Playoff Predictions...

Since my predictions are generally not entirely correct, and since everyone, their mother, and their mother's father are doing predictions, I'll keep mine short and simple. I imagine Bryan will be doing some as well tonight or tomorrow, even though his beloved Islanders are now dearly beloved. Hey, Bryan, if you want to make things interesting, let me know.

Eastern Conference
(1) Boston vs. (8) Montreal - Boston in 5
- Say what you want about the "history" between the 2 teams in the playoffs, mostly how Montreal has won 24/31 playoff series (a fraction normally reserved for longer months on a calendar), but Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, and Tim Thomas weren't on the Bruins when the Habs were whooping them. And I don't see Maurice Richard, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden, or Larry Robinson suiting up for the Canadiens, either.

(2) Washington vs. (7) Rangers - Rangers in 7
- Sticking with my prediction from the other day. Shut down Ovechkin, keep Green in control, and score a few goals. Henrik Lundqvist will outplay Jose Theodore any day of the week, and if the over-priced players on the Rangers actually play worth half of their contract, they can and will win.

(3) Devils vs. (6) Carolina - Devils in 6
- This is the least interesting series there is in the whole playoffs, besides maybe Vancouver vs. St. Louis. I vote the Devils, because this incarnation of the '06 Champs is 3 years older, slower, and doesn't have Doug Weight or Mark Recchi. Cam Ward is overrated, as well.

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia - Penguins in 6
- Flyers have a fantastic offense with Briere, Carter, Gagne, Giroux, and Richards, and Braydon Coburn can be a game-changer. But Martin Biron, as much as I like him, is no match for Crosby, Ovechkin, and Sykora.

Western Conference
(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim - SJ in 4
- San Jose would have much rathered seen St. Louis, Columbus, or Nashville, but got stuck with Anaheim. Still, they should walk by them because they're hungrier and deeper than the last time the two met.

(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus - Columbus in 6
- I'll give the sentimental pick to the Blue Jackets, in part because I think Steve Mason will outplay Chris Osgood/Ty Conklin. I think Antoine Vermette adds a lot of dimension to the club, and if their injured players (Freddy Modin, Derick Brassard, Rostislav Klesla) can return, they can give the Wings a good run for their money. I think the Blue Jackets can beat Detroit, but that might be the end of their run. However, if this series goes to Game 7, I would give the edge to Detroit. Jackets in 6, though, final answer.

(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis - Vancouver in 4
- Vancouver has been hot, and I think Roberto Luongo is going to shut it down. Mats Sundin probably won't win his first Stanley Cup this year, but he should atleast go further in the playoffs than he has with Toronto the past 3 years.

(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary - Chicago in 5
- Simple: Calgary enters cold, Chicago enters hot, and with a smokin' hot goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin. He has been on fire, and if he cools off, Cristobal Huet is ready to go. Mikka Kiprusoff had a good season, but has been uncharacteristically inconsistent, which could be his downfall. Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold will help this team, but any team with Jamie Lundmark on it can't go far. Trust me.

What teams have the edge? A solid offense, a respectable defense, and a great goaltender is what you need. If Lundqvist catches fire - entirely possible - will the rest of the team follow suit? Probably not. If Ovechkin becomes Gretzky, will his goaltender become Roy? No.

So, who? Boston seems to have the total package, so does San Jose. But of the teams who are not ranked 1st in their conference, it seems Chicago has the best combo of goalie and forwards.

Game of the Year

No, I'm not talking about today's Islanders-Flyers game. I will never understand the logic of scheduling games on holidays where half the working and college worlds will be unable to watch. Sure, kids are off from school, but it doesn't mean parents are automatically going to take their kids to the Coliseum. Hell, I worship hockey, and I wouldn't even spend a personal day at a hockey game. Days off from work are supposed to be spent doing as little as possible.

Anyway. Happened to catch the Red Wings-Penguins game on Versus tonight, and it's everything hockey should be. This isn't just because of the 7-6 final, though the high number of goals certainly doesn't hurt. The game was played at a high intensity throughout, and the Penguins' road comeback from a three-goal deficit is certainly something we're going to remember for a long time. (Note: Islander fans can now stop killing their team over Saturday night's game; even Stanley Cup winners blow three-goal leads at home to Pittsburgh.) With the national spotlight on this game, both teams delivered. If every game was like this, hockey would be back on the map in no time. Oh wait, I forgot... ESPN still won't pay attention because they don't air NHL games. Sorry.

Still, this was one of the best games I can remember seeing. It's probably the best I've seen since the memorable Finals between these two teams. People love to say how hockey used to be better in the '80s because of the high scoring, but it also had no defense and horrific goaltending. Tonight's game had the goals, but also some great defensive work and quality netminding by both Chris Osgood and Marc-Andre Fleury. Just about every player made at least one great play. That's all you can ask for.

As an Islander fan, I know the Stanley Cup isn't on the horizon anytime soon. So all I ask of my team is that someday, they play a game like this one. Give us a game we'll never forget, even if the result is a loss. We deserve at least that much. Same goes for Ranger fans as well. It doesn't need to be a championship. Just three hours of greatness. Is that too much to ask?