Best First Round Ever

Hockey playoffs are something I look forward to every year. Every year I predict the Wings to win the Cup, this year is no different, and every year I'm never disappointed by all the great hockey. Okay, so 2009 was a huge disappointment, but hey, the Stanley Cup going seven games, does it get any better?

Round one of this years postseason has been beyond the shadow of any doubt, the best first round in my lifetime and probably many people's lifetime. It had everything a hockey fan could ask for. Tight games, tight series, heated games filled with emotion, it had everything.

Let's recap things real quick.

Wings took care of business and swept the Coyotes, who reportedly have played their last games there. (Read a story, can't find it, saying that Phoenix is moving, announcement Friday I believe.) Detroit get's the much needed time off to get guys healthy.
Washington took care of the Rangers in 5, the games were good and tightly matched in this series and Lundquist played fantastic in every game.

Those were the boring series, now let's get to the good stuff. Real quick fun fact though, the first round featured 9 straight days with a game going to overtime. Does it get any better than that?

We saw the near collapse of Luongo at the hands of Chicago. The Blackhawks continue to be the bane of Vancouver's existence. The Habs and Bruins met in the first round... again... and The road team won the first four games, then the home team won the next three, advancing Boston to the second round.
San Jose went to overtime three times in their six game series with LA. LA went 0-3 at home, and I blame the jerseys.
Tampa Bay rallied from down 3-1 to beat the Crosby-less Penguins in 7. Nashville took out the Ducks in 6 in a series I was excited about, but could rarely watch. Buffalo almost pulled off the round one upset over the Flyers, they lost game six at home in overtime and then got destroyed 5-2 in game seven.

Four of the Eight first round matchups went seven games, and every series was filled with great hockey that was fun to watch. One can only hope this continues on to the next round. And on a side note, I got 7 out of 8 round one winners right, so I got that going for me which is nice.

Real quick round two predictions.

Washington-Tampa Bay: Capitals in Six: Key Matchup: Ovechkin vs Stamkos. Stamkos started to show up, but he's been absent for the most part going on 30+ games. Alexander, however, has been doing his thing. In round one he didn't carry the load because he didn't have to, but he will if need be. Tampa won't stop him.

Boston-Philadelphia: Boston in Six: Key Matchup: Boston special teams vs Flyer Goalie situation: Both of these were awful in round one, the Flyers goalies being worse of the two. Boston needs to get the powerplay going to win this series.

Vancouver-Nashville: Canucks in Six: Key matchup: Luongo vs Rinne. Will Roberto collapse, and can Rinne stand on his head because he will have to if Nashville wants to pull off the upset.

Detroit-San Jose: Detroit in Six. Key Matchup: Lidstrom and Stuart vs Thornton line. Also key to watch here is the play of Jimmy Howard. If he plays like he did in round one, we'll be fine. But the matchup to watch is Lidstrom's pairing verse the Thornton line. San Jose is loaded with other weapons, but if this line gets going, the Wings are in deep trouble. They also have to do a better job at staying out of the box and a better job of killing penalties. That was the one thing they did poorly in round one and it will kill them against the Sharks. However I'm taking the Wings. I think they're a better team, and I'm counting on San Jose to do their thing and collapse in the post season.

Don't you guys love playoff hockey?

Eastern Conference Preview

The East... Everything crazy that happens in the playoffs comes out of the East... A 7 vs 8 in the Conference Final, the Flyers coming back from 3-0 to beat the Bruins. Every year it's something different from the East. But one thing remains the same every year... It's going to be one entertaining postseason.

With all the wild and crazy Hockey that goes on in the East, predicting this mess is going to be tricky... but damn it sure will be fun! Let's have at it, shall we?

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers: Capitals in 6
A pretty interesting 1-8 matchup, Rangers got the last spot over the Cam Wards and as their reward, they get the Alexander Ovechkin's. I stated in another blog that I usually go for the team with the better goaltender... but I can't pick against the Caps (yet.) They're peaking at the right time. Henrik Lundqvist is one of the leagues best and is capable of stealing games, but is he good enough to steal the series? Yes, but not this one. The Caps offense is too strong.
Key Matchup: Capitals Powerplay vs Rangers Penalty Kill/ Lundqvist
Washington had one of the best powerplays... last season. This year it inexplicably struggled. Ovechkin struggled running the point, then they traded for Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott, which was supposed to allow Ovechkin to no longer need to run the point. But with an injury to Wideman, Ove finds himself right back on the blue line. The key here is can they get the powerplay going or will it continue to struggle. The Rangers have a solid penalty kill (10th in the league at 83.7%) and if they can shut down the Caps powerplay, they have a chance.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabers: Flyers in 6
To be honest, I am completely unimpressed with the Flyers. They're a solid team, a good team. Jeff Carter is a damn good player, and they've been playing good most of the year. But who's in net for them? Seriously? Which goalie are they going with? Bobrovsky? Leighton? Boucher? Worst goalie situation in the playoffs. Then we look at Buffalo, who has the best goalie in the NHL between the pipes. But they have zero offense. They made a great turn around, but they aren't good enough to make it past the first round. Miller will steal a few games.
Key Matchup: Bobrovsky vs Miller
Bobrovsky doesn't have to out perform Ryan Miller, because he won't but if he struggles the Flyers will lose. As for Miller, if he doesn't stand on his head and play like the best goalie in the league then the Sabers will lose. One goalie needs to be average, the other needs to be amazing.

Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Canadiens in 6
I told the boys at the OU hockey show I liked Boston to win the East, but I was mostly sticking to my preseason prediction. Now that we have the match-ups, I have to go with the Habs. Despite my feelings of Carey Price he has had a fantastic year, the I love the Habs style of play. This one is mostly a gut feeling, no big reason why besides I like the way the Habs have been playing and don't think the Bruins are good enough lines 1-4.
Key Matchup: Tim Thomas vs Carey Price
Will Tim Thomas be able to keep up the play? Will Carey Price crumble under the pressure like usual. Whichever goalie maintains their solid play will determine the winner of the series.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tamba Bay Lightning: Lightning in 7
This is probably going to be the best series of the first round. Both offensive minded teams with a young core, this should be a series filled with exciting action and a lot of goals. Why am I picking Tampa? No Crosby, No Malkin. Oh and that Steven Stamkos guy is pretty good.
Key Matchup: Pittsburgh Defense vs Stamkos line
THe Penguins only shot at winning this series depends on how their defense handles the Stamkos line. If that line is allowed to get rolling and start scoring. Game Over.

Western Conference Preview

Hello my friends, tis I, the Beard(less) Fellow. I am indeed clean shaven, but that's because it's time to shave and grow a new beard for the playoffs. It's been far too long since I've posted, but those are details not meant to be expanded upon in this post.

You know you all want to know my take on the playoffs, so let's do this, who's going to win it all? Who's going down in flames? And who will grow the fiercest beard?

Let's start in the West, because that's the conference that shall yield the Stanley Cup Champion: Yeah I said it, deal with it.

Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks: Vancouver in 5
Vancouver has been the best team and most consistent team in the NHL all year long. The powerplay is the definition of damn near perfect. Chicago will not be able to stop the Canucks powerplay. They lost much of their core from last year, so this is a much different team, also factor in a rookie goalie, and you're looking at a quick and quiet exit from the defending champs.
Matchup to watch: Sedin twins vs Seabrook and Keith
During the Wings game this pairing was on the ice for almost every one of Datsyuk's shift. Expect the same treatment.

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angelas Kings: Sharks in 6
This was a tough series to call. I could easily see the Sharks dropping to the Kings. But I believe the Sharks take one in LA and win all three at home. Should be a good series though. The difference is Anze Kopitar, or lack there of. Without him, the Kings will fight, but ultimately not advance.
Key Matchup: Drew Doughty pairing or Jack Johnson pairing vs Thornton line
Doughty and Johnson are both talented young defensemen, which ever pairing goes against Jumbo Joe's line will be tested all series long. If they stop that line, they can stop the sharks. (Key is stop the LINE, not just Jumbo.)

Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators: Predators in 7
4-5 match-ups are always interesting. This series is one I will be watching closely. Both teams are tough, physical teams and are always tough outs for their playoff opponents. The Ducks have been red hot lately, and will come out hot in this series. I want to pick the Ducks, but when I looked at the teams, there's one big difference between them: Goaltending. Pekka Rinne is far superior to Jonas Hiller. Won't be shocked if the Ducks win, but I have to take the team with the better goalie.
Key Matchup: Pekka Rinne vs Jonas Hiller
Hiller has shown some signs of brilliance (Switzerland vs Canada) but is overal, inconsistent and an average goalie. Rinne is one of those guys that can stand on his head and steal a game or two, or even a series. This series will be decided by which goalie plays better.

And the only series you guys really care about...

Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes: Wings in 5
Last year these teams met in a thrilling 7 game series in which the Wings won. Now we have a rematch, and this time Detroit has home ice. All match-ups in today's NHL are relatively even, and that goes for this one too... However having said that, Detroit is the deepest team in the NHL, in my humble opinion... Sure they've struggled lately, but this is the time that we get things together. Hank being out hurts, but we can survive without Hank for a couple of games, but Kronwall is back which will help sure up the blue-line, which has been sloppy to end the season. Call me a homer if you must, but I do believe that Detroit is going to hit their stride and make a deep run. It starts with this series, and I believe Detroit is a better team in almost every key area than the Coyotes.
Key Matchup: Red Wings powerplay vs Ilya Bryzgalov
The Red Wings have this nasty habit of running into a hot goaltender in the playoffs. The key to this series will be Detroit's ability to get goals on the man advantage. If they don't have a successful powerplay against Phoenix and Bryzgalov starts making big saves, it could spark the Coyotes and propel them to a few wins.

Let the Madness Begin!

AAAAAHHHHH YES, it's that time again. Grap your lucky Number 2 Pencil, your lucky pair of underwear, and your official copy of the NCAA TOurnament 2011 Bracket, because it's time for some good ol' March Madness...

As defending champ, it'd be wise to take my advise, but I'm not here to give you guys my bracket, but rather just a bit of insight into the genius that is my brain... But all kidding aside, I've gotten the past few national champions right, and usually I am right, but I'll be honest, what I say isn't gold, and will probably be wrong, but let's just have some fun, shall we?

Before I start telling you guys my favorites, sleepers, and frauds, let's take a gander at the field... and who didn't get invited to the party.

Right off the bat, UAB and VCU have no business being in, and leaving out Va Tech, Colorado, and St. Mary's are all unforgivable crimes of snubbery. UAB, VCU and USC should not be in, and the three mentioned above should. It's a no brainer. I want to be on the selection committee because I want to know how they decide these things. I listen to the experts, look at all the resumes, look at quality wins, road wins, SOS, RPI, all that good stuff... and yet the last teams in and the teams that are snubbed never make any sense to me... Those three teams got shafted, no doubt about it.

But let's look at who's actually in. BEfore we do that, actually I want to point out that MY prediction of the four one seeds was right and Lanardi's was WRONG. Check it, there's proof on my Facebook AND Twitter of my prediction. Lanardi had Notre Dame, and so did almost every other "expert." Chalk one up for the Bearded Fellow...

But that's enough tomfoolery, let's get down to the niddy-griddy... I'm not going to go game-by-game, but I will give some predictions, upset specials, and some other insights of the bracket... I haven't filled out a bracket yet, so no, I won't tell you my Natty Title Favorite, but I will probably Wednesday.

Predictions:
Big Ten will go 7-0 in round one.
I like everyone's match up in round one. State got a great draw of UCLA, Penn State has winnable matchup verse Temple, Michigan can easily beat Tennessee. Tennessee is short and relies on the three, perfect match up for them. Illinois also got a good draw playing UNLV. The other 3 are all favored, so it will be a good round for the Big Ten.

Upset Specials:
Oakland vs Texas
I loved Oakland no matter who they were playing, but Texas is a bad draw for them... having said that, Oakland can still definitely win this. Keith Benson is the best player you've never heard of, and he can dominate a game in the paint. Don't be surprised when the Golden Grizzles surprise the Longhorns.
Missouri vs Cincinnati
Cinci is one of those 11 teams in from the Big East, so that means they're good right? Wrong. Well Wrong to an extent, they're solid, you have to be to finish with a good record in that conference, but they are very beatable in this matchup with Missouri. If you're looking for an upset, this could be one.
Kansas State vs Utah State
If there is any game in this field that screams upset, it's this one. Kansas State underachieved, then overachieved. They are a one man team, and they live and die with Jacob Pullen, a recipe for disaster. Utah State is better than their seed, they will win this game, calling it right now.

