Playoffs 2011 | Witchcrafting Revisited - Post SF | May 5th, 2011

{edit: totally forgot to post this one on May 5th, adding it now for future reference ;)}

After the Quarter Finals I had to redo part of my initial predictions. And had fun with those too. But I did not do to well! The Semi Finals were definitely a torture to watch! So how did I do?

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
[Caps vs Bolts] Yeah, did not see that one coming at all. Nor did Ovi. Never seen someone look so sad in a post-game interview. I felt like crying. But I think the Hockey Gods new. As I was writing my Whimsical Playoffs Predictions | Part Deux on April 28th, just as I posted the articled, huge thunder bolts lit up the sky and I edited the post back then, wondering I was wrong ... and boy was I ever!
My prediction: 4-2 Caps
Reality: 4-0 Bolts

[Flyers vs Bruins] - Not going to relive this one. I have written all I want to say at this stage the day after. We lost. Bruins swept us ... *sigh* ... I knew it would be a tough series ... but I was not ready for what really happened :) and The Coins were wrong on this one too.
My prediction: 4-2 Flyers
Reality: 4-0 Bruins


WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
[Nuck vs Preds] - Yeah, this one exactly the way I predicted, cool.
My prediction: 4-2 Nucks
Reality: 4-2 Nucks

[Sharks vs Red Wings] - This one hurt, as much, or maybe even a bit more than the Flyers loss.
My prediction: 4-1
Reality: 4-3

The result:
I called one right. But when I am right, I really am right ... called the number of games correctly as well ;)

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 ;)

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 | ECF Game 3 | May 20th, 2011

I caught myself saying 'we got the series lead' this morning when I saw that the Bruins had won Game 3. We?! I am not a Bruins fan, I just like them lol ... my excuse is that I often get really caught up in the spirit of the moment. And sticking with it. No worries Leafies & Flyers, still love you most. And the Wings! ;)

[Bruins-Bolts] 2-0. Bruins lead series 2-1. After a crazy Game 2, it was nice to have a bit of normalcy. Not that the game was any less entertaining. Even knowing the outcome it was fun to watch. In my opinion both teams played very well, but the Bolts - despite home ice advantage - lacked the usual spark and energy.

♦ 'Just' two goals. Merely a minute into the first period, Krejci scored on a smart feed by Lucic. The Bolts had no quick reply, so the Bruins settled into a well-played first period. Lots of control in front of the opponents net, smart puck movement, complemented by an excellent defence. They kept this up for the next two periods as well. Not saying the Bolts were playing a bad game. Not at all, their defence was solid as well, but the Bruins were simply better at it. The Bolts definitely had a hard time getting the puck anywhere near Tim Thomas and the Boston D-guys thwarted many an attempt as soon as the Bolts crossed the blue line. Anyways, the second goal was scored eight minutes into the third period by my new hero Ference (will never forget his epic gesture during the series versus the Habs) and that gave Timmie a bit more breathing space for the remainder of the game. In total the Bruins had 25 shots on goal and the Bolts a bit more with 31.

♦ Yay! Bergeron was back. Glad the mild concussion really was mild. But his presence was highly impactful. Great on the face-off (won 18 out of 28) and great at reading the game and feeding pucks to teammates. In the post-game interview a reporter asked how he was feeling about being involved in hits and he said he was ready for any hits and that he felt confident he would be alright

♦ In the post-game interview Timmeh commented that the last game was just crazy with the constant rushes and that this game was much more normal. So he had more control, which meant we got to see a less floppy Timmeh ;) ... plus he had an awesome spinorama save!

♦ And can I just point out that the Bruins D-guys, especially Chara and Seidenberg, are awesome? Both clocked nearly 29 minutes of ice time. That is some serious effort and they got a few shots on goal as well adding extra firepower to the offence ... I checked the Bolts' stats and no one on that squad was on ice that long

♦ Biggest hit? The 'other' Bergeron hit Krejci pretty hard with his shoulder. I am not going to say Krejci was blindsided, but he certainly did not see him coming as he was focusing on receiving the puck. M.A. Bergeron got booed for quite some time, although not necessarily deserved. Lets face it, Krejci should have kept his head up

♦ Was keeping an eye on Seguin. No heroics this game, but good solid play. Excellent

♦ No big skirmishes. After Ben Eager's antics last night during the Nucks-Sharks game, it was good to watch a game without the dramatics ;)

♦ Steven Stamkos with a beard? I hope the playoffs will finish soon for the Bolts so he can get rid off that abomination ;)

Bring on the next game!

