This week, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to list all the games, and then edit it accordingly on a day-by-day basis, this way, if I forget one day, you still know what games to check out!
Monday February 13th
San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals
The Capitals are 1 point out of a playoff spot and 4 points behind division leading Florida. The Sharks on the other hand are leading their division by 1 point and are 8 points behind Vancouver for the second seed, odds are, they're not going to catch the Canucks. Both of the Alex's are scoring right now with a combined 9 points in their last three games while defensemen Dennis Wideman and John Carlson each have 3 points in their last three games. The Capitals will be without primary starter Tomas Vokoun as he's come down with the flu, so Michal Neuvirth will try to hold the fort down at home in the Verizon center. On the other side, the Sharks have two wins this month, and will need Antti Niemi to be his best if they want to beat the Caps. Brent Burns is the only guy picking up points on the back line for the Sharks, but their forwards have been phenomenal as of late. Joe Thornton has had 4 goals and 5 assists in his past 6 games. Logan Couture had an 8 game point streak snapped when St. Louis shut out the Sharks on Sunday, he had 5 goals and 7 assists over that span. Patrick Marleau has 3 goals and 3 assists in his last 6 games, as does Joe Pavelski. Ryan Clowe returned from injury and has provided six points in the past five games. Expect the Sharks to pelt the net with shots and Neuvirth will do his best to stand on his head.
Phoenix Coyotes vs Vancouver Canucks
The Coyotes are holding onto the 8th seed, 2 points ahead of Calgary and 4 points behind division leader San Jose. The Canucks on the other hand, are 14 points clear of their closest competitor in their division and are looking to take the west from the Red Wings whom they trail by 4 points. The back-up Jason LaBarbera will be in net to give Mike Smith a rest while Roberto Luongo will start opposite of him for the Canucks. Lou hasn't give up more than 3 goals since January 15th. Up front, the Coyotes will be led by Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata who have been on some incredible scoring streaks. Ray Whitney is on an 8 game point streak with 2 goals and 10 assists over that span while Radim Vrbata is on a 7 game point streak with 4 goals and 5 assists. On the other side, the Canucks will counter with Henrik Sedin who has 6 points in his last 6 games and Ryan Kesler who has 5 goals in the past six games having his five game goal streak snapped against Calgary. Daniel Sedin and David Booth will also look to put up points as they each have four points in the last six games. On the back line, Alexander Edler has been setting up his teammates with five assists while Bieksa and Hamhuis each have three assists in their last six games. Bieksa also has a goal over that span. It looks like it'll come down the Canucks being able to stop Radim Vrbata and Ray Whitney from scoring while the Coyotes will have their hands full with all the firepower the Canucks possess.
Tuesday February 14th
New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins
Dallas Stars vs Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Calgary Flames
Wednesday February 15th
Ottawa Senators vs Florida Panthers
Colorado Avalanche vs Vancouver Caucks
Thursday February 16th
Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Rangers
Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild
Calgary Flames vs Dallas Stars
Phoenix Coyotes vs Los Angeles Kings
Friday February 17th
Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers
Nashville Predators vs Detroit Red Wings
Boston Bruins vs Winnipeg Jets
Saturday February 18th
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers
Minnesota Wild vs St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vancouver Canucks
Dallas Stars vs Phoenix Coyotes
Calgary Flames vs Los Angeles Kings
Sunday February 19th
San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks
Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators vs DallasStars
Colorado Avalanche vs Winnipeg Jets
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
NHL Games to watch 2/10/12-2/12/12
Here's some of the more interesting match-ups to watch this weekend
Friday's Game
Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks
This is one of the bigger games of the season. Antti Niemi will be facing the team he took to the Stanley Cup two years ago. The Blackhawks currently sit in sixth behind the Blues and Predators in their own division and need this win to keep up pace with them. On the other hand, the Sharks are two points ahead of the Kings in the Pacific and need this win to put some breathing space between them. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have been on fire the past four games. Marleau has 3 goals and 3 assists while Thornton has 3 goals and 5 assists. Logan Couture is on a 7 game point streak with 5 goals and 5 assists. The Blackhawks have been on a miserable road stretch of late with six straight losses including getting lit up in Western Canada. They've been getting poor goaltending from both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery and the return of Patrick Sharp has not helped them. They really need a win if they want to retain any shot of winning the Central, much less, leapfrogging the Blues and Predators ahead of them.
Saturday's Games
Nashville Predators vs Boston Bruins
This essentially turns into Pekka Rinne vs Tim Thomas. Boston has been playing poorly of late with losses in three of their past four games and getting shut-out twice (once by Cam Ward, and once by Ryan Miller). They really need a big win to rebound from their losses. Nashville is also losers of three of their past four, but the problem is more of keeping the lead than a lack of scoring. They've blown chances against Ottawa and the Canucks the past two games and need a strong game to rebound. The good news is, that when you have Martin Erat playing well, the rest will follow. Look for Suter and Weber to also try and get goals for this Predators team that is looking to catch up to St. Louis in the standings.
Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils
Florida is currently sitting on top of the Southeast division. New Jersey is currently in 5th in the East, 3rd in the Atlantic. Both team will be fighting for points. For Florida, this is a chance to get two clear of the Washington Capitals as a loss in regulation would have them swap spots with the Caps who are currently in 9th. For the Devils, they need to stay ahead of Pittsburgh and keep trying to catch-up with the Flyers. The Devils have been on fire as of late and it can be attributed to three guys. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and David Clarkson. In the past 6 games, Kovalchuk has 12 points and Parise and Clarkson both have 8 points. The real question will be who the Panthers put in net as neither Clemmensen nor Theodore have made a case to be #1.
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers
This is the biggest match-up of the weekend. The top seed Rangers who are 4 points ahead of the Flyers will look to extend their lead while the Flyers look to shorten it. If you thought the Devils and Rangers fighting was big, wait til you see this one. I don't think we're going to go past 3 seconds after the puck drops before these two go at it. King Henrik will be looking to continue the Rangers winning ways while Ilya Bryzgalov will try to match him on the other end. The Flyers came off a big win with Brayden Schenn scoring the game winner against the Maple Leafs. These teams last met on Super Bowl Sunday when the Rangers beat the Flyers 5-2 in MSG. The Flyers look to return the favor in the Wachovia Center.
Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins
Winnipeg was very fortunate to get two points against the Caps on Thursday night, but Saturday will be a different story as the Penguins look to gain points on the Devils. The Jets need two points to get within one of division leading Florida, but they're going to need players to start scoring and their goaltending to bring it against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Pens. Should be a good game to watch.
Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues
The Avs are one point behind the 8th seed Coyotes while the Blues look to catch up with the Red Wings. Both teams come in on two game win streaks although the Blues haven't lost much recently as evidenced by their 7-2-1 record in their past 10 games. The real story is going to be the goaltending. Can the Blues continue to roll with both Halak and Elliott? Elliott will get the start, but expect the Avalanche to try and at least get a point out of this.
Friday's Game
Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks
This is one of the bigger games of the season. Antti Niemi will be facing the team he took to the Stanley Cup two years ago. The Blackhawks currently sit in sixth behind the Blues and Predators in their own division and need this win to keep up pace with them. On the other hand, the Sharks are two points ahead of the Kings in the Pacific and need this win to put some breathing space between them. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have been on fire the past four games. Marleau has 3 goals and 3 assists while Thornton has 3 goals and 5 assists. Logan Couture is on a 7 game point streak with 5 goals and 5 assists. The Blackhawks have been on a miserable road stretch of late with six straight losses including getting lit up in Western Canada. They've been getting poor goaltending from both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery and the return of Patrick Sharp has not helped them. They really need a win if they want to retain any shot of winning the Central, much less, leapfrogging the Blues and Predators ahead of them.
