Witchcrafting 2012 | Stanley Cup Predictions | Post-QF Update

*another macchiato done, a nice, yet tiny bit of chocolate cake collected, time to write some more*

If like me you are a Flyers fan, you were in for a craaaaazy ride! That was an awesome series versus the Pens. Even the Witch had no clue it would unfold like it did. Goals were being scored like there was no tomorrow and the fights a reason for concern. Would our Roo or Danny or Jagr make it to the next game or not? What a ride this series was. Even more so because we WON it! Yeah.

Looking at the other series the one that stood out for me was the Kings booting out the Nucks. With Richie there I have been following them a lot closer than before and I hoped for them to win. But I won't lie, I thought it was a long-shot, so yeah, this was a pleasing win by the Kings. And the Yotes, who'd have thought? Finally, I was sad to see the Bruins go, but the Caps did amaze me (eventhough I had predicted the series win heheh).

Anyways, this Witch had planned to update her predictions sooner, but got sidetracked by life ;) ... so let me see ...

*continues with the wishful thinking, absurdity, hoping, runewatching, coin-flipping and crystal-ballery!*


EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Rangers #1 vs Caps #7]
As I am writing this, the series is tied at 1-1. I predicted this series so I am going with my initial assessment (quite a bit of it is wishful thinking): With the Sens out of the way it is time for the Rangers to say bye bye. Come on Caps! 4-3 Caps. 

[Flyers #5 vs Devils #4]
Well. I had predicted my Flyers to make it through. But I hate the Devils so much, so I hoped they wouldn't make it this far. Not that I am fond of the Panthers mind you, but yeah. Got this one wrong. The Flyers will of course win, but as my guys like to keep us guessing they'll need a few games to accomplish it. 4-2 Flyers.

[Caps vs Flyers]
This outcome remains at this point. So going with my earlier prediction again. 4-2 Flyers.


WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Blues #2 vs Kings #8]
Yippee! I called this one right too. The Coins helped me with predicting the Sharks-Blues series. And I used them to predict this match-up as well: Kings are tails. Oooooh nice, I would have gone with the Kings here too. And The Coins agree strongly. 4-1 Kings. I am sure The Coins have their reasons, but I am going to be bold and say this will be a 4-0 win for the Kings!

[Yotes #3 vs Preds #4]
Got the Yotes right. They did a nice job disposing of the Hawks. Thank you. The Preds got rid off my fave Western team, the Wings. Definitely not happy with that. So mainly out of spite I predict. 4-1 Yotes.

[Kings vs Yotes]
Not the Conference Finals I predicted in my first post, but it's not too bad really. But love the Kings and I don't need runes or The Coins for this one. 4-2 Kings.


STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Flyers vs Kings]
My dream - Flyers vs Red Wings - got shattered lol ... but I am quite looking forward to seeing this final match-up happening ... my oh my ... that would be quite something. Carts and Richie battling their old team? Quite delish lol ... but Flyers got this one. 4-3 Flyers.

I like a seven game final series!

The Witch Is Back! | Witchcrafting 2012 | Stanley Cup Predictions

*macchiato done, cookies collected, time to write*

Ah, just when you thought I would never post again, I raise from the Ashes. Probably not for long. This blogging is so timeconsuming for me, that since late November, I have found zero time to write something. But how could I not return for my favourite pastime of the season: utterly and completely misreading the stars and other omens and failing in predicting the winner of the Stanley Cup!

But the Witch is back! And as last year, you can feast your eyes on a mix of wishful thinking, absurdity, hoping, runewatching, coin-flipping and crystal-ballery!


EASTERN CONFERENCE
[Senators #8 vs Rangers #1]
Last year the Rangers fought with all their might to make it to #8 ahead of the Canes. What a difference a year can make. This year they had several great runs and at times I had to admit they looked strong. Definitely stronger than I like seeing them. And they have King Henrik. Oh boy. But they also provided me with some fun moments and although I have no love for this squad at all, Torts definitely made my day the other week when he so openly dissed the Pens Prima Donnas. Nice. The Sens, ugh. So unless the Rangers decide to fail again in the first round, I can see them win this one quite easily. 4-2 Rags, I mean Rangers.

[Caps #7 vs Bruins #2]
Oh no. I hate this match-up this early in the Playoffs *wince*. Once the Flyers had 'left the building' last year, I totally jumped on the Bruins bandwagon. They were playing the game the way I had expected to see my Flyers play. But I have a soft spot for the Caps too. And correct me if I'm wrong, but there were some sparks in those last few games ... *ponders deeply* ... I can't think of bad things to say about the Bruins, such a complete team. And the Caps, do they even have a goalie?! But a little voice in my head is telling me to expect the perhaps unexpected and that maybe the Caps won't choke this time around. I am going to upset my buddy Sven with this and myself a bit too to be honest. 4-3 Caps.

[Devils #6 vs Panthers #3]
I have no particular interest in this match-up. Hate the Devils though, Panthers are so-so. So this is easy to decide on. The series score has nothing to do with me thinking the Panthers are THAT good, no, it's just a reflection of my dislike of the Debs. 4-0 Panthers.

[Flyers #5 vs Pens #4]
Oh boy. Really? In the first round? *sigh* Look. After the crazy trades that happened after the post-season I was really worried about how things would pan out for my Flyers this season. But I must admit, I am quite pleased. The season hasn't been perfect, but I had good hopes for a good Playoffs run. Hmm, well, if nothing else, I expect fireworks between the two. No love lost there! I don't mind seeing another bout of Lavvy trying to climb the boarding in order to give Bylsma a good talking to :D ... but the Pens, if they keep a healthy team, are quite formidable. Vomitted a bit in my mouth there :S ... so I am going for a mix of hoping and love for my Flyboys. 4-3 Flyers.

 
WESTERN CONFERENCE
[Kings #8 vs Nucks #1]
I just don't like the Nucks. Well, maybe Ryan Kessler, but that's it. The Kings have Anze! And Richie! And oh no, Carter, but I won't hold it against them. So simply because I hate the Nucks. I say. 4-2 Kings.

