This is the Stanley Cup Final

This is the Stanley Cup Final. The place where every stick-wielding boy from Canada dreams of going. The place where every hockey mom across North America dreams of eventually driving their hockey-smelling minivan full of hockey-playing kids to. The place where Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke and Bobby Hull made dreams come true.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. Regular season statistics are irrelevant. You may have been through two or three (or seven) goalies to get to this point. It doesn't matter what number pick you had in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, what you did with it or who you drafted. It doesn't matter if you cruised into the playoffs or had to win the final game of your season in a shootout to get in.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. A place where will can triumph over skill. A place where desire can transcend size. A place where wanting it more can best needing it more. A place where the unknown and unheralded can beat the greatest of the great.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. Kate Smith lives here, the cheering lives here.There are no underdogs, there are no favorites. There are only two teams--the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. We've heard the analysis, we've listened to the predictions. But when it all comes down to it, the only thing that matters in the end is who's hoisting that illustrious trophy, that be-all, end-all trophy. I want it to be the Flyers. I get goosebumps simply imagining it being the Flyers. But it's up to those wearing the Orange and Black to give the chills of exuberance or the chills of despair to the countless fans who, for whatever reason, love this team much more than they should. This is the Stanley Cup Final.

Conference Finals Predictions

It has been one hell of a postseason so far. I went 2/4 in the second round but could have just as easily gone 4/4 (or 0/4 for that matter). We have a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed in the west and a No. 7 and a No. 8 in the east. If what has happened so far is any indication, these two series should be anything but boring.


#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #2 Chicago Blackhawks
Season Series: 3-1 Chicago

The Sharks disposed of last year's Western Conference champions, the Detroit Red Wings, in five fairly easy games. They were getting scoring from both Joes (Pavelski and Thorton) and Evgeni Nabokov has been solid in net. They've had a long layoff between games and it remains to be seen if it will hurt them early in the series like it hurt the Flyers last round. The Sharks are running on all cylinders right now and look like a team different from the ones who have failed to live up to expectations in previous years.

The Hawks stumbled early in their second round match-up against Vancouver, but rebounded nicely and ended the Canucks season in six games. Chicago was one of the top teams in the west all year because of their balanced scoring--they had six players with at least 20 goals. And throughout the series against Vancouver, they had nine different forwards score their 23 goals. Antti Niemi and the defense in front of him had--with the exception of game 1--a very good series. The Sharks have never been to a Stanley Cup Final and the last time the Blackhawks were there was in 1992 where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games. Chicago hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1961 and are looking to end the longest Stanley Cup drought of all the Original Six teams, can they do it?
Prediction: San Jose wins the series in 7

#7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Season Series: Tied 2-2

There's really not much more that can be said about the Flyers that hasn't been said already. They did something that only three other teams have ever done in professional sports history (twice in the NHL)--They came back from a three games to none series deficit. But not only did they do the impossible in that comeback, they came back from three goals down in a game seven to win (only two other teams have ever done that). What Philadelphia did was truly remarkable. The Flyers didn't lose a game to the Bruins after Simon Gagne returned to the lineup and they were getting huge contributions from their big boys. Danny Briere had 10 points (5G, 5A) against Boston and the Mike Richards line, although they were constantly playing against the Bruins' top D-men, was playing very well. Michael Leighton has come in to replace Brian Boucher and aside from a shaky first 15 minutes of game 7, has been solid.

This is the first ever match-up between a seventh and eighth seed in the conference finals. And the biggest reason the Montreal Canadiens are going to be at the Wachovia Center Sunday night is because of their goaltender Jaroslav Halak. He has been nothing but spectacular so far in the postseason. He has made the routine saves look like nothing and the great saves look routine. Mike Cammalleri has been the offensive MVP for the Habs with 12 goals and 18 points.