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 3 & 4 | May 5th, 2011

If I had a less sunny disposition I would be very depressed this morning! I did not sleep well in general and waking up to a bunch of losses - from my point of view anyways - hardly gave me the morning start I was looking for ;) ... where to start? My first thought: What The Hell Is Going On?!?!

[Caps-Bolts] 3-5. Bolts sweep the series with 4-0. Wow, I never expected this. I dig the Bolts and I know they are a tough team to play but a 4-0 sweep is just amazing. Expected them to make things difficult for the Caps, but definitely had the Caps pegged as series winner. Looking at the games the Bolts did not even outplay the Caps, but somehow they managed to keep the edge and just win. Excellent result for them and their seventh win in a row these Playoffs. Can they keep it up in the Conference Finals? Let me close the chapter on the Caps with a long Ovi-quote: "I don't think we miss something. We have unbelievable team, great locker room, great atmosphere … but we just miss one opportunity to win one game and didn't bounce back. Again, it happened and we're going to see what is going to happen. This locker room is unbelievable. Everybody supports everybody. I hope this same team is going to be here next year." Yes, there is always next year! ;)

[Flyers-Bruins] 1-5. Bruins lead series 3-0. Well, I could totally cry over this result. But lets not go that far hahah. I watched the first fifteen minutes of this game, then I really had to get some sleep, but those two early goals were awesome from a Bruins perspective, but I was thinking "Lavi, chatting with Boosh is not going to save this game". Although admittedly Boosh did look a bit better after the chat - for the rest of the period anyways. And even the rest of my guys looked a bit less ruffled. But that lightning fast Bruins start put a dent in my confidence in the outcome of this game for sure. I tell you, waking up during the night, checking the NHL app nervously, seeing your team is behind 4-1, is not a lot of fun. Seeing the end result was 'only' 5-1 actually felt good :p ... I have DVR'ed this game and I will watch any Flyers game, a loss or not, but I might just skip this one. What do you guys think? Can someone please tell me if Sergei looked half-decent in goal? I hope that the powers that be will finally decide on an experienced and accomplished starter for next year. I am a total Sergei fan and I am positive he will continue to grow as a goalie next year and will be awesome for the Flyers ... but until he reaches that potential it would be great to have someone in net who is NOT Boosh and certainly not Leights. But it is unfair to blame the goalies for everything. I was not impressed by the rest either during the first period. Now, we know that last year we got back from that 3-0 series deficit, but can be do the same this year? I fear Game 4. If my guys show the sheer brilliance I know they possess I will be inclined to still believe. And for the love of all that is good, guys, do not allow the Bruins a full sweep! *worried*

[Sharks-Red Wings] 4-3. Sharks lead series 3-0. An OT win for the Sharks. The various reports I read are fuzzy about this one, I will have to see for myself to make any assumptions I suppose. But having Zetterberg and Datsyuk in the Three Star Selection to me reeks of an awesome game by the Wings, but somehow they just failed to win this one. If I manage to watch this game today I might add a bit more insights, but this it for now.

Hahah, writing this up is actually a bit of a downer for me.

*eats an apple and starts musing about the next round*

Playoffs Daily | SF Game 3 | May 4th, 2011

The state of the Caps is worrisome! Playing some great hockey, but just not scoring goals. Bolts are an interesting bunch though!

[Caps-Bolts] 3-4. Bolts lead series 3-0. Could it really happen? I suppose it could. The Caps might headed for a 4-0 series loss. It is a bit crazy. The Caps dominate yet they cannot seem to score enough goals to keep the Bolts at bay. Let me quote Knuble. I think he summarises it nicely: "They are uncanny when they want to get a goal. It's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'We know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is … it just leaves you flabbergasted." Kudos to the Bolts! Would not mind seeing the Caps win some games at least ...

Awww, poor Ovi!

[Nucks-Preds] 3-2. Nucks lead series 2-1. With the Hawks out of the way I do not really care what happens in this series. Nucks, Preds, all the same to me. Sorry Nucks and Preds fans!! Think I might be a bit biased towards the Nucks, so nice win for them. Ryan Kesler scored the OT, looks to me like that guy shows up when the Nucks need it most. Nucks and Preds fans, feel free to drop your opinion on this game in the comments :)

Tonight we have three games to look forward too. I for one hope my Flyers can put some pucks in the Bruins' net and win this game. The Caps head straight into their next game. Will it be over after tonight or will there still be a sparkle of hope for them? And time for the Wings to win a game in this series too!

Playoffs Daily | SF Game 2 | May 2nd, 2011

Hmm. What the hell is going on?! Both my series faves have failed to win and are now 2-0 behind in their respective series. Add to that that horrible Flyers game (for me anyways hahah) and my hockey weekend was not so great ;)

[Red Wings-Sharks] 2-1. Sharks lead series 2-0. Watched the second and third period and somehow the game did not pull me in. At least the Wings played better than in Game 1. And Datsyuk dazzled me a few times :D ... let me see. The Wings PPs were far from great again and the game was very even in many respects. I think the difference can be found in the Sharks' D ... look at the three stars: Niemi, White and Whallin. A goalie and 2 D-guys :)

[Bolts-Caps] 3-2. Bolts lead series 2-0. I was actually watching the rerun of this game as I was writing this up. It was a fun game to watch, but the Caps just were not not sharp enough in front of the Bolts' net and like so many other teams did not manage to capitalise on PP situations. But the same can be said for the Bolts. They did however make it 2-1 in the third and as the minutes were winding down I was ready to write this down as a 2-1 loss for the Caps. But leave it to Ovi to pull a stunt so it was awesome to see him score with just 68 seconds left on the clock! He is just such a beast out there on the ice! So it was OT time and it was a pitty that some asinine line changes by the Caps gave the Bolts the edge. But the Bolts' celebration when Lecavalier scored the OT goal was fun to watch. I just cannot hate the Bolts, they are a fun team :)

But boy, so far the Game 1s and 2s have wreaked havoc on my predictions. Hurry over to this place to see those:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved

And feel free to leave your own predictions in the comments :D

Playoffs Daily | SF Game 1 | April 30th, 2011

Last night we had Game 1 of the Semi-Finals for the Caps vs Bolts and Preds vs Wings. The good news is I finally caught some live Playoffs action again. The bad news is that I fell asleep during the second period of the Caps game lol.

[Bolts-Caps]  4-2. Bolts lead series 1-0. Well, I managed to watch some of it at least. It was enjoyable enough with two goals by the Caps and one by the Bolts. Only one of the Caps' goals got denied, so into first intermission the score was 1-1. I struggled through intermission and managed to watch a bit of the second period, even saw Eric Fehr score to really make it 2-1. All was good. But when I woke up the table had been turned and the Bolts had won. Good on them, but I really want the Caps to move on. Ovi made me laugh a bit during his post-game interview. He looked a bit down and said: "We didn't play our game. We, I think, played too cute (!!) and we take lots of penalties. And that cost us. Again, you know, it is over and we have to get ready for the next game." Cute!

[Red Wings-Sharks] 1-2. Sharks lead series 1-0. I woke up to see the Wings lead 1-0. Convinced they would win it, I went back to sleeping, but I just found out they lost. Coach Babcock said it all. He thought the Sharks were better and that they skated very well. He then went on to say that he thought the first period would be their worst, but alas, it was not the case. The Sharks dominated, the Wings took way too many penalties and as the coach put it: "You can't be in the penalty box and expect to survive." Very honest analysis, like it. But the way he was talking you would think nothing went right ;) ... it did take the Sharks an OT goal to win! Well hey, the Wings will reclaim their awesomeness in the next game.

And I need to spend some time on the topic of Sidney Crosby. I just came across an article on NHL.com and I was sad to read that he has had a bit of a setback and that it is unclear when he will return. He hopes to be back for the next season. Listen, Sid was for a long time my favourite guy to hate, but eversince he had the concussion and is struggling so hard to get back, I just cannot hate him. I feel sorry for him and I genuinly wish he will return quickly. We can list his annoying traits but in the end he is an amazing hockey player and I want to see him do his thing again. I can go back to hating on him when he gets back :)

For that full article you can visit the NHL page!
Crosby: Symptoms recurrent


Hurry over to this place to read my updated predictions:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved

Playoffs 2011 Predictions | Witchcrafting Part Deux | April 28th, 2011

My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Caps vs Bolts]
I had Caps versus Pens, but alas, the Pens got booted out. I like this match-up. I think we might be in for a few good games. But the Caps will get this one. 4-2 Caps. {edit: as I posted this, some huge thunder bolts lit up the sky, maybe I am wrong ...}

[Flyers vs Bruins]
I predicted this match-up, so no changes here. In my original predictions I said Sergei Bobrovksy would settle in nicely and beat Thomas. Since then we have seen Leighton and Boosh in net. We have seen Sergei in the press box. I am glad that mistake has been corrected. So Leights is apparently injured, I hope he stays the hell away from our goal. He has no business there. I can live with Boosh being the starter and I am happy Sergei is once again on the bench. Whew. With that out of the way, let me see. It will be the most physical series. Both teams have a similar style and I think that at the end of the series someone should post a video with all the hits. It might make a fine movie! Flyers are on a roll now I think and it will not be easy, but my guys will win 4-2.

[Caps vs Flyers]
Caps, I love you guys, but my Flyers will sail right past you. I just do not want to say 4-2 again. I think I will consult The Coins. Well, at least they agree with me the Flyers will win, but it will take a game more: 4-3 Flyers.

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
[Nucks vs Preds]
Had the Ducks here first. But the Preds ate my Duckling and are now in the Semi-Finals. I do not like it much. Yeah, I think the Nucks will make it. I just honestly do not think the Preds are a match for these guys. But as the Nucks like to make things tough on themselves I am going to say they are headed for another seven game series. 4-3 Nucks. No, I just cannot believe it. Not against the Preds. 4-2 Nucks.

[Sharks vs Red Wings]
Got this one right. Still no contest. Red Wings march through and quite easily too with lots of Datsyukian dekes. 4-1 Wings.

[Nucks vs Red Wings]
Ha! And now the Playoffs really are over for the Nucks. They are tired and the Wings will beat them in five games! Yeah! 4-1 Wings.

STANLEY CUP FINALS
[Flyers vs Red Wings]
My dream comes true. My Flyboys totally dominate and even Datsyuk cannot save the Wings. But good effort there! 4-2 FLYERS!!

Playoffs Daily | Game 7 | April 28th, 2011

I have missed another great hockey night. Almost weekend so I am hanging in there till my next live action hockey fix. Watched the Flyers game last night. It was amazing! But lets see what happened last night.

[Bruins-Habs] 4-3. Bruins win the series. Splendid!! Happy golfing Habs! But the Bruins sure gave themselves a heart attack by allowing that annoying Subban to score with just two minutes of regulation time to go. So yes, Nathan Horton would be the 1st star for saving the Bruins' asses in OT ... well done guys! Well, my Flyers will face the Bruins in the next round. I think we are up for an interesting series. Of course my guys will smother the Bruins ;)

[Bolts-Pens] 1-0. Bolts win the series. Well talk about embarrassing!! Pens lose on home ice. But I really thought the Pens would win this series. The Bolts had a good season, but not a particularly sparkly one, while the Pens showed some true dedication by doing very well without Sid and Malkin. So prediction-wise this is a setback, but on an emotial level: WHOOOOO GO HOME PENS! Great work Bolts, glad to see them in the next rounds. Versus the Caps. Well, no contest there if you ask me, Caps will clinch the series.

OK, now that the first round is over I will have to revisit my predictions and bring out The Coins to redo them. Will post that article later today. And should I feel bored I might do a little analysis of the old ones lol

Onto the next round! Today the Nucks are back, facing the Preds. Wonder what that historic first round win will do for the Preds!

Playoffs Daily | QF Game 6 | April 26th, 2011

Just two games last night. Too late for me to watch live, but as per usual I have recorded both games and I will be watching them when I get home. For now I just go with what I know based on the recaps and reviews.

[Pens-Bolts] 2-4. Series tied at 3-3. Whoa, another tighter than expected series. Although both teams are not surprised at all. Apparently both teams knew it was going to take seven games and perhaps a triple OT to settle the winner of this series. That is what Malone said anyways. Prediction-wise I would like to see the Pens win, but emotionally speaking: WAY TO GO BOLTS! lol

[Sharks-LA Kings]: 4-3. Sharks win series 4-2. Ha. For this series' prediction I literally flipped coins, because I just had no idea and frankly, did not care much either. The Coins predicted the Sharks would win the series 4-1. So The Coins were not perfect in their prediction, but they got the winning team right. I will be redoing my predictions after the first round, and might use The Coins :D

Some other musings ...
- Tonight my Flyers play their Game 7 and I feel very confident about this one. I just know they can do it
- Ha, according to a Facebook buddy, Leights was not at practice yesterday, Sergei was. Sounds like good news to me and I hope to see Sergei on the bench for Game 7
- I was psyched when the Steegster moved from my Leafs to my Flyers ... I thought he would fit in better with the Flyers. But after a while this feeling that I was wrong crept up on me. Until Game 6. He worked hard and looked pretty awesome. Typical Playoffs guy? Or did things finally click?

If you care to, check my original Whimsical Playoffs Predictions here:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions

Playoffs Daily | QF Game 5 | April 24th, 2011

Guys, Summer has arrived early in the Netherlands! Easter Weekend is proving to be perfect weather-wise and my weekend could have been even more perfect if I could get my hockey fix! I am however staying at my parents' place and they do not have ESPN America. Which makes sense because they do not care about American Sports at all ;) ... so instead of watching a few fun games last night, I had to follow the games through the NHL BlackBerry applet. But that is OK, at least I knew what was going on and I have DVR'ed all the games ESPN aired yesterday for future viewing. So what happened last night?

[Bolts-Pens] 8-2. Pens still lead series 3-2. So I could not watch this game, but watching the score go up and up and up for the Bolts on the NHL BlackBerry applet was wild enough. At 5-0 I thought OK, good going Bolts. At 7-0 I started to feel sorry for the Pens. Can you believe it? For my predictions I still need the Pens to win, but cannot help feeling joy seeing them lose to the Bolts like this ;)

[Rangers-Caps] 1-3. Caps clinch series win with an excellent 4-1 result. Caps did what they had to do and rather deftly disposed of the Rags. Feel like I can stop calling them Rangers ;) Only glitch: why did the Caps allow a goal in the final seconds? By the way, I just impressed myself. I predicted a 4-1 Caps series win lol ... at least got one right in terms of numbers ;) ... Oh yeah. BYE BYE RAGS! Hahah, glad you are gone!

[Habs-Bruins] 1-2. Bruins now lead series 3-2. Timmmeeeeeeh! The Vezina Trophy is yours buddy! I have yet to see the game and believe me, I am happy it is waiting for me on my DVR. But the NHL report, the tweets and the FB posts all point in one direction: one hell of a memorable game! Will probably add an {edit} once I have seen it. I love a good hockey game (ok, who does not?) and even more so if it leads to a Habs defeat ;)

[Kings-Sharks] 3-1. Sharks lead series 3-2. OK, The Coins were predicting this one perfectly till this game. The predicted 4-1 is out of the window now, but The Coins are still in the running for predicting the series winner and if they get that right I might use the coins to redo my Semi Finals predictions ;)

Tonight my Flyers are playing to stay in the running. And the Ducklings are in the same situation. The Nucks. Hmm. What do you guys think? Will they pick up speed again, or will they let the Hawks smother them and tie the series?

If you care, check my original Whimsical Playoffs Predictions here:
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions