The gloating about my best preseason picks will happen sometime in the next couple days, but tonight I feel like talking about hockey, non fantasy division. It’s going to be a great playoffs and Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Phlyers got it started in grand fashion. For those new to playoff hockey I will let you in on a secret: Danny Briere is a man amongst boys from April to June. In his playoff career, Briere has 44 Goals and 54 Assists in 98 Games. If you who failed addition in grade school, that’s exactly 1 Point Per Game. In the regular season? 643 Points in 813 games, or 0.79 Points Per Game. “He’s the Derek Jeter of hockey!” Yes thank you VTB… And in typical Derek Jeter fashion, Briere “sparked” his team with back to back Goals after Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead. If you’re a Penguin fan it’s time to start worrying. The Flyers have underachieved all season and if Breezy can just be average, Philly is capable of beating anyone in the Eastern Conference. In fact I find the whole “Western Conference is WIDE OPEN!” media talking point to be a joke. The East is just as wide open, if not more. Would any of you really be shocked if the #5 Seed Flyers or #7 seed Capitals made the Stanley Cup Finals? And don’t give me the Goalie argument. The Flyers made the Cup Finals just 2 years ago with a blahtoon of Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Let me say that again in case it didn’t register for you: MICHAEL LEIGHTON and BRIAN BOUCHER. Playoff experience for a Goalie is highly overrated (Antti Niemi was the other Goalie in that 2010 Stanley Cup Final). So since we’ve established that point, let me add another one: The Flyers are one of 2 or 3 teams in the entire league who can keep pace with Pittsburgh offensively. Be afraid Penguin fans, be very afraid…
Nashville Predators – Since they won yesterday and I wrote about these guys so eloquently (word of the day) on Monday I will just remind you of what I said: “Outside of Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber, this team doesn’t have alot to offer to us fantasy geeks. But if these guys can get past Detroit I like their chances of winning the Western Conference. And right now, they’re a 22:1 underdog to win the Stanley Cup. I can see it now: Barry Trotz’s awkard post-game speech; Gary Bettmann awarding the championship to a team he knows just got him the worst TV ratings in 25 years; the completely unknown Owner; and of course Fisher-Wood taking it to a whole ‘nother level…” I’m excited just thinking about it! Go Preds!!!
Jonathan Quick – G (LA): Another great game for Quick which leads me to my question of the night: Is J-Quick’s underrated-ness a product of the fact that he’s an American born Goalie? I used to think it’s just East Coast Bias, but now I’m starting to wonder if it’s a much more sinister plot led by Canadian Nationalists… or something…
Dustin Penner – LW (LA): He did WHAT? No way… If Penner is anything, other than a LOAF, it’s a great example of playoff hockey. Hero’s often come from the bowels of a team’s roster, and if there was ever any player who came from bowels it’s Dustin Penner…