Hall Gill and Chris Pronger are both showing why they have Stanley Cup rings and have both been great veteran presences for their respective teams. Sadly, one of these two Cinderella stories will come to an end. Whose will it be?
Prediction: Philadelphia wins the series in 6

Game Seven, It's Here

The day has come.

The Flyers went down 3-0 to begin the series and are already the first team since the 1975 Islanders to force a game seven after being down 3-0. But that isn't enough; they're trying to be the first team since those same '75 Isles to win a series after being down three games to none.

The Bruins haven't scored a goal with Tuukka Rask in net since the 3:49 mark of the third period of game 4. That's 150 minutes and 51 seconds of game play that Boston hasn't scored without having the goalie pulled and the extra attacker.

The Flyers, on the other hand, haven't lost since Simon Gagne returned to the lineup. They're getting scoring from unlikely sources (Ville Lieno) and perennial playoff scoring machines (Danny Briere). Michael Leighton has played superbly in net having a 0.63 GAA with the only goal he allowed coming in the final minutes of game six.

The last time the Flyers won a game seven was in 2008 against the Washington Capitals (in Washington). The last time the Bruins played in a game seven was a year ago to the day, where they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference semi-finals.

I'm going to the Wachovia Center tonight to watch game seven on the big screen with about 20,000 other Flyers fans. As the NHL has asked throughout the playoffs--Will history be made? That remains to be seen. But what we do know is that the big house will be rocking and the Flyers have the ability to lift the spirits or break the hearts of thousands of Flyers fans tonight.

Mick Billmeyer - The Sign Thief

Most of my focus has been on the Flyers lately. As a matter of fact, all of my focus has been on the Flyers. I may be watching every Phillies game, but I'm thinking about the Flyers. Game seven of the Eastern Conference semi-finals is Friday and I'll be at the Wachovia Center watching it with about 20,000 other Flyers fans. But the Phillies are still playing and are being accused of doing it illegally.

The Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer, during the first game of their series against the Rockies, was seen with a pair of binoculars focusing on home plate. The Colorado Rockies filed a complaint with Major League Baseball accusing the Phils of stealing their catcher's signs and relaying them to the batter. Later on in the game, Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino was seen talking on the bullpen phone in the Phillies dugout (the MLB has reprimanded the Phillies for their apparent sign stealing).

Let's take a quick look at what sign stealing actually is. It has been done in baseball for decades. Usually there is a man on second who figures out the opposing catcher's pitch signs and quickly and discretely relays them to the hitter. But how is Shane Victorino supposed to get Mick Billmeyer's relayed signals all the way from center field?

All of this relaying has to be done very quickly. It's literally impossible for Billmeyer to have his binoculars on, see the catcher's sign, relay some sort of sign to the hitter, and have the hitter recognize it from 400+ feet away in center field. All of this needs to happen  in the matter of seconds between when the pitcher sees the catcher's pitch sign and when he throws the ball to home plate.

Why would the Rockies accuse the Phils of sign stealing if they didn't actually do it? Coach Charlie Manuel said, “Because we beat ‘em. That’s why.’

Winning the Fifth

It happened in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. It happened in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. The Maple Leafs did it to the Red Wings and the Islanders did it to the Penguins. It hasn't been done in the NHL in 35 years, but it has been done before.

Only two teams have ever come back to win a series after being in a three games to none series hole in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers are trying to be the third.

They won game four on a goal by Simon Gagne in overtime in a game that should have never made it to OT. But they won and extended the series at least one game, and that's all that matters at this point. But winning game four at home in front of your home crowd is much different than winning game five on the road in front of the opposing team's raucous fans.

Winning game five will be the toughest task of this series so far for the Flyers. Nothing is over until it's over, but if the Flyers get into a 2-0 hole early on in the game they might as well leave the ice and start prepping their golf clubs. The Flyers have to come out with a vengeance tonight and show the Bruins that they're not going to go quietly. They have to win ALL of the board battles and force Boston to make mistakes.

The Bruins are going to be fueled by their home crowd early on in the game, and if the Flyers want to win, they're going to have to not only match Boston's energy, but surpass it.

It has been said as long as the playoffs have existed, but anything can happen in the playoffs. If Philadelphia can find a way to win game five and bring this series back home for a game six, who knows? And if it gets so far, game sevens are an entirely different monster.

My prediction for game five? It will be like games one, two and three--it will be back and fourth the whole game and no team will have a lead of 2+ goals for very long. The team who takes advantage of powerplay opportunities and wins the important faceoffs will have a definite advantage.

My Prediction: I hope it's wrong but, the Bruins win 5-4 to clinch the series.

Bean Town Blues

As I try to muddle the sounds of my tearful sobs from waking the dog after a second consecutive postseason defeat, I begin to ponder why it is that the Flyers are in a two games to none series hole.

Is it because they're being outworked by the Bruins? It can't be, right? I mean that's exactly how the Flyers beat New Jersey in the first round. They out worked, out hit, and eventually out won the Devils. They beat NJ to every loose puck by out-hustling them. Philadelphia was willing to take the hit to make the play; something the Devils didn't seem to be willing to do.

Well then how is it that Boston is up 2-0 with what seems like inferior offensive and defensive talent? Brian Boucher has played solidly in the first two games (except for the Bruins' second goal in game two--a definite softie) and Tuukka Rask surely hasn't been Jaroslav Halak in net.

Take a look at both of Boston's game-winning goals in this series...both can be considered quite lucky. Marc Savard's goal in game one was a puck bouncing on edge that somehow hit his blade at the right angle and shot up past Boucher on the short side. Milan Lucic's game-winner in game two was a puck that bounced high up in the air and Lucic happened to turn around and golf the puck past Boucher on the left post.

These may have been lucky outcomes, but what got the Bruins in the situation to score these lucky goals was anything but. In overtime of the first game, Boston was on a delayed penalty because the Flyers were forced to take a penalty due to the fact that Philadelphia couldn't get the puck out of their own zone. And the same thing happened in game two--the Flyers failed to clear the puck out of the defensive zone and the puck ended up on Lucic's stick and eventually in the back of the net.

If the Flyers want to have any chance of coming back in this series, they are going to need to win more one-on-one, one-on-two battles along the sideboards and work towards getting more pucks deep in the Bruins zone. They're going to need to stay out of the penalty box and show Boston that they're not going to ever give up on a play. And if they don't do this and they continue to let the Bruins control the pace of play, the Flyers are going to be doing more tee shots than slap shots.

NHL 2nd Round Playoff Predictions

Well it was certainly a tough first round to choose the winners; I went five for eight in my picks. Getting three wrong when one of them was an eighth seed upset isn't too shabby (I had the same percentage of correct picks as all of the ESPN NHL experts including Barry "cool is the word" Melrose). The second round is where things get tough. The teams are closer in talent and drive and everybody wants it that much more, but I'll give it my best shot.

Western Conference

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Season Series: 3-1 Red Wings

San Jose Preview
Well as the #1 seed, the Sharks made it past the first round. And considering San Jose's past history and seeing what happened to the Capitals, getting to the second round is definitely something to be proud of. The Avalanche played the Sharks tough and gave them a good battle last week and that certainly bodes well for the Sharks because the Red Wings are going to be an even tougher opponent. Joe Pavelski led San Jose in goals last round with five and Evgeni Nabokov looked sharp against Colorado with a 1.76 GAA. Joe Thorton has yet to heat up yet either--he didn't score a goal in the first round and is a -4. The Sharks are looking to get back to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, can they do it? 

Detroit Preview
 Detroit has been here before--they've been to the Stanley Cup Finals the past two seasons and upended the Sharks in the second round back in 2007. Jimmy Howard was superb in game seven against Phoenix stopping 32 of 33 shots but was only average in the series as a whole (2.59 GAA and a .919 SV%). Henrik Zetterberg is tied for second in the playoffs in both points (11) and goals (7). The Wings showed why they've been to the Cup two years in a row--they have that extra gear that few playoff teams have. But can they rev it up again after a grueling series against the Coyotes?
 Prediction: Detroit wins the series in 7

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks
Season Series: Tied 2-2

Chicago Preview
The Blackhawks are Barry Melrose's so-called "team of destiny." They won game five against the Predators in stunning fashion by pulling the goalie while on a five minute penalty kill and scoring with 0:14 left on the clock to tie the game. They killed off Marian Hossa's major penalty in overtime and he is the one who netted the game winner 4:07 into the first OT--his first of this postseason. Antti Niemi was solid in his first playoff series with a 2.15 GAA. Jonathan Toews showed why he's the captain of the Hawks by leading the team in scoring with eight points. Is Chicago a "team of destiny," who knows? Does Barry Melrose have the greatest mullet and goatee of all time? That we do know.

Vancouver Preview
Well the Sedin twins are at it again. Daniel has 10 points and four goals while Henrik has eight points and seven helpers. And they're not even the team's top scorers; Mikael Samuelsson is leading the team in scoring with 11 points. The shakiest player on the Canucks may have been in goal in the form of 2010 Olympic gold-medalist Roberto Luongo. He was pulled in game three in favor of Andrew Raycroft. He did settle down later in the series and came up with some huge saves in game six to clinch the win for Vancouver.
I want to pick the Canucks here, I really do. But I just don't know if I have the guts to do it...
Prediction: Chicago wins the series in 7

Eastern Conference

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
 Season Series: 3-1 Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Preview
The Penguins got past the first round after a tough battle with the Ottawa Senators . Some say the Sens lost the series more than the Pens won it, but Pittsburgh is in the semifinals and Ottawa isn't and that's really all that matters. Sidney Crosby showed why he is one of the best forwards in the game by leading the league in playoff scoring with 14 points. Perennial playoff scoring machine Max Talbot did little in the first round as did goaltender Marc-André Fleury. He had a 2.75 GAA and a .890 SV%. He let in a few softies in both Pittsburgh losses in the series and if the Penguins want to advance to the Conference Finals for the third straight year, Fleury needs to be better.

Montreal Preview
Who beat the Washington Capitals? No, it wasn't the Montreal Canadiens; it was Jaroslav Halak. He made 131 saves on 134 shots in the series' final three games. He was without a doubt the team's MVP. Mike Cammalleri led the Habs in points with five goals and five assists but was a -4. If Montreal wants to have any chance of beating the Penguins they're going to need Halak to have a repeat performance. What also bodes well for the Canadiens is the fact that Washington and Pittsburgh are built very similarly. Neither team has a huge defense and most of their scoring lies within the top two lines. Once again, I want to pick Montreal to upset the Pens, but I don't think I can do it.
Prediction: Pittsburgh win the series in 7


#6 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers
Season Series: Tied 2-2

Boston Preview
Another big upset in the East turned out to be the Boston Bruins over the Buffalo Sabres. Not many people gave the Bruins a chance over Ryan Miller and the Sabres, but they got it done. Like Philadelphia, Boston is missing some key players--Defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Stuart. The Bruins have good scoring depth; no one on the team has more than five points and veteran Mark Recchi shared the team lead in goals with three. Tuukka Rask was up to the challenge against Buffalo and had a better GAA (2.18) and SV% (.927) than U.S. Olympic hero Ryan Miller. Boston will be getting injured forward Marc Savard back in the lineup for this series as well. Can the Bruins have a repeat performance of the Winter Classic here in the spring?

Philadelphia Preview
Much like the Canadiens, the Flyers series MVP was their goaltender Brian Boucher. He leads this year's playoff goalies with a .940 SV% and a 1.59 GAA. He made key stops when the team needed them and kept the large rebounds to a minimum. He also played very well against the Bruins the two times he played them in the regular season (1.35 GAA and a .949 SV%).The Flyers are without forwards Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and penalty-killer extraordinaire Ian Laperriere. Captain Mike Richards was the teams playoff scoring leader (8 pts), but sophomore forward Claude Giroux was arguably the best skater for the Flyers. This looks like a rematch of the Bruins/Flyers games from the early 70s. The Flyers haven't played a playoff game in Boston since 1978 and they're 0-5 in playoff games in Boston since 1976. The Bruins are, like in the first round with the Devils, the best opponent Philadelphia could have hoped for. Can they come up with another playoff upset?
Prediction: Philadelphia wins the series in 6 

Eastern Conference First Round Predictions

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Season Series: Tied 2-2

Washington has been playing fairly well as of late, winning six out of their last ten and three of the losses during that span have come in overtime or a shootout. The same can't be said for Montreal though, they're 3-4-3 in their last ten and have lost three straight. It looks as though Jaroslav Halak will be in goal for the Canadiens while Jose Theodore will man the pipes for Washington. Both teams have able netminders waiting in the wings (Semyon Varlamov-WAS and Carey Price-MON) in case any trouble arises.

Well this is what Washington has been waiting for all season; a chance to prove that they're not just a regular season fluke like San Jose has been the past few seasons. The Caps have arguably the best offense in the league, headed by captain Alexander Ovechkin. They lead the league in goals-per-game (3.82) and have the highest ranked power play in the NHL at 25.2 percent (nearly four percentage points higher than their closest opponent, Montreal). They're led by Ovechkin's 50 goals but not too far behind is Alexander Semin with 40, Nicklas Backstrom with 33, and veteran/garbage goal extraordinaire Mike Knuble with 29. Montreal may have the second best power play in the league, but they fail at 5-on-5 play. They scored a measly 130 goals while at full strength, good enough for last in the league. Brian Gionta led the team in goals with 28 but Tomas Plekanec led in points with 70. Neither team is great defensively. The Habs have two solid d-men in Andrei Markov and Marc-Andre Bergeron, but fall off after that. The Capitals have one of the best offensive defensemen in the league in Mike Green and their defensive core has some of the best blue liners in the NHL as far as plus/minus goes, but that's mostly a result of them scoring in bunches while at full strength. The Caps won in the regular season because they can outscore their opponents by large margins, but can their defense and goaltending hold up in the playoffs? In the first round, yes.
Prediction: Washington wins the series in 4

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers
Season Series: 5-1 Philadelphia

Neither of these two teams lit it up at the end of the season as far as wins go. The Devils went 5-2-3 down the stretch but are on a two game win streak heading into the playoffs. The Flyers struggled to close out the season, going 4-5-1 in their last ten but won in dramatic fashion on Sunday in a shootout against the Rangers to clinch a playoff berth. New Jersey will have the postseason machine in net, Marty Brodeur (1.98 career GAA in the playoffs). Philadelphia will have the once playoff phenom Brian Boucher in goal as the team's final stopper.

You basically know what you're going to get when you play Jacques Lemaire and the Devils. Marty Brodeur is going to be a brick wall in net (although he hadn't been during the regular season against the Flyers) and they're going to play a defensive style that is incredibly boring to watch and drives opposing teams crazy (see: the neutral zone trap). As they have throughout most of their history, New Jersey has a solid defense. They have a bunch of guys most people have never heard of with Colin White, Andy Greene and Mike Mottau, but they're doing their job and doing it well. The one difference on this year's Devils team is the fact that they have a bonafide sniper in the form of Ilya Kovalchuk. It took Kovy a little while to become accustomed to the Devils style of play, but having him, Travis Zajac and the always dangerous Zach Parise on the same power play is very scary. The Flyers have been extremely inconsistent this season. Picked in the preseason by The Hockey News to win the Stanley Cup, Philly had to get a win in the last game of the season just to qualify for the playoffs. They were forced to dress seven different goalies this year because of injury, but otherwise, the Flyers are relatively healthy now. Philadelphia's leading scorer was the captain Mike Richards with 62 points and "just-off-of-injury" Jeff Carter wasn't far behind with 61, but it tails off after them. The Flyers no longer have the six guys with 25+ goals like they had last season. Scott Hartnell was in the penalty box more than he was on the ice this year and the losses of Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul hurt the team more than they thought it would. Philadelphia's two veteran defensemen, Kimmo Timonen and 2007 Stanley Cup winner Chris Pronger, along with the reemergence of Matt Carle, do give the Flyers quite a menacing blue line though. Philadelphia handled the Devils easily in the regular season, but will their physical style (and goaltending) do the same in the playoffs?
Prediction: Philadelphia wins the series in 6

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. #6 Boston Bruins
Season Series: 4-2 Boston

Boston played pretty well down the stretch, winning four out of their last five and beating Buffalo one of those times. Buffalo stumbled during the regular season's final month, going 2-4-0 and failing at the chance of grabbing the No. 2 overall seed. Buffalo is going to have the 2010 Olympic MVP Ryan Miller in net while Boston is starting rookie netminder Tuukka Rask in goal.

Well if the Bruins plan on winning this series, they're certainly not going to do it by outscoring the Sabres. Forget the fact that Buffalo has Ryan Miller in net, Boston was dead last in the NHL in goals scored and since Marc Savard went down with a head injury, goals have been even harder to come by. They do have Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci along with veteran Mark Recchi, but that hasn't been enough to improve the B's scoring troubles. It's tough to name any other Boston d-man after Zdeno Chara with all of the injuries they have had. Dennis Seidenberg, Mark Stuart and Andrew Ference are all out and it has left the Bruins scrambling to find some answers. Rookie Tyler Myers has been a great surprise for the Sabres defense this season. He had 48 points and he along with veterans like former Anaheim Duck Steve Montador, make Buffalo's D a formidable opponent. Like their blue line, the Sabres offense isn't spectacular, but it does pack some serious punch. They have Thomas Vanek who led the team in goals with 28 and Derek Roy who led the team in points with 69. They also have Jason Pominville and Tim Connolly who had 62 and 65 points respectively. The Sabres are a very well-rounded team with a superstar goalie, but can they prove that what Boston did to them in the regular season was a stroke of bad luck?
Prediction: Buffalo wins the series in 6

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Ottawa Senators
Season Series: Tied 2-2

The Senators ended the season on a fairly high note, going 7-2-1 but lost their last two games of the season to Tampa Bay in a shootout and Buffalo in regulation. The Penguins were about average at the end, going 5-4-1 in their last ten. Ottawa's goalie will be Brian Elliott, starting in the playoffs for the first time in his career, and Pittsburgh will have the seemingly unflappable Marc-André Fleury in net.

The Penguins are trying to go back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third straight year in 2010 and the Senators are the first stop along the way. Sidney Crosby tied Tampa Bay's Steve Stamkos for most goals in the league this season with 51 and is a viable candidate for league MVP once again. He's supported by last year's Art Ross Trophy winner, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan "the other" Staal and newcomer Alexi Ponikarovsky. The Pens also have quiet contributors in two-time Stanley Cup Champion Ruslan Fedotenko and Max Talbot. Pittsburgh's biggest flaw has to be on defense. After Sergei Gonchar, the Penguin defense really struggles. They picked up Jordan Leopold at the trade deadline, but it has done little to improve their 2.87 goals against per game, which was good enough for 20th in the league. The Senators offense is a lot like the Sabres; they're certainly not the Capitals, but they're not the Oilers either. They have veterans Alexei Kovalev and team captain Daniel Alfredsson to put the puck in the net along with Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher. The Sens have arguably the most intimidating defense in the league as well. They have Chris Neil (245 hits), Andy Sutton (197 hits) and Anton Volchenkov (153 hits and 172 blocked shots). The Senators are looking to play a very physical game against the Penguins, but will it be enough to overcome Pittsburgh's heavy supply of offensive talent?
Prediction: Pittsburgh wins the series in 5

Western Conference First Round Predictions

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Colorado Avalanche
Season Series: 3-1 San Jose

Colorado is 3-5-2 in their last ten games and San Jose is 8-1-1 and winners of three straight. The Sharks have the always solid Evgeni Nabokov in net while the Avs have career journeyman Craig Anderson.

The Avalanche are an up-and-coming team with a ton of young, skilled players such as Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene. Plus, they also have the veteran presence a team needs in the playoffs in Milan Hejduk. The Sharks on the other hand, seem to have a never-ending supply of talent. They have the perennial top tier guys in Joe Thorton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. But they also have 20+ goal scorers in Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. The Sharks have been a playoff disappointment for the past couple of years and they think this year will be different.Will it?
Prediction: San Jose wins the series in 4

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Nashville Predators
Season Series: 4-2 Chicago

Both teams are 6-3-1 in their last ten games. The Blackhawks have won six out of their last seven, their only loss coming in their most recent game against Red Wings in overtime. Nashville will have Pekka Rinne to man the pipes while Chicago will be sending out the relatively young Antti Niemi over the veteran Cristobal Huet.

The Hawks were many scout's and analyst's pick to win the Cup this year. They have the offensive talent to compete with any club in the league. Led by third year forward Patrick Kane, Chicago has captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa all with 24+ goals. Nashville has five forwards with more than 15 goals, but only two exceeding 20 with sophomore Patrick Hornqvist leading the team with 30. Assistant captain Shea Weber (yes, the same Shea Weber who shot the puck through the net in the Olympics) and Ryan Suter are the team's top d-men and are looking to take the Preds past the quarterfinal round for the first time in franchise history. Defense is Nashville's unquestioned strength, but will it be enough to power the Predators past the high-flying Chicago offense? 
Prediction: Chicago wins the series in 5

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 Los Angeles Kings
Season Series: 3-1 Vancouver

Neither team has been playing particularly well lately. The Canucks are 5-4-1 in their last ten and Los Angeles is 4-3-3 over the same span. Neither team's goaltender has been lighting it up either. Roberto Luongo has struggled since the Olympic break and after starting off great at the beginning of the season, Jonathan Quick hasn't won since March 22nd.

Vancouver has the league's Art Ross Trophy winner for most points in the season in the form of Henrik Sedin. He's a crazy-good assist man, notching 83 helpers this season. The Canucks have six forwards with 25+ goals and two who have over 30, with Alexandre Burrows leading the pack with 35. Vancouver has a solid defensive core led by silent killers Christian Ehrhoff and Alexander Edler. The Kings may have them topped though. They have Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty, the team's second leading scorer with 59 points, and they have one of last year's Stanley Cup winners, Rob Scuderi, to round out the D. The King's offense ain't too shabby either. Anze Kopitar and youngster Dustin Brown led the team in goals netting 34 and 24 respectively. They have a talented veteran presence as well with Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus and another Stanley Cup winner in Justin Williams rounding out the troops. But can that experience and skill be enough for LA to complete the upset? 
Prediction: Los Angeles wins the series in 6

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Season Series: Tied 2-2

Phoenix is 5-3-2 over their last ten games and Detroit is 8-1-1 and winners of three straight. The Red Wings will start rookie netminder Jimmy Howard who won 37 games this year. And the Coyotes will have MVP-candidate Ilya Bryzgalov with his 42 wins, 2.20 GAA and .920 save percentage in goal.

Phoenix was quite possibly the league's biggest surprise. Few expected the Yotes to be where they are, especially amidst all of the rumors of the team relocating to Winnipeg. They don't have the league's most potent offense; their leading scorer Radim Vrbata has only 24 goals. And Phoenix lost one of their best wingers when Scottie Upshall went down with an injury in January. Their defense is nothing to write home about either, but they've managed to get it done. The Wings on the other hand struggled early on in the season and many wondered if they would even make the postseason. But they have completely turned things around, getting hot at the right time and becoming the team no one wanted to face. They're 17-3-2 over their last 22 games and coach Mike Babcock has Detroit playing with a vengeance. The Wings have a very formidable offensive attack with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom; all of whom were in Detroit when the team won the cup in 2008 (and lost in 2009). They have one of the most experienced blue lines in the entire NHL. Captain Nicklas Lindstrom and Brian Rafalski have both won multiple Stanley Cups in their careers and are looking to win it again this year. It's going to be nearly impossible to root against the Coyotes with the way they have exceeded expectations this year. But rooting for a team and picking them to win is a different story.
Prediction: Detroit wins the series in 5

Reid-ing Between the Lines of the McNabb Trade

After all the speculation of whether he would go here or there, to Oakland or to Buffalo, stay in Philadelphia or continue his career in another city, it's all over. Donovan McNabb is a Washington Redskin.

It certainly sounds strange to utter those words. Donovan has basically been my only quarterback. Sure there were the Bobby Hoying days in the late 90s and the injury-riddled seasons that saw players like A.J. Feeley, Koy Detmer and Jeff Garcia man the helm. But since I was old enough to know what intentional grounding was and why teams defer to the second half, Andy Reid has been my team's coach and Donovan McNabb has been it's QB. It's the only thing I've known. And when No. 5 comes out of the away tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field wearing burgundy and gold instead of the midnight green we've all become accustomed to seeing, it's going to be a strange sight indeed.

When all is said and done and all of the McNabb lovers have stopped crying and all of the McNabb haters have stopped rejoicing, the Eagles got a second round pick, 37th overall, in the 2010 draft and a conditional third or fourth round pick in 2011.

This is about what most expected McNabb was worth in the open market; a second rounder and a couple later round picks. So as far as what the Eagles got in return for Donovan, I'm fairly pleased. What I don't understand though, is why Philadelphia would trade him to a division rival.

Andy Reid was quoted as saying how he wanted to make McNabb happy as far who his next team would be. Donovan didn't want to go to Oakland (who could blame him) and he didn't want to go to Buffalo. And the only other contending team who offered the Eagles what they wanted for McNabb was, we can only assume, the Washington Redskins. Does Andy Reid and the rest of the Eagles management not realize that Washington is in the same NFC East that Philadelphia is in and that they play the Eagles twice a year? Who cares where Donovan wants to go if where he goes poses a potential risk to your own team. Reid should have been more concerned about the success of his own team and pleasing its millions of fans instead of its now former QB.

Just look at what Brett Favre did to the Packers when he played them twice in 2009. A 30-23 win in Minnesota and a 38-26 beat down in Green Bay. McNabb is certainly going to be pumped for the games against the Birds and it would not surprise me at all for those two games be his best of the season.

But this is a completely different team for McNabb. He's obviously not with the Eagles anymore, so he may not be as successful (or unsuccessful, depends on which way you look at it) as he once was. He could, according to some (not me), never find a way to win the "big game" when it really mattered. Another quarterback from the past 20 or so years had a reputation for not being able to win the crucial games? A certain Hall of Fame quarterback named John Elway.

Elway was successful as the QB of the Broncos early on in his career. He took his team to three Super Bowls in four years from 1986-89 but didn't win any of them. Some said he would never be able to win the big game. Then in 1995 the Broncos got a new coach, the current head coach of the Washington Redskins, Mike Shanahan. Shanahan and Elway took the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999 and won both of them. Elway, like McNabb, had the reputation of choking when his team needed a win in its biggest games. Shanahan turned that reputation around when became the head coach of the Broncos and turned John Elway into a Hall of Famer and one of the most successful quarterbacks of all time.

Now will Shanahan do that with McNabb and the Redskins? No one knows, but what we do know is that McNabb will be ready to play the Eagles come fall. And I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Donovan take the Redskins to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, leaving the Eagles on the outside looking in.