My Enormous Crystal Balls: The 2011-12 NHL Season

By Chris Barrymore


I meant to get this out prior to the very first puck drop of the season, in tonight's opening Habs versus Leafs game. Alas, sometimes life interferes.

So I'm about an hour late. Anyway, here is the extremely abbreviated version of what would have been an awesome (and long) article about the upcoming 2011-12 NHL season's eventual final standings. Enjoy.

And don't forget to come back next Spring to marvel at my powers (or more likely mock my complete ineptitude).


Top 8 in the East (in ALPHABETICAL order):

Boston
Buffalo
Carolina
New York Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay
Washington


Top 8 in the West (in ALPHABETICAL order):

Anaheim
Chicago
Columbus
Detroit
Los Angeles
San Jose
St. Louis
Vancouver


Eastern Conference Final: Buffalo over Washington
Western Conference Final: Vancouver over Los Angeles

Stanley Cup Final: Vancouver over Buffalo

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Carnac the Guru: I'll Make This Short and Sweet

By Hockey Guru


Eastern Conference Finals, Game 5:

Having revised his prediction for this series to the Flyers in 5, the Guru sees no reason to deviate now. Everything that has taken place to this point indicates that Montreal's defense will not be able to shut down the Flyers.

There will be a desperation in Philadelphia tonight, but surprisingly, much of it will be sweating out of (and wicking away from, thanks to RBK) the orange uniforms.

Montreal, having lived through two previous comebacks and going 5-0 in elimination games, will create a fear for the Flyers that losing tonight would be like losing the series.

With that desperation, the Flyers will win a close game, by a 2-1 score.

Both of the Conference Finals series this year will prove to be short (and sweet for fans of the 'Hawks and Flyers).

Let the Stanley Cup Finals begin!

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Carnac the Guru: A Big Thumbs Up & An Attaboy

By Hockey Guru

The Guru not only correctly predicted Chicago in Game 3, but by calling for the overtime, he earned a bonus from his editor. Not a financial bonus, mind you, but a hearty "Thumbs Up" and handwritten congratulatory note are just as good, sometimes. Aren't they?

Missing the correct final score (but still hitting the under) and the bold double-overtime prediction that fell short, must have been what cost the Guru the real cash bonus.

Anyhow, first some observations on last night's game (with double the YouTube Saturday linky goodness). The speed of Game 3 seemed to be much slower than it was in Games 1 & 2. The officiating got involved early and often, creating a hesitancy to the game and preventing a real flow from developing with the powerplays. The initial goaltender interference call on David Bolland just 1:16 into the game was called under a much different standard, as later Joe Pavelski (it was Joe, wasn't it?) essentially kicked Niemi and wasn't called. Additionally, the call on Hossa to create the 5-on-3 for San Jose was weak. If everything was called that tightly, there'd be almost continuous whistles and the game would be played at 4-on-4.

The pace of the game definitely favoured San Jose, who definitely played well. As mentioned in the post yesterday, a bounce, a break, a fluke and things could have been completely different. If Pavelski had managed to get his stick on the puck, and the first "no-goal" was allowed to count, everything would have been different. But the goal didn't count, and history was made - by Big Buff.

Chicago now has a 3-0 series lead and the Guru will have more to say about this series. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.

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GAME FOUR

We have ourselves a series. The truth rings loudly. How quickly things can change! The Canadiens showed their colours on Thursday and continue to make history.

Also. What if 13 wasn't so lucky, and his crosscheck/interference on Matt Carle had been called, just prior to the goal?

Well the Guru doesn't think it would have mattered. Montreal was simply too much for the Flyers in Game 3 and now look to even up the series tonight - err - this afternoon.

A nastiness, an animosity has crept into this series. The Josh Georges crosscheck to Simon Gagne's face led to an apology from Georges?!?!? There's no apologizing in hockey!

Today is a game as anticipated in these playoffs as any before it. The Guru expects a Game 7-like intensity. The Flyers recognize that this is their opportunity to "win" the series and Montreal fans will make sure the team knows the critical importance of getting even in this series today.

In the end, the Flyers will prevail in this game 3-2 and keep the Guru's "revised" prediction of a five-game series alive.

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Carnac the Guru: It's Hard Out Here for a Psychic

By Hockey Guru


When things aren't going right, many choose to simply disappear. Not the Hockey Guru.

