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June 9th, 2010…the best sports day of my life…the anniversary of the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup is only a week and a half away, and although I am disappointed that they’re currently golfing, not much makes me happier than attempting to relive those days by looking at old pictures, video clips, highlights, and newspapers depicting the victory and the partying afterward. I could go on and on about last year, but instead I’ll report on this year’s FInals: Vancouver Canucks vs Boston Bruins.

I predicted that San Jose would win in 6 vs Vancouver, but San Jose just didn’t have it going in that series. Luongo played much better than good ol’ Antti Niemi, and San Jose’s offense just didn’t show up. They took too many undisciplined penalties, couldn’t kill any of them, and couldn’t take advantage when they had a power play. In fact, San Jose looked like an inexperienced, young team in the 1st round of the playoffs while Vancouver looked like the experienced, mature, older team. It looked more like a 1st-round matchup. Anyways, as much as I hate to admit it, Vancouver looked damn good, but can they keep it up for ONE more round?

I predicted Boston to win it in 6, and I was almost correct (it took 7). I unfortunately was not able to watch game 7, but I saw the highlights, and it looked like a typical Game 7: low scoring, high intensity, and a close game to the bitter end. Boston deserved to win this series. Tim Thomas was remarkable in goal (for the most part), and the stars on Boston really shined when the opportunities arose. Tampa Bay played extremely well though. Game 7 could have gone either way. Dwayne Roloson probably should have come up with a couple more key saves earlier in the series. He looked poor late in the series (except game 7). The Lightning aren’t going anywhere though. Look for them to fight Washington yet again for the division title next season. The star power on that team is remarkable.

Now, on to the Finals. I must say that I did not watch one full game of hockey since Game 7 of Chicago vs. Vancouver. I haven’t really had time since the school year is winding down, I’m getting ready to get back to Illinois for some time, trips are planned, grades have to be in, graduation parties to attend, and so many other things. Therefore, I will try my BEST to watch as many full games of this Vancouver/Boston series as possible. Vancouver seems like the popular pick here since they were the President’s Trophy winner, have great forwards and D, a gold-medal winning goaltender, and a coach who helps them on long flights (wow…what a joke THAT is…). Still, Boston should not be counted out. Tim Thomas has been known to steal games with his crazy style of play, and he most likely is going to be the Vezina winner. I would LOVE to see Zdeno Chara and Kevin Bieksa get into a massive brawl (with BIeksa’s face ripped up in the aftermath). I don’t think the NHL would be helped at all if Canada won the Stanley Cup. Having an American Original 6 franchise win it all would be much better. In fact, an Original 6 team has made the Finals in 4 straight years, and 2 of the last 3 champions were Original 6 teams. Sweet. Still, I do have the following thoughts: Similar to the San Jose/Vancouver series, if the Sedin twins are able to perform their magic on the ice, this will be a 5-game Canucks victory. If they struggle, Boston will take it in 6. It all boils down to that, I feel. Boston needs to stay focused on their defense and not get caught up with forcing the puck up the ice. Vancouver will steal the puck and get odd-man rushes often. With their passing and TIm Thomas’s willingness to not stay disciplined in the net on 2-on-1s or 3-on-2s, Vancouver will score goals often. All playoffs long, there have been games when Vancouver would get minimal shots on goal while the other team would get tons. Boston MUST make Vancouver pay if one of those games happens to occur in this series. They must make Vancouver feel as if the Cup is SO far away, like Philly did to Chicago after Game 4 (Aww, sorry Philly, you still lost and still have no goalie). I hope this is a long, hard-fought series. Even thought Vancouver seems to have an edge, I’m going with
BOSTON IN 6 GAMES.

Original 6…for the win…

We’re almost there…almost time for the champs to raise the Cup and all its glory above their heads while letting out the biggest of their lives. Last year’s memories relentlessly creep into my already stressed out head while I watch other teams compete for the Silver Chalice. It’s hard to root for a team when your team is out. I can just relish the memories and await October while the Cup is being hoisted and taken around the world by a team with a different logo. Please…just don’t let Vancouver win it…!!!

