Habs in trouble...

Was it Begin's fault or did the referee make an unfair call? Probably a bit of both. Begin's hit was late, and served no purpose. On the other hand, the Flyers got away with murder, as usual, for most of the game. Whichever way you want to look at it, the Flyers are up 3-1 heading back to the Bell Center. The Habs will have their backs to the wall and with the home crowd behind them, they will surely play their hearts out. Can they win 3 games in a row though? Well, let's face it...they've out played Philadelphia in every game this series, they just can't solve Biron. If they can do that, they can still win the series. They need to get more traffic in front of him and stop shooting from the outside so much. And most importantly, they need to score first.

The question now becomes...do they start Price, or Halak? You have to go with Price. The season is on the line and he's the goalie of the future, and the current number one. If they don't play him for this game, what message does that send him?


Also, just a reminder...head over and check out My Hockey Forum to discuss the NHL playoffs and the upcoming off season, and check out My Baseball Forum to join a fantastic baseball community.

Habs vs Flyers: The War of Words Begins...

Why does it always seem that Philadelphia boasts three things? -- great steak sandwiches, dirty sports teams, and obnoxious fans. This is a team that garnered the most suspensions out of any team in the entire NHL this season. This is a franchise that would be proud of a team that never won a game as long as they won every fight.

So you can understand why I found it so funny that the Flyers, of all teams, were whining and crying about Tom Kostopolous' punch after they began to laugh at the Habs after scoring their fourth goal of the game.

Without a doubt, tonight's game 3 will be fiery and with the obnoxious, bloodthirsty Philadelphia fans, it might resemble the Coliseum in Rome more than a hockey rink.

My prediction: Habs win 4-1.

NHL Playoffs: Round 2 Predictions

Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers
This should be an interesting series. Both teams just played 7 tough games. The difference is, the Habs have an extra days rest and home ice advantage. Price was playing like a man possessed in game 7, and the Canadiens defeated the Flyers in all four meetings during the regular season. But, as the Bruins taught the Habs, once the playoffs start, past victories are out the window. Still, the deck is stacked against the Flyers, and with a slow defense and a crowd that's going to be all over Briere, it's tough to go with anyone but the Habs.

Habs in 5.


Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers
Boy, this is gonna be the one to watch in round two. It's so hard to pick a winner. You know Avery is going to be all over Crosby and Fleury. The Rangers are the better all around team, but the Penguins have so much talent that you cane never count them out. It's going to come down to who wants it more, and I have to go with the Rangers on that one. Still, it's going to be a long, hard series.

Rangers in 7.


Detroit Red Wings vs Colorado Avalanche
This used to be an amazing rivalry. Some of the best hockey I've ever seen played was when these two teams met in the conference finals a few years ago. I'd love to see the Avs go right to the finals, but the Red Wings have been coming together lately. The big question for them will be goaltending. Is Hasek still capable of leading a team to the show? Time will tell. I still have to go with the Wings in this series.

Red Wings in 6.

San Jose Sharks vs Dallas Stars
This series will be just as interesting as the Rangers and Penguins over in the East. The Stars have more talent, but the Sharks have more grit. This is going to be another long, hard fought series. The Sharks just went into the mouth of hell and did battle with the Flames, but how much do they have left? The Stars, on the other hand, have the benefit of a few extra night's rest, so they should come out flying. I picked the Sharks to go straight to the finals, so I won't waver.

Sharks in 7.

What are your predictions?

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A great place to talk baseball...

I recently came across a great baseball forum. It's brand new but it already has a steady stream of new members pouring in daily. I'm finding the community to be very welcoming and knowledgeable...something that's pretty rare in sports communities these days.

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The Avery Rule

Oh, Sean Avery, what will you come up with next? For those that haven't seen what he did, here you go...



The NHL has now instituted the "Avery Rule" and from now on a 2 minute penalty will be called for those kinds of antics.

What are your thoughts on this?

NHL's Greatest Goals, Hits, and Moments

Cool video!

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Playoff Series Analysis: Washinton vs Philadelphia

VS

SEASON SERIES:
Flyers win 2-1-1

Statistical keys to the series (Courtesy of TSN.ca)

- Washington ranked 10th in the league on the power play, with an 18.8% success rate. Philadelphia ranked second at 21.8%.

- Washington ranked 25th in the league in penalty killing, with an 80.5% success rate. Philadelphia ranked 10th at 83.2%.

- Washington tied for fifth in the league with 31.0 shots on goal per game.

- Washington's Alexander Ovechin led the league with 65 goals.

- Washington's Alexander Ovechkin led the league with 112 points.

- Washington's Alexander Ovechkin led the league with 22 power play goals.

- Philadelphia's Mike Richards tied for third in the league with 5 shorthanded goals.

- Washington's Alexander Ovechkin led the league with 11 game-winning goals.

- Alexander Ovechkin (220), Matt Cooke (198) and Milan Jurcina (151) are the Capitals' leading hitters. Cooke's totals include stats with Vancouver.

- Jason Smith (142), Scott Hartnell (110) and Mike Richards (110) are the Flyers' leading hitters.

- David Steckel is the Capitals' top face-off man -- 56.3%.

- Jim Dowd is the Flyers' top face-off man -- 53.8%.

- Nicklas Backstrom led the Capitals with six points in four games against the Flyers this year.

