Many Questions to Answer in Wild West

The Western Conference playoff teams have been decided and only seeding is left to be determined. Congratulations to the San Jose Sharks for winning their first President’s Trophy in the team’s history. Also, Columbus is in the playoffs for the first time since the team’s inception into the NHL. There is also plenty of excitement in St. Louis and Chicago who are back in the playoffs for the first time since the lock-out. Along with those facts there are some exciting stories developing amongst the teams who have qualified for the playoffs. Will Detroit be able to repeat or is there goaltending finally going to get the best of them? Is Chicago’s young team ready for the spotlight on the big stage or is this going to be a quick “dry run” resulting in an early exit. How will the fans in Columbus react to the normal highs and lows of a playoff run? Will San Jose finally get over the hump and enjoy the playoff success that many people believe their team should experience? Will the Ducks of two years ago re-emerge and possibly get the puck back to Anaheim? Can Calgary live up to the trade-deadline hype that developed around their acquisition of Olli Jokinen ? There are a lot of questions to be answered and many stories to be played out. It will be a lot of fun to watch the match-ups get locked in and for the playoffs to get rolling. No matter who you’re rooting for and regardless of which Conference that team belongs to every Western Conference Playoff series will have incredible story lines and will be extremely exciting.

Top Teams Face Early-Round Exits

Coming down the stretch there have been a number of teams who are all but assured of playoff spots who have hit some turbulence. For example, New Jersey is in the middle of a six game losing streak, while teams in a similar position like Boston, San Jose, Calgary, Chicago, etc. have all hit similar rough patches in recent weeks. On the other hand teams who have been battling just to get into the playoffs (Pittsburgh, Carolina, St. Louis, Columbus, Vancouver to name a few) have really hit their stride as of late and are on their respective hot streaks. So what should be made of all of this? Well, quite frankly I think it’s great to have so many top teams becoming mediocre and teams working hard every night to get in getting so hot. That is because I think it will make for a very exciting and intriguing first round. No matter what the match-ups are there is going to be potential for a lot of upsets with a lot of teams with home-ice advantage finding themselves in a hole right off the bat. There are a lot of clichés to describe teams as being “battle-tested” or “playoff-ready” and while they may be true in a lot of cases (hence why they’re clichés) the intensity level of a team come playoff time is probably the biggest deal of all. As a result, what we’re seeing right now are a number of teams battling to get into the post-season playing with a high level of intensity. The players are hanging on every shift, every pass, every hit, every save, every goal; and that is exactly the mode you need to be in to be successful in the playoffs so it should be to their benefit to have been playing at such a high level for so long leading up to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the other top teams are muddling along just trying to “stay sharp” as their minds start to tire of the regular season and they begin to look ahead. By doing that the players are putting half-a** efforts into their playing which results in them losing their edge and can result in not just loses but a loss of focus and energy that can lead to injuries. All of that boils down to this; the teams who have been desperate will have that intensity level in the playoffs right away while the top teams will have a hard time just turning on that switch. By the time they do the series could be 2-0 heading into the other teams’ building and by that time the hill may be too big to climb resulting in plenty of first-round upsets.

Phaneuf Key to Flames Success

Dion Phaneuf has played well but he’s making money they pay to guys who should be in Norris Trophy contention and in that respect Phaneuf has greatly underachieved. He scored his 9^th goal Friday night but going into the game against the Wild he had 8 goals and 27 assists with a plus/minus of -10…that is unacceptable. Last year Phaneuf had 60 points and was a plus 12 on the year which are very good numbers for a defenseman and it is not reasonable to expect that from someone every year. However, when you’re supposed to be the leading defenseman on a team that gives up more shots than almost anybody else out there you’ve got to step up and score points of your own with regularity. In recent years the Calgary Flames have had some pretty good teams who have not done too much in the playoffs since reaching the finals in 2004. Calgary made many offseason moves to get bigger and tougher in order to be more successful but to do that the Flames will need their top players to be at their best every shift and that includes Phaneuf. As of now Phaneuf’s personal subpar performance has been good enough to put the Flames in prime playoff position but if his play stays at this level against the likes of Chicago, Detroit, or San Jose the Flames will find themselves making another early round exit.

Western Conference Race Heating Up

The second half is now upon us and the playoff races on both sides are heating up. The next two articles will preview the next 2 months telling you who’s in and who’s out. The West today, next time the East will be the focus.

In the West the top four are more or less in place with San Jose leading everyone by no less than 8 points steam rolling toward the playoffs and possibly the President’s Trophy. But as you look down toward the fifth seed it gets very interesting. The Anaheim Ducks are in sole possession of 5^th place with 55 points but are only ahead of sixth by two points where there are FIVE teams tied with 53 points with only three playoff spots to earn. Should it come to the point where a tie-breaker is needed to determine who survives this gridlock I’ll have it for you right here, but until then who needs the headache? So who is going to come out of this mess to participate in the second season? Under the assumption that San Jose, Detroit, Calgary, and Chicago will all make it (in what particular order it matters not, they’ll be the top 4 seeds) we’ll consider the lower half. Five through eight as of this moment (in order) look like this: 5. Anaheim, 6. Edmonton, 7. Dallas, 8. Minnesota. Columbus and Phoenix also have 53 points with Vancouver just behind with 52. To conclude this article is a brief write up on all seven teams remaining in the race and why they will or will not make the playoffs. But regardless of who gets in if you’re a fan of hockey then the next 2 and a half months are going to be incredible.

IN – Anaheim, Minnesota, Phoenix, Columbus

Out- Edmonton, Dallas, Vancouver

IN:

Anaheim – Despite a slow start, losing their general manager, and the aging almost before our eyes of every star on the team the one thing the Ducks did not lose was their hockey IQ. A team full of older guys who aren’t as talented as they once were and are not as physical as their Cup team from two years ago but they are all smarter than the next guy. So while teams are busy skating circles around the old guys dominating almost every moment of the game, come period three the “old guys” are still hanging around and next thing you know the Ducks are celebrating a win.

Minnesota – Defense, defense, defense, and more defense. Did I mention Minnesota plays great defense? When push comes to shove, that pesky neutral zone trap always prevails.

Phoenix – Gretzky has these guys playing like world beaters. And on the backs of Shane Doan the Coyotes can and will shock a lot of teams. Not only will they get in but if the match-up (I mean you Calgary) is right they’ll make some serious noise in April.

Columbus. Yes Rick Nash is awesome, and RJ Umberger provides a dynamic the Blue Jackets have lacked since their existence. But the key to their success is Steve Mason, his 1.98 GAA and .928 save percentage says it all. One and done? Yes, but this team will be good for many years to come.

OUT:

Edmonton – will somebody please score a goal? If you can’t score you can’t win, it’s not rocket science.

Dallas – Marty Turco has been doing it by himself for too long and now it’s finally wearing him down. When you have a GAA of 2.98 and a save percentage of .888 you’re getting NO help.

Vancouver –Luongo is fantastic but Mats Sundin is not the answer to your offensive problems and never will be. The Sedin twins just AREN’T THAT GOOD! Time to scrap this team and start over; what a waste of money.

Coyotes Improving; Fans Indifferent

Perhaps it is Wayne Gretzky working his magic or maybe they are finally molding into a decent team by the Phoenix Coyotes are in 6^th position in the Western Conference and in prime position to make a push toward the playoffs. Since finishing sixth in the 2001-2002 season the Phoenix Coyotes have had very little success and have frankly been down-right abysmal. But, at least for now, the Coyotes are a viable franchise that are unlikely to make any noise in the playoffs if they do qualify but some progress is better than no progress after all. For the most part the Coyotes’ roster consists of mediocre players at best with a goaltender in Ilya Bryzgalov who is putting up pretty good numbers with a sub-three GAA and a respectable .911 save percentage. In the midst of the mediocrity there is a shining light who has been more or less unnoticed in the death pit of a sports market that is the great Phoenix (more on that later) and that is right-winger Shane Doan. Doan leads the team with 38 points (18 G, 20 A) with the next closets teammate at 28 points. He also leads all forwards on the team with an average ice time of 20:38 and is 4^th behind only defensemen who traditionally have the highest average ice time. He is a work horse who can not only score goals but set up teammates regularly as he leads the team in both goals and assists. Overall there is not much going for this franchise (and hasn’t been since they moved from Winnipeg in the ‘90s) but for all the fans in that area who can get a chance to see Doan play they are witnessing something special—at least for this year.

Unfortunately for the city of Phoenix and the NHL the Coyotes are reportedly expected to lose 30 million dollars this year and are struggling to draw attention in a city that is not just a weak hockey market but a terrible sports market. The Arizona Cardinals are to host a home playoff game Saturday for the first time in Arizona and for the first time since the franchise was in Chicago in 1947. And yet despite that the Cardinals needed two extension by the NFL to sell-out the game so there would not be a local blackout in affect. The area does not even support America’s most popular sport when its team is in the playoffs let alone a sport that continues to struggle in some areas like hockey. The 30 million dollar loss may have something to do with the team’s futility over the years but not entirely. Sports fans in that region seem to be few and far between and if they are not going to support a team in Phoenix there are plenty of other cities who would. The Phoenix hockey experiment has basically failed and there is no reason to reward that city with a hockey team (or any other major sports team for that matter) anymore.

Roy, Clark Honored; Luongo Injured

Let me start by saying how great the respective ceremonies were honoring Patrick Roy and Wendel Clark. The Canadiens (Roy) and Maple Leafs (Clark) paid tribute quite appropriately to two guys’ who each left different marks on the game but both will have a positive impact on the world of hockey for many years to come. In other news it was a showcase day for the original six teams who were all on TV nationally in Canada on CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada and on the NHL Network in the U.S. with four of the six matching up against each other—Montreal vs. Boston and Chicago vs. Toronto. Both games were extremely entertaining as they each had one team come from behind late in the game to force overtime with the former being decided in a shootout. Although both home-standing teams lost I think it was fitting that two players were honored on a night that ended in a very exciting manner. The rest of the schedule was entertaining with six games being decided by one goal five needing overtime/a shootout to decide a winner. All-in-all it was a great day to be a hockey fan; the one low point however came in Vancouver’s 3-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the first period netminder Roberto Luongo left the game with what appeared to be a substantial injury. We may never know what exactly is wrong with him due to the league’s new ridiculous nondisclosure policy but nevertheless it does not look good for one of the league’s best and most exciting goaltenders.

Conference Realignment Good for NHL

As I watched the games on Saturday’s schedule I started thinking about the remarkable lack of balance between the two conferences as far as their respective travel schedules are concerned. On Saturday Nashville went to L.A. after playing Anaheim on Friday and Columbus to Minnesota while on Sunday Chicago goes to San Jose. These are only a few examples of a number of conference games these teams, as well as other in the west, play all the time that require them to travel many miles and across 2 or 3 time zones routinely not to mention the games against eastern conference teams. On the other hand, with the exception of a few games against western conference teams, no team in the east has to leave the eastern time-zone once to play anyone in conference. It is unfair to put the burden of traveling so far so often on the players and organizations in one group but not the other. Extra travel costs a lot of money and it wears the players down a bit. My solution is to keep the two conferences but do not split it into east and west but instead perhaps north and south so that teams in both conferences travel just as much as the other. It is not only fair but it causes fans to pay greater attention to teams out west (or east) who might not otherwise do so resulting in greater U.S. exposure for the league since roughly 1/3 of the U.S. population lives in the east.

NFC North Race Tightens Up After NFL Week 6

Week six in the NFL once again proved how the nature of the league changes from week to week. One good example of this is three of the four teams in the NFC North.

The one team that doesn’t “count” is the Detroit Lions. They are rather sad getting smashed their first four games by a total score of 159-76 and losing by an average of 16.6 points which is over three scores. They are immediately excluded from this conversation.

 

 

The Bears looked to be in good shape in reaching a 3-2 record and playing the Falcons this past Sunday. However, they lost and dropped to 3-3. The Vikings are the opposite at 3-3 and looked to be in good shape since they were 1-3 and have now won two in a row to match the Bears. The two face off this weekend in Chicago, and the winner of that game will be tied for the division lead or in first with a 4-3 record barring a tie.

Meanwhile, the Packers, after dropping three straight, got a road win in Seattle and reached 3-3. However, they face the Colts in Green Bay this weekend and could easily lose and drop to 3-4. If they win, they’ll maintain their current division lead 4-3 (Green Bay holds server over the Vikings and Bears as they are 2-0 in their division).

Week seven is huge in the NFC and will do just what week six did… change the look of another NFL division after just one week of games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Games on Sunday in NFL Week 6

The first game that holds some bearing is the 3-2 Bears at the 3-2 Falcons. Both teams have a chance to be 4-2 and both surprises in the league. Kyle Orton looks a little better and his defense is strong as ever, while the Falcons play inspired football with solid play from a rookie QB, Matt Ryan, and a first time fulltime starter at RB, Michael Turner. The defense has John Abraham, but not much else. Huge game for the NFC playoff race! I will have to go with the Bears experience on this one.

 

 

 

 

Baltimore plays host to Indianapolis. Both are 2-2 and need to get above .500. The Ravens’ defense may be tight, but the Colts’ defense has not been too bad without Bob Sanders, and Peyton Manning is something else compared to Joe Flacco. Colts win.

 

Carolina will be in Tampa Bay where both teams at 4-1 battle to lead the NFC South. The Bucs offense has been trifle even though they still have a solid defense. The Panthers combine solid defense with above average offense. I’ll take the Panthers.

 

Finally, Dallas, 4-1, will meet Arizona, 3-2, on the road. Although the Cowboys have a stronger defense, I am going with the Cardinals to pull off the upset. The Cowboys may boast a powerful offense, but the Cardinal offense can be just as potent. I just have a feeling that Kurt Warner and his team are confident and excited to play the Cowboys who will be caught sleeping.

 

These are the best games between teams based on records of wins and losses.

Marbury Does What He must, BIG DEAL!

I am sick and tired of hearing about how steph has changed. Last year he walked out on the New York Knicks right before a road series match up. Seriously, the guy is crazy. I hope everyone realizes that since the knicks did not trade or release Starbury from his contract, he must play nice or else he will risk his future NBA career, due to the fact this is the final year of his contract. Marbury is without a doubt the most

talented guard on the New York Knicks. I mean seriously, who else is there. Jamal Crawford? AKA Captain Clutch AKA 34 % from the Field. Nope, who else? I’ve been hearing a lot of hype on 37 year old Allan Houston. I am sure he won’t make any difference on the court for the New York Knicks considering he is trying to comeback at the age of 37, on two micro-fracture surgery repaired knees. I am sorry but the odds of him being effective are just not that high. Either way he does help this team. He may help fix the losing attitude they have had in the locker room over the past couple of years. He also becomes a much needed veteran leader. I do like them signing Houston but I do not think he will be a impact on the floor this year.

I confess I am a loyal Knicks fan, but honestly what is up with them signing all the backups on the Chicago Bulls? I mean seriously the Knicks are starting to look like the Bulls B side team or something. They need to shop around a little bit more when before just making moves for back up players and seriously mugged by the bulls in trades.

I love my Knicks but this season they really need to show me something…