NHL Playoff Predictions

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A day late, but what can ya do.  The NHL Playoffs kicked off last night.  The NHL playoffs are unlike any other playoffs in professional sports.  Any team can win.  Last year, the Montreal Canadiens, an eight seed, pushed their way to the Eastern Conference Championship, on the back on their red-hot goalie, Jiroslav Halak.  Who will be this years Canadiens?

First Round Matchup Predictions


#1 Vancouver Canucks vs #8 Chicago Blackhawks

The Vancouver Canucks won this years Presidents' Trophy, the league's best team.  They did it with the outstanding play of the Sedin twins, who have chemistry like no other.  Also, they've relied on Olympic Gold Medalist, Roberto Luongo, who seems to play every single game between the pipes.  They square off against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks.  This looks like a good series on paper, but the Canucks are just an overall better team.  Chicago needed a win in their last game of the season to secure a playoff spot and lost it.  They got in by Dallas also failing to win, giving the Hawks the number eight seed. The Sedin twins and potent power play should dominate this series.

Canucks in 5.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs #7 Los Angeles Kings

Hockey is relavent in California.  This is a big series for both teams.  The Kings look to make a deep run after a solid season, while San Jose tries to get over the hump.  The Sharks are notoriously known for choking in the playoffs.  I do not see this happening this year.  It is the year of the Shark.  Former Bruin great, Joe Thornton, will lead his team past the Kings with relative ease.

Sharks in 5.

#3 Detroit Red Wings vs #6 Phoenix Coyotes

I like the Coyotes.  I think they have some talented young players to go along with a bunch of solid veterans.  One problem, they are facing the Red Wings.  Come playoff time, Detroit knows how to get it done.  They are fast and fundamentally sound.  The Coyotes had a good season, but their playoff run will be short-lived.

Red Wings in 6.

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators

I think Nashville is the better team here.  The Ducks have one of the best American-born players in Corey Perry, but I really like the Predators here.  I think this will be a good series.  Never the less, Predators will prevail.

Predators in 7.

#1 Washington Capitals vs #8 New York Rangers

The Caps went on a run towards the end of the season to capture the number one spot in the East.  The Rangers are a scrappy bunch with some talent, but I just don't see them winning this one at all.  The Caps tightened up defensively, and have that explosive play from Ovenchkin, Backstrom, and Semin.  Caps take this one with ease.

Capitals in 4.

#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabres

On the heels of their Stanley Cup run, the Flyers had a fantastic season.  They held the number one spot in the East for most of the year, giving way to the Caps down the stretch.  Ryan Miller can steal a game or two for the Sabres, but Philly is too strong up and down their roster.  Flyers advance.

Flyers in 6.

#3 Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens

Here it is folks.  The best rivalry in hockey.  These too teams meet again, and it will be a good series.  The Boston Bruins have added pieces to their already deep team that they expect to get them over the hump.  The Canadiens rode Halak to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but now they hope to get a similar performance from goalie Carey Price.  Boston is the bigger, more physical team, and I think that wins them the series.

Bruins in 6.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightening

The Penguins have been absolutely decimated with injuries this season, losing their top two players in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  They have still found a way to win.  I think they continue to win with guts and determination.  The hope to have Crosby back maybe by the next round.  The Lightening do have a good team in Tampa, but I like the Penguins here.

Penguins in 7.

Stanley Cup Prediction


San Jose Sharks vs Boston Bruins

The Sharks will finally get over the hump and reach the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Boston Bruins, with their depth and goaltending will push their way through a tough Eastern Conference.  This will make for a great series.  Neither team will go down easy.  I'll take the hometown B's to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time since 1972.

Bruins in 7.

Lock of the Day

Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 (-125) @ Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+105)

Both teams are struggling, both teams have their ace on the hill.  Jon Lester has notoriously been bad in April, but he came out his last outing and pitched like the ace the Sox dubbed him.  With the BoSox getting hammered last night, I expect them to come out tonight with a chip on their shoulder and win this game.  Red Sox 6-2.


Lock of the Day - Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+105)
 

Latest Betting Scandal

Photo Credit Google Images topnews.in

An assistant coach and two players are the University of San Diego have been charged with running a sports betting business to affect the outcome of games.  In layman terms; they shaved points. 

One of the players was Brandon Johnson, who is the school's all-time leader in points and assists.  

Hey, I don't mind this.  It's a small school, which nobody cares about.  Why not shave points and make some money?  It's not like they were going to win the Big Dance, or even come close to getting it at that.  They best player on the team is the perfect candidate.  He is going to have his hands on the ball most of the game.  Fuck it, why not miss an open jumper at the end of the game to win by 7 instead of 9.  Let the other team hang around and cash in on that shit.  

There is no doubt in my mind that this goes on in other schools, especially small schools like San Diego.  Good thing I never even thought about looking at a San Diego game or I'd be pissed if I dropped a dime and lost it because this mother fucker was shaving.

Some people are saying that because of this, they should ban gambling.  That is a load of horse shit and will never happen.  From Vegas, to local bookies, to online gambling websites, people are making a shit ton of cash.  Banning gambling will only cause problems for the government because people will still bet.  Legal, illegal, people don't give a shit.  They wanna drop a few hundred bucks on a meaningless NBA game that's on TNT at 10 o'clock when they don't have shit to do.  Do yourselves a favor and don't try to make it illegal, you'll only give yourself a headache.   

The only problem I have with this is that it didn't somehow leak to me while it was going in.  Fuck, could have cashed in on that shit.

You can read the whole story here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6330566

Sox Look to Bounce Back in Cleveland

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The Boston Red Sox head to Cleveland tonight to start their second series of the 2011 season.  Josh Beckett will take the mound for the BoSox.  Beckett looks to bounce back from a "shaky" 2010 campaign, to say the least.  Beckett threw the ball well in his final Spring Training outing, and looks to give the Sox their first win of the year.

Once again, Carl Crawford will be changing spots in the line-up.  Crawford is moving to the two hole, with Pedoia occupying the three spot.  This is how the rest of tonight's line-up rounds out:

1. Ellsbury CF

2. Crawford LF

3. Pedroia 2B

4. Gonzalez 1B

5. Youkilis 3B

6. Ortiz DH

7. Drew RF

8. Saltalamacchia C

9. Scutaro SS

Huskies: National Champs

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The Connecticut Huskies won their third National Championship since 1999.  Coach Jim Calhoun now moves into elite coaching status with this being his third time cutting down the nets.

The Huskies won their 11th straight game in 27 days to defy all odds and capture the title.  

This was literally a dogfight.  UConn won the game with only 53 points, the fewest for a National Champion since 1999.  Butler shot only 18.8 % from the field, the lowest field goal percentage ever in a championship game.  This was not a pretty game to watch, not one bit. 

Butler, in the loss, went 12-64 from the field (18.8 %), 9-33 from three point range (27.3%), and 8-14 from the free throw line (57.1 %).  Just dismal numbers.  UConn, in the win, went 19-55 from the field (34.5 %), 1-11 from three point range (9.1 %), and 14-16 from the line (87.5 %).

All stats aside, UConn was the better team tonight.  The dominated the paint, out-rebounding Butler 51-38.  The points in the paint were tremendously dominated by UConn.  They showed a stat with only minutes left in the game, UConn had somewhere in the 30's as Butler had 0, yes zero, points in the paint.  That was the difference in the game.

Kemba Walker had 16 points and 9 boards in the victory.  Sophmore big man Alex Oriahki was huge in this game, logging 11 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks for the Huskies.  Freshman Jeremy Lamb came on in a big way, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half.

Butler's star guard, Shelvin Mack, went 4-15 from the field, scoring only 13 points.  The other Bulldog star, Matt Howard, shot a dismal 1-13 for 7 points.

Congratulations to Kemba Walker and the rest of the Huskies.  Yes it was an ugly one, but I'm not sure you can ever call a National Championship win ugly.

Lock of the Day

Boston Bruins/New York Rangers O/U 5

The Bruins have clinched the Northeast Division and will most likely end up in the three seed.  The Rangers are battling for playoff position.  The B's haven't packed it in and are still playing hard.  I think this will be a really good game, with some scoring.  That being said, give me the over.

Lock of the Day - Bruins/Rangers OVER 5

National Championship Preview

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Connecticut is a three point favorite over the Bulldogs tonight.  It should be a grind-it-out type game, and both teams have that one star player they look to for big shots, Kemba Walker and Shelvin Mack.

Butler is a tough team with a lot of grit.  They are a great defensive team.  That is their go to.  They will play good defense and they will get points from junior guard Shelvin Mack.  The key to Butler winning this game will be their ability to stop, or at least slow down, UConn star Kemba Walker.  Every team in the tournament has been trying to stop Kemba, but nobody can do it.  Also, they need to get production from big man Matt Howard.  Howard has opened up his game this year, and he needs to knock down some three's.  They will need timely shooting off the bench, specifically from senior guard Zach Hahn, who has provided some long range shooting in their tournament run.

UConn also plays tough defense, and rely on their superstar guard, Kemba.  Kemba has put this team on his back and carried them like nothing I've ever seen before.  For most of the season, UConn was a one-man show, but down the stretch other players have emerged.  Freshman Jeremy Lamb has taken on the role of Robin to Kemba's Batman.  He has been playing just great basketball the past month.  Also, freshman Shabazz Napier has been consistently knocking down shots for the huskies.  Inside, Lowell native Alex Oriahki, provides both toughness and rebounding.  His size, length, and athleticism is something that cannot be matched by the Bulldogs.  If he plays well and stays out of foul trouble, his defensive presence and rebounding ability will be a key to UConn capturing the title.

This game should be a close one.  Butler doesn't get blown out, they are in every game.  They know how to win.  But I think UConn can match their defensive intensity, and they have the best player in the tournament.  This game should be in the 60's, and come down to the last few possessions.  Butler will end this year as they did the last.  It is UConn's time.  They are simply on fire.   Kemba is determined to end his career a champion, and that's exactly what he will do.