Saw That Coming...

People were getting mad at me for telling them the Rangers would be crushed today, and lo and behold, they were. I hope I'm right in saying that they would also win at MSG on Sunday. And I'm glad that if Henrik Lundqvist was going to have a night off, this was it, in a game the Rangers could afford to lose so long as they remember to show up for Game 6.

What I didn't see coming was 30 year old players not playing the body. When Alex Ovechkin blew by Dan Girardi and Marc Staal to score, I understood it. They are young, they might not know how to play defense. But Chris Drury is 32, Derek Morris is 30. Do they not know to play the puck, do not play the player!

I expect it when Michael Rozsival or Wade Redden make that mistake; they're awful at their jobs. But Morris and Drury? C'mon!

Rangers Up 3-1, So Let's Talk About Penalties...

You've watched the game, you TiVo-ed Rangers in 60, and you already read all about the game on the Internet.

Let me just say a few things, then...

- - Sean Avery took 2 penalties in the last half of the third period, the first being on a race for the puck by the Capitals' goal line. I think this was a marginal penalty, at best. It didn't look like he actually meant to hit Milan Jurcina. Granted, I might be completely wrong, because lately it seems like Avery "accidentally" hits people a lot. But it truly appears to me that he was turning his body quickly, didn't see Jurcina bending over, and clocked him on accident in the head.

The second penalty, though, when he hit a Capital in the face/neck with his stick, was stupid. Yes, Brian Pothier sold the move like he got shot by a bazooka, but Avery never should have done it. I will stand by Avery and how he plays, but this was a stupid, selfish move. He normally puts his teammates first on the ice, and everything he does is to get under someone's skin or help his linemates, but this was stupid. Instead of hitting Alex Semin or Alex Ovechkin, he has been concentrating on bums like Tom Poti and Pothier.

Shouldn't the first penalty, the punch on Jurcina, maybe been a 4-minute minor since it drew blood? Or is that only for high-sticking calls?

- - Quick sidenote: I remember a Ranger game in Boston that I was at in 2006-07 when both teams had a #68 and a #81, and I thought that was really cool. (For the record, Jurcina, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Hossa, and Phil Kessel.)

- - Paul Mara also took 2 stupid penalties. The first was an interference call where he laid someone out away from the play. A dumb penalty, probably, but you could see the point in it. He knocked someone hard who could have gotten to the puck when it wrapped around the boards.

The second one, where he pushed someone who was chasing the puck into a corner, was ridiculous. It, like Avery's stick-to-the-head, served no purpose and just put the Rangers into a 2-minute hole where Ovechkin, Semin, or Mike Green could've dented the Rangers.

- - Mike Green took a "good" penalty before. He was exhausted from playing a full power play, and when he let Fred Sjostrom blaze by him, he hooked him and took him down before Sjostrom could get the puck.

While he never should have let him blow by him like that, he took a good penalty because it saved a breakaway and it didn't lead to a penalty shot. Avery's hit on Pothier and Mara's useless shove were bad penalties. If a penalty stops a scoring chance, or teaches someone a lesson not to mess with your teammates, that's fine, and a solid 2-minute penalty kill can help your team. But useless penalties demoralize you and invigorate the other team.

- - By the way, there was a part in the 3rd period when the Capitals were on the power play that made me laugh. Every player on the ice, Capitals, Rangers, were completely beat. The Capitals keep their players (Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Nik Backstrom) on so long that by the 1:50 mark of the power play they are phoning it in; and the Rangers had their PK unit out for so long because the couldn't clear.

The end result: a listless power play that couldn't even pass the puck, and a PK unit that couldn't even stop a weak pass.

* * *

All in all, a huge game, like I said earlier, and a gigantic win. It leaves a barrier now where they can win in Washington Friday, but they don't have to.

They now know that even if they lose Game 5, they can close it out on home ice Sunday.

Big Game...

I know you know this, and I don't mean to state the obvious, but this game tonight is huge.

Regardless of tonight's outcome, I think the Rangers will lose Game 5 Friday night. If the Rangers win, they take a 3-1 lead in the series and can afford to lose a game in Washington, knowing that the series comes back to the Garden for Game 6, where they can put it away.

If they lose, though, tonight, they might be in a bad spot. Of course, the same cliches will be said by Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Henrik Lundqvist, and John Tortorella: "One game at a time, one period at a time, one shift at a time." "It's not a best-of-3 series." "We're tied, we're not out of this." "Anything can happen."

But you know they can't afford to lose this. Not only will momentum swing to Washington, but they'll be in an opposing building for Game 5. Yes, they are 2-0 this week in that city, but you don't want to go into a hostile environment NEEDING a victory. You want to go in there Friday thinking a victory is a luxury, but knowing you'll win on Sunday night if you lose Friday.

And due to a family situation, I sold my tickets to tonight's game and will be watching from my couch. Game 1 I watched when I got home from work that night not knowing the outcome; Game 2 I watched some at home, missed the second and most of the third period, and caught the last 4 minutes at Bryan's house; Game 3 I watched at work and didn't bother watching at home when I saw how it went.

So, the couch it is, and thankfully, the game won't be on Versus. I am also bursting with anticipation on which company will be advertised on the plexiglass behind Lundqvist and Simeon Varlamov.

Controversy In Carolina

Tonight's Devils-Hurricanes game had a bit of a controversial ending. For those who haven't seen the highlights, Carolina broke a 3-3 tie by scoring a goal with 0.2 seconds left. The kicker, though, is that Carolina's Jussi Jokinen bumped into Martin Brodeur just before the deciding shot was fired. As you can imagine, Martin Brodeur - not exactly the most gracious of losers - wasn't very happy, slamming his stick against the ice and the boards as he exited the arena.

You can also imagine how this was treated on the Devils' broadcast. It sounded like a wrestling angle where the bad guy gets screwed over and brings in video evidence to prove their point. They even broke out the NHL rulebook, which proved that it should be a goal; of course, the part about it being a judgment call by the on-ice official and not the review officials was completely ignored. The other part that wasn't mentioned is that the bump took place a full two seconds before the shot was fired and that Brodeur easily should have made the save. Never mind that Jokinen should have had a blocker in his lower back before any other contact even took place.

The announcers went on to state that the referee didn't have to call an interference penalty on Jokinen; they could just reverse the goal and play overtime 5-on-5. That's fine, except you can't prove that the interference definitively caused the goal. If Jokinen bumped Brodeur while the shot was in the air, that'd be one thing. But to ask the referees to disallow a goal just because of incidental contact seconds earlier is ridiculous.

One last thing. If certain players had thrown the same temper-tantrum as Brodeur, they'd be looking at a fairly significant fine. But not Brodeur, the NHL's golden boy, Mr. 552 Wins. Instead, we'll get endless platitudes about his passion and how "all he cares about is winning". Make sure you have a barf bag ready as you watch Game 5 of this series.

Capitals Win, 4-0

After two very impressive road wins, the Rangers returned home. The Garden faithful (and their awesome glow-in-the-dark) ThunderStix welcomed their home team with open arms. Unfortunately, that's about where things peaked, as the good old Rangers showed up.

The announcers kept talking about how the near-goal by Ryan Callahan was the turning point of the game; after all, if that puck went in, Alexander Semin wouldn't have scored and the game would have been tied 1-1. However, the Caps finally brought their A-game to these playoffs. The Rangers, on the other hand, did not.

If you've read this blog for a while, you've probably read Zach's rants about the Tom Renney-led Rangers and how that team has occasionally shown up under the tutelage of John Tortorella. Tonight was one such night. How bad was it? I actually had to check the boxscore to see if Chris Drury played tonight. Turns out he got ten minutes of ice time. I would have checked to see if Scott Gomez play, but I happened to see him on the ice during the pre-game. Wade Redden managed a whopping one shot on goal in 4:30 of power play time. As a whole, the Rangers were 0-for-6 on the power play, even if some of those power plays didn't last for the full two minutes.

The reason for that, of course, is Sean Avery's 18 penalty minutes. By my estimation, at least two of his four minor penalties were unjustified. The truth is, Avery's repuation precedes him and referees will never give him the benefit of the doubt. This was evidenced when John Erskine cross-checked Avery into the goal right in front of the referee, who declined to call a penalty. It'll be interesting to see if Avery is called into Gary Bettman's office tomorrow after his cheap shot at Simeon Varlamov; the hit certainly fell into the category of a message-sending attack when the score was already decided.