[Sharks #7 vs Blues #2]
Eh the Sharks made it again, eh? And the Blues too this time. What a lousy series, both are just such non-entities for me. So I am going to consult The Coins! Tail is Sharks. *flips a coin several times* Oh, The Coins like a full series! 4-3 Blues. Whatever.

[Blackhawks #6 vs Yotes #3]
What is that? The Hawks are still here? I blotted them out last year. So pesky of them to return again ... *continues pretending the Hawks do not exist* ... guess that's a by for the Yotes. Lucky bastards. 4-0 - as they had no opponents - Yotes. 

[Red Wings #5 vs Predators #4]
Red Wings, my fave Western team. So, easy for me. Wings of course win. Don't want them to get too tired. 4-2 Wings.


EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Rangers vs Caps]
Ohhhh, with the Sens out of the way it is time for the Rangers to say bye bye. Come on Caps! 4-3 Caps.

[Panthers vs Flyers]
Yeah no rocket science required to figure out what I am going to predict here ;) ... 4-1 Flyers.

[Caps vs Flyers]
Caps, I love you guys, but my Flyers will get stronger with each series. 4-2 Flyers.


WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Kings vs Blues]
As The Coins helped me out during the first round, let me consult them again. Kings are tails. Oooooh nice, I would have gone with the Kings here. And The Coins agree strongly. 4-1 Kings.

[Yotes - Red Wings]
No contest. Red Wings march through and quite easily too with lots of Datsyukian dekes. 4-1 Wings.

[Kings vs Red Wings]
You may know I am an Eastern Conference girl myself, but this is a sexy Western Conference Finals match-up. Delish! My Western faves have to win this one though, would love to see them in the SC Finals! But the Kings won't just give it up and will take it all the way to game seven, before gracefully bowing out. 4-3 Wings.


STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Flyers vs Red Wings]
Hahah, this is the exact same final series I predicted last year. My my, how wrong I was. But hey, a mix of wishful thinking, absurdity, hoping, runewatching, coin-flipping and crystal-ballery can be very potent and maybe this year that dream really will come true xD ... last year I predicted a 4-2 Flyers win and I see no reason why it should be different in this SC dream. So yeah. 4-2 Flyers. And I will be in Hockey Heaven!

So what do you think?

Playoffs Daily | Game 5 & Game 6 | June 14th, 2011

Say you are a regular reader of my little scribblings, in that case I apologise for the infrequency that snuck into my postings. Work has been unbelievably hectic and personal time as well. In itself not a bad thing, but it has kept me from watching games as soon as I can and writing them up. So here with some delay my shorter than usual views on both games.


[Game 5: Bruins-Nucks] 0-1. Nucks lead series 3-2. I hate 1-0 games. I hate them just a bit less if the team I root for wins. But I hate them nonetheless. Upon seeing the result on my NHL applet I decided against watching this one. I am sure it had it's moments, but I just refuse to watch it. There you go. Nucks are a game ahead at this point and could have claimed the Cup in Game 6.


[Game 6: Nucks-Bruins] 2-5. Series tied, again. On home ice there is just no stopping the Bruins. They do not just play and somehow win, they dominate.

♦ That was an awesome first period. If you are a Bruins fan anyways. Everything went right for the Bruins here and they scored four goals in this one period. Marchand, Lucic, Ference scored in quick succession at which point the suffering Luongo was replaced by Schneider. Not that it helped much, as just a minute later Ryder (although at first it looked as if it was Kabby) scored the fourth one
♦ The second period was scoreless and apart from some hacking, slashing, checking, you could say not much went on it this period
♦ The third brought some more excitement. At least the Nucks got on the scoreboard. Sedin (Henrik) scored just seconds into the third. But Krejci made sure the message was clear and scored the fifth goal for the Bruins. Lapierre added a second goal for the Nucks, but for this game it was just not in the cards for the Nucks

Other stuff.
♦ Hits. Yes. Some took place. Some bad too. Of course I will mention the Boychuck hit on Raymond. By now we know that Raymond has a few fractured vertebrae and that he will be out for a few months. I wish him all the best and hope that he will have a quick recovery. As for the hit itself, I am a bit on the fence here. Both guys were fighting for the puck and Raymond was doing some weird contortionist act to get to the puck before Boychuck would. He sort of folded his own body around and underneath Boychuck's. And that is a big dude, so that close to the board it was an accident waiting to happen. I do not even want to imagine what that hit would have looked like at full speed, I am just glad the speed had already dissipated a bit. Still, I wonder if Boychuck maybe could have tried to avoid it, but I am sure he would have if he could 
♦ But the nastier hit was performed by Eidler. He thorougly boarded Pev. On an icing! Right. Eidler, read up on rules will you? Hmm and Bergeron had mean elbowing going on against Ehrhoff. Not very nice either

Some final thoughts:
♦ Does anyone else thinks that the Sedin twins are airing their frustration with lots of nasty mean little hits and pokes, of which most go unpunished?
♦  Who else misses Kesler? Well he is there, but he must be in some serious pain due to some sort of injury. He has been a ghost of his former self the past few games. Damn, I hate when such a great player is pretty much sidetracked due to some undisclosed injuries :(
♦ OK. So the Nucks barely win, but still, win, at home. The Bruins utterly dominate on their home ice. I am not so sure what to make of this. If the Bruins can bring even a bit of that extra energy they seem to have at home to Vancouver for Game 7, I can just see them win the Cup. Would be nice!

Playoffs Daily | Game 4 | June 9th, 2011

If you read my scribbling ocasionally, you probably know that I will write and write and write. But today I am going for a more subdued article. I just finished watching the game and as much as I loved it, I really do not have a lot to say about this one. Is that bad? Or good? It is alright really, but the proceedings were so straightforward that I can be quite short about this one.

