2011 Stanley Cup Finals

So it's Vancouver vs. Boston in the Stanley Cup finals -- not Vancouver vs. Tampa Bay, as I predicted. This makes me 8-6 overall in series predictions, and I continue to be pathetic with my East series picks, now 2-5. Not that the Lightning didn't try. They forced a 7th game in Boston and it was scoreless into the third period of that last game. The fact that the Bruins won that game 1-0 made the ComcastNBCUniversalVersus conglomerate happy, because they'll draw better ratings numbers with the Boston market (as opposed to Boston Market) involved.

But my pick is Vancouver. Why? (Besides the fact that they're a Western team and my picks involving the West have been so much better?)  Because they finally look like they're living up to their potential after dispatching San Jose in 5 games in the Western Conference finals. Because I think they're the deeper team. Because I think Roberto Luongo is still a better goaltender than Tim Thomas. Because I can't stand the thought of yet another championship for the city of Boston. And because if the Canucks don't win this year, Canada -- which hasn't had a Cup winner since 1993 -- may never win a Cup again, even with the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg and becoming Canada's seventh NHL team. Canucks in 6.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals

Welcome back to this year's edition of "Joe Throws Darts at Hockey Teams," also known as my predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs. I got the Western Conference perfectly in the last round (Canucks in 6, Sharks in 7). My Eastern Conference picks (Flyers in 6, Capitals in 6) crashed and burned, as the two top seeds were both swept. So I'm 7-5 overall -- but only 2-4 in the East series, featuring the teams I actually see most often. Familiarity breeds stupidity? Now, to the NHL's final four...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning - Both teams had to rally to win their first-round series and swept through the second round. Both teams have been sitting around for over a week thanks to their sweeps. I'm not sure this gives either team a particular advantage. It might make for a sloppy start, if the teams have to shake off the rust. Boston is the better team, and should win. Then again, Tampa Bay has already defeated Pittsburgh and Washington. Plus, I apparently know nothing about the Eastern Conference, so I'm going with the upset. Take this with a few thousand grains of salt. Lightning in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (2) San Jose Sharks - These two teams, both with reputations as playoff underachievers in recent years, are apparently going to spend this series trying to give the other team the series. The Canucks blew a 3-0 lead in the first round before finishing off Chicago in Game 7. The Sharks followed the same pattern in the second round against Detroit. Both teams had trouble in their other matchup as well before winning in 6 (Vancouver over Nashville, San Jose over Los Angeles). Because of this, what should be an excellent series might be a very weird one. Canucks in 7.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinals

I didn't do too badly with my first-round predictions. Canucks in 7, Bruins in 7, Sharks in 6, Capitals in 5 -- perfect. Red Wings won in 4 instead of 5. Close enough. And although the Lightning did win in 7 over Pittsburgh, I did say that I was concerned about the Penguins if Sidney Crosby didn't play. He didn't. Pittsburgh had a 3-1 series lead, though, and then fell apart. I had Anaheim over Nashville in 6, but the Predators won. (I still don't think they're going to the finals, though.) And then there was the Flyers-Sabres series, in which Ryan Miller stole one game from the Flyers and Brian Boucher basically gave away another one. Of the other five games, the Flyers won four of them even with some of the weirdest goaltending twists and turns I've ever seen.

So, 5-3 in the first round. As for the next round (which begins tonight for one series and Saturday for the Flyers)...

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (5) Nashville Predators - The top regular-season team nearly had a meltdown for the ages in the first round before finally finishing off the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks in the 7th game. They should be able to handle Nashville with a little less difficulty. Canucks in 6.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings - Does it seem these teams meet every year in the playoffs? They were matched up in this round last year and the Sharks won in 5. But last year the Wings' first round was a tough 7-game series over Detroit. This year they mopped the floor with the former (and future?) Winnipeg Jets, so they'll put up a better fight against San Jose, but... Sharks in 7.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning - I think the Capitals may finally be ready to make a serious Cup run. There were moments in the first round where it seemed that they would fall apart and make an early exit again, but here they are. Capitals in 6.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins - Another series that's a rematch from last year, and we all remember how that turned out... I underestimated the Flyers after their lazy finish to the regular season. They were solid against Buffalo throughout that series, and were an absolute machine in the clinching Game 7. And Chris Pronger's presence gave a jump to their power play. Despite the goalie issues (again)... Flyers in 6.

Flyers' 09-10 schedule includes Winter Classic

Every year there's one day when a team officially releases its schedule for the upcoming season. Today was that day for the Flyers and the rest of the National Hockey League. The biggest news of the day was the official announcement that the Flyers will play the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park (a baseball park, for those who may not know) in the 2010 Winter Classic, the league's new showcase event, on New Year's Day. This will be the third year that the NHL will take a game outdoors for January 1st; the first two were hugely successful.

I always like to look at the road schedule in particular, because if the Flyers are playing in a particular location and I have friends there (or just if it's not far away, such as Newark, NJ, where the New Jersey Devils play in a new arena that's right next to the Amtrak station) , I think about how fun it would be to visit them and see the game. (I do this for the Phillies and Eagles as well.) Of course, this is all a huge fantasy right now because of a lack of money.

So here's the list of road games I'll be seeing if I should win the Poweball lottery between now and October:

At Boston: Dec. 14, Jan. 1
At Buffalo: Nov. 6, Mar. 5
At Dallas: Mar. 18
At Minnesota: Feb. 6
At Nashville: Mar. 16
At New Jersey: Oct. 3, Dec. 12, Feb. 10
At Ottawa: Jan. 3, Mar. 23
At NY Islanders: Nov. 25, Dec. 27, Apr. 1
At NY Rangers: Dec. 30, Mar. 14, Apr. 9
At Phoenix: Nov. 21
At San Jose: Nov. 20
At Toronto: Jan. 14, Apr. 6
At Washington: Oct. 27, Jan. 17

In case I don't win a huge jackpot, the following are highly encouraged ;-) to send me plane tickets:

• anyone from a location listed above who knows me
  
• anyone from a location I didn't list because I've somehow forgotten you
• anyone living in any location who doesn't know me but would like to
• anyone else.

I think that covers everyone. ;-)