This isn't to knock Avery at all. Avery, Callahan and Lundqvist were the only Rangers to act like they cared about winning. But even a great performance by Lundqvist wasn't enough to win. And make no mistake about it, Varlamov was great tonight. Varlamov, whose goalie mask still features the logo of the AHL's Hershey Bears, can confidently get a new paint job, because he's not going anywhere. One of the best parts of the playoffs is seeing young players emerge as legitimate contributors on the NHL level. Being an upgrade over Jose Theodore isn't saying much, but Varlamov has given the Capitals new life in a series that is suddenly looking like it could go the distance.

You'd like to hope the real Rangers show up on Wednesday night. As an unbiased observer, I sure hope they do. And with home-ice advantage on the line, the Rangers should pull out all the stops on Wednesday. So should the Capitals. We should be in store for a great game on Wednesday.

Which Series is This More Like?...

The Capitals won the Southeast Division this year, and are down 2-0. So, which series is this most like?

2005-06 - Southeast-winning Carolina Hurricanes lost the first 2 at home to Montreal, then replaced Martin Gerber in net with Cam Ward. Ward led the 'Canes to victories in the next 4 games, then they went on to win the Stanley Cup.

2006-07 - Southeast-winning Atlanta Thrashers lose the first 2 at home in the series against the Rangers. They lose Game 1 4-3, then replace goalie Kari Lehtonen with Johan Hedberg. Hedberg loses Game 2 by a score of 2-1 (on a freak bounce-shot by Sean Avery), and they go back to Lehtonen for Game 3. They lose that game 7-0, and Hedberg is back in net for the loss in the elimination game, Game 4.

Will Jose Theodore be back in net for Game 3? He accepted responsibility for the loss in Game 1 and wanted a chance to redeem himself, but Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau went with the rookie, Simeon Varlamov. Will he do a switch, even though Varlamov only let in one goal? Hedberg had a decent game in Game 2 but sat the next game.

* * *

That was great defensive coverage by Tom Poti on the Ryan Callahan goal. Poti went to cover Markus Naslund on his right side, and with his left hand, motioned for the other Capitals defenseman to cover Callahan. Thing is, there wasn't another D-man there, Callahan easily accepted a good pass from Naslund, and scored the only goal of the game.

I don't care if you're reading this as a Ranger or Islander fan. Be happy Tom Poti is on neither of these teams anymore.

Matt Gilroy...

I won't dwell much on a player who won't be in a Ranger uniform for another 5 months, but I will add a few notes on Matt Gilroy.

This year, the Rangers have 6 defensemen (regardless of whether or not you think some of them are really "7th d-men").

Next year, the following 4 will still be under contract: Wade Redden (5 more years); Michal Rozsival (3 more years); Dan Girardi (1 more year then UFA); and Marc Staal (1 more year then RFA, will be extended long-term next year).

That leaves Paul Mara and Derek Morris.

So we have 4 under contract, and Corey Potter and Matt Gilroy, both NHL-ready (or will be by the time training camp rolls around). I say Gilroy will be NHL-ready for two reasons: 1) He could have signed in the NHL last year but wanted to play one more year at Boston University so he could win the title and play with his brother and graduate. 2) You don't give a minor-leaguer a $2.5M deal for 2 years.

That leaves 6 defensemen. I'm assuming Potter will be on the big club next year. He's cheap ($542,000 against the cap) and still has a year left on his deal.

But what about Bobby Sanguinetti? He's making $855,000 to stay in the minors. Wouldn't they want him on the team? By all accounts, he will be ready to play in the NHL next year too. There's also a guy named Vladimir Denisov in the AHL who is having a good year and could be a 7th defenseman (will probably serve as an injury call-up though).

And don't count out Paul Mara. He could have signed elsewhere for $3M last offseason, but chose to stay a Ranger for $1.95M. “There was interest from other teams but I wanted to win in New York" is what he said in July when he re-signed. He has also played very well this year, better than he did last year, and you can't deny that someone plays better when he wants to be here as opposed to just collecting a $6.5M paycheck.

So what am I getting at? I'm saying that something will have to give. The four under contract, Gilroy, Potter, Sanguinetti, maybe even Mara, that's a lot of D-men. A trade will have to happen to accomodate everything, and of course, we'll all hope it will be Redden or Rozsival. I think it would have to be Rozsival, because it's hard to move a $30M+ contract when the player has no desire to be good.

Of course, this is Glen Sather we're talking about, the man who got the same player 3 times in a week last July when he signed Aaron Voros and Pat Rissmiller and traded for Dan Fritsche. What he probably will do is trade for another defenseman, sign someone on July 1, and start the season with 9 on the blueline.

A Fact, An Opinion, and a Mistake...

MISTAKE
I think a lot of people erred when they (me included) predicted the Sharks would sweep the Ducks. I think we overlooked the fact that even though these Ducks aren't the same as they were 2 years ago, they still have Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer on the blueline, and Francois Beauchemin is back from injury. Those are 3 big assets to have on a team, and they can have anyone of them on the ice at any given time. Add in Ryan Whitney, and that's a scary defense that not a lot of people took into account.

They sure shut down Joe Thornton today. His only shot came with like a minute left in the game.

For those who didn't catch the end of the game, it was scoreless going into the 3rd period, but the Ducks scored 2 to win it. The Sharks did hit 2 posts in that period though.

OPINION
Ian LaPierre, the "Sean Avery" of the Montreal Canadiens (albeit with less skill and without Avery's stunningly good looks), should be suspended. Tonight, the Bruins scored an empty-net goal to ice the game 4-2, and LaPierre just went and hit him while he was celebrating.

His back wasn't turned like when Dale Hunter attacked Pierre Turgeon in 1993, but there is no place for crap like that in this game. I know they allow fighting in the game, but that is in the heat of the moment (or should only be) and should deter punks like LaPierre from doing that cheap stuff.

He didn't injure Phil Kessel, but he could have, and it was after the play, after a goal, and with nothing to be gained. A one-game suspension should do the trick, like they gave Dan Carcillo in Philadelphia for a useless cheapshot last night.

FACT
The Rangers have been in 5 playoff serieses since the lockout (not including the current one against the Capitals). In those 5 matchups, the team who won Game 1 wo the series.

They lost to the Devils 6-1 in 2005-06. The next season, they beat Atlanta 4-3 and lost to Buffalo 5-2. (I still maintain that if they won Game 5, there was no way Buffalo would have won Game 6 at the Garden that year.) Last year, they beat the Devils 4-1 in Game 1 and then lost to the Penguins 5-4 in the opening of that series.

Not a stone-cold fact, but it's worth noting. Makes you feel a lot better hearing that stat now that they do have that lead though, doesn't it?

Terms of the Bet...

Bryan and I have made a bet regarding post-season predictions. The loser will have to donate $100 to charity. If I win, then Bryan will give his money to the Rangers' charity, Garden of Dreams. And if Islanders fan Bryan wins, I will donate my money the the Islanders' Children's Foundation.

- One point will be awarded if a series is correctly predicted.
- One additional point will be awarded if the winner is predicted as well as the correct number of games.
- One additional point will be awarded if the winner is predicted and it is an upset (lower-ranked team beating a higher-ranked team).

For example, if Detroit wins in 5, Bryan gets 1 point. If Detroit wins in 6, he gets 2. If Columbus wins in 5, I get 2 points, and if they win in 6 I get 3 points (one for the win, one for correct games, one for being an upset).

If I remember correctly, I got destroyed last year.

Here's hoping for a better post-season, for me and my team.

Fun...

Well, Game 1 was fun, wasn't it?

The Rangers didn't do much offensively but they did capitalize on their chances. At one point, early in the first, my roommate said, "What are the shots, 9-1?" I laughed at her. When they announced that the Rangers had finally gotten their 2nd shot on net at the 15-minute mark, I actually laughed out loud.

Listen, it was a good game. It was fun to watch, very entertaining, and had the desired outcome, atleast for me. But this is a series, not a one-and-done playoff. I don't want to sound too much liek John Tortorella (or Alex Ovechkin), but this is far from over. The Capitals will come out flying Saturday afternoon.

And we all know how the Rangers fare in afternoon games. If my calculations are correct, they were 2-8 in afternoon games and were shutout four times.

However, if the Rangers manage to stave off the Capitals attack again and win Game 2, that would be huge. Up 2-0 going into MSG is tough for any team to overcome. And the Capitals attack isn't too great, you know.

Seriously. Let me explain. They had 35 shots on goal, 13 from Ovechkin, and 22 from elsewhere. 22 shots in a game? That's Devils-territory. Stop Ovechkin, stop the Capitals. Oh, and don't take bad penalties especially in the offensive zone.

* * *

My wish for this series is good officiating. I was very concernced that we would see biased referreeing based on the fact that the NHL wants the Capitals to do good, much like Pittsburgh got the benefit of 97% of all calls in the playoffs last year. But I guess as long as the Penguins are in, the league is happy, and the other serieses can be called evenly.

Tonight, there were some bad calls and non-calls, but they were pretty much even against both teams. I'm fine with awful officiating, as long as it's even.

* * *

Oh, and yes, Henrik Lundqvist was great today, even though he did give up 3 goals.

The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Drinking Game

Hockey fans and boozehounds, rejoice! Even if your team isn't in the playoffs, you can still enjoy the playoffs like they're meant to be enjoyed. So grab a case of Labatt Blue, turn on some puck, and have fun! Feel free to comment with any rules we may have missed.

IN-GAME OCCURRENCES
Drink after each of the following:
- A player looks to the sky after the goalie makes a great save on him
- A skirmish breaks out after the whistle. Chug if it's after a goal is scored.
- A fight breaks out. Chug if the announcers mention how there's rarely any fighting in the playoffs.
- A player checks for blood after being high-sticked
- A player "takes exception" to a cheap shot taken at a star player
- A team sends its goons out to start a fight at the end of a game they're losing. Chug if the announcers mention "sending a message".

STUPID CAMERA TRICKS
Drink any time the following items are shown on screen:
- Commissioner Gary Bettman in a press box
- A head coach
- The Stanley Cup
- One of those stupid pre-game/commercial bumpers where players stare at the camera
- Versus promotes one of its shows below the score bug
- A local paper with an incendiary quote from a player
- A montage of previous playoff battles between these two teams

CLICHE ALERT!
Drink anytime an announcer says the following:
- "This is what playoff hockey is all about."
- "(name of team) can only go as far as (name of superstar) can take them."
- "Lord Stanley's Cup"
- "Your goaltender has to be your best penalty killer."
- "Win the one-on-one battles"
- "See who blinks first"
- "A hot goalie can take you far in the playoffs."
- "(name of coach) is shortening his bench."
- "(name of team) isn't just happy to be here. They want to win!"
- "(name of team) has the last line change."
- "Upper/Lower Body Injury"
- "All you young kids out there..."
- Any discussion about playoff beards
- Any reference to the referees "swallowing their whistles" late in a game
- Any reference to the new penalties for fighting

INTERMISSION REPORTS
Drink any time any of the following events happen:
- A guest analyst is present at the Versus studio. Chug if it's not Rick DiPietro.
- A pundit declares that a team must start "doing the little things"
- An analyst looks at the wrong camera
- A Canadian journalist floats an unsubstantiated rumor. Chug if it involves the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- An interviewed player is wearing a Versus/CBC towel

MISCELLANEOUS
- Kill a beer during each overtime period. Chug each time the announcers mention how there are no TV timeouts during playoff overtime.
- Drink every time the announcers mention how Ken Hitchcock is a Civil War buff.
- Drink every time reference is made to the Rangers' record with/without Sean Avery.
- Chug if Jack Edwards laughs maniacally at a vicious hit.
- Chug every time the following words are used: Economy, Bailout, Stimulus, Obama.
- Drink if the condition of the ice is discussed. Chug if a new sheet of ice was put down because of a concert the night before.

We Win. Finally.

At long last, Islanders fans can say they won something.

It only took 56 losses and six months of frustration, but for one night, the Islanders are champions. Yeah, they're champions of the NHL Draft Lottery, something they had a 48.2 percent chance of "winning". But so what? When you've had so little to cheer about over the past 15 years, these things become very exciting. And make no mistake about it, tonight was a critical night in franchise history.

Tonight was our Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. And for once, things went our way. We don't have to worry about Tampa Bay trading Vincent Lecavalier and stealing John Tavares from under our noses. We don't have to wonder which of the two super prospects we'll be stuck with. We're in control now. For once.

I'm not going to worry about what happens next. I don't want to think about what happens if Garth Snow trades the pick, drafts Victor Hedman, or does anything besides selecting John Tavares on June 26. There's no need to ruin this night. We'll deal with the draft on a different day. For now, I just want to relax and, if even for just one night, think about the New York Islanders as winners.

If this season was about getting the first overall pick - and we've both gone on record as saying as much - the Islanders just won the championship.

Bryan's Playoff Predictions

Another year, another Islanders-less post-season.

The one good thing about not having your team in the playoffs is that you really get to sit back and appreciate everything. Without a rooting interest, you can enjoy the games, the quality of play, the intensity of the competitors, and just about everything else that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs the premier tournament in North American sports. It truly is an entirely different game than the regular season, and the results of the playoffs always show this. Teams never come from nowhere to win the Cup. It takes years of experience and failure to hoist the Stanley Cup. Those teams who appeared last year are wiser for their playoff battles; those who are new to the tournament have much to learn.

So, without further adieu, here are my predictions for the first round.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston vs. (8) Montreal - Boston in 6

This is a rematch from the first round of last year's playoffs, only last year Montreal was the top seed in the East and Boston barely got in. And yet, the Bruins took the Habs to the brink, giving them all they wanted and then some. Will Montreal return the favor this year? It'll be an intense series, sure, but Boston is playing as well as they have all year and Montreal was fortunate just to make the playoffs. Boston will win what should be a very physical series.

(2) Washington vs. (7) NY Rangers - Rangers in 7

This is one of the more even 2-7 matchups in recent memory. The Rangers finished 15 points behind the Capitals, but played in a much tougher division and are peaking at the right time. The Capitals, meanwhile, are certainly a great team, but they'll need to play at a very high level to match the defense-first Rangers. Can they do it? It all depends on Sean Avery and Henrik Lundqvist. If Avery can get the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin off their respective games, the Rangers have more than a fighting chance. And if Lundqvist gets hot, watch out. Those two give the Rangers the nod over what is a far more talented Capitals team.

(3) New Jersey vs. (6) Carolina - Carolina in 6

We all know how great Martin Brodeur is; the media hasn't stopped reminding us of that since Brodeur broke the wins record. But the truth is, this Devils team isn't all it's cracked up to be. They were pretty horrendous down the stretch against playoff teams, losing seven in a row before finally beating the Hurricanes in the final game of the season. But don't let that fool you. The Canes have their best possible matchup against the Devils, they had the best finish to the season of any team, and they have a red-hot Cam Ward in their net. Besides, the Devils always choke in the playoffs. Everybody knows that.

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia - Philadelphia in 7

This series is not only NBC's wet dream, but it should also be the best series of the first round. The reason I'm going with Philadelphia is that Pittsburgh lost virtually all of its role players - Gary Roberts, Adam Hall, Mark Recchi, Jarkko Ruutu, etc. - and those players were the most valuable players in their Cup run last year. Philly's superstars can defend themselves for the most part, which goes a long way in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has been great under Dan Byslma, but Philadelphia seems like it's a better playoff team than Pittsburgh at this point in time.

Western Conference

(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim - San Jose in 4

The Sharks have heard all season about how nothing matters except for the playoffs. This is the year they finally start acting like it. They didn't bring in Claude Lemieux for the regular season, they brought him in to show the team how to win a Cup. It all starts here. Anaheim had a great run to make the playoffs after being sellers at the trade deadline, but it's hard to imagine them posing a serious threat to the Sharks.

(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus - Detroit in 6

Detroit always seems to have trouble with teams it should destroy in the first round. This should be no different, especially against a Blue Jackets team that has great goaltending. The BJs could be extremely dangerous in front of a rabid crowd that has waited nearly a decade for playoff hockey; with the right matchup, they easily could have stolen a round. As it is, though, they've drawn the Red Wings, and Detroit's skill will prevail in the end.

(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis - Vancouver in 7

I'm not sold on this Canucks team. At all. Roberto Luongo's numbers this season were barely better than those of Chris Mason. Mats Sundin has never won anything, nor has anyone else in Vancouver. But they've been to the playoffs before and that experience will help them against the Blues, a team nobody saw getting this far. No matter what, it's a win for St. Louis. Their young players will learn what playoff hockey is all about and will gain valuable experience for the future - but Vancouver will just barely squeak by.

(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary - Chicago in 6

It's hard to take Calgary seriously after they laid an egg down the stretch, and that's a shame, because this is a much better team than the one that nearly stole a round last year. Chicago will be buzzing in their first playoff appearance in years and their young stars will certainly rise to the challenge. Also, the Blackhawks have Nikolai "I Only Play Well In Contract Years" Khabibulin - and wouldn't you know it, he's playing for a contract next year.

If all of these scenarios play themselves out - and, of course, they won't - these are the second-round matchups we'd be left with:

East

 - (1) Boston vs. (7) NY Rangers

 - (5) Philadelphia vs. (6) Carolina

West

 - (1) San Jose vs. (4) Chicago

 - (2) Detroit vs. (3) Vancouver

Those would be some pretty awesome series. For now, though, enjoy the first round. And as for Zach's request to make it interesting... I'm sure we can work something out.

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.

Set in Stone: Rangers vs. Capitals

It's all set up, and presumably will begin Wednesday night from the Verizon Center.

Washington (50-24-8 -- 108) vs. The Rangers (42-30-9 -- 93, one game left)

The four games this season...

Capitals 3, Rangers 1 - 11/8/08 - This game was so long ago that Aaron Voros scored the Rangers' only goal on a pass from Brandon Dubinsky. Capitals started backup goalie Brent Johnson, Chris Drury failed on a penalty shot with the score 2-1 with 2:15 left to play, and Alexander Semin scored an empty netter to seal the deal. Alex Ovechkin had no goals and was foiled all night by an incredible Henrik Lundqvist, who let in one goal when it hit the glass behing the net, bounced and hit the crossbar, hit Lundqvist in the head, and Brooks Laich batted it in. The 2nd goal was scored after the net came loose, and Lundqvist argued play should've stopped. It didn't, Caps win.

Capitals 5, Rangers 4, OT - 12/23/08 - Rangers go up 4-0, Capitals storm back to tie it, including 2 goals by Ovechkin. Ryan Callahan scored 2 as well, Drury had 3 assists, and Nigel Dawes had 2 assists. Jose Theodore started the game, got pulled, and then was put back in to start the 2nd period. This was an ecstatic first half of the game, and a gross second half that shone a light on some of the team's offensive and defensive problems.

Capitals 2, Rangers 1 - 1/3/09 - Petr Prucha had the lone goal for the good guys, and Marc Staal matched up well against Ovechkin all night long. However, Ovechkin scored the game winner while shorthanded with 32 seconds left in the 2nd. This was their 12th SHG-against of the year. Steve Valiquette was in net and did play well. This game was also notable for Everyone's Hero Wade Redden getting in - and winning - a fight against Chris Clark.

Rangers 5, Capitals 4, SO - 2/11/09 - Down 2-1 after one period and tied 4-4 after the second, the Rangers had 10 minutes of power play time (including a double-minor for high-sticking) and didn't score once. The Rangers were slumping badly during the stretch of the year, as they were 0-4-1 before this game and 1-4-3 afterwards. Lunqvist was in net, so was Theodore.

So which will we see, those 5-4 games of those 2-1 games? I think if it goes 2-1, it's the Rangers winning, but if Lundqvist lets up those 4 or 5 goals, the Rangers won't be able to overcome.

Official Prediction: Rangers in 7. Yes, I'm serious. No, it's not a homer pick. I've been saying they could beat Washington all along. Once you get past Ovechkin and Green, they aren't scary at all. Jose Theodore? Get real. Lundqvist can outplay him every night.