[Nucks-Bruins] 0-4. Series are tied. In a nutshell: Inspired Bruins. Frustrated Nucks. Game 4 was a fun game to watch if you root for the Bruins. A nice 4-0 win. Another great performance by Timmie, who again got in some top notch early saves to set the standard and ultimately got his team a shut-out. Peverley, who replaced Horty, scored in the first and third period. Ryder & Marchand scored in the second.

♦ As I noted in my Game 3 write up, the Bruins seem to have found a way to be more offensive than before. We all know they can defend like no other team, but to see them skate hard and fast and forechecking like they have been, it is just beautiful to see. And they seem to have rattled the Nucks to the extent that the Nucks have become frustrated and in the process have gone off their own gameplan

♦ Marchand is far from a favourite of mine. In fact, he is one of the guys that I really sort of do not like. But during this game he stood out for me. I suppose it is easy to notice someone who ends up in a fight in the last minutes of the game, but the entire game he was fast and extremely physical. I mean we are talking about one of the smaller guys in the game (5'9") but the way he just took on any opponent made me appreciate this guy just that bit more. [will add footage of my fave Marchand moment later on]

♦ Prior to the game Horton visited his mates in the locker room. It did a lot for the guys and Tim for one said he was very very happy to see him. I bet it fuelled the Bruins as much as their fans

Game 5 next. Again I hope the Bruins will keep up the amazing energy!

Playoffs Daily | SCF Game 2 & Game 3 | June 7th, 2011

A very busy weekend kept me from watching Game 2. Usually I manage to catch up eventually, but not this time. But better luck for Game 3! I have seen the result, but I cranked up the DVR and am watching it now. As the intro takes place I will spend a few minutes wrapping up Game 2, but it will be very short.

Game 2
[Bruins-Nucks] 2-3. Nucks lead series 2-0. Well, another close game with amazing goaltending on both sides. The game went into OT, although you could hardly call it an extra period as Burrows scored after just 11 seconds with an admittedly nice wrap-around. I am sure Timmie should have made other choices in how he chose to defend this attack, but I am sure he knew what he was up to despite the bad outcome. And let me quote Thomas himself: "I've got a pretty good idea of how to play goalie. I'm not going to take suggestions or advice at this time." I like it.


Game 3
[Nucks-Bruins] 8-1. Nucks lead series 2-1. That was an awesome way to get back into the round I think. 8-1 is a definite punishment this far ahead in the Playoffs and this large a goal difference does not happen often.

♦ The game started of pretty fine, no early goals and you could see by the intensity of the players that this might be an emotional game. Just when I settled in nicely to watch this game, that late hit by Rome on Horton happened. I had seen footage of the hit earlier today but it still hit me hard. What struck me most was the dazed look on Horty's face and I immediately felt very worried. By now we know that Rome has been suspended for four games. Maybe a bit much, but well Horty is out for the rest of the Playoffs and now so is Rome. These things are always up for debate. Horty should perhaps have kept his head up, but Rome was after him with a purpose and the shoulder was set for a big hit. Horty really flew backwards on impact. And it was a LATE hit. Yeah. I still see that dazed look on Horty's face. Creepy

♦ OK, the game continued with a five minute PP. But the Bruins could not turn it to their advantage. It was not a bad period really. The Nucks had some good shots, but Timmie was not having it. He made some top saves. The Bruins were playing well enough too, but missed a certain sharpness

♦ Second period and just a few seconds into the period Ference scored the first one for the Bruins. Minutes later Recchi scored on the PP, although lets face it, that was a very unfortunate assist/goal by Kesler. What a difference from Game 1 though (and quite possibly from Game 2 as well, but I have not seen it in full so I cannot be sure), the Bruins were not only strong on the defence, but their offence looked very alive as well in this period. Next up to score was Marchand, a marvelous short-handed goal no less. Krejci closed the scoring during this period with a nice wrist-shot. The Nucks played decent enough too, but Timmie was on fire. Of course the period ended with a bit of a skermish. That is how emotional this game was

♦ Third period continued much the same. Some good chances by the Nucks again, but Timmie was just a rock. The game that I thought was physical enough, got grittier in this period and there were a lot of game misconducts and fighting majors, especially after a fight that occured around the 11 minute mark. Lucic, Kesler, Seidenberg and Burrows all vanished into the locker room. And was Lucic trying to feed Burrows his fingers as a little snack during the fight? My word, not very classy, but I found myself giggling a bit anyways. All this fighting fueled the Bruins even more and shortly after the game was resumed Paille scored a short-handed goal making it 5-0. Hansen then scored to make it 5-1, but that was all Timmie was willing to give away. Next three goals - all within a span of two minutes - were by the Bruins (Recchi, Kelly, Ryder), giving them an amazing 8-1 win!

♦ Amusing moment: Timmie not only did his share of saving ;) ... he also got in a hit on Sedin: Hit & Save!




♦ Some stats to finish off ... Bruins had 38 shots on goal, the Nucks had 41. And the Bruins looked more physical on the whole and that reflects in the PIM and hits. PIM was 75 for the Bruins and 70 for the Nucks. The Bruins had 39 hits and the Nuck 31. Very intense!

Looking forward to Game 4. I hope the Bruins bring the same energy!

Playoffs Daily | SCF Game 1 | June 2nd, 2011

I was so excited for Game 1 of the Final! I spent the entire evening fighting off sleep and sure enough, the clock struck 2am and I was still up. Hockey Night In Canada tune ... anthems ... puck drop. So exciting, even more so than the previous games!

[Bruins-Nucks] 0-1. Intense game. Not exactly because of gameplay, but just because of what is at stake and both teams really wanting to win but obviously getting frustrated as time went on and no goals were scored ...

