My First NHL 2019-2020 Season post.

In past years, I would have written something back in late September 2019 during NHL pre-season. Except for Sportnet's firing of Don Cherry in November 2019, I haven't written a word about the 2019-2020 NHL season. What took so long? Many of the teams I like aren't playing well. Some of the teams that are playing well - some of which I used to like - I now want to see them crushed.

Unless magic happens, (as it did for The Blues last season), currently the MN Wild aren't playing in the manner that brings home The Stanley Cup. We'll see if the Wild can shake off the bad juju and turn their game around over the next few months.

It's overdue, by a few seasons, that NHL Commish Bettman needs to go. He's held the position since 19fucking93. He did some good, some not-so-good. Step aside, Gary.

Related - Toronto Sun (December 2019): Hockey Night In Canada ratings fall after firing of Don Cherry. Only Sportnet and HNIC didn't see this coming.

Happy Hockey!

One NHL Game Tonight. One!?!?!

Only one NHL game on tonight, Vegas playing in Arizona.

Vegas is # 3 and the Coyotes rank at # 7, both in the Pacific Division.

With 15 NHL games yesterday, I guess having only ONE game today is...something NHL fans will have to live with.

We could expect Vegas to win over AZ tonight, but AZ beat the # 4 ranked Anaheim Ducks last night, 5 - 4 in OT in what was a heck of a good game.

The Wild beat the Jets yesterday, 3 - 1. Wouldn't have predicted a Wild win against the Jets, considering Matt Dumba is on the injured list and not expected to play for 3 months.

Oddsshark has Vegas winning over the Coyotes 3.2 to 2.6.

Vegas beat bottom-ranked LA 4 - 1 last night and as previously noted, the Coyotes beat the Ducks.

Vegas will probably win tonight...probably. But I'll take a stab at a prediction of AZ beating Vegas 4 - 2.

Happy Hockey!
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Disclaimer: All fantasy "final score predictions", are not meant to be, or intended to be, or construed as, or subconsciously suggested as, advice on which to make wagers or "sports"-betting. It is simply the observation of an NHL fan. If you have even the slightest desire to gamble based on anything written here, immediately seek help from your doctor and/or call 911. I am not responsible for any losses, financial, emotional or otherwise. You agree fully to the above, without exceptions or objections, by visiting this site. Yes you do. Yes. You do.

NHL December 18; Not A Long Boring Hockey Post (although I suppose that is subjective).

Eleven games on tap tonight, in the NHL.

The Atlantic Division remains in the same order as it was on December 1. Not to say there wasn't shuffling from that snapshot date to now. Only that the rankings are the same today.

Other division's teams shuffled, but basically stayed within their area relative ranking.

Various injuries are spread out among many teams.

One stat I noticed, only three teams remain in avoiding a tied game being decided by the Dreaded Shoot-Out: Toronto, Ottawa and Dallas.

 

Some interesting match-ups tonight between the stronger teams and, uh, some struggling teams:

Bottom-ranked Florida plays at number two-ranked Buffalo (both Atlantic)
Nashville (#2) plays in Chicago (#7) (both Central)
Winnipeg (#1-Central) plays in LA (#8-Pacific)
Tampa Bay (#1-AT) plays in Vancouver (#6-Pac)
Calgary (#1-Pac) in Dallas (#5-Cent)
Toronto (#3-AT) in NJ (#7-Met)
Ducks (#2-Pac) at NYR (#6-Met)
NYI (#3-Met) at AZ (#7-Pac)

Mid-tier vs mid-tier game:
San Jose (#3-Pac) at MN (#4-Cent)

Struggle vs struggle has:
Detroit (#7-AT) playing in Philly (#8-Met)
St. Louis (#6-Cent) at Edmonton (#5-Pac)

Good games to watch? Sharks at MN should be good. St. Louis, AZ and LA are teams I've been watching, just to see what they do in trying to turn things around. The StL-Oilers game could be a close one. I don't see AZ beating the Islanders tonight. Same for LA, don't see them beating Winnipeg. Make no wager on my pure speculation. Any game could see an upset. The Panthers could beat Buffalo by a shot, no way to tell. No one would have guessed St. Louis beating the Jets 1 - 0 on December 7.

I'm not making any predictions. Oddsshark has you covered there.

