Ranking The Division Leaders As Cup Contenders

With most teams nearing 40 games played, we're essentially halfway through the NHL season, and no clear-cut favorite has emerged. But we do have a few convincing-looking division leaders who figure to be in the mix. Here's a midseason ranking of the current division leaders as Stanley Cup contenders.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay has had an impressive season thus far and remains slightly ahead of Montreal and Detroit for the lead in the Atlantic Division. A look at NHL team stats shows that the Lightning are second only to Toronto in goals per game, and that offensive firepower has been good enough for 23 wins through Dec. 30. Yet, it's hard to consider Tampa Bay as a favorite against the other three teams on this list.

The oddsmakers agree, at this stage, with Betfair's page on Stanley Cup favorites showing Tampa with just 15/1 odds, as noted here. These are just the eighth-best odds overall, and they even place Tampa below division foe Montreal. This is all due to a somewhat-unreliable defense. Ben Bishop has had a very good but unspectacular season in net, and Tampa is a middle-of-the-road team in goals allowed. They'll be a playoff threat, but a Stanley Cup run looks unlikely.

3. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have the most points through Dec. 30 with 54, though they have also played more games than fellow division leaders Pittsburgh and Chicago. That performance to date has earned them 10/1 Stanley Cup odds at this point (tied for second best), but as to just how they're going to beat teams in the playoffs, it's really anyone's guess.

Simply put, the Ducks don't do anything to overwhelm you. There's no one area on the ice or on the stat sheet in which they dominate opponents and assert themselves as one of the best teams in the league. But here's an interesting thing to consider, pointed out at the Ducks' Fansided page: Anaheim leads the NHL in man games lost this season. This does raise the question of just how strong and consistent they may be if they get healthier.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins will be in the Stanley Cup conversation once more, and as of now their 10/1 odds are even with Anaheim's for second best. They'll have to fend off a tough Islanders team if they want to keep their spot atop the Metropolitan Division, but ultimately Pittsburgh looks to be arguably the most complete team in the NHL. They're also a clear co-favorite to win a title.

Taking a look at the Penguins' team stats page at ESPN, it's incredibly impressive just how good this team is in all areas of the game. They rank fourth in both goals scored and goals allowed, sixth in power play percentage and third in kills. They're also one of only five teams with single-digit losses, despite a recent slide, and that sort of consistency matters come playoff time.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

What's better than Pittsburgh's claim of ranking fourth in both goals scored and goals allowed? How about Chicago's marks of third in goals per game and first in goals allowed. This Blackhawks team has developed an elite defensive standing without sacrificing offensive prowess, and they're the favorite to win the Stanley Cup as a result.

Specifically, the Blackhawks lead the way with 13/2 odds, which are quite strong given how many good teams there are in the league. But as of now, it's difficult to imagine anyone beating the Blackhawks in a playoff series.

Going Home

The Islanders had a fairly dreadful trip to Florida, losing two games and not looking particularly competitive in either. Fortunately, they come home to meet some old friends in the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If you're into sports betting, the Islanders are considered underdogs, which makes sense to some degree. But no Islanders fan will forget the events of this past February. Regardless of where you stand on the fighting issue, you can't deny that the Islanders get a charge out of playing the Penguins. This has become a legitimate rivalry in every sense of the word, and we should be in for quite a game on Tuesday.

Familiarity breeds contempt, and nothing is better than a home-and-home between divisional rivals. Sure enough, the Isles and Penguins are slated to face off once again in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Hopefully the Islanders can continue their good home form while finally getting some points on the road, giving them the psychological edge over a hated rival.

In Defense Of Sidney Crosby

In all my years of watching hockey, I've never seen as polarizing a figure as Sidney Crosby. To casual sports fans, Crosby is the most recognizable name in the NHL. But to hardcore NHL fans, hating on Crosby is a badge of pride. If you're a hockey fan who dares to actually like Crosby, it's tantamount to being a diehard metalhead who happens to also like Nickelback.

Well, screw that, and screw the haters. Because this writer is an unabashed Crosby fan and, in fact, is thrilled that Crosby was the one to score the golden goal. And I'm sick of people constantly ripping on Crosby for stupid reasons. So, then, let's go through the usual arguments against Crosby and point out their fallacies.

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He's Good

Yes, Sidney Crosby is a very talented player. He's the biggest star in the league and the captain of the defending Stanley Cup champions. But I don't think people really appreciate just how good Sidney Crosby is. Based on what he's accomplished so far in his young career, he's the best player to come along since Wayne Gretzky.

Let's go over Crosby's impressive resume...

- Crosby came to a team that finished 30th out of 30 teams before the lockout. Despite playing on a horrible 2005-06 Penguins team that saw Mario Lemieux retire after 26 games, Crosby finished sixth in the league in scoring. His 102 points were 44 more than the 58 points recorded by Sergei Gonchar, who finished second on the team, and Crosby's 110 penalty minutes showed he wasn't afraid to get his nose dirty.

- In 2006-07, Crosby took both the Hart and Art Ross trophies and led the Penguins to a 47-point improvement, which saw Pittsburgh make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

- The 2007-08 season saw Crosby engage in his first career fight, score the winning goal in the first Winter Classic and make a Cup Final appearance.

- In 2008-09, 21-year-old Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.

- Last night, Crosby scored the goal that gave Canada an Olympic gold medal.

Sidney Crosby turns 23 in August. So far, in his four-plus years as a professional, he has won a Stanley Cup, a Hart Trophy, an Art Ross Trophy, and an Olympic gold medal. That's pretty good. What's crazy is, he's getting better. Crosby's ceiling is absolutely limitless, especially if Ray Shero can keep the Penguins' nucleus together.

He's A Whiner

Fun fact about players who wear the C. Along with alternate captains, they're technically the only players who are allowed to talk to referees. It's Crosby's job to call refs out on missed calls, to let the refs know what's going on behind the play, and to generally represent his team. This is what captains do. Yet, Crosby is pegged as a complainer. So was Gretzky in his day.

What's the difference? Gretzky played in an era where anytime he was getting the business from opponents, he could count on Dave Semenko or Marty McSorley to take someone out. In today's NHL, enforcers don't really exist. It's up to Crosby to defend himself; to Crosby's credit, he has shown a willingness to drop the gloves on occasion, something Gretzky never did. In any event, Crosby can't rely on enforcers to do his dirty work, so he has to work with the refs to draw power plays for his team. Again, right in line with the duties of a captain.

Yes, there is a bit of petulance associated with Crosby's game. Islanders fans may recall a recent game in which Crosby took a shot well after the whistle with the pure intent of drawing the ire of his opponents. But is this the worst thing in the world? At least he's showing emotion - doesn't everyone love Ovechkin for showing emotion? The same people who bash Crosby for jawing at opponents are the same people who praise the ability of players like Chris Pronger to "get under their opponents' skin", even when their methods are deplorable at best.

He Gets Way Too Much Play With The Media

Okay, this is a legitimate gripe. From the moment Gretzky proclaimed Crosby as the player who could one day break his records, the media has been hyping Crosby as the next Gretzky. In fact, a legion of NHL fans - this writer included - thought the NHL would fix the 2005 draft lottery so that the Rangers would get the first overall pick, thereby ensuring Crosby would land in a major media market. Alas, it never happened, but that hasn't stopped NBC and Versus from showcasing Crosby and his Penguins at every opportunity. Understandably, this has resulted in some resentment on the part of diehard hockey fans.

However, there are some flaws in this argument. First, Alexander Ovechkin gets just as much praise from the media as Crosby, if not more so. Yes, there's more of a sense that the media defends Crosby more than they do Ovechkin, but the fact remains that they're the NHL's two biggest stars and dwarf all other players in terms of exposure and recognition from the mainstream. If people are sick of hearing about Crosby, shouldn't they also be sick of hearing about Ovechkin? Theoretically, yes, but it's not the case. It's true that Ovechkin is more naturally charismatic than Crosby and has done more to embrace the spotlight than the relatively bland Crosby. Does that make it okay to love Ovechkin and hate Crosby? I don't think so.

Also, there's this - Crosby has earned all of his accolades by being a tremendous player and, more than that, a winner. The praise heaped upon Crosby is deserved. He literally turned the Penguins from the worst team in the league - and a team that was certain to move out of Pittsburgh - into Stanley Cup champions in just four seasons. Compare the media's treatment of Crosby to that of Brett Favre, and you see how much worse it could be.

He Scored The Game-Winner Against The United States

To hear American fans talk, Crosby personally offended every single American by beating Ryan Miller in overtime. People are talking like hockey made big strides in America over the past two weeks, but it's not really true. For most Americans, the Winter Olympics were something to do between football and baseball seasons, and since hockey is the biggest sport of the Winter Olympics, it was easy to get interested. Now that the Olympics are over, ESPN will go back to pretending hockey doesn't exist and everyone else will follow suit. The gold medal game might have been on the front cover of the New York papers today, but the second Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter occupy the same room in Spring Training, the New York media will forget all about hockey.

The gold medal game was watched by 33 percent of the United States. I'll admit, this is a huge number, especially in today's modern era of hundreds of cable channels. Unfortunately, 33 percent does not compare to the scene in Canada, where 80 percent of the country watched the game. Yesterday's game was the most-watched telecast in the history of Canadian television. While the United States wanted their team to win yesterday, Canada needed to win.

Put it this way. If a US player had scored in overtime yesterday, he would have been remembered by most Americans in a light similar to Michael Phelps or Apolo Anton Ohno - someone to be celebrated today and forgotten tomorrow. Crosby, on the other hand, will be up there with Paul Henderson in the '72 Summit Series and Mario Lemieux in the '87 Canada Cup. In short, Crosby will always be a hero in Canada, much to the consternation of his American detractors. Is it Crosby's fault his country is so fanatical about the game they invented? Absolutely not. So why hold it against him?

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In the end, the point is this. Sidney Crosby is, at a very age, putting together one of the most impressive careers in NHL history. He's already secured hero status in both Pittsburgh and Canada. He's set the league on fire at an age where most players are just starting to put it together. Unfortunately, his accomplishments are constantly being undermined by a petulant group of hockey fans who, quite frankly, are too jealous of Crosby to appreciate him.

Personally, I think the Internet has a lot to do with the general attitude towards Crosby. I never thought much of people who say that the blogosphere is a cauldron of negativity, but when it comes to Crosby, I see their point. Here's this great player, perhaps the best of a very exciting generation of NHL stars, and yet everyone would rather point out his flaws than celebrate his ability. I understand that the NHL needs villains, but the hatred of Crosby is completely irrational. Maybe fans hate Crosby because he's the mainstream face of the NHL, while Ovechkin is the preferred face of hardcore, counter-culture NHL fans. Even so, do NBA fans constantly hate on LeBron James? Of course not.

It's odd when you feel as though you have to defend yourself for being a fan of one of hockey's biggest stars. But for myself and other Sidney Crosby fans, that's the boat we find ourselves in. We don't want to feel like we're supporting the likes of Nickelback. We just wish the hockey world would stop being so critical of the game's elite players. If people don't like him, fine, but sometimes it seems like Crosby doesn't even have the respect of hockey fans. For everything he's accomplished so far in his career, that's just wrong.

Did You Expect a Different Result?...

Did you really expect something different than what happened tonight?

Did you expect Donald Brashear to do more than Erik Christensen or Ales Kotalik would? Look at this stat-line: 5 shifts, 5 minutes 35 seconds, 2 hits, minus-1.

With (essentially) a 6-minute power play and Michal Rozsival running the point, what did you expect? A shot to hit the net? A goal?

Get real. With Kotalik watching from above and Mike Del Zotto playing the opposite side (so he can't get a real shot off), there was nobody to blast the puck from the point. And with no Rangers wanting to stand in the crease, even if they did, there was nobody to bang home a rebound.

Kotalik sits during the "winning streak" against Montreal and Tampa Bay, so he sits again in Philadelphia. Okay, I see that. If it's working, run with it. They lose, but he sits again in Montreal. Interesting, but I see what John Tortorella is doing. But now they've been shut out 2 straight games and their cannon-shot is still not dressed, while gutless players like Brashear and Chris Higgins get to go in.

At one point during the extended power plays in the 3rd period, all four Penguin penalty-killers and their goalie were facing the same direction - towards the corner so Marc-Andre Fleury had to turn his neck left to face the puck. Rozsival, for some unknown reason, was on the left point (maybe Wade Redden was changing his tampon, I don't know, I'm not the bench boss).

Now, if this was a team playing the Rangers - say, Montreal, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh - that point man would have skated down so that he was facing the penalty-killers' backs. He would have received a pass and banged it home before Henrik Lundqvist had adequate time to slide back to the other post.

However, this is Mikey Rozsival we're talking about. What did he do? Waited for a pass. Just to pass again. Just to have the puck fumbled out of the zone, thus killing any chance of a good play.

Apparently, the PK-men on Pittsburgh weren't the only ones not paying attention on that play.

I'm not saying that Kotalik himself would've saved this game. But if he was out there shooting and someone wanted to get dirty in the crease - hey, Sean Avery can't play every shift, can he? - then maybe a garbage goal would've gone in and all of you would be singing the praises of this team for coming back from a 1-0 deficit and finally winning at home.

But no one wants to shoot. No one wants to get dirty. No one wants to hit.

And I guess no one wants to play in May, either.

Do Moral Victories Exist?

You knew the Islanders had to lose sometime. And you probably knew that the Islanders sweeping three of the East's top four would probably be too good to be true. Yet, you're disappointed that the Islanders lost tonight.

That's a good thing.

I keep waiting for the Islanders to fall off the pace and out of the playoff picture. It hasn't happened yet. At this point, I'm not so sure it's ever going to happen. These Islanders looked like they belonged in this game, and they looked like they had a great chance to win. It's a shame it didn't work out.

Some thoughts on tonight's game...

- Over the past two years, the Islanders have written the book on blowing three-goal leads. Tonight, they flipped that book around, coming back from three goals down on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Even though the end result wasn't there, the comeback was a great sign.

- If Garth Snow does nothing else next year, he has to get a big winger to play with John Tavares. He's not big enough to do it all by himself, which is to be expected at 19 years old. Even so, it's hard to watch him getting knocked around so frequently.

- Sidney Crosby didn't do a whole lot to silence his "whiner" rep after Richard Park's goal to tie the game. I get that it's the captain's job to let the ref know when he's missing calls, but yapping with Park and Doug Weight doesn't really accomplish a whole lot.

- The Sutton hit... just an unfortunate incident. Clearly, Sutton felt bad; he stayed on top of Pascal Dupuis until the whistle blew to make sure nobody else hit him. The refs got the call right, but it's unfathomable that the ref behind the play made the call before the ref standing right next to the play. Even more unfathomable than that, though, was the discussion on MSG Plus that followed the play, in which the announcers - particularly Butch Goring - suggested that the hit was Dupuis' fault for being in a bad position. We here at The Rivalry regularly sing the praises of the MSG Plus crew often, but this was uncalled for.

- The Isles got destroyed on faceoffs tonight. Not good when you're facing a team with as many playmakers as the Penguins.

- Not to jump on the "The refs give Pittsburgh preferential treatment" bandwagon, but there were a few calls that probably didn't need to be made. The two that stick out in my mind were the call on Kyle Okposo that set up the game-winning power play goal by Evgeni Malkin and the delay of game call on Dwayne Roloson. But that's life. Good teams always get the calls.

- Kind of a dick move by Crosby, taking a shot on Roloson as time expired and the Penguins protecting a two-goal lead. The Isles and Penguins meet again in three weeks. Here's hoping the Islanders haven't forgotten by then.

All in all, an excellent effort for the Islanders, who probably deserved more than they got tonight. That said, giving the likes of Crosby and Malkin seven opportunities on the power play is usually a recipe for defeat, something which was the case in tonight's game. Despite the loss, the Islanders should feel great about their play of late. The days of the sad-sack Islanders are rapidly coming to a close and are being replaced by this young, energetic team that can hang with anyone.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Though it is cold and rainy, it is indeed Thanksgiving. I started to search for a pretty cool Hockey Thanksgiving image to put on here, but as soon as I saw pictures of those creepy fat birds that everyone else in America eats today, I decided not to.

Yes, I'm scared of turkeys.

Anyway, on a day that I'm thankful the Rangers gaining 4 points in 2 games for the first time since they beat LA and Toronto in back-to-backs in mid-October, I wish you the best today. (Sure, these 4 points came against 2 teams that haven't won a combined playoff game since a 1997 series against Wayne Gretzky and the Rangers, but it's still a good feeling.)



As for me, I'll be in sunny San Diego starting tomorrow, and while you would think hockey would be the last thing on my mind, I'll be glued to my cell phone for text message updates for the 3 games I'll miss.

That Tampa Bay game is another big points, and if they can get 3 points against the Penguins, then that's 9 out of 10 and a big step in the right direction. Of course, there's a solid chance that Steven Stamkos will score 2 goals tomorrow, Marian Gaborik will score 1, and nobody else will score anything and they'll lose 2-1. And taking 2 from Pittsburgh is more realistic (they can definitely win the home game on Monday, I believe).

I leave this website in the hands of Bryan, whom I'll be seeing for some Thanksgiving hockey in less than an hour. I know Bryan was all set to write something last night, but then his daughter threw up because she ate too much. Since she ate dinner in my restaurant, I take full responsibility.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Beating the Weaker Teams...