♦ But it started off with a barrage of shots by the Nucks in the first few minutes. Timmie had to show up early and in the first two minutes alone made about 5 saves, but at least the Bruins made it through the first minute without allowing a goal. If you have been following them these Playoffs, you will know it is not uncommon to happen
♦ It took the Bruins a bit longer to get the first shot on goal, well into the third minute but Luongo managed to deflect the puck with his skate. Would have been an easy tap in otherwise
♦ D. Sedin then performed some nasty high sticking on Chara giving the Bruins their first powerplay, all 4 minutes of it. The Bruins moved the puck around pretty well, but it was not really offensive and the Nucks had a very effective PK. Rather tame four minutes actually, instantly livened up by Sedin's return to the ice ... Timmie had some blistering saving to do straight away. What followed were a lot of intense moments and quite a lot of PPs
♦ The game settled in the last few minutes though, only to be livened up by a skermish right after the whistle was blown. Bergeron and Burrows got into it and I just read that Burrows bit Bergeron. What?!
♦ This period was the busiest in terms of SOG: 17 Bruins, 12 Nucks 

♦ Onto the second period. This one started with a rush again. But the Nucks were - in my opinion - even less disciplined this period and soon the Bruins found themselves on a two man advantage once more. Unfortunately, again the special teams failed to monetise
♦ This period brought us the best hit of the game: Lucic got flipped over by Hamhuis (perfectly legally), but in the process Hamhuis managed to get himself hurt and he did not return to the ice once he finally skated off. Krejci did also crosscheck him as a bit of retaliation, but that was pretty gentle, so yeah, I am going with a self inflicted injury due to lifting a taller and heavier opponent. Still. Awesome hit, see for yourself (courtesy of NHL.com)

♦ Halfway through the period the Nucks to me looked just a bit more feisty, but the Bruins just grunted and beared it. Thinking back, Kesler had the biggest chance of this period shortly after that hit on Lucic
♦ The hit also served as a bit of a catalyst for the Bruins. They already had their share of penalties in the first period but seemed to have calmed down significantly, but the bear was loose again. Marchand wanted to retaliate a bit I suppose and made a great hit on Raymond, another flip. Seidenberg saw an opportunity to break away and did so but not without some kneeing first and was sent to the penalty box. Seconds later Peverley followed for hooking, giving the Nucks a 5-on-3 advantage. You would think that the Nucks would finally get a PP goal now, instead pesky Burrows got a penalty for tripping Timmie, making it a 4-on-3. Not nearly as exciting. This penalty seemed a bit unfair though, but Burrows had been a nuisance throughout the game, there had to be payback at some time. The game got very gritty
♦ But eventually things settled down a bit and we entered a much quieter part of the game, although by no means boring. Both teams were hunting for that first goal. What struck me towards the end of the second period is that neither team had a strong grip on strategy. Both Bruins and Nucks seemed to have a haphazard approach towards offence. Maybe it was the unsettling amount of PPS on which neither team managed to capatilise. End of second period and still no goals scored. Both teams had 9 shots on goal

♦ Third period, much of the same and the first big chance was generated by Hansen, who broke loose and went full speed ahead towards the Bruins net, but Timmie performed yet another awesome save. As we went to the final 10 mins of regulation, the Nucks picked up speed for a good five minutes, generating a few chances, but nothing paid off. Once again things settled down for the remainder of the third period and I think everyone had accepted the idea that the game would go to OT, but then Torres struck. 1-0 Nucks. Great goal too, but then it would take something special to beat any of the goalies this night
♦ The final period saw 10 shots on goal by the Bruins and 14 by the Nucks

♦ Funny moment 1: Thomas turning his back on the skermish at the end of the fist period and hitting imaginary posts (embedded via NHL.com):



♦ Funny moment 2: After the hit on Lucic and subsequent crosscheck on Hamhuis by Krejci, they replayed a barrage of crosschecks of Seids on Burrows I think it was (sorry, was too lazy to rewind during the game to ascertain) ... but no penalty awarded there. Could not find footage of this, but take my word for it, it was amusing

Final words. Not sure what to make of this game really. Great goaltending, that is a certainty. Both Timmie and Lu played an awesome game. The Nucks were a bit feistier. But the Bruins were steady and did not allow for much space. Both teams had 6 PPs and failed to score. For the Bruins this was expected, but for the Nucks less so. In the end I think the game was pretty even and either team could have/should have won. The Nucks got it this time, hopefully the next one will be for the Bruins. But both teams will have to work on some elements of their game and I want to see a bit more fireworks next time. Not talking about the goalies here, like I said, they were splendid!

Playoffs 2011 Predictions | Witchcrafting Part IV | May 30th, 2011

My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved For The Last Time

This time, I will not let The Coins interfere with my predictions. Instead I will just go with my emotions and wishful thinking. The Coins called the Nucks-Sharks wrong, so they get to sit still in my wallet.

STANLEY CUP FINAL
[Nucks-Bruins]
A far cry from my dream final: Flyers-Red Wings. But you have to appreciate the hard work of the teams that did make it this far. Still not a fan of the Nucks. I can appreciate the talent and all, but apart from Ryan Kesler, I find them bland. Personally. I know a couple of die-hard fans, so good luck to you guys! Jeffrey in particular! But I like the Bruins a lot. I like their style. I like Lucic. I like Bergeron. I like Ference. I like Chara. I like Kabby. I have started to like Seidenberg. I like the floppy Timmie as much as the magical Timmie. There is no one on the team that I do not like. So yes. Emotionally I want the Bruins to win. And because they like their wins hard worked for ... 4-3 Bruins.

What do you think? Feel free to post your own predictions in the comments, anonymous our not ;)

Playoffs 2011 | Witchcrafting Revisited - Post CF | May 30th, 2011

Well well well, what a tough Stanley Cup run to predict. I got these two right. Or almost anyways. The Coins messed things up a bit ;)

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Bolts vs Bruins] What a fantastic ride these teams took us on. It was a very exciting ECF and I would not have been too devastated by a Bolts win, but personally I am very happy with the Bruins taking the Prince of Wales Cup! Onto the next one guys!
My predicition: 4-2 Bruins
Reality: 4-3 Bruins

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Nucks vs Sharks] Happy with the outcome of this one. I called a Nucks win, but The Coins said no and told me the Sharks would win. Ha, glad they got it wrong!
My prediction: Nucks win.
The Coins prediction: 4-3 Sharks after some coin flipping
Reality: 4-1 Nucks

And that brings us to a pretty awesome SCF. Bruins-Nucks. I like it. Not as much as my very first prediction for the Cup Finals: Flyers-Red Wings. But it will do.

Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 7 | May 28th, 2011

Hell yeah! I managed to watch nearly two periods before I had to call it quits and get some sleep. Hey do not judge me, the game started at 2am my time! So when I woke up this morning and saw the result I was relieved, happy for my buddy Sven who is a huge Bruins fan and pretty damn happy for myself as well as I preferred for the Bruins to claim the Prince of Wales Cup.  

[Bolts-Bruins] 0-1. Bruins win series 4-3. I did not know this, but it is the first time in 21 years that the Bruins have reached the Finals again. And they have not won a Cup since 1972. My year of birth. A good omen? lol




Courtesy of me shooting pics of the ESPN America CBC broadcast ;)


♦ A very tense first period! But at least no goal against for the Bruins in the first minute like the past couple of games. What followed was a pretty even game. Hard for either team to get through the neutral zone and near the goal and a lot of time was spent along the boarding. But the atmosphere was thick with tension! Both teams wanting to win, not wanting to lose. I think the Bruins had the best chance in this period. Happened around the fifteen minute mark with a breakaway by Lucic, but Roloson made one of many big saves right there. Moments before it was Timmie who had a a busy spell as the Bolts took a few shots on net. Timmie was butterflying all over the crease. Shots on goal: Bruins 15, Bolts 9

♦ Second period was scoreless as well, but not because the teams were not trying. Timmie made some great saves (8), but Roloson even more. He fended off 14 shots. Apart from some great hockey, this period saw a crazy helmet save by Roloson and quite painfully, Stamkos took a hard shot right in the nose. After treatment he returned to the game, but that looked extremely painful

♦ Both teams continued playing great in the third, but you could see the Bruins pushing just a bit harder. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on my part ;) ... but it sure kept me on the edge of my seat. There were 9 shots on goal by the Bruins and 8 by the Bolts. After Nathan Horton scored the winning goal, the Bruins went into lockdown mode and hardly gave the Bolts room to get out of the neutral zone. Ferocious forechecking by the Bruins! So much so that pulling Roloson in the final minutes was problematic. He spent 59:34 on ice! You know how in the final minutes the team lagging will pull out any magic trick they have and cause a frenzy in front of the opposing goalie. No such thing in this game. The Bruins' defence was so tight, that even the top guys in the Bolts line up could not get past them and did not even manage to fire a shot at Timmie. Wow. So impressed. Goosebumps!

♦ This was as much a goalies game as you will ever see. Both Timmie (sv% 1.000) and Roli (sv% 0.974) peaked. Both guys made some amazing saves, but Roloson was unable to stop that one goal.  Bruins' whole D-squad was awesome, but yeah I will point out once more how great Chara and Seidenberg are. Seidenberg again clocked most time on ice with 27:57

♦ Amazing fact: NO PENALTIES! It is so easy to forget that a game CAN be played with ferocity, intent and passion without shoving the opponent into the glass panels, illegal hitting, hooking and whatnot. OK, there were some moments that could have ended up in a penalty, but the refs really did a great job by letting the game evolve on its own but still keeping a grip on proceedings. Other ref teams should take note. Anyways, this game was intense without nonsense. Kudos to both teams. With PPs suddenly leading to goals more often again, it is not a bad idea to keep your players out of the penalty box anyways

♦  The goal. That was just a precision attack and beautifully executed. Horton skillfully finished what was set up by Krejci & Ference!  *courtesy of NHL & CBC*

Well, I got my wish. The Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. As for the Nucks. I should not have listened to The Coins, who predicted the Sharks would win. I said Nucks, but they said 'no way'. Wonder what the hell I am talking about?

Check my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions | Part III HERE. I will have to redo them now that The Coins let me down again ;) 


{edit: why did noone tell me I had written 'Prince of Whales Cup'? WHALES?! lol ... glad I saw that, after a while ... }

Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 6 | May 26th, 2011

Hmm. The Bruins sure like to make things suspenseful. I am looking forward to a Nucks-Bruins Stanley Cup Final, but I will have to wait another game to see if that will become reality.

[Bruins-Bolts] 4-5. Series tied at 3-3. Another Game 7. I have to say the more hockey the merrier, so a Game 7 is cool! I just hope the Bruins will nail this one. Guys, my day was so hectic that I did not get around to actually watching the game and I only just managed to read up on the outcome. So this is going to be a short one - no really, I mean it this time! - for future reference and I will just list the basics. In all honesty, you might as well head over to the NHL site :D

♦ Considering the amount of goals, the actual number of shots on goal is low. Bolts had 26 and the Bruins just 20. Not a surprise then that the save percentages of both goalies are low. 0.800 for Roloson and 0.808 for Timmie. Definitely not a goalie game ;)

♦ Goalscoring for the Bolts: Purcell (0:36), St. Louis (27:55), Purcell (33:35), Stamkos (40:34) & St. Louis (50:15). Yeah you are seeing it correctly. Another very early goal against the Bruins. Still not doing their best from the get go. I really dislike goals when they are still showing the line-ups for the game

♦ Goalscoring for the Bruins: Lucic (7:09), Krejci (16:30), Krejci (49:46) & Krejci again (53:28)

♦ Yes, Krejci got himself a hat trick *throws a virtual hat on the ice* ... great job!

Well, that is all for now. Feel free to leave your insights about this game in the comments, will be happy to read those! And I am going to crank up the dusty Xbox and finally try my hand at Call Of Duty Black Ops ... have had the game since release date but it is still wrapped lol ... but I feel like shooting stuff after my very hectic day at work. Downside is that I am the worst gamer in the world, so I think it will be me getting shot at ;)

Twitter Time #8 | NHL Tweeters On Nucks Win | May 25th, 2011

So what did some of our favourite NHL Tweeters have to say about the Nucks win?

Michael Grabner
Saw highlights from yesterday...another crazy game with weird bounces...congrats to the Canucks for making it to the finals...workout time!!

Mike Commodore
ahhh, the puck went off the glass, bounced backwards to Bieska and no one but him had a clue where it was. hahaha, wow. that was weird.

Mike Commodore
I just watched Bieska goal on nhl.com 5 times and I can't figure out how in the hell it went in!! Bad camera angle maybe?

Darryl Boyce
glenn healy rips everyone..ripped nearly everyone on the ice, now he has taken it to the person who did the confetti in van-city

Bobby Ryan
Bizarre. And a tough way to lose out. But that was a great hockey game. Congrats to Vancouver. #roxy? #itsonice

Cabbie Richards
Congratulations to Kevin Bieksa for his series ending goal. Vancouver Canucks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. First time since 1994. #NHL

Jeremy Roenick
What a great hockey game this is!! One of the best iv ever seen! Wow. I don't care who u want to win! Everyone is flying

Paul Bissonnette
How hungover is Vancouver today? The productivity level in that city must be a joke right now.

Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 5 | May 25th, 2011

And here I thought the Bruins-Bolts game was weird. This one was even wilder. Crazy bouncing pucks, amazing saves, last-second heroics, double OT ... they should turn it into a movie ;)

[Sharks-Nucks] 2-3. Nucks clinch series 4-1. Well done Nucks! Maybe not your best ever game, but certainly one of the more memorable and I am sure some of it will be replayed often for years to come!

♦ I am not sure which is the more amazing moment of the game. Kesler's last minute score or Bieksa's winner. I think I will go with Kesler's last minute goal. Without it, the rest would not have happened. This really is the stuff movies are made of. A not entirely fit Kesler, battling till the very last minute of regulation, to score a cool and collected goal with just 14 seconds left on the clock! I just hope he will be good to go for the Finals. Or not lol ... I want an Eastern Conference winner. No, I mean yes, I want an EC winner, but they should still earn it fair and square and that requires beating a guy like Kesler! If you have read earlier posts you might recall that Kesler is a favourite NHL athlete of mine eventhough I have little interest in the Nucks. But some athletes just deserve the admiration ;) ... and he had me worried when he limped off the ice in the second period and did not return for the remainder of the period. Quote: "No, I'll play on one leg, I don't care ... it's all about the team right now."

♦ Goalscoring ... not much of it considering they spent 90 minutes on the ice ;) ... but no matter. Burrows was first to score (first period) for the Nucks after some magic passing between the Sedins. In the second period Marleau scored the equaliser on a PP. Just seconds into the third, Setoguchi scored for what for the longest time seemed to be the game-winner. But yeah ... then Ryan Kesler happened and we had ourselves an OT game. First OT morphed into second OT and the clock said 10:18 when Bieksa scored the winner

♦ Shots on goal action: Nucks had 34, Sharks had 56! The Sharks had 15 in the first period and 16 in a frenzied first OT. A lot of work for Luongo ;)

♦ Goaltending. A save percentage of 0.912 for Niemi, not bad at all, but Luongo saved 54 out of 56 shots, giving him an average of 0.964. No choking for him this game!

♦ OK, Bieksa time. I watched this over and over and over and over and it just boggled my mind. I just could not figure out what happened there. Everyone, Sharks and Nucks alike, agree on one thing: Bieksa is the only one who knew where the puck went. While the rest was looking back and forth trying to locate the puck, he saw it and went for a one-timer! Took this video however to make me understand what happened:

What a game!

Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 5 | May 24th, 2011

Weird game. Yet oddly exciting. Miracle goalie. Going to keep this one short. Maybe ;)

[Bolts-Bruins] 1-3. Bruins lead series 3-2. Not a great game by the Bruins at all and Timmie made the difference. Frustrated the Bolts to no end I am sure. I like this win personally, but they need to step it up in the next game.

♦ Because really? FOUR shots on goal by the Bruins in the first period?! And 14 by the Bolts. Just goes to say how well Thomas played right? Thankfully his team mates did a bit better in the second period with eight shots on goal, whereas the Bolts had nine. The third saw 14 shots by the Bolts and nine by the Bruins. But really 20-34? I want to see more effort from the Bruins next game, this is just not right

♦ Now Chara always get a lot of credit and rightly so. But guys, never forget Seidenberg. Game after game this guy puts in amazing time on ice. Had a look at his stats and in regular season he put in give or take 23 minutes per game. Come Playoffs, a TOI of 29 minutes is more regular than not and there was even a whopping 38:15 in Game 4 versus the Habs. So it is good to see he was awarded the third star for this game. The guy deserves the appreciation for all his hard work

♦ Gagne scored the only goal for the Bolts. Good one! But what is it with allowing the very early goals? How about the Bruins try starting with a solid D straight from the get-go, rather than allowing the opponent to strike first? They have the proper manpower in place, they might as well use it. Still. I like to see my former Flyer do well ;)

♦ For the Bruins it were Horton (great pass by Lucic) and Marchand (awesome feed by Bergeron) who scored in the second period. After a very frantic last few minutes in the third period, Peverley scored an empty-netter, securing this win and making it easier to breathe for everyone watching ;)

♦ Goalie time. First of all, Mike Smith got first Playoffs start. And lucky for him he only had to deal with 20 shots by the Bruins. I wonder if we will get to see Roloson start the next game. I like the 'who is net?' suspension! I am used to it of course, being a Flyers fan and all ;)

♦ Timmie Thomas. A 0.971 save percentage. And some miracle saves. He literally won this game for the Bruins. So going to finish this post with that miraculous 'holy shit!' stick save! Downie must have had a nightmare about this ...

Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 4 | May 23rd, 2011

The fans were psyched for this game, but as a neutral party for me this Game 4 started out rather dull. I found first intermission more entertaining than the first period ;) ... but it got better though and eventually pulled me in and made for a fun hockey night.

[Nucks-Sharks] 4-2. Nucks lead series 3-1. It took Kesler's 5-on-3 goal in the second period to wake me up.

