NHL free agency started on July 1st and it was much more active than I first thought. With the initial rush mostly over and most teams looking forward to training camp, I figured now would be a good time to review some of the moves that were made.

I’ll refrain from using the terms “winners” or “losers” right now because nobody will really know that until the season is played out. If someone were to write a winners and losers column a year ago, I’m sure the Red Wings would’ve been the winners for signing Marian Hossa and Pittsburgh the losers for letting him go…how did that work out again? So with that thinking in mind, I’m just going to give my two cents on some of the deals (and only some of the teams) that took place during draft day and during the signing period. We’ll just have to revisit this column after next season to see how accurate I was (or wasn’t).

Anaheim

- I like what Anaheim has done so far. Signing Saku Koivu to a modest one year deal to play with friend Teemu Selanne should work out well. Trading Chris Pronger away as he headed into the last year of his deal was a good move. They got a very good return from Philadelphia out of an expiring contract so instead of losing him for nothing or getting next to nothing for him at the trade deadline, they maximized their return during the off-season. Very nice. If I were the GM, my next move would be trying to move J.S. Giguere and his $6 million dollar cap hit, then sign Jonas Hiller to a long term extension.

Atlanta

- Unless the words “contraction” or “relocation” are involved, I highly doubt I’ll be excited about Atlanta hockey. They have a chance to lock up Ilya Kovalchuk as he heads into the final year of his deal, but realistically they should be looking at trading him and getting something for nothing. I’d be very surprised if he re-signs with the Thrashers. Granted he would be getting a big pay day, but one would think he would actually like to win at some point in his career (and play in front of more than 128 fans per night).

Buffalo

- I would’ve liked the Sabres to have been slightly more active, but I didn’t expect it. I hear a ton of bashing by hockey fans about how the Sabres are so cheap and they just let everyone go. I’d like to mention that the players they have let go (Briere, Drury, Campbell, McKee) all have busted with their new team, or they are very close to busting in Campbell’s case. It’s almost as if the Sabres knew these guys weren’t worth that much money and decided to bite the bullet. Sure they took their hits at the time, but they are looking pretty smart right now. I could sit here all afternoon and rattle off some of the dumb contracts that were handed out this summer. I’ll take a cheap team any day to a team throwing $4 million dollars down the drain per season to drag Nik Antropov on the ice and have him act like he gives a damn.

Now that I’m done ranting, I can talk about what the Sabres actually did do so far. One area they had to address was blue line toughness and they did just that by signing Steve Montador. I was highly in favor of this move before free agency started so I was quite pleased when they announced the deal. If they were to acquire another defenseman and move Henrik Tallinder and/or Toni Lydman I’d chalk this up as a successful off-season. That will be a tough sell though and I don’t see it happening. Re-signing Matt Ellis doesn’t exactly excite me either. There has to be another move made before the season starts.

Losing Jaroslav Spacek hurts on the offensive side, but I really could care less. I said prior to free agency that I would only want him staying in Buffalo if he took a pay cut and it was evident from the start he wouldn’t do that. After seeing what Montreal paid for him, I’m very happy the Sabres didn’t offer a similar deal. Sure they will have to replace his 45 points, but that is where players like Chris Butler and Andrej Sekera will come into play.

Regardless, they were only two points out of the playoffs and most likely missed out on those points when Ryan Miller was out. Miller will be back and he’ll have some more attitude protecting him this time around (or so I hope). If he stays healthy next season, I see post-season hockey in Buffalo’s future. Then again, Scott Gomez is now in their division so all bets are off.

Calgary

--Written By: Devin Dombrowski --

One round down, three more to go. For the teams involved, four wins down and twelve more to glory. Before getting to my picks for round two, I’d like to discuss the first round for a little bit.

1. Welcome to the playoffs Columbus. You have a stud rookie goalie who could possibly win both the Calder Trophy and the Vezina Trophy, but none of that mattered once the second season started. The only thing I could think of when pondering the first post-season appearance in Columbus franchise history was how much it resembled Elaine dancing on “Seinfeld”. It was a nice effort but to everyone else watching, an epic disaster. Hopefully they have more playoff appearances in the future, and hopefully they actually win a game or two next time.

2. Happy 100th season Montreal! This season could potentially be classified as a natural disaster up in Montreal. I mean, I know they limped into the playoffs and definitely weren’t deserving of any playoff glory, but I thought they would at least put up a fight against Boston. This is one of their most hated rivals. Just one year ago the top seeded Canadiens were given all they could handle by the 8th seeded Bruins, couldn’t the Habs have at least returned the favor and looked like they cared? I think the only thing worse than missing the playoffs is getting swept in the first round. Embarrassing.

3. Want to win in the playoffs? Here is your key: goaltending. It’s the reason teams like Philly, Montreal, San Jose and St Louis are going home early. Nothing against their respective goaltenders, but goaltenders are the players that absolutely have to turn it up a notch once the playoffs start. It’s the reason a little seventh seeded team like the Rangers can put up such a fight against Washington (and I covered this very exact scenario in my first round picks). Despite losing in the first round and somewhat struggling, if the match-up stays Lundqvist vs. Theodore, the Rangers are moving on and not the Caps. It’s the reason why Buffalo would’ve at least put up a fight against Boston and it’s definitely the reason why the Pens went to the Finals last season (and have a great shot again this year).

4. Can we PLEASE stop with this trend of having the home crowd dress the same? PLEASE?? I’m not going to pick on crowds in Washington and Pittsburgh (the two cities where I first noticed the trend this year) because Buffalo has been guilty of this in the past as well. I’m going to pick on all crowds guilty of this trend, regardless of what city it is in. This goes for the NBA too. Nothing screams “Amateur Hour” more than this trend. Why can’t the fans just wear shirts, jerseys and related team merchandise while rooting on their team like a bunch of rabid jackals? Why do we have to hand out matching shirts and to create this illusion on television? It’s embarrassing. It started with the real fans getting priced out by corporate greed, and now we’re giving those wagon hoppers identical shirts to give this idea to the home viewer that the crowd is “crazy” and “die-hard”. I can see this for a fan base like the Carolina Hurricanes since they could easily change their team name to the Carolina Bandwagons, but please… the real fans aren’t falling for this. STOP IT ALREADY! (Ok, I’m done ranting).

5. San Jose…whoa there buddy. I mentioned in my first round picks that we’ve seen this before but that this year will be different. I guess you can count me in with the rest of the idiots who thought this year was going to be different. Once a choke artist, always a choke artist. For as bad as I’ve seen fans of other teams react (ahem Buffalo), I can only imagine what San Jose fans must be feeling right now.

6. Finally, here are the standings through the first round in our pick contest. Each person received five points for picking the series winner and an extra five points if they picked the number of games correctly.

Chuck: 35 Points (Boston, Pittsburgh in 6, Detroit in 4, Carolina, Washington)
Scott: 30 Points (Boston, Pittsburgh in 6, Detroit, Washington in 7)
Devin: 25 Points (Boston, Detroit, Vancouver, Chicago, Washington)
Brian: 20 Points (Boston in 4, Detroit, Carolina)

And now on to the picks for round two:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs Anaheim Ducks (8)

Luckily I’m not a fan of Detroit because this series would scare the crap out of me if I were. Remember the 2002-03 season when Anaheim came out of nowhere to take the Western Conference crown before losing to New Jersey in seven games? Few things to note:

1. Mike Babcock was the coach of that Ducks team and he is now… the coach of the Red Wings.
2. The Ducks were a 7 seed that year and swept Detroit in the first round.

This year’s Ducks remind me exactly like that team. Maybe it’s because nobody expected them to make it past the first round, maybe it’s because they are being led by a relatively unknown goaltender, I haven’t decided just yet. One thing for sure, Detroit better bring their best game or they’ll be joining San Jose on the golf course soon.

I thought Detroit would struggle a bit more with Columbus than they did. If Detroit has one glaring weakness, it’s goaltending. Combine that with the fact that Columbus was led by rookie sensation Steve Mason, I figured Columbus could steal a game or two. Granted the Jackets almost took game four as Osgood returned to form, the Wings still found a way to score more. I don’t think Detroit will be as lucky in the second round. One could argue that Mason suffered through some playoff jitters, but Jonas Hiller definitely won’t be. He already shut down the President’s Trophy winners, so I doubt he’ll care that Detroit racked up 295 goals during the regular season (3.6 goals a game).

I still can’t bring myself to pick Anaheim though. For weeks leading up to the playoffs, Detroit was my pick to repeat as the Stanley Cup Champs and I can’t change that on the fly just because of one gigantic upset. Detroit has been through the playoff grind plenty of times so they will be ready to play and not rattled by huge expectations. San Jose on the other hand…they seem rattled in every game that isn’t on the regular season schedule.

My Pick: Detroit in 6

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs Chicago Blackhawks (4)

This series has the makings of being a classic seven game slugfest. At first glance, I’d give the advantage to Vancouver because they have been the hotter team down the stretch, they have great goaltending and they dusted off the St Louis Blues like they were a minor league team. However, the Blackhawks will be much tougher competition. Not only are they are better overall team than St Louis, they have a Stanley Cup champion between the pipes. Never underestimate that experience when games are being played in May and June.

My pick in the Vancouver/St Louis series was almost dead on. In fact, my pick for the ‘Hawks was equally as close. In both series, I missed the prediction by one single game and I was the only person out of our pick group to even pick the winner for both series. If I lose this prediction contest, you can point to those two series where I left 10 points on the table.

It’s important when picking games to not over think a match-up. So for that reason alone, I’m going with the Canucks. Like I said in the first paragraph, my gut says Vancouver. Rather than sitting here and analyzing stats, I’m going with my first impression and hoping it pays off.

My Pick: Vancouver in 7

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins (1) vs Carolina Hurricanes (6)

Boston has had a very long layoff after dusting away Montreal which could affect them in the first game, but I don’t see it being a very big problem afterwards. With San Jose out of the way, Boston is the highest seeded team remaining which means they will have home-ice throughout the remainder of the playoffs.

The fact that Carolina is in the second round both surprises me and enrages me. If there has ever been a luckier team in the NHL, I’ve yet to see it. Twice in the series they pulled a game out when it was just about over. To give credit where credit is due, I applaud the effort of the team to not give up and to pull it out. But to think that Carolina will keep getting these lucky bounces against a far superior team, well that is just borderline crazy.

It should be interesting to see if the Hurricanes “fans” can actually sell these games out. I’m 100% positive if I were in the area I could easily get tickets on game day. I still haven’t figured out why the organization hasn’t just given up with this charade of saying what great fans they have and start covering seats up like they do in Jacksonville. Nobody is falling for it.

I’m picking Boston to win this series for a few reasons:

1. Boston is the better team
2. Boston defense > Carolina Defense
3. Tim Thomas > Cam Ward
4. I hate Carolina

My Pick: Boston in 6

Washington Capitals (2) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

Oh boy. I’m sure when Gary Bettman saw this match-up he wet himself. This is the absolute dream match-up that the NHL has been wishing for since Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin came into the league. This is so big that ESPN might even start Sportscenter with hockey highlights for the first time in the network’s history.

I’ve said it a million times so what does one more time hurt… goaltending wins above all in the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury absolutely saved Pittsburgh in the first round. If it weren’t for him, they might not have advanced. Then again, the Flyers were trotting Martin Biron out so who knows. I talked in my first round predictions about how Jose Theodore could be the downfall for Washington and it took only one game for that to come true. Now Washington has Simeon Varlamov in net and he has looked very solid so far. I only had the pleasure of watching him once in the regular season and I wasn’t very impressed. Regardless, he came into a pressure packed situation and helped Washington get rid of the annoying Rangers. (Has there ever been a better scene than a dejected Sean Avery sitting on the bench with his head down at the end of Game 7?)

Despite what all the media will tell you, this series is going to come down to more than just Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin. So please, don’t fall for the media hype. It’s going to be a great series between two very good teams. I wouldn’t be shocked if the winner of this series advanced to the Finals, along with the winner of the Detroit/Anaheim series. I have to admit, Fleury knows when to turn it on and I don’t see this series being any different.

(Side Note: Remember my article a few months ago about how Ovechkin should be the face of the league and not Crosby? The very same that was chastised because the NHL wouldn't want a cocky Russian being the face of the league (as opposed to a whiny crybaby who jumps people with the same testicular fortitude of a 14 year old girl). Well look who is being nominated for the Hart Trophy this year? Crosby? Nope. It's not a coincedence. Crosby isn't even the best player on his own team, let alone the entire league. Can we finally lay this discussion down to rest? Thanks.)

When a series is very close, there has to be a few defining factors that pushes the winning team over the edge. Since I’ve been watching the NHL playoffs, these factors have been A) Goaltending B) Playoff Experience C) Luck D) Injuries. Here is how I see this series breaking down according to those factors.

Goaltending: Pittsburgh > Washington
Playoff Experience: Pittsburgh > Washington
Luck: Pittsburgh > Washington
Injuries: Pittsburgh = Washington

My Pick: Pittsburgh in 7

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--Written By: Scott Lunn –-

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes

Boston tore through Montreal like a team on an absolute mission and earned themselves a little break between rounds. I'm not always sure that's a good thing however as it can certainly kill off any momentum a team has, and in this case, Carolina will bring a good deal in after taking out New Jersey in the final minute of a Game 7. If you ignore that aspect and simply look at ability alone, Boston is certainly the superior team. Personally, I think Carolina's luck is due to run out at this point. They scraped by against New Jersey, at one point blowing a 3 goal lead and getting a lucky bounce off a skate that ended up in the net with .2 seconds left on the clock to win one game. If the Devils win that game in OT instead, the series is as good as over. Then they win Game 7 by scraping together two goals in the last 1:20, a simply epic meltdown by the Devils. Boston is a much more physical team and will wear the Hurricanes out in this series. The only chance for Carolina is if Cam Ward catches absolute fire and can't be beat. But hey, at least those "Caniacs" get a few more chances to actually sell out a playoff game...

Boston in 5

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #4 Pittsburgh Penguins

The Capitals came out sluggish against the Rangers in their first round series and looked destined for an early exit, that is until their big guns came alive and lead them to win the last 3 games of the series. Ovechkin and Semin have started putting the puck in the net, and that's a scary trend for any opponent. In the NHL's wet dream, Pittsburgh dispatched of Philly with relative ease and set up the Ovechkin vs. Crosby/Malkin series that was made for VS. The Penguins didn't really have much trouble with Philly, though the series did go 6 games. Marc Andre Fleury was kind of up and down in this series though, and that has to concern Penguins fans. On the other hand, Malkin and Crosby combined for 17 points in those 6 games, which has to be reassuring. At any rate, the firepower is going to be unleashed between these two teams and it's going to come down to who can steal a game at the goalie position. Simeon Varlamov stepped in after Game 1 for the Caps and played fantastically, allowing only 1.17 goals against on average and showing almost no signs of pressure as a rookie in his first playoff action. I think he gets tested a little more in this series though. I expect a high scoring series and I expect to be absolutely sick and tired of hearing about 3 certain guys from the announce crews in short order.

Pittsburgh in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #8 Anaheim Ducks

Detroit scored 18 goals in just 4 games while dispatching of Columbus with relative ease and making goalie Chris Mason look like the rookie he is, despite a magnificent season. Meanwhile, they only gave up 7 goals in the series, 5 of which came in Game 4. The Red Wings power play is an absolutely scary thing to deal with and Anaheim better plan on not taking many penalties if they want to survive this series. The possible weak link in the armor for Detroit is Chris Osgood, who again, looked good until Game 4, but he doesn't appear to be 100% healthy and missed some fairly routine plays in that last game. Perhaps the time off between series will have helped him however. Anaheim is a team nobody really wants to face right now either. The Ducks took out the top seeded Sharks (who are making playoff choke jobs an art form these days) in 6 games. Goalie Jonas Hiller (who???) looked fantastic throughout and has a 1.65 GAA so far to show for it. As Devin pointed out the other day, and I had the very same thought myself, this Ducks team looks very much like the one that came out of nowhere to win the Cup behind the play of goaltender J.S. Giguere 2 years ago. Hiller is hot as can be and the Ducks are coming into this series with a lot of momentum on their side. I look for Detroit to stumble early because of this and their lengthy layoff and have to play catchup against the Ducks. Ultimately, I think the Red Wings simply have too much fire power to be beaten at this stage however, but the Ducks are going to put up a fight.

Detroit in 6

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #4 Chicago Blackhawks

My clear upset pick of St. Louis to win in the first round was obviously a foolish one, and I should be kicked for picking against Roberto Luongo. The Canucks had no real trouble at all in getting rid of the Blues in just 4 games. Luongo only allowed 5 goals in the 4 games and currently leads all net minders with a 1.16 GAA in the playoffs. The Sedin twins lead the way for Vancouver's offense, combining for 9 points in the series, though it's certainly not the offense you have to worry about when playing Vancouver. Chicago won it's first playoff series since 1996 by out battling the Calgary Flames in 6 games. This series was a very hard fought one and I was blown away by some of the physical play I saw. There is no doubt that the West is a much more physical conference. Everybody finishes their checks and it's amazing that some people walked away after the hits I saw. The Blackhawks are full of youth and energy and that ultimately seemed to propel them to the 2nd round. Khabibulin didn't look overly impressive in the net, but Chicago found plenty of offense to make up for it. 6 different players had 6 or more points in the series, lead by Kris Versteeg with 7. Patrick Sharp, Martin Havlat, and Cam Barker each chipped in with 3 goals and 3 assists apiece. So ultimatley this series would appear to be offense vs. defense, and I'm going to give the nod to great goaltending almost every time. I learned my lesson from the first round, and in Luongo I now trust!

Vancouver in 6

On Wednesday night, the most difficult quest for a Championship will begin. With no further introduction needed, here are my picks for the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose Sharks (1) vs Anaheim Ducks (8)

The Sharks are coming off an impressive regular season which netted them the President’s Trophy after finishing with a 53-18-11 record, including 32-5-4 at home. However, we’ve seen this show before. For the past several seasons the Sharks have had a very solid season, only to fall far short of the Stanley Cup once the playoffs start.

The Ducks finished off a wildly inconsistent season where they squeezed into the playoffs finishing two points above ninth place Minnesota. The Ducks finished the season going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and finished with a better road record than home for the regular season.

I still don’t see those factors being enough to allow Anaheim to pull off the first round upset. San Jose has the better overall team, more consistent goaltending and they have been on a mission all season to be the best team in the league.

My Prediction: San Jose in 6 games

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (7)

I’ve said this before, but Detroit is a franchise that I’m quite envious of. Despite having a salary cap after the lockout, Detroit has maintained their dominance and continued to win consistently. After winning the Stanley Cup last season, Detroit only went out and picked up Marian Hossa who chipped in 40 goals and 31 assists. I think if Detroit has one glaring weakness, its goaltending; however Chris Osgood seems to have a second gear that kicks in once the playoffs start. It will be interesting to see if he struggles since Dave Babcock has shown he is willing to make the switch between the pipes, much like he did last year.

Columbus has been a good story this season and they’ve earned their first playoff berth in franchise history. Rookie goaltender Steve Mason has been absolutely amazing going 33-20-7 with a solid 10 shutouts. There should be an all out conspiracy theory started if he doesn’t win both the Calder trophy and the Vezina this summer.

The Jackets will provide a good fight for Detroit, but ultimately I don’t see them winning this series. A lot of playoff match-ups come down to experience and Detroit has an overwhelming advantage in that category. I was going to predict this series ending in very few games, but Detroit has shown some slow starts in the first round before kicking it up so I’m taking that trend into consideration.

My Prediction: Detroit in 6 games

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs St Louis Blues (6)

As stated several times in my NHL rankings, the Canucks heated up in the second half and were easily one of the best teams in the league. They finished the season winning three in a row to net them a division title and home ice in the first round finishing just two points ahead of Calgary.

The Blues were on the verge of missing the playoffs one week ago, but instead of fading away, they turned it up a notch and took control of their own destiny. They finished 8-1-1 in their last 10 including a 1-0 shutout on the final day of the season which would’ve been the difference between facing the Canucks and facing the Sharks in the first round.

Both teams have been hot down the stretch and this should be an excellent match-up. I think when considering a series like this, there has to be one factor that stands out above all when making a prediction. In this series, it has to be goaltending. This is no knock on the Blues goaltending situation, but Roberto Luongo is one of the few goalies that falls into that “elite” category, and he will be the difference this spring for Vancouver.

My Prediction: Vancouver in 5 games

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs Calgary Flames (5)

The Blackhawks finished off an impressive regular season which saw them eclipse the 100 point plateau for the first time since I stopped purchasing cassette tapes and listening to them in my walkman. Chicago finds themselves in the interesting situation of technically finishing with the third most points in the conference, but receiving the fourth seed due to division winners. This is a situation that Buffalo found themselves in back in 2005-06 when they fell 20 minutes short of going to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Calgary really flamed out during the stretch (pun intended). They finished the regular season with a solid home record of 27-10-4 but they went 19-20-2 on the road, which will be their downfall in the first round. I really expected more during the season from Calgary, but they let me down much like “Yes Man” did after viewing it this weekend. I have very little confidence in them making a run. I realize that if Miika Kiprusoff can get hot it will be the difference, but right now I just can’t pick Calgary until they prove it to me.

I think if Calgary had somehow won the division and this was a match-up between Chicago and Vancouver, I’d be picking the Canucks in a short series. There is something about Chicago that I don’t quite trust. However, they aren’t playing Vancouver and therefore will win their series in the first round.

My Prediction: Chicago in 7 games

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins (1) vs Montreal Canadiens (8)

It’s funny how one season can change so much, but change so little. At this time last year, we were faced with picking between the top seeded Canadiens and the upstart Bruins, who just squeaked into the playoffs. The series ended up going a full seven games before Montreal pulled it out, only to choke it away in the second round.

This season it has been Boston who has pretty much reigned supreme in the Eastern Conference. If these two teams were a concert series, Montreal would’ve been that summer tour that was supposed to be the best, but instead ended up being some Skid Row tribute band that toured the clubs in North Dakota, while Boston was Ozzfest from the early 2000’s (before Sharon Osbourne ruined another good thing).

Most of the games between these two teams were close this season, so despite the large difference in team play throughout the regular season, I think the series could end up being close. Boston should prevail and it would be an epic disaster if they were upset in the first round, however I don’t see it happening.

My Prediction: Boston in 7 games

Washington Capitals (2) vs New York Rangers (7)

I have no idea what to make of this series. Washington has definitely earned the second seed in the East, but they don’t strike me as that elite team like San Jose, Detroit or even Boston. There is just something about the Caps that tells me they will fall flat on their face in the playoffs.

I think it has to be their lack of solid goaltending. Comparing Jose Theodore and Henrik Lundqvist is like comparing Winger to AC/DC. Having an elite goalie like Lundqvist definitely puts the Rangers in good shape for the first round upset. Combine that with playoff hero Chris Drury, goalie assassin Scott Gomez and the biggest pest in the league Sean Avery, and you can definitely make a case for the Rangers.

Despite their lack of solid goaltending, the Capitals finished the season with a goal differential of +27 goals compared to -8 for the Rangers. That is my main reason in picking Washington. Alexander Ovechkin is one of the few players in the league that most teams must fear heading into a playoff series and I’m sure he wants to prove himself in the post-season since that is the one category that Sidney Crosby has over him.

My Prediction: Washington in 6 games

New Jersey Devils (3) vs Carolina Hurricanes (6)

This has to be the most uninteresting, most boring series for the entire league. Not only do I have zero interest in either team, but I think its going to put most of America to sleep before the second period even starts.

The Hurricanes finished the season on a tear before getting shellacked by Buffalo on Thursday night and then finished it off with a loss to…the Devils!! Ok, maybe I shouldn’t be so excited by that, but something has to spice this series up.

My Prediction: New Jersey in 4 games

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs Philadelphia Flyers (5)

This is one of the most intriguing match-ups in my opinion. These two teams are very evenly matched and this has the potential of being a very high scoring series. Both teams finished the season with exactly the same amount of points and goals scored, but the Penguins had one more win in the standings which gives them the extra home game (if needed).

Before I started writing this, I was leaning towards the angle of saying how inconsistent the Flyers goaltending situation is with Martin Biron between the pipes. Then I looked at the goal differential of Pittsburgh (25) and Philadelphia (26) and my decision only became that much harder.

Pittsburgh pretty much owned Philadelphia this regular season when it came to head to head games, so my pick is pretty obvious in this close series.

My Prediction: Philadelphia in 7 games

As a transplanted fan, it's become a necessity for me to journey to opposing team's buildings in order to see my favorite team play. It's an odd feeling the first time, but after 3 years I've become rather used to it and I've begun to notice some interesting traits in opposing fans. In the past week I've had the fortune of attending NHL games in both the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. as well as the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina to see my beloved Buffalo Sabres take the ice. The differences between the two arenas and fan bases are rather interesting from my perspective.

Now, it's only fair to mention that I live right outside of Raleigh and have been to multiple games since moving here, so I've seen a whole lot more of the Hurricanes "faithful" as compared to those in D.C. The Verizon Center was an interesting place, located right downtown, so you're essentially forced to take the Metro in to the game, and there is a stop conveniently located right below the arena. The arena itself was fairly nice, but I'm one of those people that believe sports venues should be for sports and not try to be anything more than that. This building obviously was not geared for people like me. With full bars, restaurants, and some attempt at art on the walls, it was definitely more focused on aesthetics than what I'm used to. I suppose some of those modern amenities might be required to attract people to games in a city with so much to do.

As for the game itself, as usual, a great number of Buffalo fans made themselves present and were vocal as is always the case. Capitals fans represented themselves nicely as well however, getting loud and staying loud at key times throughout a back and forth game. The game was an exciting one, eventually heading to overtime tied at 4 each. The Sabres would end up pulling out the win in the extra period as Jason Pominville scored the game winner. It made for a Happy Birthday for myself and was a good start to a fun weekend in the nation's capital. Despite the thousands of Sabres fans in attendance and the fact that the Capitals had lost, there was almost no negative interaction between the fans that I noticed. If only this could be the case everywhere. After all, it is just a game, and regardless of your fanhood, there is no need to get ugly with others based on the result of a sporting event.

Now Carolina Hurricanes games on the other hand, that's a very different story. Again, my opinion is surely a bit slanted since I've witnessed this for 6 games over the course of 3 years, but so called "Caniacs" have proven themselves to me as aggravating to say the least. Now of course, this doesn't apply to the entire fan base, there are plenty of very good, cordial fans, and some that could be even called die hards. This seems to be the exception more than the rule to me however. The story of this so called rivalry goes back to a time shortly before I moved to the area. The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs saw the Sabres face the Canes in the Eastern Conference Finals, a season which most Sabres fans finally thought was their year to win the Cup. Due to that fact, an extra large contingency of Buffalo fans made the trip down to Raleigh for one of the games in that series. Hurricanes fans will tell you that the Sabres fans were some of the most obnoxious, trouble causing folks on the face of the planet, while Buffalo fans of course say they were just being their usual passionate selves, something Carolina fans were not accustomed to. Again, I wasn't there, so I can't fairly assess what happened, but I'm sure it's a bit of both.

At any rate, Sabres fans had gained a reputation as the "worst" in the league in the area and have been hated ever since. I think beyond the alleged incidents during the playoffs in '06, it's more about the fact that every single time the Sabres play in Raleigh, there are several thousand Sabres fans in attendance, and we are in fact, a very vocal group. Folks in Buffalo have little to do beyond follow their sports teams with a feverish passion, which is clear when you look at the general lack of success both the Sabres and Bills have had, but their continued ability to sell out games on a regular basis. This area happens to be home to a great many Western New York transplants such as myself, and collectively, we rarely pass up an opportunity to see our favorite teams in person. Simply put, Hurricanes fans don't know what to do when 5 or 6 thousand Buffalo fans show up on their home turf and tend to make more noise than they do. This results in an obvious vitriol towards the Sabres faithful at every turn.

The larger problem is that the "Caniacs" in general are still rather clueless when it comes to hockey. Again, I'll reiterate that I'm not talking about every single fan, but certainly the majority of them. Granted, a certain amount of "homerism" is quite expected at any sporting event, but I've never seen anything close to the level of what goes on at the RBC Center on a regular basis. Despite their team being in this state for 11 seasons now, Hurricanes fans still don't seem to have a grasp for the rulebook. Any call against their team is obviously incorrect and somehow every hit made by the opposition deserves a penalty. Sure, I disagree with the officials from time to time, but I also have they ability to understand the game and realize when my team did something illegal, or when the other team made a nice clean hit on somebody. At the game I attended last night, I heard such gems as "stop using your hands, this isn't volleyball" when anybody that has watched the sport in the least would realize that short of closing your hand over a loose puck or purposefully passing the puck to a teammate via your hand is rather legal.

Just over midway through the game, the penalties were Buffalo - 0, Carolina - 1, and at the time the Sabres were up 4-0. The Hurricanes basically stopped skating and started taking bad penalties, yet in the fan's eyes, this was obviously a conspiracy. Even calls that don't require any real judgement (too many men on the ice, delay of game for firing the puck over the glass in their own end) drew chants of "Ref you suck!". This is annoying enough on it's own, but it doesn't even come close to ending there. I've never seen a fan base spend so much time concerning itself with the opposing fans rather than cheering on their own team. I always hear far more "Go Home Buffalo" chants in response to the Sabres' fans yelling "Let's Go Buffalo" and plenty of people yelling negative remarks about the Sabres rather than simply focusing on their own team and trying to encourage them. Now it's been a long time since I've been to a home game in Buffalo, but I don't recall the fans there acting this way, and that was only reinforced while in D.C. Caps fans cheered on their team, they didn't bother focusing on the opponents. Another shining example of the brilliance of the Hurricanes' fans came when down 1-0, they started heckling the Buffalo goaltender with "Miller... Miller... Miller... YOU SUCK!) chants. Generally these are reserved for times when a goalie has given up several goals and your team is easily in the lead. Did I mention that the Sabres were up 5-0 and chased Carolina's staring goaltender Cam Ward from the net in the middle of the 2nd period?

Furthermore, "Caniacs" in general are extremely fair weather, bandwagon fans... and at times they can't even get that right. Going into last night, Carolina had one 12 straight home games, and 9 straight overall. It was also fan appreciation night and their final home game of the regular season. The puck dropped at 7pm and there were still tickets available as of 5pm. Attendance was listed at 18,513, 98.8% of capacity, but I can assure you there were far more empty seats than that. This was the hottest team in the league over the past month, storming into the playoffs, and they can't even fill their arena for their last home game. This boggles my mind completely. Don't forget that a good 4 or 5 thousand of those people last night were Sabres fans too. Still it beats two years ago when craigslist was flooded with tickets at the end of the season for dirt cheap because the team was going to miss out on the playoffs, just a year after winning the Stanley Cup. And before you dismiss my opinion as biased, check out this page, which documents the changes in attendance from the first half of this season to the 2nd. Clearly the Hurricanes attendance boosted significantly late in the season when they went on a run. Now of course, winning breeds fans, that's obvious. However, look at traditionally hockey cities and there is little to no change, because they are close or at capacity all year long.

I realize this article has turned into a Canes bashing fest, but I feel the point needs to be made. I eternally hear how bad Sabres fans are (I swear they thing we eat babies) and how much trouble we cause. Even friends of my wife will say to me upon meeting me that they're surprised at what a nice, normal person I am considering I'm a Sabres fan, and how they refuse to attend games against Buffalo because they fear for their safety. Yet, I've been verbally assaulted (a certain amount of trash talk is expected of course), had things thrown at me, etc. when I've attended games at the RBC Center, and generally speaking have seen a lot more Hurricanes fans starting trouble than Sabres fans.

Now, getting back to the main point of this article, attending a game at an opposing team's venue can be a very interesting experience and lets you gain a unique perspective. This completely depends on the situation, location, etc. however. I journeyed to Jacksonville last year to see the Buffalo Bills play the Jaguars and had a good time, tailgating amongst fellow Bills fans and getting to see Buffalo win. Jaguars fans are a very sad sight however, as I easily obtained tickets below face value and several sections of the stadium were completely tarped off, so as to avoid blackout rules. Keep in mind this was a team expected to be bound for the playoffs at the start of the season and this was Week 2. At any rate, those of you from a rabid fan base, don't take for granted what you have, many teams can't muster half as good of a following regardless of their success. If you get the chance to hit the road and see your team on enemy turf, go for it, but make sure you observe everything around you. It will likely make you that much more happy to be part of a serious group of fans that are truly devoted to their team.

Here we go. This is the final week in the NHL regular season and by this time next week; both myself and Scott will be making our playoff picks. This is just a reminder that for anybody else that wants to participate, e-mail those picks in once the seeding is completed.

I love this time of the season, although I’d love it more if my team was going to make the playoffs. Then again, they still can, but we’ll know more after tonight. I doubt anybody has any kind of interest in this particular race, but I’m thinking that if Buffalo can beat Detroit tonight (unlikely) and Toronto on Wednesday (very likely), they will be tied with both Florida and the Rangers if both of those teams lost on Tuesday (likely). Therefore, they would all be tied with two games remaining for each. Buffalo faces Carolina on Thursday, so it isn’t looking very good for them, but anything can happen. The Sabres do have tie-breakers over both Florida and New York, so if all three are tied by Thursday, Buffalo would simply have to win out to gain a spot in the playoffs.

On a lighter note, I wanted to do something a little different since this is the final set of rankings for the season. In honor of the latest Guitar Hero game to be released and their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction, I wanted to do these rankings with a little flavor of the Metallica, my all-time favorite band.

Master of Puppets Division

- This is the division that is by far the most elite division. You know when you’re facing any of these three teams; you’re going to be getting their best effort for a whole 60 minutes. You would have to go a long ways to find a weak spot on any of these rosters.

1. San Jose Sharks (1) – The Sharks remain in the driver’s seat for the top spot overall, but it is a very slim margin. They have a three point lead on Boston with three games remaining on their schedule, while Boston has four games. In the final week, San Jose faces Colorado, Phoenix and Los Angeles. In other words, they should win out and claim the President’s Trophy.