And a past due Rest in Peace to Bob Naegele, Jr., who brought the NHL back to Minnesota.
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Disclaimer: All fantasy "final score predictions", are not meant to be, or intended to be, or construed as, or subconsciously suggested as, advice on which to make wagers or "sports"-betting. It is simply the observation of an NHL fan. If you have even the slightest desire to gamble based on anything written here, immediately seek help from your doctor and/or call 911. I am not responsible for any losses, financial, emotional or otherwise. You agree fully to the above, without exceptions or objections, by visiting this site. Yes you do. Yes. You do.

December 7 NHL Game Recap

My ability to predict final scores continues its historical pattern of being wildly inaccurate. I forgot to add my Disclaimer on that post, but if you're wagering anything of value on my purely speculative guesses on final scores, you need to see your doctor immediately.

The results:

Final: MN 3 - Edmonton 7
My prediction: MN 4 - Oilers 2

Final: Carolina 4 - Ducks 1
My prediction: Ducks 5 - Canes 3

Final: SJ Sharks 2 - Dallas Stars 3
My prediction: Sharks 4 - Stars 2

Final: St. Louis 1 - Winnipeg 0
My prediction: Jets 3 - Blues 1

The Oilers played an excellent game. No doubt about it, their offense was flawless. The Wild couldn't get their act together for consistency. Goalie Devan Dubnyk was pulled in the first period after allowing three goals on six shots. Dubnyk is a great goalie, he had an off night. The Wild looked tired. Their desire was there but they couldn't get it to gel. The Wild had two power plays during the game, on which they did not score. Well, at least they didn't give up a goal on the power play which is a problem they still experience. Why this persists with them, I don't know.

I thought the Ducks - Hurricanes game would be tighter. I could analyze the game, but Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said it best:

"It was one of those games where nothing we seemed to try to do had any effect on it, any positive effect. It was all frustration and lack of ability to execute. They were faster, quicker, and executed to a higher rate than we did."

I watched most of the Sharks - Stars game, it being the most competitive game of the night, and it was. Stars' goalie Ben Bishop had a season-high 41 saves, which pretty much tells the story of why this game was a one point difference. Ducks Left Wing Evander Kane said of his team they were too relaxed and lacked intensity. That may be their problem, as in last season's playoffs the Sharks were two different teams on any given night. They either played as the top-notch, cohesive team they are or, they played like they've never been on ice before.

St. Louis beat the Jets 1 to 0. No one anywhere on the planet would have guessed that the bottom-ranked team would beat the third-place team in the Central Division. No one. Blues defense Colton Payrako scored the one and winning goal in the second period. A final score in any hockey game of 1 - 0 points directly to the success of the goalie, so chalk this Blues win to goalie Jake Allen's incredible performance as well as the Blues' defense. Maybe they're about to turn their game around and rise up from the bottom of the rankings.

Ten games play today. I'm not doing predictions for any of them. It's too early in the season.

December 7 NHL Games on Tap Tonight

Four games on tap tonight in the NHL.

Win/Loss follows each team.

MN vs Edmonton
Minnesota 15-11 (5th place Central) vs Edmonton 14-12 (5th place Pacific)

Ducks vs Hurricanes
Anaheim 15-10 (2nd place Pacific) vs Carolina 12-11 (6th place Metro)

Sharks at Stars
Dallas 15-10 (4th place Central) vs San Jose 14-10 (3rd place Pacific)

Blues at Jets
St. Louis 9-13 (7th place Central) vs Winnipeg 17-8 (3rd place Central)

Predictions:

MN over Edmonton, 4-2. MN lost 0-2 to Calgary last night. I'm looking for the Wild to bounce back. Edmonton beat the Blues on Wednesday 3-2, so they'll be strong.

The Ducks are on a winning streak, five in a row. They're looking for six against Carolina, also playing well, but they lost 5-1 to the Sharks Wednesday night. They might put up a tough game. This is a tough call. Caro's Center Jordan Staal is on the injury list for tonight. Ducks have momentum. Ducks 5 - Carolina 3.

The Sharks have won two in a row. They want three tonight in the Land of Southern Stars. Dallas hasn't played since Tuesday, when they beat Edmonton 4-1. Dallas is rested, maybe too rested? Sharks over Stars, 4-2.

St. Louis at Winnipeg. I'd like to see St. Louis win considering their performance has been so (ahem...) disappointing so far this year. The Jets beat the Islanders 3-1 on Tuesday; look for another Jets win here. Tonight: Jets over St. Louis, 3-1.

Check out NHL game predictions at Oddsshark. Use the menu at the top of their site to view each game analysis and prediction. Oddsshark is a fun site, for all sports, not just the NHL.

Game times and viewings are updated and available around 20-30 minutes before start time.

My Official First, Long, Boring NHL Post for the 2018-2019 Season

It's official. The 2018-2019 NHL Season is here (has been a couple days). But it seems like hockey just ended! It did. On June 8,  when Washington won their first-ever Stanley Cup against Las Vegas. Vegas is an expansion team, last year being their first season. And they somehow navigated their way into the Stanley Cup, losing the series 4 to 1. Prior to their loss, LV was slicing and dicing their way on the ice, carving their opponents on an almost un-stoppable path to The Cup.

Since it's been 124 days  since June 8, the NHL has to be the only major league sport with that short of an off-season. Can anyone think of a sport with less time off from the game?

Let it be recorded in history that this is my first, official, long, boring, NHL 2018-2019 post. If you like teh hockey, chime in, leave a comment. If you're not into hockey, might I suggest reading from any of the entries on my blogroll to the right.

The season is early. I don't write much about it until the second-half of the season. But let's see where the teams are starting.

Besides, you've been looking forward to my long, boring, NHL post, right? Kind of like you wait for the Long Boring Christmas Family Update Letter From (Insert name of relative here).

A lot has changed and some team-shuffling occurred between the close-out of pre-season  below, and with the opening of the new season.

2018-2019 NHL Pre-season Standings, September 30, 2018

Yes, things have shifted from the above graph to the one below. 

Detroit was dominating their division in pre-season, a little more than a week ago. Now, they've dropped. The shuffling out of the rest of the teams in the Atlantic Division appears as one expect. Ottawa came on strong last season, making it to the playoffs. Boston is Boston and season after season always is a tough opponent. Toronto has high expectations for itself this year.

Central's Chicago went from pre-season ranking of bottom-dweller to top dawg. Tied in W/L with Chicago (but Chi tops with points) are Dallas, Colo and Nashville. All contenders. Will St. Louis struggle with a slow start? Minnesota...I'll get to them.

The Met and Pacific division teams all have settled out where they are in W/L, in a not-unusual NHL new season start. Carolina and the Islanders are doing something right. A bit surprising, the Rangers are winless.

In the Pacific: Vegas will be on everyone's watch-list, this being year two. Arizona needs a good year, but will they have one? No idea here. You?

Edmonton dominated pre-season and has tanked. The Ducks and the Kings have their stuff together, so far. Calgary? San Jose, who played so well when they played well in last season's playoffs, will be tough. Vancouver another team needing a good year.

Returning to the MN Wild. They played Vegas on October 6. The Wild scored a goal in the opening minutes and held a one-zero lead over LV. LV scored with slightly more than 90 seconds remaining in the game. It went into one OT, both teams scoreless, so, tied 1 - 1.

The Wild lost in a shoot-out.

The shoot-out has to go. It does. It was never a good idea to begin with and never should have been implemented.  Would you decide the winner of two, tied NBA teams by a free-throw contest? Decide a tied football game with a series of field-goal attempts? Decide an MLB tied game by pitcher vs hitter determining a winner by requiring a home-run be hit?

Return Winner/Loser in tied NHL games being decided by a series of unlimited, FIVE-MINUTE overtime periods.  Workout the details...two, five minute overtime periods. If score remains tied, ten minute break both teams, then return to ice for two, five minute overtime periods (or only one - the "third" OT -  if a team scores, obviously). Repeat process until one team scores within the 5 minute OT. These OTs aren't going to go more than 15-20 minutes. It's not that hard, is it?

The Wild...they have work to do. Zach Parise is back, which is great. The Wild should consider hiring an exorcist who can forever banish the demon whereby the Wild fail to take any advantage when on the power play, less, that they give up a goal while on the power play, which they have done...way too often.

Coach? Doesn't matter. Goalie? Doesn't matter. Team Captains? Doesn't matter. Team roster? Doesn't matter. The Wild need to do a 180 on executing their power plays and once they "get it", it must never be un-learned.

My first, long boring NHL Sermon for the 2018-2019 season has ended. May you be Blessed and go in Peace, Eh.
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Fixed Typo 10/12/2018

NHL Friday, September 29, 2017; Another Long Boring Hockey Post

On screen: MN Wild

I'd like to live somewhere where, in the middle of winter, I can attend a hockey game in a T-shirt and shorts. I envy the NHL fans in Florida, LA, Dallas, San Jose...where walking down the street wearing a winter jacket with the wind freezing your face as you approach the stadium doesn't exist. Hockey in a warm-winter state...I'm not sure that life gets better than that, at least for me. That, and winning the PowerBall lottery.

Out of the big five sports websites, NO ONE apparently cares to list pre-season scores other than ESPN. Not even our two daily "bird cage liner" newspapers. Oh -- but if it was the MN Twins, the local media would report on the very first moment a player shoved chewing tobacco in his mouth. And if was the Vikings, the local media would be going gaa-gaa, blubbering breathlessly, reporting the unlocking of the gate and opening the fence at training camp.

You can't watch the local news and not hear the news anchor or a sports reporter remark -every single day- on the countdown, " it's only [insert number] days until Minnesota hosts the Super Bowl. " 1) I don't give fuck. 2) The Vikings will not be playing in the Super Bowl. 3) As they are both famous for doing, the Vikings and the Twins will disappoint their fan base by playing well up until playoffs. Then, they'll play as if they've never played the game before and lose.

Our NBA Timberwolves? Feh - don't care. What's the point in watching an entire NBA game? It's a complete waste of time. One need only tune in for the last 2-4 minutes of any game.

31 NHL Teams; Newest Addition: Vegas

But back to the Sport of Kings and its pre-season. Again, all pre-season data I'm using is from ESPN's NHL.

Last Sunday, my first 2017-18 NHL post,  had eight teams undefeated. As of noon today, Friday, only two teams remain undefeated; The Florida Panthers and the NY Islanders, each with a record of 4-0.

Winnipeg and Montreal had not yet won a game last Sunday, but since then, The Jets have scrapped up two wins leaving Montreal the sole win-less team at 0-6. Their next chance of putting up a win is Saturday, the 30th, when they play Calgary with a 2-3 record.

On Sunday, the MN Wild (3-0) occupied the top slot and Colorado (1-2) was the sixth of seven teams in the Central Division. Today (Friday the 29th), The Avalanche climbed up and are number one with the Wild sitting at number 2; each at 4-2; so really, they're tied for top slot. The difference is minor statistical crap.

The NHL's new addition to the family, the Vegas Knights ("Golden" Knights, but that's the final time I note that part of their name...too many keystrokes),  last Sunday were at 2-1 and today 3-2. They occupy the third slot in the Pacific Div with The Oilers on top at 6-1 and LA second at 4-1. Not a bad start for the new team on the block.

Since Sunday, upward moves in the Division standings include Philly, who were #6 and today #3;  the Atlantic Div where Florida occupied #5 and today are on top; Central's Colorado were #6 and (as I mentioned above) are at the top slot; and the Pacific Div is basically unchanged except for Vegas moving up and Anaheim and Arizona trading places for # 6 and #7 respectively.

Toronto went from 4th place to 2nd.

How can you not watch a game that offers action like the below?

Drops include Ottawa, 3-0 and ranked #1 last Sunday who are now 3-2 and sit at 4th place; Metro Div is basically unchanged other than the bump up of Philly. The Islanders and Devils traded places as #1 and #2 with NJ grabbing the top slot and NYI #2. And Ottawa dropped from first to fourth place.

Games tonight include:

Florida - Montreal (I have to think FL takes this game, but nice if Montreal could get their first win).

Islanders - Buffalo; Buffalo is 1-3; NYI 5-1. I'll call this a NYI win, final score 3-2.

Toronto (4-2) - Detroit (2-3); this is a toss up for me. Toronto has the better record but, never ever ever doubt or write-off the Red Wings.

Carolina (4-2) - Washington (1-4); one may think Carolina has the edge here, but The Caps were fierce last season and were in the play-offs. The Caps know they need to get out of their slump. I'm putting this is the "toss up" category.

Happy Pucking!

My First Long Boring Hockey Post for the 2017-2018 NHL Season

On screen: The MN Wild

It seems like it was only yesterday that the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Actually, it was June 13th, - so yeah, almost yesterday. Kind of.

The 2017-2018 NHL Season is here.  Okay, officially it's the Pre-season. I'd hate to be accused of publishing "fake news."

To date, every team has played 1 to 4 games as of Sunday morning. Five games are scheduled for today, Sunday, and at the time of writing this, none of them had a final score or are night games.

I track my own, unofficial "Fantasy NHL" team(s) here, and track my predictions of wins, losses, goals and win/loss in playoff series. Of course I'm a MN WILD fan(atic), but there's really no NHL team I dislike. It's more of which team I want to see win in any particular match-up. And that's always the Wild when they're playing. If you are so inclined, please join in, in the comments section with your NHL thoughts, favorite team(s), predictions, anything. There has to be some NHL fans who stop by here - - join in! Nothing beats hockey talk. Nothing. (Well..."Walking Dead" conversations with other WD-Heads...right up there.)

Newest Addition to the NHL

The following is as of noon, Sunday the 24th (do you realize it's 3 months until Christmas Eve?)

The following teams are undefeated in pre-season games:

Central Div: MN Wild 3-0
Pacific Div: Edmonton 4-0; San Jose 2-0
Atlantic Div: Ottawa 3-0; Florida 1-0;
Metro Div: NY Islanders 3-0; NJ Devils 3-0; Penguins 2-0

Two teams are win-less. Winnipeg (Central) 0-2 and Montreal (Atlantic) 0-4 (ouch!)

What's new, you might ask, this season? Well, a brand spanking shiny new expansion team was added, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. They're in the Pacific Div with 2 wins, 1 loss.

The Metro, Atlantic and Pacific Div's each have 8 teams. The Central Div has 7 teams. Adding Vegas brings the number of NHL teams to a nice, even round number of 31. NHL math...it's so easy.

Back to the newest addition to the league, Vegas. I don't know about you, but the first thing that enters my mind when I think hockey is Las Vegas. How Vegas managed to exist this long without an NHL team is the 8th Great Mystery of the World. I'm joking, I'm happy there's a new team and look forward to watching them play and see how they fare.

Quick recap of last season: The Penguins beat the Nashville Predators taking The Stanley Cup, making it two consecutive wins, something not done since back to back wins by the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-1998. The Preds seemed to float under the radar last year and then boom - were crushing their opponents in every game.

As with all sports, a team is only as good as who is on their injury list. It's way too early to make any predictions, but we can likely expect to see above-average performances by some of The Usual NHL Suspects: The Pens, the Blackhawks, Philly, the Rangers, Boston, Ottawa, LA, Buffalo and one can never dismiss Detroit rocking the ice.

MN Wild owner Craig Leipold said, "anything short of winning the Stanley Cup would be a disappointment." That's jumping the gun. It is not inconceivable that the Wild could win TSC, they played well last season but were eliminated by St. Louis in first round playoffs.

Looking at a list of all the teams, it's just too early to pick who will have a great/good/poor season. I do think we'll see better and improved performances by the Islanders and the Devils, both who had tough seasons last year.

Well, my First Long Boring NHL post is published and the 2017-2018 season is here. Oh yeah, one more thing. You would never see an NHL player diss the American Flag, our National Anthem or an invitation to the White House.

NHL Picks Continues

This post will publish on Thursday, May 4th, mid-afternoon so the current standings are accurate at the time of publishing.

Yeah, yeah...I know. "Oh, another long, boring NHL post," is what just crossed your mind. Well, cheer up, I'll be back to dissing Liberals quicker than you can say, "The Russians stole the Stanley Cup."

We have Nashville leading their series against St. Louis by 3 - 1.

The Edmonton Oilers vs the Anaheim Ducks series is tied at two games each.

Ottawa leads their series against the N.Y. Rangers 2 - 1.

The Penguins lead their series against the Washington Capitals 3 - 1.

I think it inevitable that the two teams vying for this years Stanley Cup will be the Nashville Predators vs the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Outcomes:

I think Nashville ends the series with a win in St. Louis tomorrow.

The Penguins end their series with a win in Washington on Saturday.

In the previous bracket, the Ducks beat Calgary in a 4 - 0 series sweep. Their battle against Edmonton is, obviously, more difficult for them and this could be a full seven game series.

Whether it's the Ducks or the Oilers who win their series, Nashville will beat either team (I'm convinced of it) and move on to face the Penguins.

Pittsburgh will beat whomever wins in the Rangers - Ottawa series.

A "Peeps" Zamboni. Awesome!

The However:

Nashville is on a roll and there seems to be no end in it stopping anytime soon.

Also, one cannot ever underestimate the Ducks. Or the Oilers. Or Ottawa. (Am I covering all my bases...just like a politician? :).

But I said Detroit cannot be underestimated at the beginning of this season and they tanked and stayed down the full season. Look for them to be on fire next season.

Scores:

Tomorrow:  Nashville 5 - St. Louis 4.
Saturday: The Penguins 3 - The Capitals 2 in one OT.

The Ducks vs the Oilers and Ottawa vs N.Y. I just don't know. Any one of them could hit a streak and upset every pick I make.

Injuries, who and how severe, is always the unknown factor.

Your thoughts?

Disclaimer: The above is purely guesswork on my part and is not in any way to be taken as advice on sports betting or engaging in gambling or wagering; legal, illegal or other.

Peeps Zamboni via: markets.financialcontent.com

NHL Picks Continues

These posts, those on the NHL - solely for my purpose of record-keeping. I don't play fantasy football or speculate on any other sport or event other than the NHL. So it's fine if you don't read these posts. If you're a hockey fan, add a comment, what teams are your picks?

I've been Away From Keyboard, nothing major going on - just taking care of business before blogging.

I don't know where I stand on my picks as how many I've gotten right / wrong or final scores or how many games in a particular series. At this point it seems like an awful lot of math for me. And in case you don't know this: Nothing good can come from math. Nothing. (I may do a tally later.)

I did think the Sharks would win their series against Edmonton but they didn't.

I expected Pittsburgh beating Washington {EDIT: The Blue Jackets] and they did.

Washington beat Toronto. I had picked Boston as a Wild Card but they were eliminated by Ottawa.

My Western Conference "Wild" Card is St. Louis and they beat the MN Wild (damn them...), but they're playing Nashville who seem...unstoppable. Like a machine that grinds up everything in its path and just chucks it aside. More on them below.

The Ducks beat Calgary in a 4-0 series sweep

Nashville is the only other team, thus far, to have a 4-0 series sweep and that was against Chicago. Will the long rest Nashville had hurt their game? Not so far, as they lead their series against St. Louis 1-0.

Ottawa leads 1-0 against the N.Y. Rangers.

Pittsburgh 1-0 against the Washington Capitals.

Edmonton ahead of the Ducks, 1-0.

"And...we're off...":

I think Nashville will sweep St. Louis 4-0. They've been animals on the ice. Who can stop them from entering the next bracket ? The Ducks? Edmonton? Maybe Edmonton?

I don't see Washington beating the Penguins. This match-up will either play out to a seventh game or the Penguins will take it 4-0...maybe 4-1. The way the Caps have been playing, they're a team that manages to capitalize (no pun intended initially, but then...of course), on those key moments that make the difference between who continues in the playoffs and who doesn't.

The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers. The Ducks and the Oilers.
I honestly don't know.

Ottawa and N.Y ? Again - wow - like the Ducks and Oilers - I just don't know.

Jump To The Cup:

Well, who plays for the Cup absolves me of my inability to pick winners in the Ducks - Oilers and the Rangers - Ottawa games.

I'm getting ahead of myself but...barring any major player injury, the two teams I see destined playing for The Stanley Cup:  The Penguins vs Nashville.

There, apologies if you found this boring.

Again, you're a hockey fan or other, add a comment of what teams are your picks?

Disclaimer: The above is purely guesswork on my part and is not in any way to be taken as advice on sports betting or engaging in gambling or wagering; legal, illegal or other.

Publish time 2:22PM MST.
Item updated 5-3-2017

NHL Cup Playoff Picks Continues

NHL Playoffs Continue!

I have not made a "prediction" on the outcome of every game being played during the NHL Playoffs. This is due to life requiring me away from the keyboard.

Here's where I'm at with those I have picked and the actual results:

April 15:
Washington v Toronto -Pick:  Winner: Washington; Score 2-1  /  Result: Winner Toronto;  Score: 3 in 2OT

Chicago Blackhawks v Nashville Predators -Pick: Blackhawks 2 - 1  /  Result:  Winner:  Nashville,  Score 5-0.
Nashville won the next two games and won this match-up in 4 straight. I don't know what happened to Chicago in the playoffs, but they were brutalized by Nashville and I don't think anyone expected Nashville to take this series, let alone playing the high caliber game they've been playing. Could they steamroll the other teams they''ll play and bring The Cup to Nashville? You bet they could.

Calgary v Ducks - Pick:  Winner: Ducks;  Score 3- 2  /  Result:  Ducks 3; Calgary 2.  I nailed this one. This is the only one correct prediction I made for games on the 15th.

April 16:
NY Rangers v Montreal - Pick: Winner: Rangers; Score 3 - 1  /  Result: Montreal 3 - 1
Rangers took this series 4-2 by winning the next 3 games.