- Scottie Upshall led the Flyers with five points in four games against the Capitals this year.

- Washington's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Alexander Ovechkin 5:40
Michael Nylander 5:14
Mike Green 4:41
Alexander Semin 4:28
Nicklas Backstrom 4:02
Sergei Fedorov 3:54
* - Fedorov's numbers include stats with Columbus.

- Philadelphia's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Kimmo Timonen 4:56
Mike Richards 4:52
Daniel Briere 4:51
Simon Gagne 4:37
Mike Knuble 4:28
Joffrey Lupul 3:38

- Washington's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Boyd Gordon 4:00
Tom Poti 3:49
David Steckel 3:46
Shaone Morissonn 3:25
Jeff Schultz 3:10
Quintin Laing 2:50

- Philadelphia's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Derian Hatcher 3:54
Mike Richards 3:17
Kimmo Timonen 3:09
Jason Smith 2:54
Jaroslav Modry 2:43
R.J. Umberger 2:34
- Modry's numbers include stats with Los Angeles.

Ovechkin is a hell of a guy to have to handle. The Capitals hopes rest squarely on his shoulders. While Huet has been hot ever since the trade that sent him from Montreal to Washington, as any Habs fan will tell you, you can't rely on him to steal you a series. Having said that, if any team can shut down Alex the Great, it might just be the Philadelphia Flyers. With a reputation for being just a little rough around the edges, maybe even, dare I say it...dirty, the Flyers could have the secret ingredient to success against Washington.

Remember the World Junior Championships a couple of years ago? Crosby's Team Canada vs Ovechkin's Team Russia. How did Canada handle him? They pounded him into the boards until he left the game with a shoulder injury. Now, he's matured a lot since then, and no one will ever knock him for his physical play, but if the Flyers made a concerted effort to rough Ovechkin up, it may be their best shot at advancing.

Ovechkin can single handedly win games, but it remains to be seen if he can single handedly win a series.


X-FACTOR'S PREDICTION: Philadelphia in 6.

Playoff Series Analysis: Pittsburgh vs Ottawa

VS

SEASON SERIES:
Ottawa wins 3-0-1

Statistical keys to the series (Courtesy of TSN.ca):

- Pittsburgh ranked fourth in the league on the power play, with a 20.4% success rate. Ottawa ranked 12th at 18.3%.

- Pittsburgh ranked 23rd in the league in penalty killing, with an 81.0% success rate. Ottawa ranked 22nd at 81.0%.

- Ottawa ranked first in the league with 3.15 goals per game.

- Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin ranked fourth in the league with 47 goals.

- Ottawa's Dany Heatley ranked third in the league with a plus-33 rating.

- Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin tied for fourth in the league with 17 power play goals.

- Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson tied for the league lead with seven shorthanded goals.

- Brooks Orpik (239), Ryan Malone (138) and Jarkko Ruutu (134) are the Penguins' leading hitters.

- Mike Fisher (234), Chris Neil (204) and Christoph Schubert (187) are the Senators' leading hitters.

- Sidney Crosby is the Penguins' top face-off man -- 51.4%.

- Antoine Vermette is the Senators' top face-off man -- 56.7%.

- Ryan Malone led the Penguins with six points in four games against the Senators this year.

- Jason Spezza led the Senators with eight points in four games against the Penguins this year.

- Pittsburgh's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Sergei Gonchar 5:38
Ryan Whitney 5:14
Sidney Crosby 5:12
Evgeni Malkin 5:01
Marian Hossa 4:33
Petr Sykora 3:53
* - Hossa's numbers include stats with Atlanta.
- Ottawa's leaders in power play ice time (per game):
Dany Heatley 4:27
Jason Spezza 4:20
Daniel Alfredsson 4:18
Cory Stillman 4:07
Wade Redden 3:48
Mike Fisher 2:53
* - Stillman's numbers include stats with Carolina.

- Pittsburgh's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Hall Gill 4:27
Mark Eaton 4:12
Sergei Gonchar 3:52
Jordan Staal 3:27
Adam Hall 3:15
Rob Scuderi 3:14
* - Gill's numbers include stats with Toronto.

- Ottawa's leaders in penalty killing ice time (per game):
Chris Phillips 4:32
Anton Volchenkov 4:16
Chris Kelly 3:47
Antoine Vermette 3:39
Mike Commodore 3:00
Mike Fisher 2:53
- Commodore's numbers include stats with Carolina.

This one seems like a foregone conclusion, but it was only one year ago that Ottawa was in the Stanley Cup final -- and favored to win, even. But a year later, they were lucky to even make the playoffs. After one of the best starts in NHL history, the Senators completely fell apart. Amidst the Ray Emery controversy, the Sens plummeted, posting a sub .500 winning percentage since Christmas. On top of the lack of confidence in their play, the Sens are missing captain Daniel Alfredsson, and gritty forward Mike Fisher.

On the other hand, the Penguins are firing from all cylinders, just barely missing out on first place in the Eastern Conference after dropping a game to the Flyers on Sunday afternoon. Some have speculated that they may have thrown the game so that they could face Ottawa in round one. Well, they certainly got their wish. With Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Hossa, and a plethora of others in their lineup, they more than match up with Ottawa's top line, which is missing perhaps its most important member.

Ottawa will give it their best shot, but there's just no way they can handle the surging Penguins.

X-FACTOR'S PREDICTION: Pittsburgh in 4.