HBIC Playoff Pool. This page will be linked on the right-hand side for quick access if you need to check your point totals at any time. Please note that I will update the pool as often as I can in order to keep everyone apprised of their points, but, if I miss a day, please don't crash my email account with "you haven't updated my points" messages. I'm quite aware when I miss days, so be rest assured that they will be updated at my first available opportunity.

The list will be organized in alphabetical order by last name, but I will only use the last letter of your name for privacy reasons. The little notation in parentheses behind your name is your chosen team for the tie-breaker. If the team is listed as "NT", it means no team was selected and you need to email me immediately to register one.

Lastly, I will post a list of the top ten players on the right-hand side as well in order to highlight the leaders. If you don't see your name on that list, click the link to get you back to this page, and check out how close (or far) you are from the leaders. Ok? Ok.

1. Dan B. - (PHO) - 55
   
2. Forrest B. (CHI) - 73
   
3. Sammy B. (WAS) - 62
   
4. Ari C. (LAK) - 61
   
5. Austin C. (WAS) - 36
   
6. Greg C. (CHI) - 68
   
7. Jonathan C. (DET) - 65
   
8. Matt C. (VAN) - 45
   
9. Aaron D. (PIT) - 66
   
10. Corey D. (PHI) - 56
    
11. Martin E. (CHI) - 17
    
12. Mike E. (WAS) - 58
    
13. Patrick E. (PHI) - 49
    
14. Alex F. (VAN) - 31
    
15. Dan F. (WAS) - 60
    
16. Dave F. (SJS) - 59
    
17. Mike F. (PHI) - 62
    
18. Nathan F. (CHI) - 56
    
19. Ty F. (PHI) - 66
    
20. Andrew G. (PHI) - 63
    
21. Cory G. (PIT) - 40
    
22. Zach G. (LAK) - 27
    
23. Brian H. (PHI) - 42
    
24. Casey H. (PIT) - 58
    
25. James H. (PIT) - 65
    
26. Kirk H. (SJS) - 65
    
27. Phil H. (PHI) - 31
    
28. Ryan H. (WAS) - 26
    
29. Michael J. (CHI) - 64
    
30. Nick J. (LAK) - 55
    
31. Andrew K. (NT) - 46
    
32. Rick K. (PHI) - 75
    
33. Andrew L. (CHI) - 50
    
34. Joseph L. (CHI) - 51
    
35. Ron L. (PHI) - 51
    
36. Frank M. (BOS) - 68
    
37. Glenn M. (PHI) - 54
    
38. Greg M. (CHI) - 53
    
39. Jason M. (VAN) - 38
    
40. Kerry M. (VAN) - 74
    
41. Rich M. (PHI) - 49
    
42. Robert M. (WAS) - 72
    
43. Scott M. (SJS) - 72
    
44. Mari N. (CHI) - 78
    
45. Tom O. (PIT) - 74
    
46. Jeff P. (VAN) - 53
    
47. Luigi P. (VAN) - 74
    
48. Shannon P. (PHI) - 76
    
49. Augustine R. (NT) - 45
    
50. Brendan R. (WAS) - 40
    
51. Adam S. (WAS) - 48
    
52. Andy S. (PHI) - 78
    
53. Justin S. (CHI) - 69
    
54. Kenneth S. (PHI) - 48
    
55. Kyle S. (PHI) - 52
    
56. Spencer S. (BUF) - 29
    
57. Ben T. (VAN) - 79
    
58. Cole V. (PHI) - 73
    
59. Daniel W. (VAN) - 68
    
60. James W. (SJS) - 74
    
61. Kevin W. (SJS) - 57
    
62. Konrad W. (WAS) - 70
    

Phew! 62 people! Well done, folks!