Toughest Region: East Region
Ohio State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Kentucky... Enough said right?

Easiest Road to the Final Four: Pittsburgh
Pitt is in the weakest region, the Southeast Region. Pitt is the one, and the two seed, what's supposed to be their toughest competition... Florida... HOW IS FLORIDA A TWO??? Kentucky destroyed them in the SEC tournament and Florida is a two... that makes sense. BYU and Wisconsin are the next highest seeds, so yeah, Pitt is in the Final Four.

Sleepers:
Michigan State: They benefit from an easy draw with UCLA, then probably Florida, tehy could surprise a few people and bust some brackets, like Doug Gottlieb's (He has Florida in the Final Four, EW)
Duke: They're a one seed, but I don't hear anyone talking about them. Two great seniors, one great coach, and a deep team that is very versatile. They will make a run.
UCONN: They will go as far as Kemba will take them, and Kemba can take them far, he is a great player, and the team is solid around him.

Avoid at All Cost:
Notre Dame: FRAUDS! I've been saying it all year. THey take bad shots, and rely on Ben Hansborough, who takes way too many bad threes. But what will really be their downfall is their 7 man rotation.
BYU: Come on, do I really need to put this team on here? Jimmer will not take them to the promise land, they're too weak, especially without Davies.

A Different Kind of Consequence of Sex

We all know the risks of sex right? STDs, babies, awkward encounters for the rest of your life, maybe she lied about her age, blah blah more witty answers. But how about getting kicked off a team? You're probably thinking, "Oh, must have slept with the coaches daughter..." Well I guess he may have, if the coaches daughter is also his girlfriend.

Brandon Davies, a sophomore forward at Brigham Young University, has been dismissed from the team for having sex with his girlfriend. I can't make this stuff up people.

And it's not like Davies is a scrub, he's arguably their second best player, and on Wednesday New Mexico proved that they need more than just Jimmer to win, beating BYU 82-64. BYU was in the driver's seat for a one-seed, one that this blogger feels they did NOT deserve.

But how can a school or a team kick a player off for having sex, you ask? We have freedoms, right? Well right off the bat, BYU is a private school, so no on the freedoms. Trust me, 12 years of private school have taught me that.

But BYU can kick him off the team because by having premarital sex violated the schools Honor Code. Yes, BYU has an honor code that all students must comply with. This honor code, which you can check out, includes such gems as no profanity, no use of alcohol or tobacco, living a chaste and virtuous life, and my favorite a dress code.

Coincidentally, I learned by reading this honor code that I am in violation of BYU's code. "Men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable." Oh darn...

Well, I guess I have to give credit to BYU for sticking to their guns. With so many programs allowing their players get away with pretty much anything and still allowing them to play, it's refreshing to see a university implement rules and actually enforce them, as absurd as the honro code may be, at least they're sticking to it.

Bearded Bracketology

As selection Sunday nears, everyone is asking the same questions, who's in and who's out. But quite frankly I find none of Lanardi's last four in and last four out to matter because they change literally everyday. But since some of you want to know and have asked for my take on things, it's time for some Bearded Bracketology. Let's do this...

Teams In: Three teams that went from my bubble or even out of the dance that have played their ways in the tournament and pretty much can't play their ways out:
Georgia: 19-9 (8-6) 35 RPI, 27 SOS, 3-9 vs RPI top 50
They are a team that seem to be randomly having a good year, but with a good season and some pretty good resume numbers, Georgia will be dancing.

Kansas State: 21-9 (9-6) 22 RPI, 6 SOS, 3-6 vs top 50
The way they were struggling I thought they were going to be a huge disappointment with high preseason expectations, but with recent huge wins over Kansas and Texas and the Wildcats taking care of business verse bad teams, they find themselves safely in the tournament.

Michigan State: 16-12 (8-8) 40 RPI, 5 SOS, 2-8 vs top 50
I said a few weeks ago I didn't think they'd make it, because I honestly thought any tough game they'd lose and they were playing so poorly it looked as though the team has given up. But now they're playing witha purpose and look like a dangerous team.

Last Four In:
Michigan 18-12 (8-9) 57 RPI 23 SOS 2-8 vs RPI top 50
I feel like they have some more work to do, make some noise in the Big Ten Tournament, but if selection day was today, the Wolverines would be in. A team that had zero expectations to start this season, the fact they are even on the bubble is a testamant to John Beilein's great coachign job this year.

Memphis: 21-8 (9-5) 34 RPI 42 SOS 5-4 vs top 50
Sure, they play in a weak conference that they aren't going to win, but those numbers are good, and if it were an ACC team with those numbers, then they'd be in for sure. Memphis gets the nod.

Colorado: 18-11 (7-7) 77 RPI 82 SOS 5-6 vs top 50
Those numbers aren't spectacular, but the 5-6 vs the top 50 is impressive. They are in right now, but I think the winner of the season finale between Colorado and Nebraska determines which of these two will go to the dance.

Richmond: 22-7 (11-3) 62 RPI 170 SOS 1-3 vs top 50
I love the RIchmond Spiders, the SOS is weak but I feel that they are a solid team deserving of a NCAA bid.

First Four Out:
Alabama: 19-10 (11-4) 87 RPI 156 SOS 2-3 vs top 50
Ignore the record and look at strength of schedule. With an SOS that weak you cannot afford to be in "bubble talk" because you won't get in. Bama does not deserve a bid, they can help themselves by beating Georgia, but they should not be dancing.

Nebraska: 19-10 (7-8) 72 RPI 59 SOS 3-6 vs top 50
They are a win over Colorado away from dancing, this was a tough cut but right now, I have them out.

Baylor: 18-11 (7-8) 78 RPI, 48 SOS, 2-5 vs top 50
Beat Texas and you'll be in, but honestly, nothing about Baylor has impressed me this year. No dance for you!

Clemson: 19-9 (8-6) 69 RPI 108 SOS 2-4 vs top 50.
That SOS is very weak, but they are a win over Duke away from playing themselves into the tournament. But otherwise, they haven't impressed me enough to get into the big dance.

NHL Trade Deadline WInners and Losers.

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and quite frankly, it was kinda boring. No big deals and no deals made here in Detroit. Rumors were out there of a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers that would send us Zach Bogosian for Jiri Hudler, Jonathan Eriksson or Jakub Kindl and a 1st rounder. Personally, I would have done this deal, but I can never honestly say that Ken Holland made a mistake; I'm not sure if I can ever question him. He's been right so often.

But other teams were wheelin and dealin at the deadling, let's take a look at the Trade Deadline: WInners and Losers

WInners:
Los Angelas Kings:
Picking up Dustin Penner is a great move. Penner will bring a little extra to an already good team and perhaps give them an extra push as they try to win the division and get home ice in the first round. I really like the extra offensive threat Penner brings and am curious to see where LA puts him

Washington Capitals:
Picking up Jason Arnott as a pig forward that can run a point on the powerplay will really help for the Caps as they push for a cup. Washington's powerplay ranks 25th this season, and I imagine with the addition of Arnott, Ovechkin will no longer be running a point on the powerplay. They also need some production from the second line center, and they think Arnott is their guy. We'll see. I also like the acquisition of defenseman Dennis Wideman from Florida, should help solidify the blue line.

Pittsburgh Penguins:
The deals they made leading to the deadline for Alexi Kovelev, James Neal, and Matt Niskanen will go a long way to improving the injury-ravaged Penguins.

Aaaand the Losers:
New York Rangers:
They banked on Brad Richards, didn't get him. On top of that, Marty Biron broke his collarbone... big who cares right? Well Piere thinks that's a big deal... Anyways, they didn't improve and didn't get Richards. Losers.

Minnesota Wild:
They are in a logjam playoff race in the Western Conference and they sit on their hands. This could be a very costly mistake and I think it will be. With Kovu out for a while, they needed to try to pick up some scoring and instead they did nothign while teams chasing them improved, big mistake.

Montreal Canadiens.
WIth all the injuries to their blue line, they needed to make moves to add blue line depth. Brent Sopel isn't going to cut it.