Saturday's Games
Nashville Predators vs Boston Bruins
This essentially turns into Pekka Rinne vs Tim Thomas. Boston has been playing poorly of late with losses in three of their past four games and getting shut-out twice (once by Cam Ward, and once by Ryan Miller). They really need a big win to rebound from their losses. Nashville is also losers of three of their past four, but the problem is more of keeping the lead than a lack of scoring. They've blown chances against Ottawa and the Canucks the past two games and need a strong game to rebound. The good news is, that when you have Martin Erat playing well, the rest will follow. Look for Suter and Weber to also try and get goals for this Predators team that is looking to catch up to St. Louis in the standings.
Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils
Florida is currently sitting on top of the Southeast division. New Jersey is currently in 5th in the East, 3rd in the Atlantic. Both team will be fighting for points. For Florida, this is a chance to get two clear of the Washington Capitals as a loss in regulation would have them swap spots with the Caps who are currently in 9th. For the Devils, they need to stay ahead of Pittsburgh and keep trying to catch-up with the Flyers. The Devils have been on fire as of late and it can be attributed to three guys. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and David Clarkson. In the past 6 games, Kovalchuk has 12 points and Parise and Clarkson both have 8 points. The real question will be who the Panthers put in net as neither Clemmensen nor Theodore have made a case to be #1.
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers
This is the biggest match-up of the weekend. The top seed Rangers who are 4 points ahead of the Flyers will look to extend their lead while the Flyers look to shorten it. If you thought the Devils and Rangers fighting was big, wait til you see this one. I don't think we're going to go past 3 seconds after the puck drops before these two go at it. King Henrik will be looking to continue the Rangers winning ways while Ilya Bryzgalov will try to match him on the other end. The Flyers came off a big win with Brayden Schenn scoring the game winner against the Maple Leafs. These teams last met on Super Bowl Sunday when the Rangers beat the Flyers 5-2 in MSG. The Flyers look to return the favor in the Wachovia Center.
Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins
Winnipeg was very fortunate to get two points against the Caps on Thursday night, but Saturday will be a different story as the Penguins look to gain points on the Devils. The Jets need two points to get within one of division leading Florida, but they're going to need players to start scoring and their goaltending to bring it against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Pens. Should be a good game to watch.
Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues
The Avs are one point behind the 8th seed Coyotes while the Blues look to catch up with the Red Wings. Both teams come in on two game win streaks although the Blues haven't lost much recently as evidenced by their 7-2-1 record in their past 10 games. The real story is going to be the goaltending. Can the Blues continue to roll with both Halak and Elliott? Elliott will get the start, but expect the Avalanche to try and at least get a point out of this.
Monday, February 6, 2012
NHL Games to watch 2/6/12
There's only one game to really watch tonight, unless you wanna see if James Reimer will continue his shutout streak, then go watch the Oilers play the Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes
This is probably the only game where both teams are jockeying for playoff position. The Red Wings come in with a huge goaltending problem now that Jimmy Howard will miss the next two weeks and the Coyotes have a chance to get within two points of the 8th and final playoff spot out in the West. The Red Wings aren't even going to their back-up, they're going to their call-up Joey MacDonald. The Coyotes will counter with Mike Smith who will be looking for his first win against Detroit this season. This is the final match-up between the two teams and the Coyotes would like to end it on a high note.
Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes
This is probably the only game where both teams are jockeying for playoff position. The Red Wings come in with a huge goaltending problem now that Jimmy Howard will miss the next two weeks and the Coyotes have a chance to get within two points of the 8th and final playoff spot out in the West. The Red Wings aren't even going to their back-up, they're going to their call-up Joey MacDonald. The Coyotes will counter with Mike Smith who will be looking for his first win against Detroit this season. This is the final match-up between the two teams and the Coyotes would like to end it on a high note.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
NHL Games to watch 2/4/12
There's a ton of games today and several of them to watch
1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins
Both teams have over sixty points and both teams are trying to catch the Rangers. This should be a good game, although, there's a lot of bad blood between the teams, so expect a lot of fireworks. Boston will be starting Tim Thomas and Pittsburgh will counter with Marc-Andre Fleury.