Penguins v Columbus - Pick: Winner: Penguins; Score 1 - 0  /  Result:  Pittsburgh 5 - 4 in OT
The Penguins beat the Blue Jackets 4 - 1  and win this series. The Penguins, like Nashville, may indeed be the team to take Stanley home and if so, it would be two Cups in a row for the Penguins. Penguins v Nashville could end up being the two teams competing for The Cup.

MN Wild v St. Louis Blues - Pick. Wild 3 - 1 /  Result:  St. Louis 3 -1
The Blues closed the series Saturday the 22nd with a 4-3 win in OT
My prognostication:  St. Louis is good, but not good enough to make to the finals.  Cross them off the list of competing for Stanley. Very sad for the Wild - they rebounded in playing, but it was too late.

Edmonton Oilers v San Jose Sharks - Pick: Sharks 2-1 in OT  /  Result: Oilers 1-0

Late game Saturday night between Oilers 3 and Sharks 1.

The Western Conference winners are: St. Louis, Nashville, Anaheim and OILERS OR SHARKS

The Eastern Conference winners are: N.Y. Rangers and the Penguins.

As of the publishing of this post, two series play today, Sunday the 23rd:  Ottawa is at Boston and Washington plays at Toronto.  Both Washington and Ottawa lead their series by 3-2.

 Sunday the 23rd Predictions:

Boston is on home ice.  They tie the series up 3-3 with a 4-3 win in one OT.

Maple Leafs are on home ice.  They also tie their series 3-3 with a  3-2 win in one OT.

Correct predictions:

For the Western Conference games, the only one I got right - and I nailed it exactly - was the 3-2 win by the Ducks over Calgary.

For the Eastern Conference: games, again, I picked only one game correctly, Pittsburgh beating the Columbus Blue Jackets. My predicted outcome of this game was the Penguins winning 1-0, however, the actual score was 5-.4.

Conference Playoff Picks:

Western Conference:  Nashville vs The Ducks.

WILD CARD:   St. Louis; they may have that unknown and undefinable "Cup Fever" that propels them against all opponents even though above I said to cross them off the list. That's why they're a Wild Card.

Eastern Conference:  The Penguins vs The Rangers.

WILD CARD:  Boston.  Why? I never underestimate the Bruins ability in turning into an unbeatable team when push comes to shove.

[EDIT]: as I publish this the Senators have 2, Boston 1 - with one minute remaining.]

I'll add up how well (or badly) I'm doing with my Pick offline and hopefully will publish an update on Monday.

[EDIT]: Ottawa won 2-1; Ottawa leads series 3-2.

Boston plays at Ottawa next on April 23.
Pick:  Ottawa;  Score 4-3 in OT

Washington plays in Toronto (I think) in a late game tonight.
Washington leads series 3-2.
Pick: Toronto (if they're on home ice);  Score: 4-3 in OT.

Punctuation fixed 5-3-2017

NHL Playoffs Continue

I love me my NHL. I'm writing this on April 15 with a publishing date of April 16.

As we left off last time...

... not that anyone cares but me, but for my own tracking sake, here's how I stand on my NHL Playoff picks to date. Note: So far, the only predictions (which I never make. I don't make predictions. Nor is this intended as any manner of gambling, betting or wagering advice, legal gambling or otherwise), I've made were for games played April 12.

Pick: NY Ranger vs Canadians:  NY Rangers win by 1.
RESULT: Rangers won 2. Montreal 0.
Winner right, score not.

Pick: Bruins vs Senators: A Boston win by 2.
RESULT: Boston 2; Senators 1.
Winner right; score not.

Pick: Columbus vs Pittsburgh: Penguins win by 2.
RESULT: Penguins 3; Blue Jackets 1.
Winner and Score point difference picked.

Pick: St.  Louis vs MN Wild:  Wild win by 1.
RESULTS:  Blues 2; Wild 1.  (A shame. Ditto game 2.)
Winner wrong; score wrong.

Pick: Sharks vs Oilers: Edmonton by 1.
RESULT: Sharks 3; Oilers 2
Winner wrong; score wrong.