2. Boston Bruins (2) – Boston seems to have found themselves again after a little slide a few weeks ago. They have won six in a row and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. They face Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo and the NY Islanders this week. The game against the Canadiens could potentially be a playoff preview if Montreal slips to the eighth spot, although I highly doubt that.

3. Detroit Red Wings (3) – The Red Wings ended a three game losing streak last night against Minnesota and now face Buffalo tonight in a game that could very well determine the Sabres season. The Wings have their division locked up so this week will just be their final tune-up before the playoffs start. They have Buffalo, Nashville, and two games against Chicago to wrap up the regular season.

Kill ‘Em All Division

- This division is close to being the top division, but each team is lacking just a little bit compared to those above. Overall each team hits you with power and you fear what they can do on the ice.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (6) – Carolina literally went from a team that most had missing the playoffs, to a team that might have home ice for the first round. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games have three more remaining this week against the NY Islanders, Buffalo and New Jersey. Unless something dramatic takes place this week, it looks like it could be Carolina and Philly in the first round, with home ice being decided this week. They are currently tied in points but Philly has a game in hand.

5. Washington Capitals (9) – If there is one downfall to Washington, it’s their goaltending. It’s been shaky at times and will need to be much better heading into the playoffs. With that being said, the Caps can sure put points on the board when they want to. The Caps face Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Florida to wind down the regular season.

Ride The Lightning Division

- This division is very close to the Kill ‘Em all division, but it’s not quite there. They have the pieces in place for most of the roster, but when push comes to shove, would lose out to those teams listed above.

6. New Jersey Devils (5) – The Devils are a curious bunch. I had them at number one for several weeks before they started to go on an extended losing streak. After watching them this past weekend, I’m not sure where to put them. Sure, Martin Brodeur can do enough to win them some games, but overall, I wasn’t very impressed. They have won their last two games and face Toronto, Ottawa and Carolina to end the season. They should win two of those three games, but if they win all three that will be some good momentum heading into the playoffs.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins (7) – Ohhhhh Pittsburgh. On those rare occasions when I want the Pens to win, they still find a way to screw me over. With the Sabres trailing both the Rangers and Panthers in the standings, I figured the Panthers would lose yesterday against Pittsburgh and keep the gap at two points. I guess that is what I get for counting on a team that wears black and canary yellow. The Pens can pretty much coast through this week with games against the Lightning, Islanders and Canadiens.

8. Chicago Blackhawks (13) – Chicago is turning this around just at the right time. They have won their last three games and have four more before the regular season is over. They have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, so now it is just a matter of where they finish. All four games have playoff implications, well maybe not the last two, with games against Nashville, Columbus and two against Detroit.

9. Vancouver Canucks (4) – Vancouver is slipping and sliding one week after I had them in the top five. They only have one point in their last three games and only have three more remaining. They are currently tied with Calgary for the division lead, with one less game remaining, so each game is going to be extremely important. Starting things off will be a game against those Flames, then Los Angeles and finally Colorado. If they lose to Calgary I’d put my money on the Flames winning the division.

…And Justice For All Division

- There is just something about this division that is missing. Maybe where this album lacked a good strong bass sound, the Flyers miss out on that elite goaltending and the Flames miss out on consistent play from the entire roster. They have the potential to make a run, but the odds aren’t in their favor.

10. Philadelphia Flyers (8) – The Flyers still control their own destiny for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but with the way Carolina is playing they might have to win out. Speaking from the standpoint of a Buffalo fan, I sure do hope they win out. They face the Panthers, Rangers, Islanders and Rangers again to end the season.

11. Calgary Flames (10) – As mentioned above, the Flames are tied with the Canucks for the division lead, with the Flames having an extra game in hand. They face the Kings tonight and then the Canucks tomorrow night. If they win both of those games, that would pretty much seal the deal for them. Afterwards they have a home and home with the Oilers to end the regular season.

Metallica (Black Album) Division

- This division represents the teams that look good at first glance, but have some major glaring holes to fill. They haven’t been nearly as consistent all season as they’ve shown lately, and that recipe usually results in an early exit from the playoffs.

12. Columbus Blue Jackets (11) – The Blue Jackets haven’t been playing their best hockey in the past week, but still remain in control for a playoff spot. Of course, anything can happen, and if Columbus slips up down the stretch they will be on the outside looking in. They face Chicago, St Louis and Minnesota this week.

13. Montreal Canadiens (NR) – Montreal came along at just the right time and it appears as if they will definitely make the playoffs now. The Canadiens could still get a higher seed, but they currently sit in the seventh spot. They have Ottawa, NY Rangers, Boston and Pittsburgh coming up. It will be a good test to see how playoff ready this team is, with me rooting heavily for them against the Rangers.

Death Magnetic Division

- This division represents the teams that seem to be gaining that killer instinct, but it just isn’t quite there. It’s like they have tasted that success before falling off, and seem to have righted the ship at just the right time.

14. Anaheim Ducks (NR) – The Ducks are anything but a sure thing with only two games remaining. With everyone else out West having at least three games, there will be a lot of scoreboard watching going on this week. They are facing two non playoff teams, so that much will work out for them with games against Dallas and Phoenix.