i had posted this earlier in the other forum about looming playoffs...
[quote name='darkmere']ok...time for my first round predictions. i just dropped in to say what's up before i head to the dentist. gettin my wisdom teeth ripped out, so i may be out of it for a few days. not looking forward to the surgery, though i'll be sedated, and really not looking forward to the recovery, but can't wait to have the damn things gone. anyway, on to the hockey.
i'll start with the east:
1 - ottawa vs 8 - tampa
i wish ottawa would sweep tampa to prove they're the worst defending champs, but with their recent slide and the health of hasek and emery they won't. ottawa will still take the series.
ottawa in 6.
2 - carolina vs 7 - montreal
carolina wants the cup. they have the talent. montreal has overrated players that don't always show up (kovalev.) bertuzzi would have fit in nicely on a team that on some nites shows brilliance and then quickly goes into hibernation. it's up to huet if montreal wants it.
carolina in 5.
3 - new jersey vs 6 - new york rangers
the rangers made a great turn around. i still don't believe they made it to the playoffs. i still see them being a 2 man team (jagr and lundqvist) despite the trade deadline deals. without the amazing seasons of those 2 new york would be watching the playoffs at home. shut them down and they will be watching from home next round. the devils are hot, going 11-0 their last 11 games. martin brodeur is perhaps the best goaltender ever. this is the devils' series, and they'll show why they took the atlantic division from new york.
new jersey in 5.
4 - buffalo vs 5 - philadelphia
this series could go either way. that's why the 4th vs 5th matchups are always fun to watch. philadelphia can be a physical and offensive powerhouse when they want. i really like buffalo though. they don't really have many stars, just a whole team of guys that are grinders and play with a lot of heart. they seem very interchangable and remind me of calgary in their run a couple years back.
buffalo in 6.
now for the west:
1 - detroit vs 8 - edmonton
i'm gonna take flak for this one, but i'm picking edmonton as the cinderella team this year. detroit is good, but they played in perhaps the easiest division. 24 of their games (over 1/4 of the season) were against columbus, chicago, and st. louis. the central division, aside from detroit and nashville, is a joke. the northwest division was tough, with 5 teams that were in it till the last week. edmonton is younger, healthier, and is one of the best skating teams. it's going to be a tough series.
edmonton in 7.
*side note, yzerman will retire after the playoffs are over. detroit would be wise to offer him some kind of job such as assistant coach where his leadership, his best asset, will continue to help the team. there are 29 other nhl teams that could benefit from his leadership and he'll get offers, but he's a career redwing.
2 - dallas vs 7 - colorado
dallas is a great skating team that also plays with a lot of heart. turco had a bumpy transition into the new nhl, but proved he's still one of the best in the game today. colorado is on the verge of rebuilding. they lost some great stars and sakic isn't far behind, likely retiring in a couple of years.
dallas sweeps in 4.
3 - calgary vs 6 - anaheim
this series is gonna be as much fun to watch as a 4th vs 5th. the teams are very similar. great skating, good team defense, low scoring but occasionally explosive offense, and incredible goaltending. this series will get physical fast, as they proved in last week's match up. i'd love to see niedermayer win a cup without brodeur and the devils, but it won't be this year.
calgary in 6.
4 - nashville vs 5 - san jose
this is my pick for round 1 series to watch. they're both great skating teams with a couple of key star players. i love sullivan and wish atlanta had made a better offer than nashville. thornton is hands down the deal of the season, possibly the decade. bad news for nashville that vokoun is out, but mason does well in net with the great team defense in front of him. this series will be tough, physical, and have some tight, high scoring nites. i give san jose the edge with more firepower and a healthy starting goaltender.
san jose in 7.
so there's my round 1 predictions. sorry for the super long post, but i'm excited about the first playoffs in 2 years. a lot of great matches that should be a blast to watch, whatever teams you're pulling for. i'm off to get ready. see you in a few days.[/QUOTE]
update for those that might give a shit:
wisdom teeth came out fine. only took like 20 minutes for all 4. iv sedation is great...i don't remember shit from about 2 minutes after they put it in and then it was done. my mouth is no longer numb and i'm on tylenol 3 and penicillin. jaw is sore and i'm looking forward to being able to eat real food again in a few days.
