NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: WESTERN CONFERENCE*

The West is the best, it's also the deepest. 88 points got Philly and Montreal playoff spots in the East. Out West, it gets you tied for 11th with Dallas.

#1 SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. #8 COLORADO AVALANCHE
The Sharks won the Western Conference's regular season again, and hope to have better results than last year. And they will. Colorado has been slipping - like a slow avalanche - since the Olympic break. They were 8-10-3 down that stretch. They were 35-20-6 before the stretch. They're young and exuberant, but also inexperienced and rough around the edges. They score a lot of goals, but they allow a lot. And San Jose has some scorers in Marleau (44 goals), Heatly (39 goals), and Thornton (69 assists).

Sharks in 5.



#2 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs. #7 NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Yes, Nashville has a team, and they've made the playoffs for the 5th time in franchise history. But they've never advanced beyond the 1st round. Philosophical question: if a city has a hockey team, and nobody in the city goes to the games, does the team exist? The Preds may have finished 7th in the Western Conference, but they were 26th in the NHL in attendance.

The Blackahwsk are a fun team to watch. They gained some experience in last year's playoffs, and they also gained Marian Hossa. They scored the 3rd most goals, and allowed the 5th fewest. They beat Nashville 4 out of 6. They have multiple threats in guys like Patrck Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Hossa, Kris Versteeg, and an arsenal of active defensemen. Nashville has 30 goal scorer Patric Hornqvist. That's about it.

Chicago in 4.



#3 VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs. #6 LOS ANGELES KINGS
Don't look past the Kings, an all-around steady team. Not too strong, but few glaring weaknesses. 7th in goals for, 10th in goals against. The playoffs are more about exposing an opponents' weakness, as opposed to implementing your own strengths. And the Kings just don't have many holes.

The Canucks have the NHL's points leader in Henrik Sedin (29 goals, 83 assists), his twin Daniel (29-56), Alex Burrows (35 goals), Mikael Samuelsson (30 goals) and then some. But goalie Roberto Luongo has seen better days. As much as I want to pick Vancouver, I have to pick the steady tortoise to defeat the hare.

Kings in 7.



#4 PHOENIX COYOTES vs. #5 DETROIT RED WINGS
Phoenix is another city unworthy of a hockey team. 3rd best record in the West, 4th best record in the League, and dead last 30th in attendance at 11,989. It's just a travesty that there's an NHL team in Arizona. But thankfully, they'll be eliminated by the surging Red Wings.

Detroit was 16-3-2 after the Olympic break, soaring to the 5th seed. It's as if the Hockey Gods are punishing the city of Phoenix for daring to posses the 4th seeded team in the Western Conference.

The Coyotes do have Ilya Bryzgalov, while the Red Wings have rookie Jimmy Howard. Bryzgalov has 16 career playoff starts under his belt (9-5, 1.68 GAA), Howard has 0. And that might turn this series on its head. We all know how far a hot goalie can take a team.

But I have difficulty removing my anti-Phoenix bias. I also have difficulty picking against a team that has Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Cleary, Draper, and Johan Franzen, whose return just so happened to coincide with Detroit's 16-3-2 run.

I'm picking Detroit in 7.

NHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: EASTERN CONFERENCE*

It's playoff time in the NHL. Thankfully, there's only one Southleast Division team in the mix, and it's Washington. In the East, we've got a couple Original Six teams, and some nice big markets involved.

#1 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. #8 MONTREAL CANADIENS
The Capitals claimed the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record, a staggering 121 points. In fact, they're the first non-Original Six team to register 120+. For my money, Washington is the best team in the League. But Montreal won the season series against them, 2-1-1. But all the games were close. I have no respect for the Canadiens this season, then again, Jose "Spaz" Theodore might get all emotional and even more spasmodic up at the Bell Centre, his former home. I think Ovechkin and the Caps are too good to be defeated by a team as mediocre as Montreal, but it'll be a struggle.

Capitals in 6.



#2 NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs. #7 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Flyers got in thanks to an exhilarating 2-1 shootout win over the Rangers in game 82. Kudos to the NHL Network for carrying the feed, as well as the feeds to other key games down the stretch. The Devils don't score goals, they prevent them. They were the only team to limit opponents to fewer than 200 goals. The Flyers struggle to prevent goals (they've had goalie issues all season), but they can score them. So it's your basic irresistible force meets an immovable object. But the Flyers won the season series 5-1-0.

Philly has some excellent centers in Richards, Jeff Carter, and Briere. They have an adequate penalty kill, but an outstanding power play unit (21.4%, 3rd in NHL). The Devils have Brodeur, and his immense experience. The Flyers have Boucher (2.83 GAA, .898 SV%) and Emery (2.64, .905). And that's New Jersey's biggest advantage. But Philly has beaten Brodeur this season (and last season, for that matter). Marty was 1-4-1 against the Flyers, with a 3.34 GAA.

For that reason, I'm picking the Flyers in 7. I don't want to, but I have to.



