Thursday, October 25, 2007

Blades of Glory (NHL Round-up Week Three)

If you're looking for Week 8 NFL Picks, you can find them here. I thought yesterday was Thursday and I forget that tomorrow's Friday, not Saturday...oops...

Anyway.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia Flyers: Dunno what they're doing, but they're doing something right. Six and two in a probably underrated division is nothing to laugh at, which kind of sucks for us Devils fans...

New York Islanders: Will someone please tell these dudes that just because the Red Sox are in the World Series does not mean it is the 1980s all over again?

Pittsburgh Penguins: More or less where they should be, except they got the wrong teams in front of them and the wrong teams behind.

New Jersey Devils: It's a slow start and Brodeur's high GAA is worrying, though a portion of that, no doubt, is the Devils' lack of defense. However, they finally play their first home game on Saturday, and, my guess is, at .500 or better before I go home for Thanksgiving.

New York Rangers: Pardon me while I point and laugh. Dude, you are tied for fewest amount of wins in the league, and, uh, you lost to Atlanta, an 0-6 team. I thought you were supposed to be good?


Ottawa Senators: 8-1 with the highest PK percentage in the eastern conference? Got my vote for the best team right now. It's gratifying to see a Canadian team do well...but of all the Canadian teams, Ottawa might be the one I least want to do well. Oops.

Boston Bruins: Funny seeing these guys up here, I know, but apparently the Sox and Pats and Celtics have teamed up together to rub off on these guys.

Montreal Canadians: What's this? Another Canadian team above .500? Yay! Maybe the Maurice Richard movie is benefiting team morale?

Toronto Maple Leafs: 37 goals scored? Good. 42 goals given up? Bad. Please understand that the basic rule of hockey is to score more goals than your opponent.

Buffalo Sabres: I know having 80 degree weather in late October in upstate New York is whacked out, but c'mon. You guys play indoors.


Carolina Hurricanes: Maybe the most underrated team in the East. Apparently hockey works better in the South than baseball. Who wudda thunk it?

Tampa Bay Lightning: Get yourself another line and then we'll talk.

Washington Capitals: I ran into a bunch of Caps fans down in Maryland. You're starting to depress them by fading...

Florida Panthers: Like the Jets and Miami, you guys will never have to worry as long as the Thrashers are playing in your division.

Atlanta Thrashers: A couple years ago the Devils beat you lot 9-0. Why am I thinking that we'll see such a score with you lot at the wrong end of it before the season's over this time around?


Western Conference

Detroit Red Wings
: Again, did you honestly expect them anywhere else? There's a good reason Detroit's a hockey town.

St. Louis Blues: 91% PK usually does a team good. Too early to tell if the team is for real for real or just off to a quick start, but should be interesting to watch.

Chicago Blackhawks: Odd to see them up here, but well done. Anyway, the 3-3 record at home isn't a good sign; generally you want to make sure you win all of your home games.

Columbus Blue Jackets: You keep playing like junior high kids, I'll start treating you like them. C'mon, just ask your Minnesota brethren: winning can be fun!

Nashville Predators: Whoever thought it'd be a good idea to give Atlanta a run for their money was...uh...wrong. Very, very wrong.


Minnesota Wild: It's really gratifying to see a team do so well in a city where the sport means so much, like when the Yankees win in New York or the Cowboys (ycch!) in Dallas or whathaveyou.

Calgary Flames: Back where they belong.

Colorado Avalanche: Ok, I give you this week cos everyone cares about the Rockies right now, but when the Rockies win it all (or not), try to start winning, okies?

Vancouver Cancucks: You lot are better than this.

Edmonton Oilers: You lot are WAY better than this.


San Jose Sharks: 1-2 at home and 4-1 on the road? Who do you think you are? The Devils circa 1999?

Dallas Stars: Will probably overtake San Jose. Who would have thought hockey would be a hit in Texas?

Anaheim Mighty Ducks: Uh, aren't you lot supposed to, like, be defending the cup? What good are Niedermeyers if you don't defend?

Los Angeles Kings: Well if you try hard enough, maybe you'll be good enough to overtake that other SoCal team?

Phoenix Coyotes: Guess deserts and hockey don't mix.



Back after Game 2 with postgame notes. In the meantime, I've got a costume to finish and a few books to read.

7 comments:

  1. Oh no you didn't? You did NOT just compare my Islanders to the hated Boston Red Sox did you? J/K

    Seriously though, after years of losing it's been a nice few years seeing the Islanders be competitive. Now if they can just knock the Devils off FSN so that all the Islanders games aren't on FSN2 I'd be happy. ;-)

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  2. Haha!

    The 80s must have SUCKED for us Yankees/Devils/Nets/Jets fans!

    (just be glad you get to watch the Islanders. Here it's MSG and FSN but Islanders only.)

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  3. It sucked for me too. I was too young to follow the Isles during their cup years and didn't get cable until the 90's. The Yankees always just missed the playoffs and the Jets had a few scant good years.

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  4. Becca, it's good that you posted the Rangers/Devils stuff before tonight's game.

    Now, my usual slow-starting Rangers are tied with your Devils with 7 points...

    Funny how one game changes things, even if it's minimal like tonight.

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  5. Brent: Of course, famous last words and all of that!

    But the Rangers have had home games. The Devils haven't.

    you try playing eight games on the road, and I mean hockey, not baseball!

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  6. i haven't followed hockey for a while. i liked the rangers growing up, but the last few years i finally realized that they are the hockey version of the knicks. i can't just abandon a team though. i never hated the devils either (like ranger fans are supposed to). i think i'll still root for both. is that allowed?

    i'm really stoked on the Nets this year though. I think Rod Thorn is a great guy to have.

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  7. I guess you can root for the Rangers and the Devils...maybe...

    Rod Thorn is amazing.

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