NHL Playoffs Round 3 Chart

The Conference finals are in full swing, and everything appears to be in order. The Penguins are heading into Philadelphia up two games to none, and the Detroit Red Wings are a game away from running the table on the Dallas Stars. It is at this time that my pick of Dallas in seven games seems a little ill advised, but I guess that's the risk you run going out on a limb like that. With everyone else picking the Wings I would look like a genius if the Stars took this one, but that's looking a little unlikely.

Actually, with everything unfolding pretty much exactly as was expected the big stories in hockey have been from matters outside of the playoffs. Well, except maybe Mike Ribeiro and Chris Osgood's attics following game two. Just recently the head coach of the San Jose Sharks Ron Wilson became the former head coach of the San Jose Sharks. This sets the score for an off-season that could be as much about signing free agents as it is about locking down a head coach. Along with the Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Florida Panthers are looking for someone to fill that spot behind the players on the bench. Also the Thrashers have to be looking for a coach to take over for GM Don Waddell who has assumed the duties since Bob Hartley has fired early in the season.

In my preview for the Eastern Conference Finals I mentioned how I didn't think everyone realized how big of a deal Kimmo Timonen's absence would be. Fire that, sniffing out a juicy storyline the hockey media are now painting the 33 year old defenseman as if he is a first ballot hall-of-famer. The guy is solid, but Versus answer to every Penguins goal is to question what would have been differently had Timonen been in the lineup. I'd say it's about time for everyone to calm down, but with the puck dropping in Philadelphia later this evening, I think we all know there is little hope of that.

Western Conference Final Prediction: Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Dallas Stars (5)

It's no secret, my doubt in the Detroit Red Wings. If you'll recall my 2nd round predictions, while I did have the Wings getting through the Avalanche, I mentioned the possibility of them falling apart in the Western Finals. But then they came out and played so strong they had me choosing my words carefully as I recapped the 2nd round.

The Stars shocked us upsetting the Sharks in the 2nd round, especially myself. San Jose had been my Western Conference pick all season long. It was closely fought, with four games heading to overtime, including the deciding game which took 4 overtimes for the Stars to eliminate the Sharks.

This match-up is going to be all about who can enforce their style of play on the series. If the play is more open and higher scoring, the Red Wings are going to have the advantage. However if the Stars can muck it up a bit, slowing it down and making the game close, they've shown they can win those games. Thus far these playoffs the officials have shown that they are willing to let teams slow the games down, so I've got to believe when it matters in this series they'll keep their whistles in the their pockets. Marty Turco is a top five goaltender in the league. Osgood has been playing well, but I'm not sure he holds out. All in all, I imagine this one will be close, but I've got the Stars in 7.

Playoff Predictions Chart: Round 2 Recap

- update: turns out Barry Melrose did make second round predictions, though they hid in a corner of the internet. Fret no longer, they have been found. Pierre and Milbury are still MIA.

If the second round the NHL playoffs have proven anything, it is this: the Philadelphia Flyers will not yield to the robot invasion. And for that matter, neither will the Dallas Stars. Perhaps you remember that following the first round of the playoffs we all looked on in awe as the NHL 08 simulation went a perfect 8 for 8. In the second round? Penguins over New York Rangers. Called it. Detroit Red Wings over Colorado Avalanche. Called it. But as for the other two series, the mighty machine has faltered. I have a hard time celebrating the Dallas one though, as no one else from our chart called for the Stars to move on. However, notching one in our column, Jes Golbez of Hockey Rants did correctly surmise the outcome of the Canadiens v. Flyers series. It still holds a lead on the rest of us, but one thing has be proven: The machine can be beaten. In the words of my comrades from The Pens Blog: do it.

Looking at the second round, I finished 2 for 4. After rambling on how I was too biased to make an accurate prediction for my Penguins series against the New York Rangers, I not only called it, but made the correct games prediction, and correctly predicted which games both teams would win. I have no problem taking credit where credit is due, and I was on my game with that one. I also got the Red Wings vs. Avalanche series right, although I don't think anyone was too thrown off by what went down in that one. The Wings are rolling. Does that mean I'm taking back my doubt about them struggling in the Conference Finals? Well I haven't put my predictions in pen yet, but they've made a strong case.

Minus Golbez's call as stated above, we all dropped the ball when it came to the Canadiens vs. Flyers and Sharks vs. Starks match-ups. Not taking anything away from Philadelphia, but I think if Carey Price plays like he can in that series, Montreal isn't breaking out their golf clubs yet. As for the Sharks elimination, I'm genuinely surprised we all missed that one. I'm sticking to the excuse that I was merely staying true to my preseason Cup picks. What's your guys excuse?

Before I end this post, and we say goodnight to the second round of the playoffs, let me just repeat one thing. Neither Barry Melrose, nor Pierre Milbury made second round predictions. These are supposed to be the ambassadors of our sport. Anyone who has caught some playoff games knows one thing when it comes to the league and their voes. It's not the product. But maybe it's the packaging.

Another Flyer Faces Suspension

According to ESPN sources coming out of Philadelphia, Flyers winger Riley Cote has been suspended 3 games for the elbow he threw at Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen in the final few minutes of a 4-1 loss.

Cote becomes the 5th Flyer to recieve a suspension this season, and it appears from comments coming from Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren that the NHL has issued a verbal warning to the organization.

Thus far this season the NHL has suspended Flyers players a total of 53 games, and the rest of the 29 franchise only 23 games.

When the Flyers are the center of discipline stories, they are orchestrated a return to contender status, sitting only half a game back from the Atlantic Division lead after finishing worst in the division last season.

Brett Hull Named Stars Co-GM

I scoffed when the New York Islanders named backup goalie Garth Snow GM. For me, the 'good old boys' mentality of hiring former players in front office positions has just never seemed to make much sense. It makes perfect sense for a former goalie to become a goalie coach, but a GM? That seems like a completely different skill set.

When the Islanders eccentric owner Charles Wang awarded Snow the GM position he made it a point to note how impressed he was with Snows technological approach. To me, that sounds like Snow either knows how to put together a Power Point presentation, or he won the company fantasy hockey pool.

But the scrambling Dallas Stars have one-upped the Isles. After sacking Doug Armstrong the Stars named former NHL great Brett Hull Co-GM. Now when it comes to Garth Snow, I just kind of assume that he's not the best guy for the job, but Brett Hull, I know he's not the best candidate for the job.

Prior to taking a position in the Stars franchise, Hull spent time as an TV analysis on NBC, where we were subjected to rants that left everyone wondering exactly how such a great individual hockey player could know so little about the sport as a whole. He called out Pittsburgh Penguins centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for not being on the ice enough, suggesting they should both be eating up 30 minutes a game.

Now as an NHL game is only 60 minutes long, and Crosby and Malkin were centering separate lines, not playing together outside of the power-play. This would leave somewhere near 6 minutes a game for the 3rd and 4th lines. In fact no forward averaged more than 25 minutes a game last season, and both Crosby and Malkin were in the top 25 centers in ice time.

And that's just one example, later during postseason coverage Brett Hull and guest commentator Don Cherry, of Hockey Night in Canada, shared moments in which each viewers hockey IQ was lowered at least 10 points. Hull and Cherry joined forces to inform the viewing public that all the problems in the NHL revolve around players who wear visors and the crack down on fights.

And now that very same man, with a whole month under his belt as a special adviser to hockey operations in Dallas, will be making critical decisions as the teams Co-GM.

If your a Stars fan, at least you can take some solace in the fact that Co-GMing with Hull will be Les Jackson, who has spent over 20 years working his way up the organization, including the last 7 as assistant GM. Sounds like the kind of guy that deserves the position, too bad for him he'll probably spent half his time explaining to Hull that Brenden Morrow can't skate 10 minute shifts, and no matter how good a defender Sergei Zubov might be, he can't start in net on Turco's night off.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Dallas Stars (6)

The Canucks vs. Stars match up will see two of the best goalies in the league, Marty Turco and Roberto Luongo going face to face. Both teams rely heavily on their goalies. The Stars top goal scorer, Jere Lehtiten netted only 26. Both teams finished the regular season with 217 goals, tying them for 21st in the league. This is a defensive match up, through and through. This is Turco's 3rd trip to the playoffs, but he hasn't made it past the first round in the last two. Roberto Luongo is making his post season debut. This one is a tough pick, I've got the Dallas Stars in 7.