The scores will be updated before Friday, so check back either tomorrow or Friday for an updated total. Thank you all for entering, and get ready for a long playoff run!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Interesting Statistics

With over thirty entrants registered in the HBIC Playoff Pool, this year's event will be the largest in this blog's three-year history. There are a ton of prizes that are still coming in, so we'll have lots of prizes to hand out this spring. The best part? There are probably another ten people who have indicated that they will enter, so we could see the number of people in the Playoff Pool balloon to fifty before Wednesday night's games. How cool is that? I decided to take the thirty people who had entered, and do a little statistical analysis as to how the series will break down. It's quite interesting, in fact, to see how everyone has voted, and it tells a big story as to how everyone thinks Round One of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs will play out.

Let me just say this first: thank you to everyone who has entered, and to anyone who is planning on entering. I wouldn't run this pool if no one entered, and, with the numbers growing, it encourages me to go out and find more prizes for everyone who enters. Thank you, everyone, for making this fun for me!

Let's break these playoff series down according to your choices.

Eastern Conference

Washington vs. Montreal: Of the 31 people who have entered thus far, it's unanimous that Washington will advance past the Canadiens. All 31 people voted for Washington as the series-winning team. 19.4% of you think the series will be a Capitals sweep; 67.7% of you think that five games is all the Capitals will need; 9.7% of you think the series will go six games; and, 3.2% of you think it will take all seven games for Washington to eliminate Montreal.

New Jersey vs. Philadelphia: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, 80.6% of the entrants, or 25 people, feel New Jersey will advance. Of those 25 people, 16% feel the Devils will pull off a sweep; 16% feel the Devils will end the series in five games; 40% feel that the Devils will end the series in six games; and, 28% think that the Devils will need all seven games.

Of course, the other 19.4% of the entrants, or six people, feel the Philadelphia will upset the Devils. 67% think the Flyers can pull it off in six games, while the other 33% say the Flyers will need all seven games for the upset.

Buffalo vs. Boston: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, 67.7% of the entrants, or 21 people, feel Buffalo will advance over Boston. 4.8% of those people think that the Sabres will sweep the Bruins; 23.8% see the Sabres needing only five games; 42.9% feel that the Sabres will need six games to get by Boston; and, 28.6% see Buffalo using all seven games to advance.

The other 32.3% of entrants, or ten people, see the Bruins upsetting the Sabres. 50% of those people see the series ending in six games with the Bruins victorious, while the other 50% think Boston will need all seven games.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, a surprising 83.9% of entrants, or 26 people, think that Pittsburgh will advance past the Ottawa Senators. 19.2% of those 26 people think that Pittsburgh will sweep past Ottawa; 30.8% see Pittsburgh advancing in five games; 30.8% think Pittsburgh will need six games; and, 19.2% think that Pittsburgh will prevail in seven games.

The other 16.1%, or five people, see Ottawa advancing to the second round. 40% have Ottawa moving on after six games, while the other 60% have Ottawa playing all seven games before advancing.

Western Conference

San Jose vs. Colorado: Of the 31 people who entered thus far, 93.5% of the entrants, or 29 people, feel that San Jose will eliminate Colorado. 20.7% of those 29 people think that San Jose will win in a sweep; 44.8% see San Jose needing five games to get past Colorado; 20.7% feel that six games will be enough; and, 10.3% think that San Jose will need all seven games to advance.

The other 6.5%, or two people, feel that Colorado will upset the Sharks. 50% say that six games will be enough for the upset, while the other 50% say that seven games will do in the Sharks at the hands of the Avalanche.

Chicago vs. Nashville: If you're a member of the Predators, you're the undisputed underdog as all 31 entrants picked Chicago to advance. 29.0% feel that Chicago will sweep the Predators; 35.5% see Chicago advancing in five games; 25.8% see the Predators taking two games off the Blackhawks; and, 9.7% feel that it will take Chicago all seven games to eliminate the Predators.

Vancouver vs. Los Angeles: I thought this one would be closer than it currently is, but 71.0% of the entrants, or 22 people, feel that Vancouver will eliminate the Los Angeles Kings. 13.6% of the 22 people see Vancouver advancing in a sweep; 18.2% have Vancouver needing five games; 36.4% believe that Vancouver will win in six games; and, 31.8% see Vancouver and Los Angeles battling through seven games before the Canucks advance.

The other 29%, or nine people, have Los Angeles needing all seven games to upset the Canucks.

Phoenix vs. Detroit: If people in the NHL were saying that Detroit might be the worst team to match-up with in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the entrants in this pool agree with that sentiment. 80.6% of the entrants, or 25 people, feel that Detroit will eliminate the Coyotes in their series. Of those 25 people, 8.0% feel that Detroit will advance in a sweep; 36.0% feel that Detroit will need five games; 32.0% think that Detroit will need six games to get past Phoenix; and, 24.0% think it will take all seven games for Detroit to dispose of the Coyotes.

The other 19.4%, or six people, feel that Phoenix will eliminate the Red Wings. 33.3% feel that it will only take Phoenix six games to knock off the reigning Western Conference champions, while the other 66.7% see the series ending in seven games with Phoenix moving on.

Of course, nothing is decided on paper, and the games must be played. That leads to anyone beating anyone else on any given day, so anything can happen. Much like the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the HBIC Playoff Pool can change dramatically through one series as an upset can change everything.

More entries are still rolling in, so get yourself ready for Wednesday night! The 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - history will be made!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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That Magical Time Of Year

With all of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff seeds now determined, we get to a regular feature on this blog that I know a lot of people enjoy. The HBIC Playoff Pool is a fun way to show off your prognostication skills without having to know a lot about each team's roster. I made a change to the way the Playoff Pool is run last season, and it turned out to be a lot of fun for each of the contestants. Why? Well, everyone loves getting a prize, and HBIC is aware of this fact. Much like last year, prizes are being accumulated as you read this, and I can tell you that there will be a ton of excellent prizes this season. And, similar to last season, I will try to get as many prizes as possible so that everyone comes away with something. That's how HBIC rolls.

Straight from last year's Playoff Pool rules, here is the format for the 2010 Hockey Blog In Canada Playoff Pool.

• Entrants will be required to pick the winner of each game for each series. In doing so, one will also choose the number of games played by the two teams in each series.
• Entrants will be required to pick the game-winning goal scorer for each game.

Sounds pretty easy, right? No real strategy as to which team will go further, who is playing whom, and all that jazz.

Points will be based upon your predictions.

• For each correctly-predicted team that wins the game, one point will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length, two points will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length and winning team, five points will be awarded. If one correctly predicts the series length and winning team, the two-point option is overrided by the higher-scoring option.
• For predicting the player who scores the game-winning goal per game, that entrant will receive an additional two points per game per correctly-chosen player.

The following example should help you weed through the rules:

• For the Pittsburgh-Ottawa series, I predict that Pittsburgh will win Games 1, 2, 4, and 6. Ottawa will win Games 3 and 5. I also predict that Evgeni Malkin will score the game-winner in Game 1; Chris Kunitz in Game 2; Jordan Staal in Game 4; and, Bill Guerin in Game 6. Daniel Alfredsson will score Ottawa's winner in Game 3 while Mike Fisher will score in Game 5.
• If I correctly predicted the entire series (highly improbable with my record of prognostications) of Pittsburgh winning in six games with all my game-winner scoring choices being right, I would earn 23 points (6 for each correct game + 5 for correctly predicting length and series winner + 12 for each game-winning goal scorer).

The catch to this whole thing is that no one will be eliminated until the Stanley Cup is handed out. With each new round beginning, each entrant will be required to send in their picks just as they did in the previous round. This way, everyone has a chance at some free shwag. And everyone loves free shwag.

I would hazard a guess at there possibly being a tie between two or more people, so your tie-breaker, required at the start of the first round, is to name the team who will accumulate the most penalty minutes. Those who are tied will have their answers reviewed, and the entrant who picked the team with the higher PIM total for the playoffs will be crowned as the winner. Secondary tie-breaker, in case two entrants pick the same team for PIMs, will be number of series correctly predicted in length of games.