What was refreshing (I hate that word) about tonight's 4-1 Rangers' victory over Toronto was the fact that the Maple Leafs are a weaker team.

I know what you're thinking, and you're right - a good team should always beat a weaker team.

The Rangers have had a horrible problem with losing to teams below them in the standings. It didn't matter what the numbers on the back of the jersey were - whether they were 2, 9, and 11 or 68, 82, and 92, or 35 or 30. They would always play pretty tightly against better teams. They had good records against New Jersey and the Penguins, and they would keep up with Detroit (although they are 0-3 vs. the Wings since the lockout), yet they would give up 2 goals leads against Atlanta and they'd lose to Chicago when the Hawks had 5,000 fans in the crowd.

And tonight's game was setting up for a fall. A 6-game winning streak; a team they just beat 7-2; a road game after a few days off; the opponents were looking for their first win of the season; and a nationally televised game in Canada where the refs might've called a lot of bogus penalties against the Rangers. In previous seasons, this would be a game they would be up 2-0, then disappointingly lose 4-2.

(To be fair, the referees called a good game although I would've liked to have seen Jason Blake get a penalty for running into Henrik Lundqvist on his breakaway.)

Is this team different? Very. Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal don't quit; Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan aren't intermittently good like last year (ok, Callahan played hard every shift last year but Dubinsky disappeared for weeks at a time); Chris Drury isn't relied upon for offense so he can be a "behind-the-scenes" type player (killing penalties, blocking shots, etc.).

Yet there are 3 huge differences in this year's team...
1) The defense moves the puck and shoots. Most "SHOOOOOT" shouts from the Garden crowd should be silenced this year. Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival aren't passing up shots or missing the net as much since Mike Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy are passing and shooting on the power play. Hell, Dan Girardi had a two-goal game.

2) John Giannone said tonight that the Rangers lead the league in power play chances. Of course, they've played 8 games now (no team has played more than 8; a few have played as little as 5 or 6), but they're also fast and hard-charging, which makes opponents more likely to hook, slash, grab and pull in order to get back into the play.

Think about it: Marek Malik used to take tons of penalties because he was slow. He would get beat, turn around, and have to grab a jersey or use his stick for leverage, gaining nothing but 2 minutes in the penalty box.

Now, you have Enver Lisin, Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, and Gaborik skating. A defender is going to have to yank them when they get passed, and then it's a power play.

3) Well, #3 is the whole point of the post. The Rangers are beating up on lesser teams. And to be honest, of the 8 games, only 3 are from teams who won't make the playoffs (Leafs twice, Senators once). The Penguins and Capitals and Ducks are going to be in the playoffs, and the Devils and Kings have good chances of it.

But what happened when they played those non-playoff teams? They pounced. And that's what good teams do.

Prucha Scores on His Back...

"It's a power play goal! Petr Prucha!"

Last night, the Phoenix Coyotes went into Pittsburgh and took on the Penguins, and they won 3-0. What's more impressive is that it was a power play goal. What's more impressive is that he scored it while on his back, laying on a Penguin.

Check out the video of Prucha scoring while lying on Mark Eaton.

Happy Thursday to everyone.

Rangers Lose...

The Rangers did something today they haven't done since before the lockout - they lost their season opener.

Of course, the difference between this year and the past 4 years is the quality of the opponent they played. Since the lockout, they haven't played any teams that made the playoffs that season for their first game. They beat, in order, Philadelphia, Washington, Florida, and Tampa Bay. This year, not only did they have a team that will make the playoffs, they faced a team that won the Stanley Cup.

So, how have those teams who played the defending Stanley Cup Champions done when they got to see the banner raised?

Last year, defending champions Detroit played Toronto on the night they raised the banner, who missed the playoffs for the 4th straight year.

In 2007, defending champions Anaheim played Boston when they raised the banner (they played their first 2 games vs. LA in Europe, then went on a road trip, then played Boston in their home opener). Boston snuck into the playoffs but lost to Montreal in the first round.

In 2006, Carolina played Buffalo in their home opener when they celebrated winning the Stanley Cup. Buffalo had a fantastic start, a great year, and lost to Ottawa in Game 5 overtime to be eliminated from the playoffs in '07.

In 2005, Tampa Bay had a delayed celebration at home against Carolina. Carolina had a dream season and won the Stanley Cup.

In 2003, New Jersey played Toronto. Toronto wound up losing to Philadelphia in the 2nd round (the Flyers were very good in those playoffs, and the only reason they didn't go on to the Finals that year is because Keith Primeau couldn't play every shift and Brad Richards played the game of his life in Game 7).

In 2002, the Red Wings played Montreal, who missed the playoffs and ended up 5 games under .500.

Which will the Rangers be more like? Will they be #1 in the league like Buffalo and run out of steam in the Conference Finals? Will they miss the playoffs like last season's Toronto and Montreal of '02? Will they win the Cup like Carolina did in '06? Probably not any of those scenarios. They'll probably go hot, go cold, and then fight for a playoff spot in mid-March. They'll clinch in early-April, and then have a 2nd round exit like Toronto in '03.

Of course, I'm hoping it's different. But I'm also realistic.

I could be wrong. John Tortorella's system could be good. Marian Gaborik looked very good vs. Pittsburgh in Game #1, and he might score 45 goals. Brandon Dubinsky even looked good last night. Plus, the defensive pairings I wanted were put on the ice tonight (Staal/Girardi; Redden/Gilroy; Rozsival/Del Zotto).

I'm not going to dissect last night's game. You probably saw it. Sure, there's a lot I can talk about - poor officiating; an excessive amount of odd-man rushes on Henrik Lundqvist; Mike Del Zotto being in the right spot twice but not being able to get good wood on the puck; Wade Redden's $6.5M body check on Evgeni Malkin; Redden being near the net and playing physical until he sucked the last 6 minutes of the game; Marc-Andre Fleury's game-breaking save on Vinny Prospal. But it's a long season.