The Conference semi-finals included 1 intriguing series, 1 “close” series, and 2 sweeps. As I wrote in my previous post, I was correct in predicting the San Jose series, but I had NO clue it would happen after a 3-0 San Jose series lead. This series was intense, with every game (besides Game 6 and an empty netter) being decided by 1 goal. The goalies showed up each night and played very well, but last year’s victor ended up being victorious yet again, in more ways than one (San Jose AND Niemi!). I was rooting for Niemi all the way, and he played very well. Bye Bye Detroit!! Is their reign of playoff dominance FINALLY over!?!? I hope so!

Vancouver/Nashville started bad but ended up being a very closely contested series. It seemed like one team would show up while the other wouldn’t. One team would have lots of shots while the other wouldn’t. One goalie would stand on his head while the other would let in a few here and there. I was not a fan of Vancouver’s overtime winner with Shea Weber being called for a bogus hold which could have gone either way against Ryan Kesler. If in doubt, especially in overtime, don’t call it! Anyways, Mike Gillis slept happily that night. What a joker. I hope his dreams are crushed in this next series. I can’t stand the guy. Nashville should be on the NHL radar now, especially Shea Weber and Pekka Rinner. They are two great players on a team from “nowhere”. I don’t buy Joel Ward yet though. His regular season inconsistency combined with his playoff performance seems odd.

Washington really laid an egg against Tampa Bay. Michael Neuvirth couldn’t make any game-saving saves, Alexander Semin couldn’t compete, and Niklas Backstrom was terrible. Their “D-First” mentality was put to the test by a spiffy Tampa offense, and Tampa won it in 4 straight games. Washington has some serious issues. They’re the new San Jose Sharks from a few years ago. Regular season means NOTHING when playoff time comes.

Boston and Philadelphia seemed like a good setup this season…if Philly would have had an actual goaltender in between the pipes. Philadelphia’s defense and goaltending was atrocious, making it a not-so-fun series to watch. Boston dominated and finally said “Good-Bye” to those nightmares of last year’s semi-finals. Welcome to the Conference Finals, Boston!

Ok, so, on to my predictions for who will get the chance to raise the Cup:

Tampa Bay vs. Boston – I know Game 1 has already been played (Tampa won 5-2), but this series will show which is better: Boston’s D and goaltending, OR Tampa’s offense and goaltending. Game 1 showed that Tampa took control early with some iffy play by Boston, but expect Boston to respond quickly and efficiently. They won’t stay quiet for long. Tim Thomas is Vezina-worthy, and he WILL show that in this series. Will Dwayne Roloson’s age creep up on him? If Rolly can stand on his head throughout the series though, Tampa will take it in 4-5 games. Still…I don’t believe that. Boston has been consistent all season while Tampa started fast and ended slow. BOSTON IN 6

Vancouver vs. San Jose – Ok…here we go…just like last season, the Conference finals include the 1 and 2 seeds in the West. Vancouver has been able to beat 2 teams so far without the Sedins being much of a factor. Will they show up in San Jose? If they do, and if Ryan Kesler is able to continue his solid play that showed up against Nashville, expect Vancouver to move on. If the Sedins stay quiet, expect Niemi to say “NO!” many times. San Jose has big forwards in Thornton, Marleau, and Setoguchi, and when combined with Pavelski, Heatley, and Clowe, watch out. These two powerhouses are dominant, but one must prevail. San Jose will, like Boston, attempt to erase the nightmares of last season’s Conference Finals, and Niemi will YET AGAIN beat out a more experienced goaltender. LUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!! Anitti Niemi will move on yet again. SAN JOSE in 6

That leaves us with a San Jose-Boston series. East vs. West. Rocky vs. Drago. Massive D vs. Massive O. Vezina goalie vs. Stanley Cup goalie. Epic, nonetheless. Will Niemi hoist it again? Let’s watch…

Well, it surely was one memorable 1st round to the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. We were able to see 1 sweep, 1 5-game series, 2 6-game series, and 4…count ‘em…FOUR 7-game series. To recap the 1st round, I was correct with the winner and the # of games for 2 of the series while I was correct with only the winner with 4 other series. I was incorrect with Chicago and Pittsburgh. Figures that the last two Stanley Cup Champions are my two incorrect predictions.

Anyways, Round 1 had surprises in every series it seemed. The Washington-New York Rangers series was closer than the 4-1 series win for the Capitals. Many overtime games were necessary in the series, but Alexander Semin, Alex Ovechkin, and Michael Neuvirth were able to finish the job. Philadelphia will not go far after their series win over the Buffalo Sabres. They used 3 different goalies in the 7 games. Last season anybody? Either way, this was a hard-fought series with bad goaltending and lots of whining apparently. This rivalry will continue to blossom next year most likely. Boston was down 2-0 against the Montreal Canadiens, but they were able to win 4 of the next 5 games to finish them off, and they did it using 3 overtime winners. That will give them tons of momentum in Round 2. Pittsburgh just couldn’t get it going in their last 3 games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Once up 3-1, Tampa won 3 straight with Dwayne Roloson sparkling in the net.

As for the Western Conference, Vancouver was up 3-0 on Chicago in what seemed to be a quick series. Chicago quickly turned themselves, and the Canucks, inside-out, and chased Roberto Luongo in games 4 and 5, both blowout wins. Game 6 was a classic throughout, and it will always be remembered as the 3rd best game that I have ever watched. However, good things usually come to an end, and Vancouver did just that in Game 7, but they needed overtime and another bad Chicago turnover to do it. Just to let you know, Roberto Luongo is a “putz”, and he couldn’t outplay a veteran 2 years ago, a rookie last season, and another rookie this season. Chicago’s offense just couldn’t put up enough scoring chances against him in Game 7. Corey Crawford was undoubtedly the series MVP for either team. Great series, and I can’t wait for next season. San Jose took care of the LA Kings, but, again, many overtime games were needed, including a Joe Thornton winner in the Game 6 clincher. Look for Antti Niemi to step up yet again in the next series. Detroit took down Phoenix way too easily. I only watched the highlights of that series, and it just looked too easy for Detroit, which seems strange since they beat Phoenix last season. Nashville FINALLY got their 1st series victory, and it cost the Anaheim Ducks their season. Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne lit up the score sheet, but Nashville’s team effort (along with Pekka Rinne’s goaltending) was the difference. Late game-tying goals and overtime game winner don’t hurt either!

Ok, so, on to Round 2 predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

#1 Washington vs #5 Tampa Bay — Washington looked great in the first round. They were determined, dominating, and defensive. They don’t need all of last season’s offense when they utilize their stifling defense to win games. Neuvirth looks solid in net, but will Round 2 pressure creep up on him? Tampa Bay will use their momentum from the first round to help them TRY to keep up with the Caps, but I just don’t see it happening. If Stamkos and St. Louis can lead this team in scoring this series, they may have a slight chance. Still, I see Washington taking it quickly.
WASHINGTON IN 5

#2 Philadelphia vs #3 Boston — So…who will start game 1 for the Flyers? It must be Brian Boucher, but he oculd be pulled after the first period for Leighton, who could be pulled early in Game 2 for Bobrovsky, and the cycle of doom keeps going round and round…Boston’s Tim Thomas is more of a shut-down goalie that either Flyer goalie is a REGULAR goalie. Some of those goals against Buffalo were AWFUL. Bad goalies would have even made those saves. Still, the Flyers are relentless. No lead is safe versus them. Boston will have to ride their momentum from Game 7 in overtime AND their memories of last year’s collapse to help them through this series.
BOSTON IN 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

#1 Vancouver vs #5 Nashville — Vancouver was dominant in games 1 and 2 against the Blackhawks, but they started sliding in games 3, 4, and 5. When they want to do so, they can have a potent offense, but if they sit back at any time, any opponent can pounce on the opportunities. Luongo should be a bit more confident going along (now that he finally beat a rookie goaltender from Chicago…what a putz…), but he still has not gotten past the 2nd round of the playoffs. You hear that Luongo? You’ve never survived round 2!!!! Nashville is from the dreaded Central Division also!!!! Anyways, Nashville is the surprise team of the playoffs, and they can ride their goaltender and their stellar defensemen to victory, as long as they don’t turn the puck over to the Sedin sisters. All Nashville has to do is play strong, smart hockey. Still…it will be a challenge…I would LOVE for Nashville to win, but I just don’t see it happening…Blargh…Nashville will probably win either Game 3 or 4 in Overtime, but that will be it, unfortunately. For some reason, this series may be similar to the Chicago/Detroit series from 2009.
VANCOUVER IN 5

#2 Sanjose vs #3 Detroit — Rematch from last season is…UNDERWAY! San Jose took it last season in 5 games, so Detroit will look to rebound with a quick series win. They haven’t lost in the playoffs yet, so maybe a single loss may get to them. Still, they’re Detroit, so I wouldn’t expect any nerves. Zetterberg is getting healthy, so that will definitely help Detroit along the way. San Jose will be able to ride Joe Thornton’s series clincher and Antti Niemi’s experience to a possible conference Finals matchup with Vancouver. This will be an epic series. Be sure to watch, as I’m calling this the best series of the 2nd round. Get ready for 7 games…
SAN JOSE IN 7

With those predictions, we would have Van couver vs San Jose, and Washington vs Boston…winners face off for the Cup…Wow…see you after Round 2!

Wow…what an end to the 2010-2011 NHL regular season! Nothing like having the final playoff spot determined in the final game of the season. It’s pretty crazy knowing that it all came down to game #1,230. It’s been a crazy regular season. In the East, Washington had a huge losing streak and ends up getting the #1 seed; Pittsburgh lost Crosby and Malkin for so, so long, yet they claim the 4th seed; Buffalo came back from the dead early in the season to claim the 7th seed. In the West, Vancouver pretty much dominated all season long; Antti Niemi took over the #1 goaltender job to help San Jose claim the #2 seed; Anaheim roared back from inconsistent play to claim the 4th seed; Nashville and Phoenix claimed playoff spots with average offensive power; the Blackhawks will defend their Cup due to a Dallas loss in game #1,230 after being in the Pacific lead for a majority of the season.

Here are the matchups along with my predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Washington vs #8 New York Rangers — In a previous post, I wrote that nobody wanted to play Washington in the playoffs. The Rangers are just happy to finally get IN the playoffs, but their opponent is a team that is hungry…so very hungry for a title. Ovechkin and company are ready, and expect a dominant performance.
WASHINGTON in 5

#2 Philadelphia vs #7 Buffalo — Buffalo is lucky to play the Flyers and not the Capitals. Philadelphia hasn’t found its groove in a while. They enter the playoffs as a seemingly average team. Their leaders need to take charge in the 1st round, and they need to do it early. IF Ryan Miller can put Buffalo on his back though, Buffalo will take the series. I expect the Stanley Cup runners-up to win though. Still, Ryan Miller can surprise me…
PHILADELPHIA in 7

#3 Boston vs #6 Montreal — Due to the recent tragic events that have occurred between these two, this will be the 2nd most anticipated matchup of the playoffs. Boston’s Tim Thomas, who’s probably going to win the Vezina, will go up against Carey Price, a man who Montreal has all eyes on. There’s no doubt that Price has the most pressured job in all of sports (Montreal is hockey-crazy!). Boston has had recent playoff collapses, but I think they’ll make it through the 1st few games of the spring. Montreal just doesn’t have enough firepower…but then again, they didn’t last year either…oh boy…
BOSTON in 5

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Tampa Bay — Imagine if Crosby and Malkin were playing in this series…high scoring anybody? This may in fact be the highest-scoring series in NHL playoff history if it goes 7 games. The offensive talent on both sides is incredible, but the big question is will the Lightning be able to keep the puck out of their own net enough to win 4 games? My answer is: no, they will not. Tampa’s weakness is its goaltending while Pittsburgh seems pretty solid in that department. Pittsburgh will take it.
PITTSBURGH in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Vancouver vs #8 Chicago — This is the most anticipated matchup in Round 1. How strange is it that this matchup has been present for three straight years!?!? Now, I know that the last two seasons it occurred in Round 2, but that doesn’t mean anything. The only thing that will matter in this series is the following: Will Roberto Luongo be able to defeat the Blackhawks in the playoffs? If he does, they will probably win the Cup. Both offenses are potent while both defenses are as well. Vancouver has the edge in goal, special teams, and seemingly everything else. But…VERSUS has been showing commercials on “HISTORY”…I have a new commercial involving Luongo and the Blackhawks with the Hawks scoring shorthanded goals on ol’ Bobby Lou with the screen saying “HISTORY…REPEATS ITSELF”. It will this season as well, at least to me. Chicago will take it…yet again…in 6 games…to send Vancouver golfing for a 3rd straight season.
CHICAGO in 6

#2 San Jose vs #7 Los Angeles — Los Angeles enters the playoffs on a 2-game losing streak while San Jose enters on a pretty good run. Antti Niemi undoubtedly has playoff experience, as does the entire Sharks lineup. They are similar to the Blackhawks of last year, actually. Niemi in net, #2 seed, lost in the Western Conference Finals the previous year, potent offense, stifling defense, crazy stadium atmosphere…they’ll be tough for the Kings…too tough. I expect an onslaught. San Jose is also like Washington: Hungry for the Cup.
SAN JOSE in 5

#3 Detroit vs #6 Phoenix — A repeat of last year’s Round 1 series, but home ice advantage has been switched between the two. Phoenix got lucky in getting to face Detroit. Jimmy Howard is iffy in net, and they’ve been turning the puck over way too many times as of late. Their play on Sunday against Chicago seemed very good, but their play on Friday against the same team was terrible. If Ilya Bryzgalov is able to take this team on his back, like Ryan Miller with the Sabres, Phoenix will move on, but like that series, I don’t see it happening.
DETROIT in 7

#4 Anaheim vs #5 Nashville — This matchup came out of nowhere. Anaheim stormed ahead of the pack to take the 4th seed while Nashville quietly…or, rather, SILENTLY, took the 5th seed. They’re the quietest “good” team in the league, I swear. Still, I won’t give them any credit until they win a playoff series, which hasn’t happened yet. Barry Trotz is due for a victory. Anaheim is in the middle of having goalie issues (maybe?), and Pekka Rinne almost stole the show last year against Chicago. I expect the same against Anaheim. If Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, and Ryan Getzlaf are the stars of the show though, it’ll be a short series. It has a good chance of happening with the late play of Perry and company. Home ice advantage will mean nothing, though, to the Preds.
NASHVILLE in 7

That would leave the following matchups: Wash vs Pitt, Phil vs Bos, SJ vs Chi, and Det vs Nash. Have a great week of playoff hockey, starting Wednesday! It’s the best time of the year…let’s make it a memorable playoffs!!!!

Howdy,

Playoff time is right around the corner, and I’m going to make my predictions on the seedings. Some teams have gotten hot at the right time while others are taking an unexpected plunge towards an unfortunate early summer vacation. Let’s start with the Eastern Conference.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1st: Philadelphia – This team has everything necessary for a long playoff run. Picking up Kris Versteeg was huge, and even though they have been losing quite a bit lately, don’t forget about last year’s Blackhawks. They were on a bad streak for a while before kicking it up a notch the last few games to get ready for the playoffs. Plus they have 2 games in hand on Washington while being 2 points ahead.

2nd: Washington – Washington is getting hot at the right time. They are actually playing solid defense now, and their goaltending has proven very valuable lately. Alex Ovechkin is playing great as well. If the playoffs started right now, they would be the most dangerous team of the 16.

3rd: Montreal – I’m going out on a limb here and saying that Boston, even though they have 2 games in hand and are a point ahead of Montreal, will lose their home ice advantage over the next 2 weeks. Montreal has been playing very well as of late and has been on Boston’s behind all season long. Montreal will unexpectedly take the 3rd seed from Boston.

4th: Pittsburgh – I don’t know how they’re doing it, but Pittsburgh has done so very well without their 2 stars. A 4th seed in the playoffs would be a blessing for the Penguins. Losing Matt Cooke is not a good thing, obviously, but he deserves it. Maybe he should take a quick look at the rulebook before taking to the ice next time. Whether that’s in the 2nd round of the playoffs or the 1st game of the preseason, he’d better shape up or be shipped out.

5th: Boston – Boston was one of the hottest teams in the league no more than a couple weeks ago. Everything went downhill afterwards, and they’re hitting a bump in the road at a bad time. They’ve held on to the Northeast Division lead for some time now, but Montreal has crept as close as possible recently. I would love to watch Boston get the 6th seed with Montreal getting the 3rd seed. That 1st round matchup would be insane.

6th: Tampa Bay – With Washington’s surge came Tampa’s flounder. No goaltending gets you nowhere, and that’s exactly where Tampa Bay will go in the playoffs. Even if they make a late season run at the division lead, I don’t see them being a threat. Stamkos and Co. will not be able to lead this team through EVERY playoff game.

7th: NY Rangers – I do not know much about this team, but I do know that they have many weapons available and one heck of a goaltender, but they had been underachieving for many parts of the season. They are comfortably in the playoffs though, but they’d have to go on quite a run to get any higher than 7th.

8th: Buffalo – I could have had fun with this one by saying New Jersey, Carolina, or Toronto would make it instead, but I’ll be lame and pick the current team in 8th. Buffalo has had many injuries to overcome this season, and for them to be in 8th is great for them. Unfortunately for them, that’s as far as they’ll go.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1st: Vancouver – They are quite the team this season, but many injuries have them and their fans worried about the postseason. Manny Malhotra’s eye injury is devastating for them, but they will need to drive through that fact and win win win come April and especially May. They just hope that Chicago will be comfortably in 7th or 9th when playoff time comes around. They’re built for a long playoff run.

2nd: Detroit – Chicago was closing in during their 8 game winning streak, but Detroit has a healthy lead in the Central Division. Their injuries have been bad as well, but they’re Detroit. They can overcome pretty much anything. BUT…can they overcome average goaltending and make a run in the playoffs? Jimmy Howard sure does have many wins, but his stats are not Stanley-Cup-Caliber.

3rd: San Jose – Phoenix is closing in, but San Jose went on quite a run before a short losing streak. Antti Niemi knows how to win big games, and that is what he will do down the stretch. Now, will his defense help him out come playoff time? San Jose is strong, but you have to win a game in mid-to-late May if anyone wants to take you seriously.

4th: Los Angeles – Seeds 4-8 are up in the air and will be until April 10th, the last day of the regular season. My early-season pick for the 2nd seed was the Los Angeles Kings, so I will go with them in the 4th spot. The Pacific Division is unbelievable strong this season (all 5 teams have a chance of making the playoffs). Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick will lead them to home ice advantage in Round 1.

5th: Chicago – They will miss the 4th seed by 1 point due to a loss against Detroit on the last day of the season, just like they lost the #1 seed last year due to a loss against the same Red Wings. But, hey, I’m not complaining about that anymore They picked it up SO much with a huge winning streak thanks to Corey Crawford and Jonathan Toews. This alone put them back in the hunt. Just realizing that if they lost in just 2 of those games that they would currently be in 10th place is insane. This conference angers me. If other teams keep getting into 3-point games though, Chicago will be a bit lower than 5th I believe. A 1st round bout with the Kings would be terrible for Los Angeles. Nobody wants to face Chicago.

6th: Nashville – The pesky Nashville Predators just get me angry. I do not know how they keep winning enough games to just make the playoffs. They haven’t won a playoff series yet due to their bad style of play, but apparently that gets them through the regular season. Barry Trotz will have another tough 1st round opponent, no matter which seed his team draws.

7th: Anaheim – The Anaheim Ducks have been on highs and lows all season. They would look good one week and then self-destruct the next. They’ve been through numerous well known goalies, and it looks like they may finally be able to make it into the postseason. They’re currently in 8th place, but they have a game in hand on numerous teams around them.

8th: Phoenix – I do not know, again, how Phoenix wins games without any huge goal scorers. Nobody on their team has 20+ goals. They are not made for the postseason, so an early exit is inevitable. I put them here because Calgary is too far behind (and has played 2 more games than some others ahead of them) and I just hate Dallas.

If all this would actually be true, I would predict 2nd round matchups of Philadelphia vs Boston, Washington vs Montreal, Vancouver vs Chicago, and Detroit vs San Jose. In other words, it would be rematches of similar matchups from last season. I’m pumped! Less than three weeks until we know the actual seedings! May the best teams win.

Hello hockey fans. This week, I will focus on certain teams that will be interesting to pay attention to throughout March and all the way until that 82nd regular season match-up.

New Jersey Devils – I never thought I’d mention them again. Surprisingly, New Jersey is one of the hottest teams in the league right now. Going 16-2-2 in the last 20 games before Sunday’s game against Florida is a sign of a team really digging in and trying to get a shot in the playoffs. They are currently 11 points out of 8th though, so perhaps their early-to-mid season struggles are too much to overcome. Ilya Kovalchuk is on a 12-game points streak while Johan Hedberg has let in 10 goals in his last 9 games, including 2 shutouts. One thing’s for sure: if they keep up their high level of play, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the 2nd season.

Los Angeles Kings – The Kings were a bit of an after-thought about a month ago. Now, they are slowly creeping ahead of the Western Conference pile-up of points. They are 11-1-3 in their last 15 games entering Monday’s tilt against the Detroit Red Wings. They are becoming the team that many in the league thought they would be throughout the season. Jonathan Quick’s Goals Against Average of 2.13 is 3rd in the league entering Sunday’s action, and Anze Kopitar is on a 3-game goal scoring streak. Now they’ll be fighting for home-ice advantage.

Chicago Blackhawks – Have the Hawks FINALLY hit their streak? Entering Sunday night’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes, they Hawks have won their last three while going 3-0-2 in their last 5 away games, which is good since most of their remaining games are not at the United Center. They have slowly inched back up into the points pile-up in the Western Conference thanks to great play by Jonathan Toews (18 points in last 12 games), Patrick Kane (7 goals in last 11 games), and Corey Crawford (5-1-1 in last 7 starts, and his 2.11 GAA is 2nd in the league). If Crawford can continue to start games and play well enough to preserve 3rd period leads, Chicago should become important come mid-April. Vancouver-Chicago 1st round match-up anyone?

Atlanta, Colorado, and Dallas – These 3 teams were in position for the playoffs a month or more ago, but February was not pleasant to them. Atlanta was surprising most teams, but they’ve won only 3 games in their last 19. Colorado has been playing just as poorly, winning only once in their last 13 games. They QUICKLY went from playoff contender to 14th place in the West. Dallas was a powerhouse from early-to-mid season, but they have slowly given up their reign at the top of the Pacific division by going 4-10-1 in their last 15 games.

It will be interesting to say the least to see where these teams will be after a couple weeks. Until then, enjoy the playoff push!

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Hello again hockey fans. This week, I will write about those All Star players who just haven’t been playing up to their “All Star” status lately in the points category.

Matt Duchene – The Colorado Avalanche have fallen off the radar, and Matt Duchene’s lack of point production may be a reason. He has tallied 4 points (3 goals) in his last 13 games and has managed a -8 rating in that time. If this team wants to get close enough to even smell the playoffs, he needs to pick it up offensively.

Phil Kessel – As the only All Star from Toronto, I guess Phil Kessel may have been the best pick, but he only has 5 points in his last 14 games, compiling a -5 rating during that span. Still, this is Toronto, so we should not be surprised by anything poor from them…

Nicklas Lidstrom – Yes, the almighty Nicklas Lidstrom is prone to having a bad stretch here and there, especially at his age. He has not scored a goal since December 29th, and he hasn’t tallied a point against a “good” team since January 2nd against Philadelphia (after that, he tallied assists against Edmonton, Columbus, Colorado, and Ottawa). Detroit had better keep on eye on the rear-view mirror…Nashville may be gaining ground.

Duncan Keith – Mr. Norris himself, Duncan Keith has zero assists in his last 8 games after he was the assist master last season for the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. It just so happens that they have lost 6 of those 8 games. This team is so frustrating.

Dustin Byfuglien – The recent downfall of the Atlanta Thrashers may not be Buff’s fault, but how can you NOT partly blame him? From January 5th to February 5th, he tallied zero points in 13 games and compiled a -7 rating while his team spiraled downwards. “Chicago South”, as the great Pat Foley calls it, needs to pick it up late in the season, and Buff needs to regain his early season form.

Paul Stastny – As a member of the Avalanche, Stastny may be another reason for the recent Colorado struggles. In his last 13 games, he has tallied a single goal and has compiled a -9 rating: definitely not All-Star worthy…

Mike Green – A Norris Trophy candidate last season, Mike Green has taken a step backwards this season. He hasn’t scored a goal since January 8th (14 games), and has a 0 rating. For being such a “good” defenseman, this rating MUST be better, especially for a team like this.

Marc Staal – I have no idea how this guy made the All Star game. That’s all I have to say.

Henrik Lundqvist – I do think he was All Star worthy, but 5 of his last 6 games tells the story of the New York Rangers as of now.

That’s it for this week! Enjoy a week full of hockey goodness. Remember…NHL Game of the Week on Sunday, February 20th, Pittsburgh at Chicago, 2:30 Central Time! The last 2 champs go at it!

Please feel free to add your comments below.

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