For example, if Entrant A picks Boston and Entrant B picks Detroit, and Boston has the higher PIM total, Entrant A would be the winner.

The best part of the HBIC Playoff Pool? It's FREE! That's right, kids. You can enter at no cost, and the shwag is up for grabs. The only thing I ask, to be fair, is that you only enter once, please. Make sure to include your full name on your email with your first round picks, and we'll get the show on the road on Wednesday night. The subject should read "HBIC Pool R1" so that I can keep track of all the entrants. You don't want your Poolie Picks to go missing in my disorganized mailbox, do you?

Also, if you want to be eligible for all prizes, you need to play all four rounds of the 2010 Playoff Pool. I don't think it's fair if someone is forced to take a lower prize if they finish lower than someone else who didn't participate right through to the end. For those only play one round and do well, complain all you want about this rule, but showing up is the first step in any activity.

Please send your emails with your first-round choices and tie-breaker choice to me ASAP. I'll get your picks recorded, and we'll see who is the best predictor in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Narrowing Down The Freshmen

This isn't going to be some story about college hockey, although it could be with the NCAA's Frozen Four getting ready for this weekend. Instead, there are a number of excellent rookies in the NHL as we speak, and it's time to highlight some of them here with the year-end awards approaching. I get no vote on who will win the Calder Trophy, so I won't speculate as to who I think should win. What I will do, however, is narrow it down to my favorite rookie from either conference, and see where my guess stands when the awards are being handed out.

I plan to throw out a bunch of names of rookies who I've been impressed with this season. I'll help you identify these rookies by linking pictures to their respective names, and I'll talk a little about why they may be considered for the Calder Trophy. There have definitely been some amazing rookie performances this season, so let's get right to it.

John Tavares - New York Islanders: Tavares came in with all the fanfare of being a dominant player, but he was joining a team that was extremely short on talent. However, Tavares has made lemonade out of lemons by scoring 22 goals and 49 points with the Islanders. Both totals put him second-place in those respective categories. Tavares looks to be a blue chipper for the foreseeable future, so there should be no doubt that he may garner some rookie-of-the-year votes. If GM Garth Snow can assemble a solid team around him, Tavares might be the best pure goal scorer to arrive on Long Island since Mike Bossy.

Tyler Myers - Buffalo Sabres: The American-born, Canadian-trained Myers is a tower of power on the Sabres' blueline. Standing 6'8" tall, Myers is currently leading all rookies in assists with 36, is third in points with 47, and is tied for the lead for rookies in plus/minus with a +15 rating. Rookie defencemen normally don't have this kind of impact, especially a kid trying to fill out a 6'8" frame. However, Myers leads his team in ice-time, proving how important he is to the Sabres, and how highly-regarded he is by head coach Lindy Ruff. Myers will definitely get votes for the Calder Trophy - the kid is a workhorse, and he is very good at what he does.

Tuukka Rask - Boston Bruins: Aside from the video last year with the AHL's Providence Bruins where Rask lost his mind after a shootout, it appears the former Leafs draft pick has ice in his veins. Rask leads all NHL rookie goaltenders in shutouts with five, and sits second amongst rookies with 20 wins. Perhaps most importantly, Rask leads the entire NHL in GAA at 1.99, and save percentage at .930. For a team that has struggled this season, Rask has stepped up. While it's tough to imagine a rookie knocking the reigning Vezina Trophy winner out of the starting position, it appears that Rask has done that in Boston. There's no doubt that Rask will garner some votes for his statistics alone, and he may be the reason the Boston Bruins make the playoffs this season.

Niclas Bergfors - Atlanta Thrashers: Rarely do you find a Calder candidate being traded mid-season, but the New Jersey Devils gave up this highly-promising rookie in exchange for Ilya Kovalchuk. Bergfors currently sits third in goals amongst rookies with 21, and sits fourth amongst rookies with 44 points. Bergfors has quietly been a bright spot for two teams despite neither of those teams getting a lot of mainstream press. The speedy Swede may be at a disadvantage because of his lack of attention playing in a non-traditional market, but there's no denying that the youngster has put up a solid rookie campaign.