#3 BOSTON BRUINS vs. #6 BUFFALO SABRES
As a Bruins fan, this match-up pleases me. The B's were 4-2-0 against Buffalo. Tuukka Rask was 4-1-0 against them, with a 1.43 GAA and .954 SV%. While Ryan Miller was 2-0-2 against the Bruins, with a 1.71 GAA and .954 SV%. The numbers are pointing to a low scoring series, and I believe they're right. Both these teams have excellent goalies, both have anemic offenses. Derek Roy led Buffalo with 68 points. Patrice Bergeron led the B's with 52.

The key to this series is David Krejci. If he's on, he can beat Miller. He's the best playmaker the Bruins have. Without him, the power play dies (it's already on life support), and nothing will get started. At least the Bruins look hungry. Buffalo's backed into the postseason, and they've been on cruise control for some time now.

Bruins in 8 (it'll be 7 games, along with 3 periods worth of overtime mixed in).



#4 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. #5 OTTAWA SENATORS
Yeah, Ottawa made the playoffs. They quietly compiled a solid season, based mostly to a solid home ice record of 26-11-4. Unfortunately for them, their road record was 19th in the League. This is a great match-up for the Penguins, who give up an above average amount of goals. Because Ottawa struggles to score goals. The Senators only have four 20+ goal scorers, and none of them have more than 25. They're also without Alexei Kovalev, who tore his ACL. Pittsburgh's goaltending and defense are suspicious, but they don't need them in order to advance past Ottawa.

Penguins in 5.

BRUINS DRAW 2ND PICK

There was an 18.8% chance that the Bruins would win the 1st overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. It didn't work out that way. The Edmonton Oilers, who had the worst record in the NHL, won the lottery, and the 1st pick.

The good news is that the 1st and 2nd picks are pretty close in value for this year's draft. Center Tyler Seguin and left winger Taylor Hall are the two top-rated prospects for the draft.

The top of the NHL draft has been remarkably consistent and predictable for teams this past decade. In '08, Steve Stamkos and Drew Doughty went 1-2. Both are excelling the NHL. In '06 it was Erik Johnson and Jordan Staal. In '05 it was Sidney Crosby then Bobby Ryan. In '04 it was Alex Ovechkin then Evgeni Malkin (wow). Some notable #2 overall talents:

2000: Dany Heatley
1999: Daniel Sedin
1997: Patrick Marleau
1995: Wade Redden
1993: Chris Pronger

I'd rather the Bruins draft Taylor Hall, simply because he's a winger. The Bruins have depth at center with Savard, Krejci, and Bergeron. They need wingers. But either of these players would be a fine addition to the Bruins.

Source:
StatsHockey.net

BRUINS' PLAYOFF TV SCHEDULE

The Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Sabres will start in Buffalo on Thursday night. Here's the schedule for the series:

Day - Date - Opponent - Time - TV
Thu - 4/15 - @ Buffalo - 7:00pm - NESN
Sat - 4/17 - @ Buffalo - 1:00pm - NBC
Mon - 4/19 - v. Buffalo - 7:00pm - NESN/Versus
Wed - 4/21 - v. Buffalo - 7:00pm - NESN/Versus
If necessary:
Fri - 4/23 - @ Buffalo - 7:00pm - NESN
Mon - 4/26 - v. Buffalo - 7:00pm - NESN
Wed - 4/28 - @ Buffalo - 7:00pm - NESN

We'll have previews of this series, as well as the 7 other playoff series.

CARL PAVANO?

Not a fun game at all for the Sox. Lester labored, the offense was absent, Pavano cruised, and Joe Mauer was Joe Mauer.

The good news is that David Ortiz put a good swing on a ball in the 4th, driving an opposite field double, and knocking in a run. But that's about all the good news from this one.

I'm not going to fret too much about Lester's inconsistent afternoon. He struggled at the start of last season before settling in as the staff's Ace. I'll give him and Beckett a leash because they have a history of starting troubles.

I think it's good that the Twins finally have a real ballpark. I went to the Rogers Centre a few years ago, with the roof closed, and it just didn't feel like baseball. Baseball and summer are so intertwined that to play it indoors is perverse.

Game 2 of the series is Wednesday at 1:10. Lackey vs. Kevin Slowey.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

BOOK REVIEW: RED SOX BY THE NUMBERS

I've been sent books to review by publishers in the past. And often I refrain from reviewing them because it wouldn't be very polite. But this book was different.

It was a pleasure to read this. There's been a tidal wave of of Sox literature since 2003, but this book truly stands out. It was easy to read yet still involved and interesting. You can pick it up and open to any random page, or speed through it cover to cover as I did. Even the Red Sox fan that thinks they know everything will learn something new from Red Sox by the Numbers. As the introduction states: "The idea of the book is to have a little fun and learn something about your team you never knew. Or forgot."

It's formatted in a very accessible way. Each chapter represents a uniform number. There's a list of all the players to don each number. Then the chapter itself details some of more interesting owners of the number. Chapter 17, for instance, discusses Mel Parnell, Dick Radatz, Marty Barrett, Cecil Cooper, Bret Saberhagen, Herb Pennock, Manny Delcarmen, and a few more guys.

At the end of each chapter, there's a "Most Obscure Red Sox Player to Wear #x" stub. Example: Pitcher Harley Hisner wore #24 in one game at the end of the '51 season. He gave up Joe DiMaggio's last career hit, struck out Mickey Mantle, and got a basehit himself. It was his first and last Major League game.

There's a ridiculous amount of interesting data. The authors did the hard work of researching these facts (Doug Mirabelli has worn #28 the longest. That number's been issued to 58 different players/coaches). I had no idea that Gene Conley played for both the Red Sox and the Celtics until I read this book, or that Darren Lewis played 2,410 innings before making his first error.

This book seems perfect for any level of Sox fan. For the newb who wants to dive right in. For the casual fan looking to be entertained by the oddities and nuances of the game. For the lifer looking to bolster their arsenal of obscure and interesting facts. There are several people on my Christmas list who'll be receiving copies of this book in a few months.

Book info:
Red Sox by the Numbers
A Complete Team History of the Boston Red Sox By Uniform Number
By Bill Nowlin and Matthew Silverman
Skyhorse Publishing Paperback Original
ISBN: 978-1-60239-995-2
On Sale: March 1, 2010
Price: $14.95

BC WINS NATIONAL TITLE... AGAIN

The NCAA Hockey Championship trophy should be awarded in February, to the Beanpot winner. Because for the last 3 years, the winner of Boston's hockey championship, has gone on to win the National Championship. BC in '08, BU last year, and now BC in 2010.

The BC Eagles took a 1-0 lead into the 3rd Saturday night against the Wisconsin Badgers. They dominated the period, and finished with a 5-0 victory. Their 2nd title in 3 years, their 3rd of the decade, their 4th all-time, and Jerry York's 4th in what's becoming a legendary career behind the Eagles' bench.



BC's season was reminiscent of their 2007-08 title campaign. They started off in 2nd or 3rd gear, not disappointing, but not stunning. In January, they lost to BU at Fenway Park. They then finished the regular season 11-4-1, 2nd in Hockey East, won the Beanpot, and were ready for the postseason. They were 12-0-1 in their last 13 games, defeating top teams like UNH, Yale, Miami, and ultimately Wisconsin. They scored 67 goals in that 13 game stretch, 5.15 a game.

BC will lose some talent to graduation and to the professional ranks, but they'll return plenty of quality players. Goalie Jon Muse, for example, will go into his senior season with 2 national titles and an 8-0 NCAA record under his belt. If the Blue Jackets don't call him up, Cam Atkinson will go into his junior year. He scored 2 in the National Championship game, and 30. Remember, BC only played 42 games, so that's the equivalent of a 60 goal season in the NHL.

BC's other two big sports - football and basketball - have had recent head coach drama. And both have a reputation for underperforming in big games, and games they should win. But BC Hockey doesn't have that problem. In this decade (2001 to now), they won 4 Beanpots, 4 regular season Hockey East titles, 5 Hockey East tournament titles, made the NCAA tourney 8 times, made the Frozen four 6 times, and won 3 National Championships.

This is far and away the best hockey program in the country.



Photo Credits:
Melissa Wade
Andrew Weber

BRUINS WIN THEIR WAY INTO PLAYOFFS

The Bruins took care of their own business this weekend, clinching a playoff berth with a 4-2 win over Carolina. To add an exclamation point to that, they went down to Washington and beat the Caps 4-3 in overtime.

The big story from Saturday's win was how the Bruins scored 3 goals. Not only were all 3 scored in a 64 second stretch, they all came shorthanded. It was an NHL record for the most goals scored in one power play by the penalty killing team. It doubled the B's shorthanded total of the season.

But the two goals allowed served as poignant reminders of their inconsistent ways. The first was a wrap-around that Johnny Boychuk could have stopped before it started. The second came from a series of turnovers in the defensive zone, as the Bruins failed to properly formulate their breakout attempts.

At the same time, the referees had an awful game. It was NBA quality officiating, the most notable example being an early whistle when a poorly positioned ref lost sight of the puck in Cam Ward's pads (he was in the corner behind the net, so half of Ward's body was obstructed, yet he was faster on the draw than Clint Eastwood in the Dollars Trilogy). Bergeron slapped in the loose puck, but the ref had blown his whistle and the call.

Bergeron also had the play of the night. On a delayed penalty, Rask skated off for the extra attacker, and an unfortunate carom off the boards sent the puck on a path toward the empty net...



The Sunday afternoon win in Washington was nice, but I wouldn't think too much of it. Both teams had their #2 goalies in net. Both teams leaned on their younger players. Recchi, Bergeron, Chara, and Sobotka all got the day off. But the good news was that Michael Ryder woke up and scored twice. He actually looked confident and firm with the puck. In the previous 22 games, Ryder had scored 1 goal, and only had 5 assists in that stretch.

The Bruins finished the season with 91 points, their 3rd consecutive year with 90+. They haven't had three straight years with 90+ points since 1984. It's hardly a parade-worthy achievement, but when you're a Bruins fan, you learn to enjoy the small triumphs.

It'll be the Bruins and Sabres. In depth preview forthcoming. But as a Bruins fan, you can't ask for a better match-up than that.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo