NHL Playoffs- Observations from First Round- 3/17

The Best Series So Far Has Been- Penguins/Flyers

     How can the best playoff series involve probably the best team in the field, the Penguins, down 0-3 to their rival Flyers? Well, I don't know if you will see many playoff series with two teams with as much of a chip on their shoulders as these two teams. Also, even though the goaltending has been poor, too see the likes of Claude Giroux and Sidney Crosby light up the scoreboard has been awesome. I speak for everyone except Flyers fans that we hope this series goes to seven games. 

The Best Team In The East Has Been- the Boston Bruins

     They hold only a 2-1 series lead, with each of their wins decided by a goal, but to see how the Bruins defense is suffocating Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and the other Capitals weapons, it bodes well for the Bruins because it shows that they have the defense and goaltending to win the cup once again. Given the Flyers poor goaltending, the Devils weakness on the defensive end and the Panthers lack of depth in general, if the Bruins can play this stingy on defense, they set up well in an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Rangers on paper. 

The Best Team In The West Has Been- the Los Angeles Kings

     I understand that Daniel Sedin is out for the Canucks and given their issues with who should start in goal, Vancouver was a predictable team to be upset (at least Barry Melrose and I had them going out to the Kings). But you can't take that much away from what the Kings have done. Jonathan Quick has been excellent in goal and engineered by Dustin Brown, the Kings have been very efficient offensively. Also, the Kings have been as good as anyone in the West defensively. With the way the Kings are looking, they are a dark horse to come out of the West and reach the Stanley Cup Final. 

The Series That Is About To Get The Most Interesting is- Coyotes/Blackhawks

     It's a shame that this series hasn't really been seen by that many (I know I haven't gotten a chance to see much of it). However, with this series heading to Chicago for games three and four, we're in for a really interesting few games. Both games one and two involved the Blackhawks tying the game with under fifteen seconds left in the game. The Coyotes should be up 2-0 given how well they have played. However, the Coyotes do not need to panic because they have Mike Smith, the most underrated goalie in the playoffs in net for them. It will come down to whether Mike Smith and the unknown Coyotes continue to contain Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and the Blackhawks. 

     

Winners and Losers of NFL Offseason- Pre Draft

Winners

Denver Broncos- They signed Peyton Manning, they're now immediate contenders in the AFC as long as he is at full strength.

Mario Williams

Buffalo Bills- They're pass rush is instantly better with Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, making them a clear playoff contender

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- I think the Buccaneers offseason moves were outstanding, adding Carl Nicks and Vincent Jackson should have them hanging around in the race for the NFC South division title with New Orleans being depleted

San Francisco 49ers- The additions of Mario Manningham and Randy Moss are great but more importantly, they still retained Carlos Rogers and Alex Smith

Losers

Miami Dolphins- Not only did they miss out on Peyton Manning, Alex Smith and Matt Flynn, they literally just gave away Brandon Marshall

New Orleans Saints- I don't know if you've heard, but there was a whole bounty scandal that should have the Saints depleted in 2012

NHL Playoff Predictions

Quarterfinals

1) New York Rangers v.s. 8) Ottawa Senators

     Neither team is exactly playing their best hockey, but Ottawa is clearly cooling off, especially offensively where they have not been consistent in the past month. That is bad news when you're facing Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers shouldn't have too much trouble.

Game 1- New York 4-1

Game 2- New York 2-1 OT

Game 3- Ottawa 4-3 OT

Game 4- New York 3-0

Game 5- Ottawa 4-2

Game 6- New York 4-0

New York Rangers in Six

2) Boston Bruins v.s. 7) Washington Capitals

     The Capitals played the Bruins well this year, winning three of the four meetings. But I think given that the Bruins are starting to hit their stride after a rough stretch in March, the Bruins are the clear favorites in the series. That being said, Tomas Vokoun has shown he can be a goalie the Capitals can ride deep into the playoffs. It will be up to Alex Ovechkin to really put the Capitals on his back. But I'm taking the experienced youth of Boston led by Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin to squeeze by Washington. 

Game 1- Boston 5-2

Game 2- Washington 3-1

Game 3- Washington 5-2

Game 4- Boston 2-1

Game 5- Boston 6-2

Game 6- Washington 4-3

Game 7- Boston 4-3

Boston Bruins in Seven

3) Florida Panthers v.s. 6) New Jersey Devils 

     Two teams square off that are two of the biggest surprises in all of hockey. However, New Jersey is surging while Florida is collapsing. Yet, I'm not going to weigh too much into Florida's collapse because a lot of those games were in overtime. That isn't going to have me pick against the Devils though, who have enough defense and goaltending to slow down Florida's first line led by Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss while Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias will take care of business and send the Panthers home early. 
Game 1- New Jersey 3-2
Game 2- Florida 5-1
Game 3- New Jersey 6-1
Game 4- New Jersey 5-3
Game 5- Florida 2-1 OT
Game 6- New Jersey 4-2


New Jersey Devils in Six


4) Pittsburgh Penguins v.s. 5) Philadelphia Flyers
     Easily the most intriguing matchup in the first round. This series, on paper, should be tightly contested. But then again, when is an NHL playoff series not tightly contested. Pittsburgh is the most talented team in the tournament, but Philadelphia has owned the season series. It will come down to whether Ilya Bryzgalov earns his enormous contract. If he plays consistently and Philadelphia can be the more aggressive team, Philadelphia can and probably will win. But until Bryzgalov shows that he can be consistent for a 7 game series, I'm taking the Penguins to scrape by in a thrilling series. 
Game 1- Philadelphia 2-1
Game 2- Pittsburgh 4-3 OT
Game 3- Philadelphia 4-3 OT
Game 4- Pittsburgh 2-1
Game 5- Philadelphia 4-2
Game 6- Pittsburgh 7-2
Game 7- Pittsburgh 5-4


Pittsburgh Penguins in Seven 


1) Vancouver Canucks v.s. 8) Los Angeles Kings
     The key in this marquee series will be whether or not the Kings can stay out of the penalty box. If they can't, the Canucks will move on. But something tells me that the Kings will push the Canucks to the very edge at the least. Jonathan Quick most likely won't allow more than 2 goals on average. With the addition of Jeff Carter midseason, the Kings have enough firepower to certainly score 3 or so goals a game on whoever is in net for Vancouver. If the Kings can be more aggressive than the Canucks and stay out of the penalty box, the pressure will mount on Vancouver if Roberto Luongo can't get it done. The Kings are prime to pull the upset. 
Game 1- Vancouver 4-2
Game 2- Los Angeles 3-1
Game 3- Los Angeles 4-3 OT
Game 4- Vancouver 3-2 2OT
Game 5- Los Angeles 4-1
Game 6- Los Angeles 6-3


Los Angeles Kings in Six


2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 7) San Jose Sharks
     Many have the Blues on upset alert, I don't. This isn't quite the same Sharks club that has appeared in two straight conference finals for one. Secondly, the Blues owned the season series four games to none in convincing fashion. The Sharks are not as tout defensively as the Blues are. I understand that the Blues aren't exactly an explosive squad offensively, but I believe they will stifle the Sharks to prevail with ease. 
Game 1- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 2- St. Louis 4-0
Game 3- St. Louis 3-2
Game 4- San Jose 4-2
Game 5- St. Louis 2-1 OT


St. Louis Blues in Five


3) Phoenix Coyotes v.s. 6) Chicago Blackhawks
     Phoenix is coming in as one of the hotter teams in the league. Chicago is just getting healthy and are coming in on a tear as well. In this series, Cory Crawford will need to hold his own and be as good as Mike Smith is in order for the Blackhawks to win this series. I think this will be a very competitive series, but the Coyotes will squeak it out and advance. 
Game 1- Chicago 3-1
Game 2- Phoenix 4-3
Game 3- Chicago 2-1 OT
Game 4- Chicago 3-2
Game 5- Phoenix 4-1
Game 6- Phoenix 3-1
Game 7- Phoenix 4-1


Phoenix Coyotes in Seven


4) Nashville Predators v.s. 5) Detroit Red Wings
     Grace v.s. grit. The Red Wings are the team with grace and the Predators are the team with grit. Will Nashville do enough to shut down the likes of Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg? Will Detroit do enough to get enough goals past Pekka Rinne? What a tremendous series we have here. I expect Nashville to wear down an older Red Wings team and advance to the second round for the second straight year. 
Game 1- Nashville 3-2
Game 2- Nashville 4-1
Game 3- Detroit 3-0
Game 4- Detroit 1-0
Game 5- Nashville 2-1
Game 6- Nashville 3-1


Nashville Predators in Six


Semifinals


1) New York Rangers v.s. 6) New Jersey Devils
     The Devils are a scary team in the east. They have veteran playoff experience second to none with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias along with superb talent led by Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias. However, the Rangers are the most capable team of defeating the red hot Devils because they are stout defensively and have enough goal scoring to advance to the next round. The Rangers edge the Devils in a long seven game series.
Game 1- New Jersey 3-1
Game 2- New York 5-4 OT
Game 3- New York 2-0
Game 4- New Jersey 5-1
Game 5- New Jersey 4-3
Game 6- New York 4-2
Game 7- New York 5-2


New York Rangers in Seven


2) Boston Bruins v.s. 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
     Both teams survived brutal seven game series'. In this matchup, it will come down to whether the Bruins can contain a potent Penguins attack. This really is a pick em series, but I'll take the Penguins depth to defeat a Bruins team that isn't quite as deep as they were last year.
Game 1- Boston 4-2
Game 2- Pittsburgh 5-2
Game 3- Pittsburgh 3-2
Game 4- Pittsburgh 4-0
Game 5- Boston 3-1
Game 6- Boston 6-3
Game 7- Pittsburgh 5-3


Pittsburgh Penguins in Seven


2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 8) Los Angeles Kings
     The goaltending in this series would be top notch. Though the Kings would have the edge offensively, the Blues would have the upper hand defensively. The Blues have shut down most of the league this year and there is no reason why this wouldn't continue against the upstart Kings. It won't be easy, but the Blues head to the Conference Finals.
Game 1- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 2- St. Louis 1-0
Game 3- Los Angeles 3-0
Game 4- Los Angeles 4-3 2OT
Game 5- St. Louis 3-2 2OT
Game 6- Los Angeles 5-1 
Game 7- St. Louis 3-0


3) Phoenix Coyotes v.s. 4) Nashville Predators
     Two teams with very similar styles meet in this semifinal clash. I think the Predators are as good as anyone defensively with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter and they might have the best goalie in the tournament with Pekka Rinne. That combination will allow Nashville to make quick work of Phoenix. 
Game 1- Nashville 3-2
Game 2- Nashville 4-1
Game 3- Phoenix 2-1 OT
Game 4- Nashville 5-0
Game 5- Nashville 3-2


Nashville Predators in Five


Conference Finals


1) New York Rangers v.s. 4) Pittsburgh Penguins
     The two best teams in the field meet in the Eastern finals. King Henry will step up in goal to make life difficult for the Penguins, frustrating Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin and co. and allowing the Rangers to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. 
Game 1- New York 4-1
Game 2- New York 2-1 OT
Game 3- New York 3-0
Game 4- Pittsburgh 5-3
Game 5- Pittsburgh 4-2
Game 6- New York 3-2


New York Rangers in Six


2) St. Louis Blues v.s. 4) Nashville Predators
     Defense and goaltending are at its finest in this one. It will come down to who can pump more goals in and it will be David Backes who leads the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final. 
Game 1- St. Louis 6-4
Game 2- Nashville 1-0
Game 3- Nashville 4-0
Game 4- St. Louis 3-2 OT
Game 5- St. Louis 4-2
Game 6- Nashville 4-1
Game 7- St. Louis 5-2


St. Louis Blues in Seven


Stanley Cup Final
New York Rangers v.s. St. Louis Blues
     Both teams got in this position because of goaltending, but it will be the Rangers scoring that comes through, in particular Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik who lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup title since 1994. 
Game 1- New York 4-0
Game 2- New York 3-2
Game 3- St. Louis 4-3 OT
Game 4- New York 4-3 3OT
Game 5- New York 6-2


New York Rangers in Five
     

Best Pizza Places in Boston and Greater Boston Area

Honorable Mentions
-Tony's Place- Great family restaurant with very tasty pizza
-The Upper Crust- It's not all that it is hyped up to be, but it is still solid, but not quite deserving of cracking the top five or even the top ten
*Note- I have not been to each and every pizza and burger place, but odds are that if they were really good, I would've already been there


5 
Scampo


     Located inside the Liberty Hotel, which by the way used to be a prison, Scampo is classy dining with superb pizza. The pizza is tasty and unique, especially if you get the Lobster Pizza, something you won't see around at many places.


4 
Galleria Umberto


    You better get there before they run out, because they will. Only open for lunch, Galleria Umberto has only one choice for pizza; sicilian. It's a fun and energetic place with tasty and crsipy pizza; it's well worth a wait.


3 
Santarpio's Pizza


     Great atmosphere to go along with a fantastic, tasty pizza. It can easily be considered the best in Boston, but it sits at 1c in my book.


2 
Pino's Pizza


     Located right next to Eagle's Deli, Pino's has a tremendous slice and a very solid sicilian pizza as well. The pizza, when at it's best, is as tasty and filling as any other place in Boston.



1 
Pizzeria Regina


     The crust is the best. The atmosphere is the best. The pizza is the best. It's as simple as that.

2012 MLB Predictions

AL East

1- Tampa Bay Rays 96-66

     With an improved offense and a deep and deadly pitching staff, Tampa Bay looks poised to have a consistent season that results in a playoff berth and AL East Championship. 

2- New York Yankees 94-68

     The pitching staff is deeper this year and as long as the Yankees remain relatively healthy throughout the year, they should be a definitive playoff team. 

3- Boston Red Sox 88-74

     Lack of depth and pop in the bottom half of the order will inhibit the Red Sox. They could definitely make the playoffs if their pitching staff steps up like they were supposed to last year, but I just don't see a number four pitcher emerging for the Sox to get back in the playoffs. 

4- Toronto Blue Jays 86-76

     With a talented group of young players, the Blue Jays will hang around through September as long as they continue to hit the ball and pitch the ball well enough. 

5- Baltimore Orioles 69-93

     The Orioles still don't have the pitching staff that can keep them hanging around in the tough AL East. It would help if guys like Matt Wieters and Adam Jones really took their games to the next level. 

AL Central

1- Detroit Tigers 92-70

     With the addition of Prince Fielder to the lineup, it looks to be a long shot to see another team represent the AL Central in the playoffs this season. 

2- Cleveland Indians 88-74

     One of the pleasant surprises last year, Cleveland looks to improve and they will because of a deeper pitching staff and more pop to their lineup. 

3- Minnesota Twins 79-83

     A lot of things went wrong for the Twins last year, but if they can get healthy, they should have a bounce back year that results in them briefly hanging around past the all-star break this year. 

4- Kansas City Royals 75-87

     The future is in place, now it is all about when the results kick in. But this year, they simply don't have a quality enough pitching staff to hang around. 

5- Chicago White Sox 66-96

     I don't expect the White Sox to score enough runs that can support a pitching staff that routinely gives up a good amount of runs. 

AL West

1- Los Angeles Angels 105-57

     With the best pitching staff in the American League and the best hitter in the American League, the Angels will dominate in 2012. 

2- Texas Rangers 93-69

     The two time defending AL champs will be good once again, but I expect the pitching staff to not be quite as good with the loss of C.J. Wilson. 

3- Seattle Mariners 73-89

     Seattle takes a step in the right direction as their offensive looks better than any other Mariner team since the early 2000's. 

4- Oakland Athletics 68-94

     Another poor year is in store for the A's in 2012. 

NL East

1- Philadelphia Phillies 92-70
     Their pitching staff is too good and too deep for the Phillies hitting to lead to them missing the playoffs. 
2- Miami Marlins 88-74
     More depth and more explosiveness will keep the Marlins hanging around through September. 
3- Washington Nationals 87-75
     The Nationals should take another step towards making the playoffs this year as they are in the hunt at the start of September. 
4- Atlanta Braves 84-78
     The Braves pitching staff is the big question because if they can perform like they are capable of, then they certainly can be a playoff team. 

5- New York Mets 64-98

     The Mets will be the ones beaten up on by each of the four teams in the NL East due to their lack of strength in all facets of the game. 

NL Central

1- Cincinnati Reds 89-73
     The Reds should capitalize on the regression of the better teams in their division to head back to the playoffs.
2- Milwaukee Brewers 86-76
     The loss of Prince Fielder will be the difference in making and missing the playoffs this year. 

3- St. Louis Cardinals 82-80

     The loss of Albert Pujols and manager Tony LaRussa will hurt the Cardinals this year as they can't rekindle the same magic of last year. 

4- Chicago Cubs 78-84

     The Cubs show no signs of either breaking through or regressing big time as they seem destined for another mediocre season. 

5- Pittsburgh Pirates 75-87

    The Pirates are getting their, but still don't get the production they need from guys like Pedro Alvarez. 

6- Houston Astros 55-107

     The Astros are on a par with a good AAA team, which means that this will be another long year for Houston. 

NL West

1- San Francisco Giants 93-69

     With as good of a pitching staff as anyone, the Giants will head back to the playoffs on the backs of Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey. 

2- Arizona Diamondbacks 91-71
     The surprise team of 2011 should be good once again in 2012 behind a deep rotation and a good offense led by Justin Upton. 

3- Los Angeles Dodgers 89-73
     The Dodgers will surprise the NL this year by having the lead of the NL West in September, only a rotation that isn't very impressive behind Clayton Kershaw will lead to the demise of the Dodgers. 

4- Colorado Rockies 77-85
     The rotation is weak, so the Rockies will rely heavily on big bats like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. 

5- San Diego Padres 74-88
     With a good young core in place, the Padres are moving in the right direction, only they do not have enough firepower to contend this year. 


AL Playoff Teams
1 Los Angeles Angels
2 Tampa Bay Rays
3 Detroit Tigers 
4 New York Yankees 
5 Texas Rangers


NL Playoff Teams
1 San Francisco Giants
2 Philadelphia Phillies
3 Cincinnati Reds
4 Arizona Diamondbacks 
5 Los Angeles Dodgers


Wild Card Play In Games (*Indicates Home Team)
New York* over Texas 
Los Angeles over Arizona*


ALDS
Los Angeles over New York 3-2
Detroit over Tampa Bay 3-1


NLDS
Philadelphia over Los Angeles 3-0
San Francisco over Cincinnati 3-2


ALCS
Los Angeles over Detroit 4-3


NLCS
Philadelphia over San Francisco 4-2


World Series
Los Angeles Angels over Philadelphia Phillies 4-2


Awards
AL MVP: Evan Longoria, 3B Tampa Bay Rays
NL MVP: Matt Kemp, OF Los Angeles Dodgers
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
AL Rookie of Year: Matt Moore, P Tampa Bay Rays
NL Rookie of Year: Yonder Alonso, 1B San Diego Padres
AL Manager of Year: Mike Scoscia, Los Angeles Angels 
NL Manager of Year: Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers