Quick look at my NHL 1st Round Picks

I honestly haven’t been watching too much of the actual games, but I have been following all of the outcomes. 

Buffalo vs NY Islanders… I picked Buffalo, and like the good psychic I am I picked the winner.  The Sabers wrapped it up last night taking the series four games to one.  Granted, you didn’t have to be a psychic to pick this one… I was shocked the Islanders managed to win even a single game.

New Jersey vs Tampa Bay… I picked New Jersey.  Last night Martin Brodeur pitched a shut out to give the Devils a three games to two lead.  I figured Marty would just stand on his head and put the Bolts away, but he has been less than his usual goalie godlike self.  Some credit has to go to Tampa’s forwards who are playing like madmen.  I was scared for a bit when Tampa was winning two games to one, but Brodeur brought Jesey back to life, and I still see the Devils taking this one.

Atlanta vs NY Rangers… I picked Atlanta, even though I knew New York was going to win.  I did manage to watch some of these games and I really felt sorry for the two or three actual Atlanta Thrashers fans.  Their team rolled over and played dead.  The Rangers (damn them to hell!) swept the series four games to none.

Ottawa vs Pittsburgh… I picked Pittsburgh.  Again I picked with my heart instead of my head.  I knew the Penguins were outmatched in this one but I was hoping for another in a long line of monumental play-off collapses by Ottawa.  The monumental collapse might still happen, but it didn’t happen in the first round.  Ottawa won the series four games to one.

So to sum up the Eastern Conference, I picked one out of three with one series left to go.  Not a very good record for me.

Go West young man!

Detroit vs Calgary… I picked Calgary.  I said I could smell the Detroit choke coming… and then they easily won the first two games.  But wait a second, Calgary came back to win games three and four!  The Detroit choke is coming around nicely!  Go Flames!

Anaheim vs Minnesota… I picked Anaheim to win it quickly.  They did, four games to one.  I was actually expecting it to go even faster than that.  I thought this would be a first round sweep.  Some how Minnesota managed to steal a game.  I consider that slightly miraculous.

Vancouver vs Dallas… I picked Vancouver.  This has turned out to be a good series.  Dallas’ Marty Turco is trying to shake off his reputation as a play-off underachiever, and Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo (formerly of the Lowell Lock Monsters, thank you very much) is trying to prove that he’s more than a regular season star.  Three of these games have gone to overtime.  Game one went all the way into the fourth overtime period.  I’m glad to say that the Canucks are up three games to two right now, but this could still go either way.  I’m sticking with Vancouver though.  I’ve come to believe that Marty Turco really is a play-off underachiever, and the Canucks will take advantage of him and win the series.

Nashville vs San Jose… I picked San Jose.  Nashville is a hell of a team, and last night the Sharks put them away four games to one.  Nashville may be a great team, but in the last two weeks San Jose was just better.  I’m still rooting for San Jose to win it all.

So to sum up the West, I’m two for two with two series to go.  I feel a little better now.

All totaled up, I’ve picked three out of five with three series left to go.  I’m over 50%.  I’ll take that!