And with 5 more games against Pittsburgh, expect plenty of confusion about phantom penalties called in favor of the Penguins. (I say "in favor of the Penguins" instead of "against the Rangers" because for years, this site has been saying that the NHL doesn't have a bias against any one team, but they do have a bias for Pittsburgh.)

It was an exciting game. They had some good chances. Gaborik can be incredible. Ales Kotalik and Prospal played good. Sean Avery can help a lot and hopefully will soon. But there were way too many odd-man rushes against Hank is too many. He is a great goalie, but he shouldn't have to be the hero every game. And what are you going to do when he isn't playing that game?

I'm also disappointed Alexei Semenov didn't sign with the Rangers. Having a 7th d-man is a luxury they haven't had in a while. Jason Strudwick was good in the locker room a few years back, but he wasn't a great player. Last year, no d-man was help accountable because there was never a threat of benching one player. A veteran 7th man would mean a struggling player could take a seat, or a rookie with nerves could watch a game from up high one night to get his bearings back.

Anyway, it's a long season. It's been nice to start the season with 2 points every year, but there are 81 games left.

Predictions...

Okay, I'll do them. I'll do some predictions for next year, if only so I can do my yearly look back at preseason predictions to see how good everyone did. For the record, out of 6 last year, I came in 6th, and Isles' Writer Bryan came in 2nd place.

So.

East
1. Washington
2. Boston
3. Pittsburgh
4. Carolina
5. Rangers
6. Philly
7. Devils
8. Atlanta
9. Montreal
10. Ottawa
11. Islanders
12. Toronto
13. Tampa Bay
14. Buffalo
15. Florida

Notes: Let's start with the hometown boys - Why the Rangers over the Flyers? Simple: goaltending. Who would you rather have, 3-time Vezina finalist Henrik Lundqvist or NHL-castaway Ray Emery and career-backup Brian Boucher? Plus, I think Matt Gilroy and Mike Del Zotto can add a lot while limited Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden on the power play can only help. I also think Ales Kotalik and Vinny Prospal are nice compliments to Marian Gaborik, one of the best in the league when healthy (13-10-23 in 17 games last year).

The Islanders? Either way you slice it, Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron are a solid 1-1A combo. Johnny Tavares is better than people are letting on. Rob Schremp was almost traded to the Isles for a 2nd round pick at the draft and they just got him for nothing. Mark Streit is excellent. Going to be a good team. Playoffs are a stretch, but I had them bordering at 10th or 11th.

Other Teams: NJ can never be counted out; Montreal improved but not that much. Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta were magical one season. Only one season; Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara can lead you to the top of the conference when you're in a weak division, but then what?; Eric Staal is going to be a monster this year in Carolina; Atlanta! Bryan Little centering Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov is going to be a sick line; and Florida in 15th because their best player hates the team (Nathan Horton) and the 4,000 fans at every game can't put them in good spirits.

West
1. San Jose
2. Calgary
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. Anaheim
6. Minnesota
7. Columbus
8. Dallas
9. Vancouver
10. St. Louis
11. Phoenix
12. Nashville
13. Edmonton
14. LA
15. Colorado

Notes: What has Colorado done to improve themselves from being a lottery pick? David Koci and Craig Anderson? No way. Anderson is good but can't carry a team on his shoulders; I see nothing in Vancouver while others are predicting them to win the Cup. Roberto Luongo gave up SEVEN GOALS with the season on the line last year. And when your 2 biggest acquistions are a player once part of a 4-player package for Alex Kovalev (Mikael Samuelsson) and a goalie even Colorado didn't want (Andrew Raycroft), you aren't going far; Phoenix might be a mess, but they made a few good moves and have a great goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov to fall back on. Plus, Kyle Turris should come into his own this year; Detroit is setting up for a 1st round exit this year but again will dominate in the regular season; LA should actually be good and could surprise, if Dustin Brown bounces back from an awful year and if Jack Johnson plays as good as he could, but they have no goaltending, do they?; Anaheim and San Jose should beat each other senseless in the regular season and if they meet in the Conference Finals, we're in for a treat (the way I have it worked out, they'll meet in the 2nd round and it will be brutal); Minnesota's new system and new coach should help them into the playoffs. Plus, Brent Burns, Marek Zidlicky, and Martin Havlat are in for huge years without the trap to hold them down.

If it all shakes down as it should, I have the Sharks over the Penguins for the 2010 Stanley Cup. Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are going to be unstoppable together. Danny Boyle and Rob Blake are going to be a great tandem, and Evgeni Nabokov will slam the door shut in goal.

Sporcle...

Anyone ever heard of Sporcle? It's a site that gives you blank slates and tells you to name stuff. For instance, it gives you a blank table with years listed and you have to name Pixar movies. You type them in, they go next to the year, and when you give up, you click "Give Up" and it tells you the answers.

Since I'm a stats nerd, the best part for me is seeing what percentage were picked.

There are also some cool NHL-related games. Check out...

http://www.sporcle.com/games/caldertrophy.php

Try to name every single Calder Trophy winner in NHL history. Well, since that is VERY tough, try doing the right column, which starts with 1984-85/Pittsburgh Penguins and ends with 2008-09/Columbus Blue Jackets. See if you can beat my score - 7 wrong from '84-'09. Kind of embarrassing when you realize which ones you got wrong.

Also a good one: http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlteamptleaders.php - career points leaders for each team. Very cool, but good luck guessing who leads Columbus in lifetime points.

Also try: http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlarenas.php - the name of every team's arena. As long as I stared at the page, I would NOT have guessed where the Flames play.

And my personal favorite: http://www.sporcle.com/games/sportscities.php - Name the 13 cities in America that have teams in all 4 pro sports. Sorry Bryan, MLS doesn't count. (I got 11 of 13. One of them was my fault; the other I blame the game.)
Let me know how you do and which you get wrong.

I Was Right; I Was Wrong...

Of course, no Ranger games will be played at the Coliseum next season. Got to save those for weeknights since they'll close-to-sell-out anyway. No need to waste a Saturday where you'll sell 14,000 tickets anyway, no matter who the opponent. I was right about that.

I was wrong, however, when I predicted that 80% of their last 10 games would be division rivals. In fact, only half are, and we get to see that always exciting "Florida road trip" in April. Whoa, Schedule Makers, I'll make sure I take my heart medicine, because that's one to get the blood pumping!

And of course, what season would be complete without a home & home versus Philadelphia?

When the Penguins won the Cup, an avid and eager reader of this website, Dan, sent a string of angry text messages. One of them predicted that the Rangers would be the opponent when the Penguins raise the Stanley Cup banner to the rafters. Indeed, a short month later, his Nostradamus-like prediction is in fact a reality. I'm not mad. First of all, it's a crappy thing to get mad about. Second of all, maybe watching it will light an illusionary fire under the arses of certain Rangers players and get them going.

When the Rangers were awful in 2002-03, I wanted to send a mail to MSG. Specifically, I wanted to mail it to Gord Dwyer. I figured he never got any fan mail, so he would atleast open it, as opposed to sending it to Mark Messier or Tom Poti (it would have been lost in Poti's hatemail). I wanted to send him the video tape of "Oh Baby!" which was the highlights of the 1993-94 season, from playing in Europe to winning the Cup in Game 7. I figured it would start a fire under him, and he would show it to everyone and they would then be inspired to reach for glory.

Alas, I never sent it, the Rangers missed the playoffs, and I've blamed myself ever since. So maybe the banner-raising ceremony in Steeltown will be the "Oh Baby!" that is still sitting on my desk upstairs in my room.

A few notes...

In 2005-06, the Rangers played a very short February also, due to the Olympics. They played 6 games and won all of them, 5 in regulation and 1 in overtime on a Jaromir Jagr goal (from Martin Rucinsky and Michal Rozsival... ah, to be Czech in America). This year, that's do-able as well. Six games, 4 at home, including the Lightning and Predators.

With 24 games vs. the Atlantic, 40 vs. the rest of the East, and 15 against the West, that leaves them playing 3 Western teams twice this year. If I remember from last year, they played Chicago twice, Dallas twice, and the Ducks twice. This year's repeat offenders are St. Louis, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

No "California Trip" this year, since their only game out there is against LA. That trip sees them in Phoenix, Colorado, then LA. The "Florida Trip" not only happens near the end of the season, but the Rangers also make the same trip during Thanksgiving week, as they do every year (Panthers on Thanksgiving Eve, Lightning on Black Friday).

They do have a Western Canada trip, though, as they play Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton in early November. Mark that down as a loss, as they normally do awful on that road trip. That will also be Tom Renney's first - and only - meeting with his old team. They also stop in Minnesota before hitting Canada.

Don't bank on any romantic Friday evenings at the Garden. The Rangers have 6 road games on a Friday (including the opener in Pittsburgh) but if you want to see them in the City on a Friday, you'll have to wait until the last home game of the year, 4/9/10 (looks weird to write!) against the Flyers.

Three home games that my girlfriend will kill me if I don't sell my tickets: 11/21 vs. Florida, her birthday; 2/14 vs. Tampa Bay, Valentine's Day; and 3/18 vs. St. Louis, our anniversary.

Possible road trips: October 24 & January 23, Montreal; December 9, Chicago; December 17, Philadelphia; January 9 & March 21, Boston; March 6, Washington; March 27, Toronto; December 21 & 31, Carolina. Sadly, no trip to Nashville is in the works, atleast not for a hockey game.

Penguins Win the Cup...

Very happy for Petr Sykora and I loved seeing him lift the Stanley Cup, although I'm pretty sure he cursed very loudly on TV last night. (Thought he said "F***in' right!" as he lifted it.)

People are villifying Marian Hossa, but for no reason. He did the noble thing, it just didn't work out for him. He could've taken somewhere around $80M from Edmonton to play there for a few years, but he took a cut to play in Detroit. Granted, $7.4M is still a nice chunk of coin, but at least he wants a Cup. What's next for him, back to the Penguins? Head over to San Jose? Stick with Detroit? I doubt that one, because they have a bunch of players to re-sign as well.

Besides Petr Sykora, the one guy on the Penguins I really love is Max Talbot. Not only does he rock awesome facial hair (he used to have a huge mustache), but he is the nicest guy. Of all the NHL players I've met/seen, him and Martin Biron are the most genuine and the nicest. He signs everything, he gives pucks to all the kids in the crowd. Good guy, always smiling. And now, he goes down in history as scoring 2 goals in a Game 7, much like his teammate Ruslan Fedotenko did in 2004 in a 2-1 win after trailing in the series 3-2. (One difference, Tampa Bay was at home, not in Calgary for that Game 7.)

No, I'm not ashamed to have rooted for the Penguins to win last night. I was much happier seeing them win than I would've been had the same team as last year won.

Saw this phrase written somewhere, and I found a picture of the two of them together, so, here it is.

Two Girls, One Cup

Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup Champions

Say what you want to about Sidney Crosby.

Call him a whiner. Call him a diver. Call him a wuss if it makes you feel better. But don't forget one important fact.

Sidney Crosby is a WINNER.

Congrats to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2008-09 Stanley Cup Champions. Congrats to Crosby and Malkin. Congrats to former Islanders Bill Guerin, Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko and Eric Godard. Congrats to former Rangers Pascal Dupuis and Petr Sykora. And for the sake of both New York teams, let's hope they break this team up before they become a dynasty.

Playoff Bet Update, Finals...

An update on the playoff bet: If the Penguins win tomorrow, I will have ended with 12 points, ahead of Bryan's 10. If Detroit wins, I will end with 10, and he with 8. (We both thought Pittsburgh would do it in 6 games.)

Regardless, I am crowned Playoff Prediction Champion. A glamorous title, indeed. However, unlike Miss California, I will not be fired and I will not tell you my views on gay marriage. I will tell you, however, that I thought a movie on gay marriage, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, was awful and predictable, and I wish it wasn't made.

Anyway, as per terms of the bet, Bryan owes $100. Originally, I wanted the money to be given to the Garden of Dreams, since this is a hockey site, after all.

I have since changed my mind. Let James Dolan donate to the Garden of Dreams.

Bryan, please make your echeck payable to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a group out in Utah that houses 2,000 homeless dogs, cats, horses, pigs, burrows, rabbits, etc. They also work with animal shelters all across the country and they helped rescue stray dogs on the streets of New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav.

In the spirit of gamesmanship, I will be matching your gift with a donation to the Freeport Animal Shelter (in particular, my favorite dog there, Cinderella), in Freeport, Long Island, which just received 17 dogs from Hurricane Gustav that were going to be euthanised in shelters down south to make room for new lost dogs this hurricane season.

Ah, now only if Wade Redden could give away 90% of the $6.5M my season tickets go towards. I wouldn't feel so angry about him eating up that much Cap room if he gave the animals all of his money.

Enjoy your Game 7 tomorrow. For a while there, we had a string of Game 7's. There were 4 of 5 since 2001 until the past 2 years. Always exciting knowing the Stanley Cup will be awarded but not knowing to whom. (Am I grammatically correct there?)

Phoenix; Penguins; Sutter...

Three things on the docket today, a day when I'm off from work and it appears my softball game will be rained out. What is that old expression? June showers bring July flowers?

1) NHLPA head Paul Kelly agrees with me that Phoenix should no longer have an NHL team. He questions how much money a team should have to lose before people question that maybe they shouldn't have a team.

My point was that it should be marked as a failed experiment, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should admit it, and the league should move on. Kelly's point is that he doesn't care who gets the team - Hamilton, Toronto, anyone - but that Phoenix should not have it.

I personally think Jim Balsillie should be allowed to have the team. He has a passion for the game, the desire to own a team, and certainly the deep pockets necessary to launch and nurture an expansion team.

Links: My post on it. TSN's article on Kelly's comments.

2) Is it wrong that I'm rooting for Pittsburgh tonight? And not just so we see a Game 7 (although they are always great, especially in the Finals), but to win the Stanley Cup.

I always like to see new teams win. I loved Anaheim and Ottawa in the Finals in '07, and I liked Carolina/Edmonton in '06. This year, not only is it a rematch of the last two teams in the Finals, but the same team is poised to win in the same exact amount of games. The only difference is that last year's Game 5 had Detroit up 3-1 and one probably the greatest non-Rangers game I have ever watched. Maxime Talbot scoring with 35 seconds left to send the game to overtime, then a triple OT, and Petr Sykora scoring to keep the series alive.

While I can't stand the Penguins, I'm rooting for them solely to see a new team win the Cup, and once again, maybe if they do win, the NHL can go back to refereeing their games fairly.

3) It's going to come out today that Brent Sutter has left the Devils. This was a move everyone saw coming last month when Darryl Sutter hinted it was going to happen. Darryl fired Mike Keenan in Calgary, then at his 20-minute long press conference, said the 3 best men for the job were currently under contract. Someone said, "Brent?" and he said he was under contract and couldn't talk about it.

Ah, Brent Sutter, once a scumbag, always a scumbag. The man who gave his word that he would never leave the Red Deer Rebels (which he owns and managed) and then up-and-left for New Jersey. Now, an opportunity to work with his brother comes knockin', and he is on the next plane back to Alberta.

Brent Sutter, we won't miss you. Maybe you can take your intent-to-injure son back with you also.

Worst Stat Ever Stated?...

Up until last night, the stupidest stat I had ever heard was a few years ago while watching my 4th repeat of ESPNews, a TV show I used to watch religiously until I got tired of seeing Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals highlights.

The stat: Someone had hit a home run, and it was his birthday. They then mentioned that he was the 4th player to ever hit a home run on his birthday when his age matched his jersey number. So, for example, he wore number 33, and he turned 33 that day and hit a homer, joining this exclusive club.

Yesterday was the stupidest hockey stat I might have ever heard.

The stat: Jordan Staal's shorthanded goal was the first for a Penguin in the Cup Finals since 1992! The first since Bob Errey scored in Game 2 against Chicago!

My Lord! Stop the presses!

Let's figure this out. They Penguins played 2 more games in the Finals that year, as they swept Chicago in four games. They then played 6 last year and 3 games this year in the Finals without scoring shorthanded.

It was the Penguins first goal in 11 Finals games that came shorthanded. Wow. What an accomplishment. It's not like the Penguins had played in the Finals 6 times since then '92. They had made it two times, and one time they didn't score a shorthanded goal.

Maybe it wasn't even the stat that was completely stupid, it was the way they had said it. They said it like it was some sort of amazing feat, similar to the Chicago Cubs making the World Series (or in hockey terms, the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Cup or the Florida Panthers making the playoffs).

They were so astonished by this incredible 11-game shorthanded goal drought that they said it twice. They said it once, confusing me. Then, Christine Simpson did a between-period interview with Jordan Staal and said it to him, and then they flashed the stat on the screen.

Sleep easy Penguin fans. Your team has finally scored a shorthanded goal in the Finals after 11 tries. Now that the monkey is off your back, perhaps the team can get back to actually playing and forget about that. I heard that was hovering over them like a black cloud on a sunny day.

(For the record, the entire 2005-06 Rangers team only had 4 shorthanded goals in 82 games, less than 1 in 20. Imagine how crazy the Versus broadcast would've gone had they seen Jason Ward put one away while a man down!)

An Open-Letter to Gary Bettman...

Dear Mr. Bettman,

If the Pittsburgh Penguins lose again in the Stanley Cup Finals, does it mean that next season is yet another one with an obvious officiating bias against them, especially in the playoffs? It happened brutally last year in the playoffs, it happened heavily this season, and in the playoffs as well this year.

Please, no more. Let the best team win the games!

Sincerely,

Rangers writer Zach, www.nyhockeyrivalry.com

Bryan's (Late) Finals Prediction

I haven't posted to this blog in a while. It's the longest I've gone since posting since we started this thing some fifteen months ago. For this, you can thank the atrocious third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I know it wasn't really as bad as it seemed; after all, the Red Wings-Blackhawks series featured three overtime games. Truth be told, we were spoiled by a tremendous second round of playoff hockey. Nothing could have possibly topped that and, thankfully, none of the four teams involved bothered to try. We're in luck, though; if last year's Stanley Cup Final was any indication, we're in for a treat with this series.

Real quick, a word on the start of the Cup Final before my prediction. The NHL is perhaps the most oft-criticized league in all of professional sports, and we saw more examples of this as the conference finals drew to a close. Faced with the potential of a nine-day gap between rounds, the NHL bumped up its schedule a week, creating a much more manageable two-day gap. Of course, this invited media pundits to trash the NHL for kowtowing to NBC's scheduling whims.

What a load of crap. Yeah, NBC has control over the schedule. That's because they're essentially doing the NHL a favor by airing these playoff games on weeknights in June, when all their shows are in re-runs. NBC isn't paying a dime to air the Stanley Cup Finals. Instead, they're showcasing the shows that they're paying millions of dollars to produce. It's part of the way the game is played. But it beats the alternative of a deciding game being played on Versus - you can only imagine what people would be saying in that scenario.

As a hockey fan, I'm outraged that NBC thinks Conan O'Brien's new show is more important than the league I worship. At the same time, I have to give both NBC and the NHL a hand, because no other league would even dream of doing this. The NFL? They had initially taken away the extra week of Super Bowl hype, instead opting to air the Super Bowl the week after the conference championship games. They brought back that hype week just to get extra publicity - at the expense of the players' routines and preparation. The NBA promotes the start date of its' NBA Finals from the start of the playoffs and would never change it, lest they be accused of misleading its audience. As if casual fans circle the date of Game 1 of the NBA Finals and don't watch a second of playoff basketball until that date. And we all know how Major League Baseball feels about TV revenue, electing to start playoff games at Fox at 8:30* and ensuring that kids nationwide can't stay up to see the end of the season's most important games. 

* - I know MLB/Fox is currently making a huge deal about how they're going to be starting games before 8 PM for the first time in forever. What they don't tell you, though, is that these games will begin at 7:58 PM. And with pre-game ceremonies and all the usual World Series hoopla, I'll believe it when I see it.

That leaves the NHL - the same league that aired two Game 7s virtually simultaneously in both the first and second round so as not to put out the fans who paid good money for their tickets. They were much criticized for this as well; of course, most of the people doing the bashing are the same people who complain about the NFL's flex schedule and the TV-mandated late starting times of World Series and NBA Finals games. People should give the NHL credit for putting its fans first and capitalizing on an opportunity to serve its fans (and teams) better, instead of kissing the asses of TV executives like every other league does.

Anyway.

We have Detroit and Pittsburgh meeting in the Finals for the second straight year. Detroit is already up 1-0. For the purposes of the bet between Zach and myself, the best I can possibly do is tie. To accomplish this, I'd have to pick Detroit and not only be correct in the Red Wings winning, but also nail the correct number of games. If I pick Pittsburgh, I can't win no matter what.

So, what do I do? Pick Pittsburgh anyway. Pittsburgh in 6.

As they stand right now, the Red Wings remind me of the Devils teams of the past few years - just when you write them off, they find a new way to win. They're currently battling some serious injuries. Nicklas Lidstrom missed time against Chicago. Pavel Datsyuk didn't play last night and is out again tonight. How do they keep winning? Honestly, I have no idea. Common sense would dictate that they'll find a way to prevail in this series.

However, think about it. Can you even imagine a team losing to the same team in the finals two years in a row? Yes, I know the Buffalo Bills lost the Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys in consecutive years. But those are the Buffalo Bills. The Penguins won't be denied twice. Even though they lost last night, they have more skill than the Red Wings. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have shown they can take over games when necessary, and they're getting great play from guys like Ruslan Fedotenko and Bill Guerin. Plus, as great as Chris Osgood has been over his career, right now I trust Marc-Andre Fleury a little bit more.

So, Penguins in six. That means I lose the bet. It also means the Pens have to win four games out of the next five to advance. I think they can do it. Honestly, I was going to pick them to win in seven. But that'd mean they would be winning the Cup on the road, and there's something that's just not right about winning it on the road. They need to be at home when they hoist the Cup. I hope it works out for them.

Playoff Bet Update, Third Round...

The $100 playoff bet that Bryan and I made is in full swing going into the Finals. I am ahead 10-8 with one round left.

To recap, you get a point for successfully picking the team who wins the series; another point if you guess it in the correct number of games; and another point if it is an upset win.

Since neither Pittsburgh or Detroit were underdogs, no "upset points" were given out. And since both me and Bryan had the same picks (Penguins and Blackhawks, both in 6), we received the same amount of points, obviously (one point).

He had 7 in round 1, 0 in round 2, and 1 in round 3. I had 6-3-1.

So, my pick for the Finals is Penguins in 6. In fact, in every single round this year, I have had "Penguins in 6" as my choice. I actually only picked Detroit to win once, in the 2nd round against Anaheim, although I knew they were going to beat Columbus in Round 1, but I wanted to get upset points if they lost.

Regardless, this should be a good series. Better than the 3rd round, no doubt, and even better than last year. Last year, the Penguins were good but definitely beatable - the Rangers could have beaten them, and since Montreal was out, there was no other strong team in the East.

That said, Game 5 of last year's series, the triple overtime game where Petr Sykora scored the game-winner, was one of the best, if not the best non-Rangers game I have ever seen.

I'm looking forward to this series. TiVo has been put on notice.