♦ Then it really got embarrassing for the Sharks. Two more 5-on-3 goals followed in quick succesion, both scored by Salo. I did not expect PPs to play such a large role really, not with PKs being so effective in the last couple of months. In the east anyways, maybe it was different in the west
♦ Third period was really exciting. It was definitely fast-paced but both teams lacked control. At least it made for better watching and then came that wonderfully executed goal by the Burrows, making it a 4-0. Henrik Sedin set Burrows up nicely for this one!
♦ A budy wrote 'They're done'. Guess he nearly jinxed the Nucks as a second later the Sharks finally got rid off the zero on the scoreboard. They kept us guessing for a while as the goal went on review (possible highsticking) but in the end it was a good hockey goal. The goal generated a little momentum shift to the advantage of the Sharks  and their hard work paid off with another goal. You could definitely see the pressure building, but in the end they ran out of time
♦ Low-light of the game: Torres' hit on Thornton. It was brutal and I was annoyed even more when I found out Thornton may not be good to go tomorrow

And damn, still those stupid orange and teal spandex-clad men in the crowd. Stop it! It is obnoxious!

{update: Thorton will be ready to play - phew}

Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 3 | May 21st, 2011

Short one today, spent much of the day sitting in the sun during a marketing communications industry football (aka soccer in some regions of the world) tournament where my company had a team playing. Cheering was fun and I have got a bit of sunburn going. Anyways, managed to catch the rerun of last night's game and the Sharks are back in the series. Here a quick write-up before the start of the Bruins game!

[Nucks-Sharks] 3-4. Nucks lead series 2-1. Nowhere near as electric as Game 2 and as I am just not so interested in either team it was back to being a bit indifferent who wins. At least for a while. The three goal lead the Sharks accomplished in the first period did not sit wel with me at all. But the Sharks just played a disciplined game and looked pretty good the first two periods. The final period was a bit off for them and they were really doing all they could to keep the 4-3 lead after the Nucks managed to score twice on the PP in the third. A few more minutes and we might have gone into OT, the Nucks were exerting some massive pressure. But it was all a bit too late.

♦ Sometimes it looks as if teams can no longer score on the PP. This game had five PPGs! Take notes teams!
♦ At the same time, the Nucks failed to score on two 5 on 3 advantages. Did that lose them the game? It is usually their forte ...
♦ A game riddled by penalties. Undisciplined much?
♦ Meanest hit: Jamie McGinn on Rome. The guys on NHL On The Fly said it was not such a bad hit, but looked horrible enough to me and it left Rome breathless and lying on the floor for quite some time. I have no idea what the guys on OTF were thinking, but that was some serious boarding right there
♦ Oh man, as if it was not enough to have those Green Men prancing around in spandex, the Sharks now have their very own Orange Men. Can these guys just leave the spandex at home? It is obnoxious!

OK, with Game 3 out of the way, I hope the Nucks can dominate in Game 4. Time for the Sharks to go home. I think I have made my mind up about these series.

Playoffs Daily | WCF Game 2 | May 19th, 2011

Two high-score games in a row. Even this series got exciting! And there was some added excitement that got my FB and Twitter buzzing ;) ... I actually worried that that was all there was to this game. So when I checked the highlights this morning and read up on reports I was happy I DVR'ed this game. So I got home, had dinner and cranked up the game and in parts it lived up to it's promise.

[Sharks-Nucks] 7-3. Nucks lead series 2-0. By no means a flying start to this game, unless you count the quick PP goal Couture scored two and a half minute into the game. It reminded me of a statistical fact a buddy of mine shared the other day. I think he said that of all teams who score first, 78% also goes on to win the game. What a nutty stat. Anyways, let me continue with the notable moments:

♦ For a while it was a very even first period and in fact, also a bit boring. Then Daniel Sedin scored on the PP and that sparked some energy and within the next minute, the Nucks scored again. Then another PP and somehow a Marleau shot confused Luongo and trickled across the line. 2-2 was a good score, considering neither team excelled in the first period. Both teams had 13 shots on goal, further confirming the equality
♦ So not sure what you lot thought about the second period but apart from the Nucks goal it was dull. It lacked a certain energy although the Nucks did have the edge there with puck possession and some good shots on goal. At least the goal woke up the audience ... and there was the Bieksa-Marleau fight. Which got Clowe to start chirping Kesler. As for shots on goal, the Nucks had 14, the Sharks just 9
♦ And then came the third period! It started innocent enough, but it soon became grittier. Lots of little mean checks that went unnoticed and of course the more apparent fouls, many committed by Ben Eager. The Nucks went on to score four more times, twice on PP! And in the final ten seconds of the game the Sharks lost what little composure they had left and went for a brawl. Of course Eager was at the centre of it. But if we look beyond the hits, the fouls, the brawl, we saw the Nucks skating better, creating chances, taking shots on goal (11 versus the Sharks' 9) & capitalising on PPs. Kudos to them for keeping their cool, whilst the Sharks lost it
♦ I often joke about Timmie flopping around like a fish, but damn, Luongo is not much better. Thankfully his team mates scored so often, I was not impressed at all by him
♦ Clowe was particularly pesky I found, but Eager takes first place for being an all-round idiot
♦ Bieksa got a Gordie Howe hat trick. Cool!
♦ Interesting fact: five of the ten goals scored were PP goals

So in case you missed it, all that Twitter buzzing I mentioned before also involved Eager. And the penalty box. And with the Green Men banned, it did not involve them. But it did involve a crazy female Canucks fan, flashing Eager whilst he sat out the roughing penalty in the third period ;) ... not sure if this type of taunting is actual taunting ... could have been a request for a date ;) ... I would post the pic in question, but I like to keep things clean here lol. Oh fuck it, here a link to a twitpic posted by @CountBettman. If you are offended, drop me a line :p

Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 2 | May 18th, 2011

The second Eastern Conference Finals Game was certainly eventful. A lot happened, so I think I will just list whatever comes to mind!

[Bruins-Bolts] 6-5. Series equalised at 1-1. Lots of goalscoring, which is fun for viewing, but heavy on the goalies. Some goals were just awesome and could not be blamed on the guys. But Thomas let in a few soft ones and well, Roloson's bad roll got him pulled after the second period. The game:

♦ Hall scored just 13 seconds into the game (a cool goal too I must add), followed by some quick saves by Roloson, giving the Bolts a flying start. But things got really crazy in the second period as the Bruins scored five goals
♦ Roloson had a great first period, dealing with 18 shots on goal and letting in just one. Things went downhill for him in the second period, as the Bruins upped the intensity. The Bruins had 8 shots on goal and 5 actually went in. Roloson did not return for the third period. That actually made me sad a bit, because he was on such a great roll going into this game
♦ Timmie had some floppy moments during the game, and that last goal by Moore, whatever was going on there with Timmie and his D-man McQuaid, it did not look very good ;) ... but still, he was there when most needed as he fended of a great deal of attempts by the Bolts in the final minutes of the game
♦ Up until the third period SOG were pretty equal. Bruins had 27 and the Bolts had 26. But you could tell the urgency the Bolts felt. They were really hunting for a game equaliser and had 15 shots on goal in the final period, making a grand total of 41. The Bruins only had 8, totalling 35.

I bet Seguin had the best night. He did not get to play in the first two rounds as for obvious reasons the coach went with Bergeron and of course Julien is protecting this awesome rookie. But with Bergeron injured he got his chance in Game 1 and what a great start he had with that marvelous goal. Coach Julien is easing him into the hardships of playoffs hockey: time on ice in Game 1: 9.38. Time on ice in Game 2: 13.31. I like that about a coach. With two Playoffs games under his belt and already an impressive 3/3 in points, you cannot help but wonder if this guy is the one who will make a difference this series. Personally I do not like to put that kind of pressure on youngsters. But he looks calm and collected and he did tell us after Game 1 that the first goal took the pressure of things for him and that he is really just focusing on what he is good at: skating and shooting. He has also been listening to the advice provided by the likes of Mike Recchi and in the post-game interviews you can just see how proud his teammates are of his progress. Wonderful to see.

Not perfect, but definitely exciting hockey, I knew it! Looking forward to Game 3.

Playoffs Daily | ECF Game 1 | May 15th, 2011

Stayed up way too late last night and caught the first two periods and then I just fell asleep! It was not the best ever first game and I was a bit disappointed in the Bruins.

[Bolts-Bruins] 5-2. Bolts lead series 1-0. The game started cautiously. Both teams seemed to be testing the water so to speak. Some decent enough passing where the Bolts seemed to prefer a bit more speed and the Bruins were taking things more slowly, looking for opportunities and playing a much more controlled game. So the first goal the Bolts scored surprised me a bit. But not so much as the second and third Bolts goals! All within one minute and 25 seconds! Timmie was doing a great Timmie Tuna ... flopping all over the place. It makes him more human though, without these moments he would be a total awesome relentless goalie machine hahah. For a minute I thought they would send in Rask at this point, but then I remembered these are not the Flyers ;) ... other than that it was not all on Thomas, the D-guys totally let him down too there. It was nice to see Seguin score a couple of minutes later though and I thought they might do a bit better after getting rid off that zero on the scoreboard, but I must say that the second period did not impress me much. And of course I missed the third, so no idea how that one went, but the end result 5-2 tells me the Bolts' rather more energetic skating got the best of the Bruins and that the Bruins will have to ramp up their next game. Looking forward to it!

Playoffs 2011 Predictions | Witchcrafting Part Trois | May 15th, 2011

My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved Once Again

My post-QF predictions were horrible lol ... only got one right, so here my new predictions for the Conference Finals and the SC Finals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Bolts vs Bruins]
I thought the Caps would beat the Bolts but I think the Hockey Gods were sending me a message when I posted my previous predictions. As I hit the 'publish post'-button, huge thunder bolts lit up the sky. So let me have a look outside ... it is dark and a bit windy, but no thunder & lightning in sight. I will go with the Bruins *keeps an eye on the sky whilst posting*. 4-2 Bruins.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
[Nucks vs Sharks]
How much I would have loved to see a Nucks - Red Wings match up. But no, the Sharks made it this far instead. I want the Sharks out. Enough is enough. Nucks will get this one. Just no idea how tough it will be. I think I will go to The Coins for help, eventhough they did not help me much with my Flyers-Bruins prediction. Damn. The Coins disagree with me. They say it will be a seven-games series and the Sharks will ultimately win. OK. 4-3 Sharks.

STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Bruins vs Sharks]
This does not even look close to my dream in which the Flyers meet the Red Wings and the Flyers bring the Cup to Philadelphia ... but I am all in for a Eastern Conference win, so goooooooo Bruins! They win the Cup in six games. 4-2 Bruins.

Playoffs Daily | SF Game 6 | May 10th, 2011

Are you the same as me? Do you dislike the way we are winding down to the finals and have less and less games to look forward to? I am already starting to feel the hockey deprivation symptoms setting in ...

[Nucks-Pred] 2-1. Nucks close out series 4-2. Well, at least one of my predictions was on the money ;) ... the Nucks started off with two good goals in the first period. Although I must say that the Preds' D looked a bit weak there. Leaving D. Sedin on his own in front of the goal? Hmm, bad idea. And again some hard work by Ryan Kesler. Along with Datsyuk of the Wings he must be the hardest working guy these Playoffs. Feel free to leave your own thoughts about this in the comments! Anyways, the Preds scored a bit of a lucky goal in the second period. Luongo let in a soft one there, but he was alright the rest of the game. The Nucks basically shut down the door and played a very defensive third period and the Preds just had no answer to it. So grats to all you Nucks fans out there!

And I just mentioned Kesler. Hard worker, awesome player and of course someone like that will have to bear the brunt of hits and whatnot. It is amazing he could talk at all after last night's game.

Ouchies, banged up face. Poor guy! Look at that gash on his chin!