2. New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils are 7 points back of the Flyers in the standings, but if the season ended today, both would be in. New Jersey will be looking to continue their 2 game winning streak while the Flyers will not be looking to lose position to the Pens and Rangers.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators
The Maple Leafs are holding onto the 8th spot by 2 points and the Senators are 3 points ahead of the Leafs. This will be a tough game between 2 Canadian teams. Craig Anderson and James Reimer will face-off in net and Mikhail Grabovski has been on a tear as of late, so expect him to have a monster game
4. Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars
Minnesota is ahead of Dallas by 3 points for the 8th and final playoff spot. This game could contribute to determining that final spot at the end of the season. The Wild are once again facing a team directly behind them in the standings, after disposing of Colorado in their previous game. The Stars barely missed out on the playoffs last season, and they don't want to do so again this year
5. St. Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators
This is going to be the biggest game of the night. St. Louis is holding onto fourth place by 1 point over Nashville. The Blues also have two games in hand, so Nashville will need to play to win 2 points in regulation. The Blues have great goaltending in Halak and the Predators will counter with Rinne, expect this to be a low-scoring game as both goalies know what's at stake in this game. The Predators have won the first three match-ups, but two were in the SO, so if St. Louis can win in regulation, it'll go a long way towards helping them win the tie-breaker against the Predators.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins
Both teams have over sixty points and both teams are trying to catch the Rangers. This should be a good game, although, there's a lot of bad blood between the teams, so expect a lot of fireworks. Boston will be starting Tim Thomas and Pittsburgh will counter with Marc-Andre Fleury.
2. New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils are 7 points back of the Flyers in the standings, but if the season ended today, both would be in. New Jersey will be looking to continue their 2 game winning streak while the Flyers will not be looking to lose position to the Pens and Rangers.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators
The Maple Leafs are holding onto the 8th spot by 2 points and the Senators are 3 points ahead of the Leafs. This will be a tough game between 2 Canadian teams. Craig Anderson and James Reimer will face-off in net and Mikhail Grabovski has been on a tear as of late, so expect him to have a monster game
4. Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars
Minnesota is ahead of Dallas by 3 points for the 8th and final playoff spot. This game could contribute to determining that final spot at the end of the season. The Wild are once again facing a team directly behind them in the standings, after disposing of Colorado in their previous game. The Stars barely missed out on the playoffs last season, and they don't want to do so again this year
5. St. Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators
This is going to be the biggest game of the night. St. Louis is holding onto fourth place by 1 point over Nashville. The Blues also have two games in hand, so Nashville will need to play to win 2 points in regulation. The Blues have great goaltending in Halak and the Predators will counter with Rinne, expect this to be a low-scoring game as both goalies know what's at stake in this game. The Predators have won the first three match-ups, but two were in the SO, so if St. Louis can win in regulation, it'll go a long way towards helping them win the tie-breaker against the Predators.
Friday, February 3, 2012
NHL Games to watch 2/3/12
Didn't get last night's games in, but there were a few that were good, Flyers-Predators, Red Wings-Canucks.
Anyways, tonight's games, only two to really watch
Los Angeles Kings vs St. Louis Blues
These are two teams fighting for playoff seeding. The Blues currently sit in 5th with 65 points while the Kings sit in 7th with 60 points. It's really going to be a battle of goaltending as the Kings will send out Jonathan Quick and the Blues will most likely counter with Halak who's playing second fiddle to Elliott, but still a damn good goaltender. Expect a 1-0 or 2-1 victory, and it may come in the shootout.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Calgary Flames
Chicago continues their roadtrip of Western Canada and they'll head to Calgary tonight. Calgary is in 11th place in the West, but only 5 points back of Minnesota's 8 spot. Speaking of 8, the Blackhawks got lit up last night by Sam Gagner who tied a record for second-most points in a game with 8 (4 goals, 4 assists). Ray Emery will most likely be in net tonight as the Blackhawks look to rebound from last night's loss.
Anyways, tonight's games, only two to really watch
Los Angeles Kings vs St. Louis Blues
These are two teams fighting for playoff seeding. The Blues currently sit in 5th with 65 points while the Kings sit in 7th with 60 points. It's really going to be a battle of goaltending as the Kings will send out Jonathan Quick and the Blues will most likely counter with Halak who's playing second fiddle to Elliott, but still a damn good goaltender. Expect a 1-0 or 2-1 victory, and it may come in the shootout.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Calgary Flames
Chicago continues their roadtrip of Western Canada and they'll head to Calgary tonight. Calgary is in 11th place in the West, but only 5 points back of Minnesota's 8 spot. Speaking of 8, the Blackhawks got lit up last night by Sam Gagner who tied a record for second-most points in a game with 8 (4 goals, 4 assists). Ray Emery will most likely be in net tonight as the Blackhawks look to rebound from last night's loss.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
NHL Games to watch 2/1/12
There's not many games tonight, but there's two games tonight that could have big implications on the playoffs down the stretch.
Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers
This is a game that could have huge ramifications in the Southeast Division. Washington is only 1 point ahead of Florida who have a game in hand. Should Florida win tonight, they would be in the driver's seat going down the stretch and Washington would slip into the #8 seed. If Washington can get a clean win, they would be three points clear while an overtime or shootout win would only give them a 2 point lead and Florida would still have a game in hand. If the Caps win, they would also have gotten a possible 5 out of 6 points with Ovechkin out of the lineup.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Last night, these two teams battled in Pittsburgh with the Pens coming back from a 4-1 deficit to pull out the win in the shootout. For Toronto, this has gotta hurt as they were ready to walk out of the Consol Energy Center with 2 points and prevent Pittsburgh from getting any. They have a chance for retribution tonight. Look for Phil Kessel to get on the scoreboard tonight. The Maple Leafs really have to take 2 points tonight if they want to make the playoffs.
Washington Capitals vs Florida Panthers
This is a game that could have huge ramifications in the Southeast Division. Washington is only 1 point ahead of Florida who have a game in hand. Should Florida win tonight, they would be in the driver's seat going down the stretch and Washington would slip into the #8 seed. If Washington can get a clean win, they would be three points clear while an overtime or shootout win would only give them a 2 point lead and Florida would still have a game in hand. If the Caps win, they would also have gotten a possible 5 out of 6 points with Ovechkin out of the lineup.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Last night, these two teams battled in Pittsburgh with the Pens coming back from a 4-1 deficit to pull out the win in the shootout. For Toronto, this has gotta hurt as they were ready to walk out of the Consol Energy Center with 2 points and prevent Pittsburgh from getting any. They have a chance for retribution tonight. Look for Phil Kessel to get on the scoreboard tonight. The Maple Leafs really have to take 2 points tonight if they want to make the playoffs.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
NHL after the All-Star Break
Looking at the NHL Standings going into the All-Star break, they look like this.
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers - 66pts
2. Boston Bruins - 64pts
3. Washington Capitals - 55pts
4. Philadelphia Flyers - 63pts
5. Pittsburgh Penguins - 60pts
6. Ottawa Senators - 60pts
7. Florida Panthers - 55pts
8. New Jersey Devils -55pts
9. Toronto Maple Leafs - 55pts
10. Winnipeg Jets - 50pts
11. Tampa Bay Lightning - 46pts
12. Montreal Canadiens - 45pts
13. New York Islanders - 45pts
14. Buffalo Sabres - 45pts
15. Carolina Hurricanes - 45pts
Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings - 67pts
2. Vancouver Canucks - 64pts
3. San Jose Sharks - 60pts
4. St. Louis Blues - 65pts
5. Nashville Predators - 64pts
6. Chicago Blackhawks - 64pts
7. Los Angeles Kings - 58pts
8. Minnesota Wild - 55pts
9. Colorado Avalanche - 54pts
10. Dallas Stars - 52pts
11. Calgary Flames - 52pts
12. Phoenix Coyotes - 52pts
13. Anaheim Ducks - 43pts
14. Edmonton Oilers - 41pts
15. Columbus Blue Jackets - 32pts
Breaking down the Eastern Conference
To be honest, there's no team that's actually out of it yet. 10 points separate the 8th place team and last place team and the Atlantic Division is going to have a lot of games down the stretch to beat up on each other which may end up costing one of the four currently in playoff positioning to fall out the chase for Lord Stanley, most likely the New Jersey Devils. The Canadiens, Islanders, Sabres, and Hurricanes have an uphill road to climb, but one of them could slip into the #8 seed. I like the Rangers and Bruins to win their divisions, but Pittsburgh and Philly will make a hard push for the title, but with Philly's goaltending problems and the Penguins' inability to maintain healthy (although Letang is now back), I doubt they can maintain healthy the rest of the season. Washington is in trouble with trying to win their division this season in what has mostly been an up-and-down season along with Backstrom and Green being on the shelf and Ovie suspended. They had a great win over the Bruins before the break, but they can't expect to maintain this the rest of the season. Florida has a great team they bought this off-season and have a very good chance to win the division if they can maintain their pace. Florida, New Jersey, and Toronto are all tied with 55 pts, but likely only 1 of them will make the playoffs. Ottawa has had strong play of late from Craig Anderson and has gotten up to 6th in the rankings, but Craig Anderson is going to have to carry them for the rest of the season to get to the playoffs. (Didn't he do that a few years back with the Avalanche?) Tampa Bay ran all the way to the Conference finals on the back of Dwayne Roloson, but now they're going to have to rely on Garon if they want to get back. My eight teams to make the playoffs (in order)
1. Boston Bruins
2. New York Rangers
3. Washington Capitals
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Florida Panthers
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
8. Ottawa Senators
Breaking down the Western Conference
The Western Conference is pretty much dominated by the central division. The Blue Jackets are definitely out, the Oilers, after Khabibulin went to crap has blown any chance of a playoff spot this season along with a ton of injuries and suspensions (Andy Sutton anyone?) They'll be a good team, but not this season. Anaheim could have a shot if their cards fall right, but four spots are going to the central division for the chase for the cup. The Red Wings are going to win the division, they have the best record at home this season (20-2-1!) and have no deficiencies on the team. The Canucks will most likely win the NW seeing as how they've always won it. The Sharks will probably win the Pacific thanks to their only challenge being the Kings who can't find a way to score goals. The Blues, Predators, and Blackhawks are ALL going to get spots because they're that damn good. I don't think the Wild will get that last spot because of up and down play by their goalies and injuries. The Kings will most likely stay in the playoffs because Justin Williams has been on fire as of late and the Kings are finally starting to score. The Flames (aka lames) just can't get their act together and the Coyotes are where they are due to Mike Smith being injured. Here's my projections for the final standings.
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. St. Louis Blues
6. Dallas Stars
7. Nashville Predators
8. Los Angeles Kings
I'll have more posts about games every night for the rest of the season that will impact the playoff standings. Also, I have to break up the Fantasy Hockey rankings because there are just too many players and I have been away for too long unfortunately.
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers - 66pts
2. Boston Bruins - 64pts
3. Washington Capitals - 55pts
4. Philadelphia Flyers - 63pts
5. Pittsburgh Penguins - 60pts
6. Ottawa Senators - 60pts
7. Florida Panthers - 55pts
8. New Jersey Devils -55pts
9. Toronto Maple Leafs - 55pts
10. Winnipeg Jets - 50pts
11. Tampa Bay Lightning - 46pts
12. Montreal Canadiens - 45pts
13. New York Islanders - 45pts
14. Buffalo Sabres - 45pts
15. Carolina Hurricanes - 45pts
Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings - 67pts
2. Vancouver Canucks - 64pts
3. San Jose Sharks - 60pts
4. St. Louis Blues - 65pts
5. Nashville Predators - 64pts
6. Chicago Blackhawks - 64pts
7. Los Angeles Kings - 58pts
8. Minnesota Wild - 55pts
9. Colorado Avalanche - 54pts
10. Dallas Stars - 52pts
11. Calgary Flames - 52pts
12. Phoenix Coyotes - 52pts
13. Anaheim Ducks - 43pts
14. Edmonton Oilers - 41pts
15. Columbus Blue Jackets - 32pts
Breaking down the Eastern Conference
To be honest, there's no team that's actually out of it yet. 10 points separate the 8th place team and last place team and the Atlantic Division is going to have a lot of games down the stretch to beat up on each other which may end up costing one of the four currently in playoff positioning to fall out the chase for Lord Stanley, most likely the New Jersey Devils. The Canadiens, Islanders, Sabres, and Hurricanes have an uphill road to climb, but one of them could slip into the #8 seed. I like the Rangers and Bruins to win their divisions, but Pittsburgh and Philly will make a hard push for the title, but with Philly's goaltending problems and the Penguins' inability to maintain healthy (although Letang is now back), I doubt they can maintain healthy the rest of the season. Washington is in trouble with trying to win their division this season in what has mostly been an up-and-down season along with Backstrom and Green being on the shelf and Ovie suspended. They had a great win over the Bruins before the break, but they can't expect to maintain this the rest of the season. Florida has a great team they bought this off-season and have a very good chance to win the division if they can maintain their pace. Florida, New Jersey, and Toronto are all tied with 55 pts, but likely only 1 of them will make the playoffs. Ottawa has had strong play of late from Craig Anderson and has gotten up to 6th in the rankings, but Craig Anderson is going to have to carry them for the rest of the season to get to the playoffs. (Didn't he do that a few years back with the Avalanche?) Tampa Bay ran all the way to the Conference finals on the back of Dwayne Roloson, but now they're going to have to rely on Garon if they want to get back. My eight teams to make the playoffs (in order)
1. Boston Bruins
2. New York Rangers
3. Washington Capitals
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Florida Panthers
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
8. Ottawa Senators
Breaking down the Western Conference
The Western Conference is pretty much dominated by the central division. The Blue Jackets are definitely out, the Oilers, after Khabibulin went to crap has blown any chance of a playoff spot this season along with a ton of injuries and suspensions (Andy Sutton anyone?) They'll be a good team, but not this season. Anaheim could have a shot if their cards fall right, but four spots are going to the central division for the chase for the cup. The Red Wings are going to win the division, they have the best record at home this season (20-2-1!) and have no deficiencies on the team. The Canucks will most likely win the NW seeing as how they've always won it. The Sharks will probably win the Pacific thanks to their only challenge being the Kings who can't find a way to score goals. The Blues, Predators, and Blackhawks are ALL going to get spots because they're that damn good. I don't think the Wild will get that last spot because of up and down play by their goalies and injuries. The Kings will most likely stay in the playoffs because Justin Williams has been on fire as of late and the Kings are finally starting to score. The Flames (aka lames) just can't get their act together and the Coyotes are where they are due to Mike Smith being injured. Here's my projections for the final standings.
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. St. Louis Blues
6. Dallas Stars
7. Nashville Predators
8. Los Angeles Kings
I'll have more posts about games every night for the rest of the season that will impact the playoff standings. Also, I have to break up the Fantasy Hockey rankings because there are just too many players and I have been away for too long unfortunately.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Updates
So... I was outta the country up until MLK weekend, and then I came back and had a ton of stuff to take care of. Anyways, the NHL All-Star game is this weekend, I will have player rankings up for hockey on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Here's the final rankings on the BCS Pick'em. It was a fun thing to do and hopefully I can set up something online for people to use next time around. I'm also working on baseball rankings and I hope to put them up in Mid-March. More to come later!
| Date | Game | Points | Suny | Scott | Josh | Mat |
| 17-Dec | Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs Wyoming | 0.6748 | Temple | Wyoming | Temple | Temple |
| Famous Idaho Bowl: Ohio vs Utah State | 0.8505 | Ohio | Utah State | Utah State | Utah State | |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State vs Louisiana-Lafayette | 0.9988 | San Diego State | San Diego State | San Diego State | San Diego State | |
| 20-Dec | Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Florida International vs Marshall | 0.1323 | Marshall | FIU | Marshall | FIU |
| 21-Dec | SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs Louisiana Tech | 3.4734 | TCU | TCU | TCU | TCU |
| 22-Dec | Maaco Bowl Las Vegas: Arizona State vs Boise State | 2.5444 | Boise State | Boise State | Boise State | Boise State |
| 24-Dec | Sheraton Hawai'I Bowl: Nevada vs Southern Miss | 1.6662 | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | Southern Miss | Southern Miss |
| 26-Dec | Advocare Independence Bowl: Missouri vs North Carolina | 2.8138 | Missouri | UNC | Missouri | Missouri |
| 27-Dec | Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Western Michigan vs Purdue | 0.1713 | Purdue | Purdue | Western Michigan | Purdue |
| Belk Bowl: Louisville vs NC State | 1.9004 | Louisville | NC State | NC State | NC State | |
| 28-Dec | Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman: Toledo vs Air Force | 0.6982 | Toledo | Toledo | Toledo | Toledo |
| Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl: California vs Texas | 2.8996 | Texas | Texas | California | Texas | |
| 29-Dec | Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs Notre Dame | 3.6686 | Florida State | Florida State | Notre Dame | Florida State |
| Valero Alamo Bowl: Washington vs Baylor | 3.3758 | Baylor | Baylor | Baylor | Baylor | |
| 30-Dec | Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs Tulsa | 2.8879 | BYU | BYU | BYU | Tulsa |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers vs Iowa State | 2.9738 | Iowa State | Iowa State | Rutgers | Rutgers | |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Mississippi State vs Wake Forest | 1.5023 | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | |
| Insight Bowl: Iowa vs Oklahoma | 3.0011 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | |
| 31-Dec | Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs Northwestern | 1.7092 | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | Texas A&M |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Utah | 2.3571 | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech | |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs Vanderbilt | 2.5835 | Cincinnati | Vanderbilt | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | |
| Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois vs UCLA | 1.1939 | Illinois | Illinois | Illinois | UCLA | |
| Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia vs Auburn | 3.4305 | Auburn | Auburn | Virginia | Auburn | |
| 2-Jan | TicketCity Bowl: Houston vs Penn State | 4.496 | Houston | Houston | Houston | Houston |
| Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs Georgia | 4.9293 | Georgia | Georgia | Michigan State | Georgia | |
| Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs South Carolina | 4.7732 | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | South Carolina | |
| Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs Florida | 1.8848 | Florida | Florida | Florida | Ohio State | |
| Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio: Wisconsin vs Oregon | 5.4679 | Wisconsin | Oregon | Wisconsin | Oregon | |
| Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs Oklahoma State | 5.8739 | Stanford | Stanford | Stanford | Oklahoma State | |
| 3-Jan | Allstate Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs Virginia Tech | 5.1869 | Virginia Tech | Michigan | Michigan | Virginia Tech |
| 4-Jan | Discover Orange Bowl: West Virginia vs Clemson | 4.3243 | Clemson | West Virginia | Clemson | Clemson |
| 6-Jan | AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: Kansas State vs Arkansas | 5.5577 | Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas |
| 7-Jan | BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU vs Pittsburgh | 0.7997 | SMU | Pittsburgh | SMU | SMU |
| 8-Jan | GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois | 3.1533 | Arkansas State | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois |
| 9-Jan | Allstate BCS National Championship game: LSU vs Alabama | 6.0456 | Alabama | LSU | Alabama | Alabama |
| | Total | 100 | 58.0611273 | 64.1939315 | 65.4771984 | 75.2542604 |
| 75.254 | 17.1931332 | 11.0603289 | 9.77706207 | 0 |
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