Right winner picks: 3
Incorrect picks: 2

Score Right: 1
Score Wrong: 4
- - -

My Picks for April 15 and 16:

April 15:
Washington v Toronto - Capitals lead series 1-0
Winner: Washington; Score 2-1

Chicago Blackhawks v Nashville Predators - Predators lead 1-0
Winner: Blackhawks because it's the last of the first two games on home ice. Next two games are in Nashville, so Chicago will have to win tonight.
Score: 2 - 1

Calgary v Ducks - Ducks lead series 1- 0
Winner: Ducks (on home ice then move to Calgary for game 3).
Score: Both teams put up good defense in game 1. This is a tough call. I'll say a repeat score of game 1:  Ducks 3; Calgary 2

April 16:
NY Rangers v Montreal - series tied 1 - 1
Winner: Rangers (they're on home ice). Score: 3 - 1

Penguins v Columbus - Penguins lead series 2 - 0
Winner: Columbus; they're on home ice and will be fired up. Although, I honestly think the Pengs will sweep this series 4 - 0.
Score: 1- 0

MN Wild v St. Louis Blues - Blues lead series 2 - 0
Winner: Wild. They HAVE to win this third game which is St. Louis' first game of the series at home. So Blues fans and the stadium will be rocking - but, the Wild have to win this one and they will.
Score: 3 - 1

Edmonton Oilers v San Jose Sharks - series tied 1 - 1
Winner: Game 3 (and 4) both on home ice for the Sharks, and they will win.
Score: 2 - 1 in OT

Any NHL-"head" reading this, please leave comments on your predictions on the games.

NHL Playoffs: The Puck Drops Tonight

The NHL Playoffs are here!

Tonight, among other games, the Minnesota Wild faces Columbus St. Louis in game one in beautiful downtown St. Paul.

The Wild have a fantastic season this year and if they keep playing as they have been - thorugout the playoffs - Minnesota could easily see The Stanley Cup as a new resident.

The playoff coverage is, obviously, found at NHL.com.

The Wild. Bring home The Cup! They have the momentum and this is THEIR YEAR!

The Playoff schedule is listed here.

Five games begin tonight! :

NY Ranger vs Canadians:  NY Rangers win by 1.

Bruins vs Senators: A Boston win by 2.

Columbus vs Pittsburgh: Penguins win by 2.

Blues vs MN Wild:  Wild win by 1.

Sharks vs Oilers: Edmonton by 1.

The above is not intended as any type of gambling or wagering advice. Simply my guess as who wins. I'll be keeping track of my accuracy.

MN Wild Nordy Mascot involved in "violent mascot skit"

If they keep playing as they have been, Minnesota could have the Stanley Cup this year.  While that is a tough road for any team, the Wild have been owning the ice against their opponents.

Number One and maintaining:

Nordy

Meanwhile, the MN Wild's mascot Nordy, might need to attend some type of sensitivity training classes for his VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, even though it was all a Pretend Fight.

Just because it wasn't real doesn't mean Nordy may harbor some ill will towards Tommy Hawk.

 

Nordy was wearing a blindfold.  He didn't know he was hitting Tommy.  No mascot was hurt, it was all an act.

In attendance were the St. Louis Blues’ Louie, New Jersey’s NJ Devil and the Chicago Blackhawks’ Tommy Hawk – who apparently shoved a birthday cake into Nordy’s face.

Nordy then exacted his revenge when Tommy held up a piñata and a blindfolded Nordy "missed," smacking the Hawks mascot, who fell to the ground. 

When mascots get violent.......heh......it was all fun and games, folks.

The reaction of the crowd seemed to be mixed, as was the response on social media after the team tweeted a video of the encounter.

"Good thing to teach kids. Violence to people you dislike is the right thing to do," one response reads, while another called it "obviously a joke and for fun."

"I love the Wild and all but... I'm not really into simulated beatings, man," one fan tweeted, while another wrote, "Oh please. It’s Hockey. It’s a violent sport. Maybe stay home. Ridiculous."
[.]
"I was glad I wasn't in the stands with my 7-year-old son having to explain why his favorite mascot was just apparently beaten with a baseball bat," Chris Kuc wrote.

Ummm, Chris - tell your son Nordy is a Trumpie?  Maybe that will explain it?

People - they're MASCOTS. Although, that Tommy Hawk....he's an instigator. 

The announcer at the game (in the video in the above link) was egging on the "fight." It's his fault -- yeah, it's his fault.

The Wild play Dallas tonight in Texas.  They're at home in St. Paul to host St. Louis on Thursday.  They have few well-deserved days off and then they're in Edmonton on January 31.

There are many NHL teams doing very well this year and almost any one of them could end up playing for The Cup. It can also be a fast slide down the ice from being Number 1 to last place. In hockey, Take Nothing for Granted.