And apparently not the Montreal Canadiens. After two consescutive shutout losses, the Canadiens showed up last night at the Bell Centre and not only showed that they won't be going away easily - they once again gave the Guru a face full of egg!

Well, being wrong in the playoffs has not kept the Guru from showing up and bringing forth his keen insight and analysis.

While the research is excruciating, the deadlines never ending, an editor that is never happy and always breathing down his neck - the Hockey Guru is dedicated to his ever-growing (and incresingly female) fan base, for whom he is wiping the egg off and offering once again to share the fruits of his enormous crystal balls.

For tonight's Game 3, the Guru is putting on the only suit in the world that Don Cherry wouldn't wear and is stepping out to pimp out his predictions for Game 3 in the Hawks / Sharks series.

Quoting Westfield State College Alum, Peter Laviolette, ".... in the playoffs, it's never about momentum, it's always about desperation .... desperate teams are tough teams". Montreal certainly proved that last night and tonight the San Jose Sharks find themselves in the same 0-2 hole. San Jose is not only desperate - they are talented. A league high eight Olympians, including the "top line" from the Gold Medal-winning Team Canada, come into the United Center with an absolute purpose tonight.

Meanwhile, Joel Quenneville has taken steps to keep Chicago "desperate" - keeping the team toegether at a Chicago hotel, as if they were still on the road (where they've won 7 consecutive games).

The Guru postulates that what looked to be a comfortable position for Philly has certainly taken a sharp U-turn, and that the Montreal victory may have indirectly created a greater sense of "desparation" in Chicago, realizing that their "comfortable" position today can change very quickly with a loss tonight at home. You can bet that the more mature members of this young team are contemplating the same thing at the hotel bar.

The first goal of the game tonight will be especially huge. Both teams will come out playing a "road game" - that is, chipping the puck out, getting the puck deep, being very defensively responsible. The track meet up and down the ice will commence - but with limited scoring opportunities. These teams will be using their speed, size, strength and skills primarily for defense making goals rarer than reader comments on this site.

Having gone what seems like an eternity without an overtime game, the Guru is forecasting a lengthy OT tonight - double OT or longer is very possible. In a game this close, a bounce, a fluke, a penalty could be the difference. If that bounce comes early, it could snowball and once again smear egg on the Guru, but the fearless forecaster is going with .... [drumroll please] ....

Chicago 2 - San Jose 1 (2OT)

Now that's pimping quite the fearless forecast. Oh, and don't forget ....

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Carnac the Guru: The Modern-Day Cinderella Men

By Hockey Guru


Outscored 9-0 in two games – down two games to zero – the “Cinderella story” Montreal Canadiens return home for Game 3.

“A team is never in trouble [in a series] until they lose a game on home ice.”

Assuming that cliché rings true, it is surely being tested in this series. Needing to win four of the next five games is no small task whatsoever for Montreal, and that fact has created a line-up to jump off the bandwagon.

As the Guru was one of the last ones on, he was one of the first ones off, as demonstrated by his change of prediction after Game 1.

If the series is to end in 5 games, Montreal would have to win one of them, and if they can win one, they can win four.

The Guru continues to shake his crystal ball, hoping for greater clarity. Will this actually become a sweep or will Montreal prevail in 6?

Tonight will prove one of those is not a possibility, and the Guru is standing by his predictions from Tuesday.

Or as they are fast becoming known, Guru's Two-4-Tuesday predictions. The near perfect predictions from Tuesday still have the hockey world all abuzz. The Guru's prognostications have led to increased traffic to the Sports Talk Pool blog, reaching record levels of readership in anticipation of the latest installment of Carnac the Guru, and nearly causing a crash to the server!

With the NHL schedule switching up to alternating nights for each Conference, the Guru must put all his eggs into one basket tonight - or more fittingly, all his pucks into one net. And it is extremely difficult to put a single puck into the net - just ask the Montreal Canadiens. After being shut-out so far in the series, the Canadiens are on a mission to find some answers to Michael Leighton and the Flyers' defence.

Rather than employ the same coaching strategies as Claude Julien from last year's playoffs - calling out players and giving them the day off - Jacques Martin spent considerable time constructing and explaining an offensive game plan, including new powerplay approaches, with his players.

That new game plan will surely include similar plans that both Pittsburgh and Washington attempted against Montreal - throw everything at the net. Shoot, shoot, shoot - from everywhere - bad angles, behind the net, the corner - then crash hard to the net. Hope for a bounce, a rebound. Pray for a goal.

That approach back-fired for Pittsburgh and Washington and will back-fire on Montreal. This year in the playoffs - the formula for beating Montreal is DO NOT PUT MORE THAN 35 SHOTS ON HALAK. More importantly, do not out-shoot Montreal. When being out-shot, Montreal is 8-3. When Montreal out-shoots its opponent, however, they are 0-5.

The crystal ball shows Montreal putting together a great effort tonight, out-playing Philadelphia for stretches, definitely out-shooting and out-chancing the Flyers, but not out-scoring them. As the Canadiens pour on the pressure, the Flyers will generate some opportunities on the counter-attack and be opportunistic enough to prevail 3-1 in Game 3.

The Flyers match up very well with Montreal (or conversely, the Canadiens don't match up well with Philly) and to expect a different result tonight doesn't compute according to the Hockey Guru and his enormous crystal ball.

Bonus prediction: Jeff Carter returns to the Flyers tonight.

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El Gurú Loco: ¿Estos Flip-Flop me Hace Ver "Phat"

By Hockey Guru


The Guru took some lumps on Sunday, as the high scoring shoot-out in San Jose never materialized - but Chicago did prevail 2-1. The prediction that Niemi would out perform Nabokov did materialize though, as the one "soft" goal was definitely a major difference in Game 1. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, it's not certain who looked worse, Montreal or the Guru. Philadelphia dominated in a game that pitted men against boys.

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After re-considering the Montreal team and putting them into a new perspective, and after digging up the crystal ball again, here's what the Guru sees in store for the masses tonight:

• Momentum is behind Philadelphia, as their five-game win streak and 6-0 victory demonstrate. While Jaroslav Halak will surely fare better in Game 2, it's impossible for the Guru to shake the images from Game 1 from his head.
  
• The Montreal defense is a great concern. Although Pittsburgh wasn't able to exploit the defense, for whatever reason, Philadelphia will continue to get opportunities and more importantly, to score goals.
  
• Montreal's offense has been so reliant on Mike Cammalleri, and his performance through two rounds was legendary, but Cammalleri is not going to be able to keep up the pace.
  

The Guru is revising his prediction for this series, as it is within the Laws of Carnac to do, and is now selecting Philadelphia in five games. The lone Montreal win will not be tonight. Tonight the Flyers will continue to play with the urgency that's been in their game since being down 0-3 to Boston, and will prevail tonight by a score of 3-1.

Recapping: Series prediction changed from Montreal in 6 games, to Philadelphia in 5 games

Game 2 final score prediction: Flyers 3, Canadiens 1

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San Jose is in the familiar position of being down 0-1 in a series and needing a big win in Game 2. Against Colorado, the miraculous comeback included a last minute goal by Little Joe to tie the game and then an overtime goal to even the series.

Chicago is starting to play its best hockey of the year and Marian Hossa is about to make his mark in these playoffs. The prediction of a track meet, or up-and-down action with thrilling scoring chances, may have actually been looking too far into the future. So tonight, the Guru will stick with the high scoring prediction from Game 1, and also stick with the Hawks to prevail. Final score: Blackhawks 5, San Jose 4.

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Carnac the Guru: ... And Then There Were Four

By Hockey Guru


The abbreviated 2nd Round saw the Guru correctly predict 3 of the 4 series winners, and go 11-7 on the 18 individual game predictions. This was, of course, based simply on picking the winners. The results which were based on total score predicted have not yet been calculated, but it appears that the Guru was approximately, oh, let's say .... 16-1. [Ed. Note: In the words of Scorsese actor, Griffin Dunne, "that's not enough numbers, but okay ...."]

Anyhow, with yesterday's off-day behind him, the Guru has geared up for the Conference Finals, which begin in about 45 minutes. Here now, are the new predictions.

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The Sharks must be "relieved" not to relive another post season nightmare. The Blackhawks are where they expected to be right along.

The Guru believes that the Blackhawks will look to push the pace of this series - to make it a track meet. The Sharks will comply with the up tempo game at least in Game 1 - and a very fast paced, action-filled game will take place. The speed of the Hawks and edge in goaltending in game one - will end in a 5-4 Chicago victory.

The series prediction (with limited time to be published - so the elaboration will come out as the series unfolds) is that the Hawks speed and goaltending will prevail in 6 games.

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The Philadelphia Flyers - the pre-season selection for the Stanley Cup Finals by the Hockey Guru - have home-ice advantage in the Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. The paths to this unlikely series - even had they appeared in a crystal ball - would never have been published.

But these Flyers have overcome a ton of injuries and adversity and find themselves with a path to the Finals without having to knock off either Washington or Pittsburgh. Although Jeff Carter is done, the defense is healthy, Michael Leighton is back and their depth at forward as beginning to emerge.

Their opponent, le Club de hockey Canadien, eliminated both the expected Eastern Conference favourites - Washington and Pittsburgh. Those results sent the Guru back to his crystal ball to figure out how those results were missed. The error was in the data entered. The Montreal Canadiens are not the team that would be indicated by their record at the end of the regular season. Part of the record was the commitment to Carey Price as the starting goaltender. With Price in net, the Canadiens were 13-20-5. With Jaroslav Halak in between the pipes - the Canadiens were 26-13-5. If Halak's wining percentage carried over to all 82 games - the Canadiens would have finished with 106 points - fourth in the NHL and second in the Conference.

This is not the eight seed that they appeared to be, going into the playoffs.

Additionally, the Canadiens have their 100th anniversary team on the ice. (What's that - are people booing the Guru - saying their 100th anniversary was 2008-2009 - which it was based on calander years - however, with the 2004-05 lockout- there was a missing season). Therefore, this is in fact, the 100th season for the Montreal Canadiens - and their magical ride will not end until the Stanley Cup Finals.

Series prediction: Montreal wins in 6 (but 7 would be more fitting).

Game One Prediction: Montreal 3 - Philadelphia 1

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Carnac the Guru: Call This One Friday Night Lite

By Hockey Guru


Another Game 7 - another great night of hockey.

The last Game 7 went into Guru's Bizzaro world - and finished as the polar opposite of the prediciton. Rather than a tight game ending with a couple open net goals for a 5-2 Pittsburgh win, it was a one-sided affair and a 5-2 Montreal win.

The strength of the poles continues and the 7th versus 8th Eastern Conference Finals seems destined.

With all the talk about the history being made, in every post so far on the Bruins-Flyers series, how can the Guru not believe that the window to the Eastern Conference Finals will close on the Bruins tonight, as Briere, Richards and Gagne carry an advantage over the Bruins' top forwards, Savard, Recchi, Lucic and Bergeron? The top four on defense don't match up well either, and the home teams haven't fared too well in these playoffs - let alone in series-deciding games. Especially Game Sevens.

Well, the Guru has been burned before. That's why the Guru is hesitating, as Tuukka Rask will probably have a game for the ages tonight. But the Guru is nothing, if not stubborn, and will predict another Flyers 4 - Bruins 1 outcome.

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Carnac the Guru: And What Thrives at the Poles?

By Hockey Guru


Eight long hours until the drop of the puck. Man, this is gonna be awesome. The second round is winding down .... (cue the music) ....



What a great playoff season so far. With 10 of the 15 playoff series in the books already - and at least one other ending tonight - the action is slowing down. The upsets, the injuries, ths subplots, the unpredictability of these playoffs has been simply amazing. But not tonight. Tonight will be great action so let's get into trying to predict the outcomes of these games.

Before moving forward, let's pause and reflect on what has happened so far:

• Western Conference Quarterfinals - the 1, 2, 3 and 5 seed advance.
  
• Eastern Conference Quarterfinals - the 1, 2, 3, and 5 seed lose.

• Western Conference Finals are set with the 1 and 2 seeds.
  
• Does that mean the Eastern Conference Finals will be the 7 and 8 seeds? Will there by perfect mirror images from the two conferences?

If this prediction of the polar extremes of the conferences is to come true, it would mean that Montreal closes out Pittsburgh tonight and Philly would have to force a Game 7 in the other Conference Semi-Final. Well, going back and playing with his crystal ball, this is what the Guru foresees:

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The end is upon on us. The end of this series and the end of the season for one of these teams. The Canadiens are the better story - the heart, the overcoming of not just long odds, but of all the adversity they've faced. They are the overachieving underdog. The Penguins are the underachieving champions. Last year's Conn Smythe winner, Evgeni Malkin, has had a lesser role in this series than Maxim Lapierre. Or perhaps, his lack of production is a major role in this series.

This is going to be a very difficult game for Pittsburgh to win. It is expected that they will come out and play their best game of the playoffs tonight. With that said, they MUST be disciplined and NOT shoot the puck. Yeah, you heard right. They are stuck in the conundrum of having to score goals without shooting. If they get to 35+ shots on net, it is like playing too aggressively in pinball - the machine will tilt and you'll helplessly watch as your opportunity rolls down the drain.

The Guru loves good stories and loves the underdog, but in his gut he sees Pittsburgh finding a way to pull off a Game 7 victory and thereby potentially extending the career of one Wild Bill Guerin for at least another two weeks. His crystal ball foresees the Penguins throwing away the passive approach though - this will be an up tempo game. While players will be diving to block shots and getting back defensively on both sides, there will be mad speed and crazy shots. As Dan Bylsma recently said, "Game 7 feels like a flip of a coin."

The Guru flipped a coin and here was the result:



Final Score: Pittsburgh 5 - Montreal 2 (with two empty net goals to ice a close game)

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While not quite as big as a Game 7, the result could be exactly the same for Philadelphia - GAME OVER, if they lose. Of course, that was true about Games 4 and 5 and they survived through those games. Tonight's prediction won't catch any of the long-time Guru-maniacs off-guard, but just to be certain, let's play with the crystal ball again (any excuse to touch the ball).

Claude Julien proved something to the Guru last spring. The lesson the Guru took away from observing the Bruins flop against Carolina was that Julien couldn't make adjustments. When the Bruins found themselves down, he called the team out in the papers and gave them the day off to figure things out on their own. The inability to make any adjustments in that series cost them. Spewing out cliches such as focus, discipline and getting pucks to the net are great and all, but it appears that the Flyers have made the adjustments necessary to score on Rask and shut down the Bruins. And I'm not the only one who sees this as a problem.

Tuukka Rask gives the Bruins a legitimate shot to win. The Brian Boucher injury may not be as severe or grotesque as it first seemed, but he's still out. With Michael Leighton back in nets, however, the Flyers may have improved their goaltending a bit. Tonight's prediction is that the Flyers continue to make history as only the third ever comeback from a 3-0 series deficit continues to unfold. Final Score - Philadelphia 4 - Boston 1.

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Carnac the Guru: CBC Tuesday Night in Canada

By Hockey Guru


Montreal - really? Really! They have evened their series again and tomorrow night will they punch their tickets to the Eastern Conference Finals? Will this be the end of the Penguins title defense?

The Guru is stumped by the latest turn of events in Montreal and will be re-focusing on that series again tomorrow.

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Re-focusing is what Vancouver did well in Game 5, which is why we have some hockey to watch tonight. Can they maintain that focus and hold down the Blackhawks offense which has seen back-to-back hat tricks in Vancouver?

Tonight the crystal ball shows Chicago's advantage over Vancouver at defense being the difference. Where Keith, Seabrook and Campbell can skate with and defend the Vancouver attack, the Vancouver defense will be exploited by the speed of the Hawks forwards - particularly Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The two stars will lead their team into the Western Conference Finals to face San Jose. The Hawks soar once more in Vancouver and close the series out.
Prediction: Chicago 4 Vancouver 2.

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Carnac the Guru: I Believe History Will Be Made

By Hockey Guru


I think Jerry Reed said it best, back in 1971, with:



The Guru's forecasting this weekend was outstanding!

But have no fear, through the magic of the internet, the method for performing the self-congratulatory action without injury has been found and these daily updates should continue uninterrupted through the awarding of the Lord Stanley's Cup.

The Eastern Conference Finals could be determined Monday night, if Boston and Pittsburgh can close out their series.

Will it happen?

The NHL's marketing theme in this year's playoffs is that History Will Be Made. That theme has worked itself into the Guru's subconscious, as you will see in this installment of Carnac the Guru.

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And what could be more historic than a comeback from a 3-0 series deficit?



Certainly nobody recalls the Red Sox rallying from that hole against the NY Yankees!

In reality, there have been over 220 times in the NHL, NBA and MLB combined where teams took the first three games of the series. Statistically, if every series were actually a coin-flip (or 50-50 chance for each team in every game) - the odds of a comeback and winning four in a row would show that the statistical probability of that comeback would be: 6.25% and with over 200 opportunities - there should be about 12 of these "historic" comebacks.

There aren't. In addition to the greatest comeback ever in 2004 - the other two times both happened in the NHL. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs came back against Detroit and the 1975 Islanders performed the feat against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If the Flyers were to comeback against the Bruins this year and make history, their comeback wouldn't be as impressive as the Islanders' 1975 comeback - but it would be pretty similar.

In 1975, in losing the first 3 games, the Islanders did not have a lead EVER in the series. In fact Pittsburgh led for 85% of the time. (Only tied for a total of 26 minutes and 41 seconds). Elaboration on the "greatest comebacks" in history should be read and won't be rehashed here.

The NHL has assured us that this will be the year that history will be made. The Flyers are gaining momentum and the Bruins "luck" appears to be running out. The Bruins have been perfect on home ice winning all five games - if only by a total of 5 goals (2 in OT). The run at home ends tonight. The Flyers will take Game 5 with a 3-2 victory.

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Tonight the fans of hockey get screwed by the Boston-Montreal rivalry - as neither team was willing to change their start time to either 7:30 or 8:00 to allow for staggered viewing or at least an extra hour of hockey.

This is a night for DVR hockey - which means to DVR both games and alternate watching about 5 minutes of hockey from Boston then 5 minutes from Montreal. If more experienced, try about 2 minutes at a time to avoid unwanted updates. Alternatively, the dual television approach can work also.

Pittsburgh has the formula for beating Montreal - DON'T OUTSHOOT THEM - and don't get to 35 shots on net. Firing the pucks on Halak from everywhere is like getting a Mogwai wet or feeding a gremlin after midnight - you're asking for trouble!



The Penguins will play a defensive and opportunistic game forcing Montreal to carry the play and take advantage of the inevitable mistakes that will come. As expected by many - the underestimation of the Canadiens is happening again and the Guru predicts that the Penguins open up a close low-scoring game in the third period to finish with a 4-1 victory.

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Carnac the Guru: The April/May of the Penguins

By Hockey Guru


Beware of the Penguins. Much has and will be written about how punchless Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been in this series and their struggles to score to this point. The Guru won't rehash the same materials.

The Montreal formula for success has been laid out and it's almost impossible for teams not to get sucked into that "trap." In trying to close out their opening round series - Washington began to just throw everything at the net - it didn't work.

Sure, unloading a barrage of shots would seem to make sense - it would seem to give the greatest chance of scoring - and maybe it will. Maybe the dam will burst and Malkin, Crosby and the Pens can put up a big number and take game 5. It's ironic though, that the more a team "dominates" the Canadiens and carries the play - the less success the team has had.

The key to success is playing the same style the Canadiens want to play: be patient, focus on defense responsibility, look to attack in transition and capitalize on opportunities.

So as much as the Canadiens must Beware of the Penguins - the Pens best beware themselves. Beware of falling into the same trap the Capitals did - the trap of believing that merely firing shots at the net is the formula for success against these Habs.

The Guru has the a ton of respect and confidence in Penguins' coach Dan Bylsma - fully expecting him to recognize the best opportunity in this game is to remain patient and wait for their chances. That belief lead to the prediction of a low scoring game (but beware, the Penguins fire power could capitalize break this open),with the Penguins taking the lead back in this series. The broken crystal ball doesn't really have a final score - but since the fans of this site demand a prediction: Penguins 3 - Montreal 0. (How's that for going out on a limb).

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"The Sharks close this series out tonight and will look the part of Stanley Cup Favourite in the process. Prediction: San Jose 6 - Detroit 2."

Great call in game 4 - let me wipe that goose egg off my face.

The domination of that game - the other way makes game 5 a lot more difficult to predict. Detroit didn't have to exert every last ounce of energy to keep the series alive. They will be ready to come out in game 5 and may be re-energized by Franzen's game for the ages.

San Jose - particularly the fan base - has to have the shakiest confidence with a 3-1 lead ever. The momentum in this series could snowball and it isn't hard to envision a 7-game scenario and we all remember how well Detroit stepped up in game 7 against Phoenix.

The Sharks know fear. The past failures have fueled their fear of failing. The fear in this game is more in San Jose's room right now than in Detroit's. The Wings may feel they accomplished more than they actually did in game 4. They won one game - and nothing will carry over.

The Shark Tank will be rocking and this will be one of the memorable games available on the Sharks DVD if their run doesn't come up short this year. Tonight, they don't come up short. Tonight they end the season and possibly career for Hall of Famer Nick Lidstrom with a 4-2 victory.

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Carnac the Guru: What We Need? The Perfect Pair

By Hockey Guru


One up, one down last night as Philadelphia did in fact get their first lead of the series a mere 152 seconds into the game. However, the second goal never came and the Boston Bruins Mo-Jo is still rising - is there something magical unfolding ala the 2006 Edmonton Oilers?

This Cinderella story can't continue all the way to the Cup, can it? The Krejci injury certainly has sped up the clock - which is fast approaching midnight. More on this series tomorrow...

The winner from last night was the very confident selection of the Chicago Blackhawks. But no need to dwell on the Dustin Byfuglien show.

So the Guru will look to get back to picking another perfect pair in tonight's game 4's:



Montreal doesn't have the depth or firepower to beat Pittsburgh in a wide open game. Their formula for success remains the same: tight defense, build a human wall in the slot, frustrate Pittsburgh, create some turnovers and capatilize on the few opportunities that will arise.

Pittsburgh defeated Montreal in game 3 in the low scoring defensive game Montreal wanted.
Pittsburgh knows it can win that style of game. In fact, it seems they may have uncovered a plan to defeat Montreal in the following statistics and want to play that style of game:

• Jaroslav Halak's record when facing 35 or more shots this season is 15-1-2 and
  
• When facing 40 or more shots, it's 10-0-1.
  
• When facing less than 35 shots - his record: 11- 14-0.

The Penguins will take the ER approach to this game (props to long-time reader Grossman for the terminology) - meaning that the Penguins will use "sick patience" in this game. They will not be throwing pucks to the net left and right, but picking their spots to get shots off one-timers and getting Halak moving side to side and creating shots prior to his getting set.

This is expected to be a low scoring affair - another shut-out by Fleury would not be a surprise to the Guru - but the predicion will be 3-1 Pittsburgh (with a chance to really open up the lead toward the end of the game).

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"Detroit has too much pride to get swept." "Detriot won't go down without a fight." Phrases like these are surely be thrown around by talking and blogging heads everywhere.

Of course, Detroit hasn't played badly to go down 3-0 in the series. They wanted to win each of the first three games as badly as they want to win this fourth game to continue their quest for the Cup.

However, the Guru's gut tells him there's no reason to expect a different result tonight than we've seen in the first three games. If anything, San Jose may not have to come back in game 4 - they may get ahead and keep on rolling. The depth players on San Jose are much more dangerous than the depth players on Detroit. The top 6 players on San Jose are fresher, bigger and stronger than the top 6 on Detroit.

The Sharks close this series out tonight and will look the part of Stanley Cup Favourite in the process. Prediction: San Jose 6 - Detroit 2.

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Carnac the Guru: Like Swami, But to the Extreme

By Hockey Guru


Milan Lucic scored with 2:57 remaining to upset the prediction of a 3-2 Flyers victory in game 2. The Flyers prediction to win the series stands - which means they will indeed win 4 of the next 5 games. However, if the Bruins win a couple more games - that prediction will need to change.

Patrick Kane did score a "big goal" - well an empty netter to seal the game 2 victory for Chicago. While not the 2-1 (OT) final that was predicted - the masses are amazed at the correct prediction for a Chicago victory.

Onto tonight's games.

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Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens



The Canadiens have shown so much so far in the playoffs. Their victory in game 2 was the perfect formula for their success:

• Timely "big" saves from Jaroslav Halak
  
• Bury their limited offensive opportunities
  
• Survive
  

The reason that the playoffs are 7-game series is so the "best" team can advance. Over the course of 7 games - more often than not Montreal will not be able to hold down Pittsburgh's offense. The Penguins will likely have 4 or 5 scoring chances to each one for Montreal. In at least 2 of the upcoming games - the Guru can see Pittsburgh by 2 or more goals. There will be one or two games that Montreal will have a chance to "steal" -but the previous prediction is not changing - Pitts wins 3 in a row in this series (maybe 3 of 4).

Tonight - despite the atmosphere - the Penguins win 4-1.

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San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings

The Sharks-Wings game tonight is a tough read. Detroit has for so long been able to elevate their game when necessary. However, tonight, the Sharks are able to play a bit faster and bit looser - but the fear of losing this game looms. The Sharks have lost 4 in a row after a 2 game lead and won't be taking their foot of the gas.

San Jose takes game 3, and a 3-0 lead on the way to a possible sweep, 6-3.

The final may be a bit extreme but in the spirit of Chris Berman's version of the SWAMI - the Guru is going extreme tonight. To go further out on the limb and open himself up for criticism - Jimmy Howard doesn't finish the game tonight in net!

Note: Jimmy Howard is virtually assured a shut-out tonight and the Wings will likely prevail 4-0.

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My Enormous Crystal Balls: NHL 2010 Quarterfinals

By Hockey Guru



After a stunning set of Round 1 Predictions - which were never published - and in response to the incredible pre-season predictions revisited - The Guru has smashed his crystal ball. However, even without a crystal ball, day-to-day predictions on the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be expected by the millions of clamoring STP followers.

At the time of publishing this post, the Penguins and Canadiens are even at 1 game apiece. San Jose has a 2-0 series lead over Detroit, and Boston & Vancouver each hold a 1-0 lead over Philadelphia and Vancouver, respectively.




The Boston-Philadelphia Series

Boston's defense is thin. Zdeno Chara is a beast - but the minutes that are being required from Johnny Boychuk (33:29 in game 1), Andrew Ference, Matt Hunwick, Dennis Wideman and Adam McQuaid will prove problematic for the black and gold.

Whereas Buffalo's injuries toward the end of the year led to a lineup of smurfs - Philadelphia, should be able to wear out the Bruins defense and create plenty of offensive opportunities for Danny Briere and Mike Richards.

The Bruins' struggle to score goals will return in the series and the Flyers will prevail.


The Pittsburgh-Montreal Series

Mike Cammalleri is clutch and clutch is everything. Some players have the ability to elevate their games and PRODUCE when needed - and he is one of those players. Unfortunately for him and Habs fans - so is Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins will not make the same mistake the Capitals made and simply play a series of one-games. The Penguins have begun their series attack on Montreal - from Cooke's hit on Markov to the major-misconduct by Adams - the Penguins are looking to punish Montreal's defenseman and will wear down the Canadiens in the series.

Jaroslav Halak has been solid if not spectacular in the Olympics and in the Playoffs - but Pittsburgh will move through in 5 or 6 games.


The Chicago-Vancouver Series

Prior to the series opening, the Guru was waffling on the winner of this series. After game one - it would be very hard to predict Chicago wining 4 of the next 6. Vancouver appears much more focused from the goal out.

However, Chicago's defense (Campbell in particular) will improve throughout the series. Adjusting from the series against Nashville and forgetting about last year's series victory over Vancouver may have proven difficult in game 1.

Even as this is being typed - the broken crystal ball shows both teams emerging.

Going into Game 1 - I believe that Chicago didn't respect Roberto Luongo enough. I believe they came into the game believing that they would prevail in a run-and-gun style game. They may still believe that. However, in Game 2, I expect the Hawks to come out much more conservatively and with more attention to defense. While sacrificing some potential transition-game offense, Game 2 will be low scoring and Patrick Kane has the clutch-ness to score a key goal and tie up this series.

In this first "draft" prediction for the series, the coin toss landed on heads - actually an Indian head - but the more confident prediction is that the prediction of Blackhawks in 7 will change.


The San Jose-Detroit Series

San Jose has a 2-0 lead. Now Detroit needs to win 4 of 5 to advance. However, it has been said that a team is never in trouble until it loses on home ice. Well, if Detroit isn't in trouble yet - I'm going to be getting a big check in the mail for this post.

The Wings are a great dynasty - but this year is San Jose's year. The depth players will be the difference - San Jose is just deeper and better. San Jose will get through this series (bold prediction, being up 2-0 already). Since today is not a game day, I'll revisit this series tomorrow, but I think San Jose wins Game 3, Detroit rallies for Game 4 and San Jose closes out Detroit in 5 or 6. Again, that is the "early" prediction (if a prediction 2 games into a series can be considered early).


Tonight (Monday), Guru's Gut Sez:


Philadelphia 3 - Boston 2

Chicago 2- Vancouver 1 (OT)

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