Jonas Gustavsson - Toronto Maple Leafs: The "Monster" came in with a ton of hype, and found himself in the center of the hockey universe. It took a little time for Gustavsson to adjust to the NHL game after spending his previous season in the Swedish Elite League, but he has started to come around. Toronto isn't a very good team, so it made life a little tougher on the rookie netminder, but he has still the third-most wins amongst rookies with 16, has the fourth-best GAA amongst rookies at 2.82, and the fourth-best save percentage amongst rookies at .904. Not bad at all for a team that will miss the playoffs. While Gustavsson will benefit from playing in a major hockey market, it's hard to make a case for him as a better Calder candidate than Tuukka Rask as Rask's numbers as simply superior. However, he may get a few votes just because of where he plays.

Matt Duchene - Colorado Avalanche: It was expected that Duchene would make the Avalanche out of training camp, but no one expected him to have the season he is having. Duchene leads all NHL rookies in goals with 23 and points with 54, and has been a driving force behind Colorado's success this season. He's sitting second amongst rookies in assists with 31 as well. It was expected that Colorado would miss the playoffs, but Duchene's rookie campaign appears to be leading the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup Playoff berth. Duchene's numbers will make him one of the favorites for the Calder Trophy this year, and it's hard to argue with those stats.

Jimmy Howard - Detroit Red Wings: Howard, like Rask, supplanted the veteran starter when Howard took Chris Osgood's job early in the season. After spending five years with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, he ran with his opportunity in the NHL. Howard leads NHL rookie goaltenders in wins with 34 - 14 more than second-place Tuukka Rask! Howard sits second amongst rookies in GAA, at 2.30, and save percentage, at .923. And, just for good measure, Howard ranks third in shutouts amongst rookies with two blankings this season. Perhaps more importantly, Howard has been the main reason for the Red Wings climbing out of ninth-place in the Western Conference standings to their current sixth-place ranking. And they have a shot to move into fifth-place before the season ends. If Howard isn't the Red Wings' MVP this season, I don't know who else should be. Jimmy Howard should be a major contender for the Calder Trophy.

Jamie Benn - Dallas Stars: Benn would be the Western Conference's darkhorse in the Calder Trophy race. Benn plays for a non-playoff team, yet has put up some very good numbers. He is tied with Niclas Bergfors in rookie goal-scoring with 21 goals, and sits fifth in rookie scoring with 39 points. What hurts Benn is the struggle that Dallas has faced this season. There's no denying that Benn's numbers are fairly good for a rookie on a team that struggled all season long, but he won't get many sympathy votes.

While it's tough to decide who will emerge as the favorite from either conference, my money is on Tyler Myers in the Eastern Conference and Jimmy Howard of the Western Conference.

Myers has been one of the key cogs in Buffalo's second-place standing in the East, and his stats are amongst the tops in every category. He has played veteran minutes, averaging 23:47 of ice-time per game, and logs the most shifts-per-game out of all the NHL rookies. Those factors should make him one of the favorites for the Calder Trophy.

Howard, as stated above, is certainly Detroit's MVP this season, and his play has been the entire reason that Detroit has gone from also-ran to one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. Howard, like Myers, has statistics that rank him at the top of every category, and those factors should make him a favorite as the best rookie in the NHL this season.

The third player who I think will be a finalist will be the leading scorer amongst rookies. Matt Duchene's leadership and scoring have turned the Colorado's "rebuilding" season into another playoff appearance. Statistically, he is the best rookie this season when it comes to scoring, and that, combined with Colorado's pre-season expectations, have to make him a finalist for the Calder Trophy as well.

The race for the Calder Trophy is almost done as the last week of the NHL season winds down. Who is your Calder winner? Maybe it's someone not on this list? Let me know in the comments who your Calder Trophy winner is!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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