Another fast and furious season has come and gone. Despite both my Isles and Canes missing the playoffs it was still a fun one to watch. They both seemed at times like they were going to finally show us something positive pertaining to the post season but alas, they both came up short. The Isles’ youth is finally coming into their own and I think the league has taken notice that this will be a REAL good team soon enough. And as for the Canes, GM Jim Rutherford killed their whole season before it even began by not firing Maurice after last year and waiting  2 months to do so this year. Well, that and not signing ANYONE who can put the puck in the net but I’ll get to that rant when I do the Canes end of season rant over the next few weeks.

So as the faithful readers might remember I did some prognostications in Sept. about this season and it’s now time to see how well, or poorly I did. I went out on a limb on a bunch of these and for the most part I crapped the bed (yup I’ll admit it), but hey that’s what’s great about making crazy predictions and giving anyone who will read/listen your opinions.

So lets start with a couple of quotes…

First pertaining to the Canes, I wrote…

You can basically pencil them in for 88-92 points every year. Sure not 100 points, but to predict them at 83.5 points is just screaming to lose your money when smart hockey watchers see this error. Cam Ward himself can take them to 70 point then they only need to squeak out 7-8 more wins despite a bad night of his, or when Boucher starts (a guy who can get hot and throw 2-3 shutouts in 5-6 starts himself) to put them over the 90 point mark. Do I think they will make the playoffs? Nope, but I think they get over 84 points pretty easy.

Tuns out that Vegas’ over-under had it damn close on them. They predicted 84 and the Canes got to 82. Couple of things stand out… First 16 OT losses will kill you. Hey Canes win a damn shoot out will you??? And Second, while Cam Ward was decent to good, and his numbers show this (30wins 2.74 GAA .920 Save %), but in all honesty I think the numbers where a little better then he was. He never had that stretch of games where he was the sole reason the team won. He had THAT game here and there but not like in other years where he would go a week winning single handedly. That to me, is the difference in the season. Well, that and the fact they have 2 guys who can score on the whole team and 1 of them was hurt for almost a month.

So I’ll take a loss on that prediction but hey I was pretty close. I knew they would likely miss out barely on the playoffs and that part was true.

My biggest gaffe was pertaining to the NJ Devils.

I don’t care how good people think Kovalchuk is I don’t see the Devils getting to 90 points. In fact I think 85 is a stretch for them. It’s just a team in transition that is in need of some changes. They will make them, hell, they might even be in 1st NEXT year after they make them b/c they have that tendency to do it. But for this year they won’t be good and they won’t hit 90 points.

I still don’t know how they got over 100 points this year. And I still don’t know who would have or could have predicted it. First they got amazing seasons out of 35+ers Elias and Sykora. Sure good players but they both appeared to be on the decline and not improving over last year by 15+ points. David Clarkson 30 goals??? WTF, who saw that coming. 20 maybe but 30? And finally the REAL reason the Devils beat my prediction of 85-89 points, is Johan Hedberg. His 17-7-2 record accounts for 10 wins that no one saw coming (and 20 points). Sure Brodeur would have likely went about 5-5 in those but that brings them closer to reality. Great job “Moose” you are the real reason the Devils finished in 6th this year.

Next up a quick wrong and a quick right.

First I said that the Pens would fail to get to 100 points. Sure dead wrong, but I think their eminent demise to the hands of the Flyers will show that the 108 points is a bit artificially inflated and they were “The team we thought they were!”

For the quick right I’ll move to the Red Wings. I said they wouldn’t get to 105 points. Sure, it’s a cheesy right, but hey I’ll take what I can get. I don’t think they are the team they have been for 10 years, and that was my main point in the prediction and I think we will see an exit this first round or second round of the playoffs. They just find a way to win a ton of games in the regular season and I am just not sure how. Eventually they will have to rebuild but at this rate it won’t be till 2040.

And on to another predicted under achiever…

As for a team who won’t hit 90 points, I will put my eggs in the basket of The Ducks. I see this as being a huge down year for Anaheim and I think they will struggle to break 85 points this season.

80 points, bout damn time I got one totally correct.

So are you ready for a doozy? How about 3 ones I not only got correct, I knocked out of the PARK!!!

Ok so who do I think will over achieve on this list? Ok as much as it PAINS me to say it, I see the Rangers as a 100 point team. I think they finally have the leadership and the firepower paired up with the defense and feistiness to go to the next level. I see them at or near the top of that division and finishing with 100+ points and a 2/3 Seed in the conference. Hopefully to get their doors blown off in the 1st round of the PO’s since I cannot stand to see that team win.

Also moving up? The Blues. This one isn’t as drastic as 100+ point Rangers, but I think the Blues are better then 92 points this year. They have the goal tending, and the goal-scoring to win more games and finish in the mid to upper 90s.

One more team to get above what they are predicting will be the Phoenix Coyotes. Sure, who the hell knows who will start how many games in net for them, and will they or won’t they have anyone to watch the games. All that being said… I think this is a 90 point team. Granted that’s not a huge increase over the 87.5 they are predicted, but I never said they would be awesome, I just said I would take the over for them.

Basically I predicted the Rangers, Blues and Coyotes to ALL make the playoffs and do better then predicted and the Blues and Blue Shirts are both among the best 2 teams in the league. I am still hoping the Rangers find a way to blow it this post season, but the way things are shaking up I think they are destined for a deep cup run, possibly even winning the damn thing. There will be no living with the GD Rags fans after this year.

As for a final recap of predictions I was trying to go WAY out on a limb and say that the Blue Jackets and Isles would both get to sleeper status and hit 80 points. The Isles are the ones who are up and comers so I will take being wrong on them as no big deal… oh and Columbus just plain SUCKS. The addition of Carter did nothing for them, they got nothing out of any youth, their goal tending sucks, and Rick Nash is a bitchy pre-madonna.

It’s hard for me to make too many post season predictions b/c some of the series are already 3 games old but, I will say Rangers over the Blues in 5 games. I don’t have stats, arguements or huge basis for it, but hey since I said they would both be real good in the beginning of the year I might as well stand by it.

And now….A Shanahan Rant for Monday

It’s becoming more and more apparent as this year unfolded that suspension Czar Brendan Shanahan has no clue rhyme or reason as to who gets what with regard to suspensions. From inflated pre-season ones, to completely missed ones in the regular season to now the gaffe/joke which is the post season. I will give him one single credit to what he does. I like how it all ends up on Twitter and there is a video explanation to all of them. Sure it tries to wrap it up all a nice package and tries to show us he has a reason, but it’s all smoke an mirrors. There is NO WAY you can justify giving Matt Carkner 1 single game for going after Brian Boyle on Sat night and just pounding away on a guy who had no idea a fight was coming (at that time). I am sure Boyle was well aware they would be gunning for him, but there is a code in hockey. You don’t pound on a guy out of no where when he hasn’t done a thing on the play. Apparently Carkner has no honor at all for the fighters code. They hadn’t even been jawing at one another. If they were bitching at one another, and a fight was about to happen and Carkner just got in a ton of quick punches, I can deal with that. This is an episode which deserved a bunch more games then was handed out.

At the very least, he should have gotten the same punishment that Carl Hagelin received for the elbow to Alfredsson (3 games). To give Carkner 1 game is inviting anyone and everyone to just pound away whenever and on whomever they want to and know they will only get 1 game for it. BAD BAD precedent set here.

Hey Shanny, where is the suspension for Shea Weber? His face shoving is arguably AS BAD as the elbow from Hagelin. And Weber gets off with a fine? I won’t argue about the amount of the fine b/c that’s a CBA thing and can’t go any higher. But not suspending him is either saying you are blind, or letting stars get special treatment with suspensions.

I am wondering if the equally as much of a joke game from yesterday with Philly and Pitt will garner any suspensions of it’s own. For the sake of the name of the NHL it better, and the league better cut down on this crap that is playoff hockey, or else  people won’t care. The game finally has gotten a ton of people watching for fast hard hitting hockey, we cannot afford to lose that. Sure, fights and yelling and emotional hockey is part of the playoffs, but scenes straight out of “Slap Shot” are what makes our game a joke in the eyes of fans of other sports. Reign it in Shanny or we won’t have a sport to be passionate about.

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