In Dreams v2.0

Not much in the way of details for my dreams last night, but one thing did stick out to me. I was either the manager or owner of a local bar/brewery. We found a niche market.....a VERY niche market. Our best selling beer was made with a certain group of people in mind. This beer was made specifically for homosexual Jewish males and was a kosher pale ale called He-Brew.

In Dreams

It's no secret that I often have trouble sleeping. By nature I am a night owl. By work schedule I am an early riser. Those two things don't always work well with each other. Saturday night/Sunday morning I didn't go to bed until about 6 am....24 hours before I had to be at work the next day. Somehow in that 24 hours I had to find a way to get two full nights of sleep. Easier said than done.

I set an alarm to get me up around 11 on Sunday to do all my NFL picks and manage my FFL teams. It seems that in a couple weeks I won't have to worry about any of that as I am pretty sure to miss the playoffs in all three of my leagues, and my NFL picks are just sucking ass this year. Oh well.


So last night I get to bed at a decent hour after a nice meal with my girlfriend's family. Full stomach, tired....I should have slept really well. But when does that happen on a Sunday? I tossed and turned all night but did get some sleep in there somewhere, because I remember a couple dreams. The one that sticks out the most is the one I probably remember the fewest details from, but the one big thing I remember was very strange. Strange enough to make me realize it was a dream while I was still dreaming it.

Long story short, a bunch of my friends and I were hanging out at my house (which is usually the house I grew up in when I am dreaming) before we went out to the bar. When we went outside to drive to the bar, we all ended up "driving" separately because we were all piloting our own beds. We all laid face down on single mattresses on bed frames that rolled, and paddled with our arms like we were on surfboards. Navigating the neighborhood was no big deal, but when we got to a busier road, I started to wonder how all of us were going to paddle at like .5 mph when the speed limit was 45 mph.

I was the second bed at the stop sign turning right on to the road, and when the guy in front of me took off at like 50 mph (with bad Star Trek FX even) I realized that it was a dream and woke up. I was somewhat disappointed that I woke up at that time, because every now and then I realize I am dreaming when I am in a dream and go along with it. It's very cool to be in control of a dream.

Also at one point last night I woke up from a dream because I could smell something. I don't know if I have ever noticed whether or not my sense of smell is active in a dream before, but it kind of freaked me out when it happened last night. It was so real that I have a scent memory of it.

Hopefully sometime tomorrow I will remember to look into the whole "smell while dreaming" thing, but that will have to wait as my weird ass dreams are calling me to bed once again.

Evil

While cleaning the house the weekend before last I came across some things I forgot I still had. Things that I meant to throw away. Things that reminded me of a time a few years back when I wasn't as nice of a person as I am today. Reminders of some purely evil things I had done. Things I'll never discuss.

It's scary to know that I justified everything that I did. It was rather easy to do actually because nothing I did was illegal, and that used to be something that I relied on as a moral compass. The law. Kind of laughable really.

When I found these things, I was very surprised that I hadn't gotten rid of them. Why would I want to keep them? I set them aside to make sure I got rid of them. Then....I packed them away again. I decided that it might be a good idea to keep them around. I don't see how it could be bad to remind myself of things I used to do that I never want to be able to justify again.

I'm It?

Somewhere during my little bday break I was tagged by JamyHawk. I've never been one to play along with these types of reindeer games, but I don't see what would stop me now that I am making an honest effort to be an active part of the community once more.

Although I am going to go along with this, it's going to have to wait a day or two....and since I haven't really been reading blogs lately, I doubt I will end up tagging any poker bloggers. What a shame huh?

Birthday

So I took a few days off or birthday celebration stuff. Got some cool gifts, got too much food and dessert.

I have, however, discovered an equation that I never knew existed.

Crunch Berries = Love

NFL Week 9

I had thought about doing a nice write up on a handful of games that I'd be betting on if it wasn't such a pain in the ass to do so where I live....but I am going to be happy enough just watching the Indy/NE game at 4 o'clock, so we'll have to save that for some other time.

I say NE takes it 28-24.

Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

I Could Get Used to This....

My birthday isn't actually until Monday, but the celebrations started yesterday at work with a home made birthday cake of my choosing. Tonight is a night of drinking and gaming fun at the big boy Chuck E Cheese in Novi known as Lucky's. My birthday may actually be the lamest day of birthday celebration for me this year....

My Editor is an Ass

I'm making a serious attempt at getting at least one post up here or at my other blog every day this month and next month. I've been an on and off blogger for more than a couple years, but most of that time has been spent in shut down. I always have a lot to say, and blogs are a wonderful tool for the average guy to get his viewpoint out there....I am just too lazy to post as often as I should.

Actually, that's not the whole story. The truth is I am an asshole of an editor. Nothing is ever good enough for me. Couple that with being a writer with a somewhat fragile ego, and I am truly my own worst enemy when it comes to writing anything. For the next couple months, though, my writer-self and editor-self have agreed on a truce. Hopefully this will help me get more content out there.

Quick note: My birthday celebration is tomorrow night. We're starting off at Lucky's in Novi, and I am sure we'll end up somewhere else later in the night. If anyone is interested in joining these festivities, let me know and I can give you the details.

Day One

My first "must blog" day of my own little two month challenge and I have already put myself behind the 8 ball. My sleep habits have left me very little time to get anything up here, but something is better than nothing. The next few days will be very busy for me, so I'll be sure to post but I am not sure the quality of those posts will be up to par. I'll just consider this weekend a warm-up of sorts for next week when I start talking about something(s) with substance.

Or I'll just rant about my bad poker luck like usual....

Happy Halloween!

This token post should be followed up by an outright barrage of posts the next couple of months. I am going to try to take this blogging thing seriously once more and see if I can get a post up just about every day for the rest of the year.

More soon, stay tuned.

Scott Weiland Loves His Bullhorn

Velvet Revolver rocked DTE tonight. What a great show.

Alice in Chains played a great set too.

If this is my last concert of the summer, it was a good one.


Photo Credit: Happy Walters

Long Time Coming

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything of substance here. I'm not going to change that just yet, but it's been even longer since I posted a silly picture of my dog....so here goes.

Guinness says:
"Michael Vick is a good guy....FOR ME TO POOP ON!"

Briefly

This is why I love HU SNGs on Full Tilt.

Full Tilt Poker Game #2705422933: $11 + $0.50 Heads Up Sit & Go (20629860), Table 1 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:35:48 ET - 2007/06/18
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Table_Max [6s 8s]
Table_Max calls 15
Opponent raises to 90
Table_Max calls 60
*** FLOP *** [3d Jd Ts]
Opponent bets 90
Table_Max calls 90
*** TURN *** [3d Jd Ts] [3h]
Opponent bets 90
Table_Max raises to 270
Opponent calls 180
*** RIVER *** [3d Jd Ts 3h] [Jh]
Opponent checks
Table_Max bets 750
Opponent folds
Uncalled bet of 750 returned to Table_Max
Table_Max mucks
Table_Max wins the pot (900)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 900 | Rake 0
Board: [3d Jd Ts 3h Jh]
Seat 1: Opponent (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 2: Table_Max (small blind) collected (900), mucked



Full Tilt Poker Game #2705430713: $11 + $0.50 Heads Up Sit & Go (20629860), Table 1 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:36:30 ET - 2007/06/18
Seat 1: Opponent (1,050)
Seat 2: Table_Max (1,950)
Opponent posts the small blind of 15
Table_Max posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Table_Max [Td 4h]
Opponent calls 15
Table_Max checks
*** FLOP *** [7s 8h 6c]
Table_Max bets 30
Opponent calls 30
*** TURN *** [7s 8h 6c] [2c]
Table_Max bets 60
Opponent calls 60
*** RIVER *** [7s 8h 6c 2c] [9h]
Table_Max bets 240
Opponent raises to 480
Table_Max raises to 1,830, and is all in
Opponent has 15 seconds left to act
Opponent calls 450, and is all in
Uncalled bet of 900 returned to Table_Max
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Table_Max shows [Td 4h] a straight, Ten high
Opponent mucks
Table_Max wins the pot (2,100) with a straight, Ten high
Table_Max: gg
Opponent stands up
Table_Max stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,100 | Rake 0
Board: [7s 8h 6c 2c 9h]
Seat 1: Opponent (small blind) mucked [5d Ah] - a straight, Nine high
Seat 2: Table_Max (big blind) showed [Td 4h] and won (2,100) with a straight, Ten high

Yep, two hands. This happens a lot more than you would think....

Trifecta Therapy

Insomnia has made an unwelcome return to my life this week. It has been creeping up on me for a few weeks, making a surprise appearance here and there, but this week is the longest bout I’ve had to deal with in quite a while.

Years ago I battled it long and hard, after living with it for several months. Actually at that point in my life it wasn’t so bad. I was still in school, working full time, and had a more than full time girlfriend. Time was at a premium then, and walking around like a zombie for days on end was probably very good for my relationship at the time.

When school settled down a bit and my work schedule was cut I figured the insomnia would die down. After a couple weeks I realized it wasn’t going anywhere and looked for answers. It seems there are a ton of “experts” who have foolproof ways to fight insomnia, or maybe it was a ton of fools with expertproof ways. Either way, I tried most of them. Some seemed very plausible, eating or drinking certain things at certain times of the day made a lot of sense to me Give your body what it needs when it needs it, and this should help restore your circadian rhythm. Others seemed ridiculous, like taping a coin to each of my temples and covering them by wrapping a tube sock around my head, but it seemed I should try them just in case. No luck with the dozens of “cures” I tried.

After many months I found that a balanced diet, lots of time in the gym, and a very active sex life combined to be the best way for me to treat my problem. Even with other issues stressing me out at the time, these three things kept me sleeping well night after night.

In the last few months I have been more active, and have been eating a healthier diet than I had been for quite a while. My stress levels have been low, and I am very happy in my personal life. This week has been somewhat of a break from that. My stress levels have risen and I haven’t been as active as usual, partially due to the weather, which should change this weekend. And now not only is my sleep affected, but I also have this amazing bouncing knee that won’t stop anytime I am sitting in a chair. I’m a zombie with restless leg syndrome.

I know that I need to continue to pursue my insomnia treatment trifecta, and I really hope this weekend will do a lot to get me back on track. Maybe by Sunday night I’ll be in bed at a normal hour getting some much needed rest. Or maybe I’ll just play in the blogger Big Game and/or the FTOPS ME which has more than a quarter million dollar payout for the winner. That would definitely help me sleep better at night.

Speaking of poker, I think I need to find the time to enter a live tourney or at least get a home poker night together with some friends soon. I’ve been playing exclusively online all this year. I haven’t played a serious hand of live poker all year. I like playing on Full Tilt and all, but I am mostly playing limit right now to grind the bankroll to a respectable level and, like I always said about dealing black jack when I was at MGM, I could teach a drunk monkey to do that. It’s not always fun to be on auto-pilot when I am on the digital felt, and with the problems involved with reloading online right now, I need to have a little more padding to account for variance. Smart and responsible poker isn’t always fun and entertaining poker.

Western Conference

My ramble on gene got the best of me yesterday and I didn’t have enough time to get out my thoughts on the Western Conference Finals which begin tonight when the Ducks come to Hockeytown to take on the Red Wings. The puck drops in less than 11 hours, and there are still many good seats available. It’s amazing what can happen to a team with a great fan base when ownership keeps raising ticket prices. Wasn’t there a lockout recently that led to a salary cap to help the owners from going broke? Didn’t the Wings payroll decrease by 40-50% after said lockout? How is it that I got two tickets for game 1 of the Pistons/Bulls series for 60% of what it would cost me to take my mom to a Wings game for mother’s day? Especially considering I sat only 6 rows behind Pistons owner Bill Davidson for game one, and the Wings tickets for Sunday were 18 rows from the glass in the corner. Did I mention the Pistons have sold out 181 consecutive games?

OK, enough of the anti-Illitch rant. He’s done some great things for the city of Detroit so I can’t get on him too much, but I think he needs to learn a little more about the basic rules of supply and demand. The Wings used to be the only game in town this time of the year, but with the great success of the Pistons over the last few years and the recent revival of the Tigers, there are other options for sports fans right now that cost a fraction of the price.

Looks like my ramble gene is still in high gear. Sorry, it’s hereditary. But now, on to the series breakdown.

Western Conference:

#1 Detroit vs #2 Anaheim

While I think the Eastern Conference Finals will be the most entertaining series for casual fans of the NHL to watch, I’m pretty sure the hockey snobs purists will like watching this series a lot more. Both of these teams play great defense (all three Norris Trophy finalists are playing in this series) and have good goalies with playoff experience. Giguere has won the Conn Smythe Trophy, but not a Stanley Cup, while Dominik Hasek has won six consecutive playoff series wearing the winged wheel (including our most recent Stanley Cup victory) and is playing as good at 42 as he did while winning the cup 5 years ago.

One of the first things you will notice about this year’s Red Wings team when you watch them play is that while they are still a great puck possession team they also have a lot of grit and can play a more physical game when needed. That was important in the first two series this year, and should play a major role in this series as well. The Wings are a very balanced team, and may be the most versatile in the league. At times they look unbeatable offensively and defensively, but this versatility also has its drawbacks as the Wings can look like a team without an identity from time to time and actually look a little lost in their offensive zone or on the power play.

This is not the case for Anaheim. The Ducks know how to play D as well as anyone in the league and have two of the three Norris Trophy finalists on their blue line in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, as well as a Selke Award (best defensive forward) finalist in Samuel Pahlsson. And if you happen to work the puck through these tough defensemen and forwards, you still have Giguere to deal with. It’s because of this defense first philosophy and outstanding defensive talent that the Ducks have only had one game during the playoffs where they have given up more than 2 goals, and have only lost two games out of the ten they have played.

I really think this series can go either way, but the longer the series goes the better it is for the Ducks. In my opinion the Wings will have to get on Anaheim’s D pretty quickly in each game and shove a couple goals down Giguere’s throat right away to be successful. The longer the game goes, the more the Ducks D will get a feel for the Detroit game plan and adjust to it. The Ducks are probably the best in the NHL at dissecting an offense and reacting to it, which in turn leads to scoring chances off of turnovers from frustrated foes. While the Wings are less likely to get frustrated with a defense, it does happen and some players will try to force a play or make an ill-advised pass that could work against most other teams, but not usually against the Ducks.

Like I said before I think this series can go either way, and as a Wings fan I’ll remain optimistic about our chances, but I really think I have to give Anaheim the edge in this series. Even though Detroit doesn’t make many mistakes in any game, when they do make them they are pretty severe and Anaheim is a lot more capable of capitalizing on those mistakes than the Flames or the Sharks were. Blue line fatigue will become a factor as our top defensemen will be forced into more ice time with the loss of Mathieu Schneider, who just happened to be the quarterback of the Wings power play. I just don’t think the Wings can overcome losing a player as important as Schneider, and the Ducks will go on to the Stanley Cup finals.

Pick: Anaheim in 7

More Hockey Stuff

Two rounds and twelve teams down, two rounds and four teams left. Generally speaking, the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs are usually easy money for anyone that knows anything about the game. Case in point; I have not paid nearly as much attention to the game since the lockout that I did before it and I have gone 11-1 picking the winners in each series so far. No matter how bad I do from here on out, the worst I can be is 11-4. And that might end up being the case because I am a lot less confident about these match ups than I was about the first two rounds, but seeing as I love sports and betting on playoff games and series I’ll stick it out for the rest of the Stanley Cup run.

So now that I got the bragging about my 11-1 record in the first two rounds out of the way, twice now, here are my picks for the Conference Finals.

Eastern Conference:

#1 Buffalo vs #4 Ottawa

I’ve felt all along that Buffalo was the team to beat in the playoffs, and even though they didn’t sweep the Rangers like I had thought I still feel the same. Ottawa did a great job in taking out the Devils last round (my only wrong pick so far), but I really think that New Jersey did more to lose that series than Ottawa did to win it. I really don't want to take anything away from Ottawa's win, as they are a very good team, but I feel that New Jersey would have taken them down if both teams were playing their respective A games throughout the series. That being said, I think Buffalo could take Ottawa even if the Sabres only bring their B+ game every night.

These games should be fast paced with both teams getting a lot of quality scoring chances. This could very well be the best series of the entire playoffs for the fans who aren’t hockey purists. I don’t know that the games will all be high scoring, it’s hard to tell how either goalie will handle the pressure of this series while facing a lot of tough shots. Both goalies have played very well so far, and I am really starting to respect Ray Emery’s (OTT) focus and mental toughness. That being said, I really think that Ryan Miller will be the deciding factor in this series. The kid is a puck magnet. I think he’s let up 2 rebounds so far in 11 playoff games. OK I am probably exaggerating a little here, but that’s what it seems like to me. As a shooter, you better get the puck past him on the first attempt because it’s very unlikely that puck is gonna bounce back your way.

Buffalo’s biggest challenge will be finding a way to contain Ottawa’s top line of Heatley, Alfredsson, and Spezza who have combined for 16 goals in 10 games. All of the other forwards for the Sens have combined for only 11 goals. Buffalo will try to keep Tallinder and Lydman out there whenever Ottawa has their top line on the ice. This defensive pairing did a good job against the Rangers top line last series, and should give Miller a decent look at most of the shots from Heatley and company.

I think this series will go six games and seem a lot tighter than it actually is. This series should be exactly what the NHL was hoping to get after tweaking the rules in recent years to open up the games a little, and therefore should be a lot more entertaining for a wider base of fans….if anyone watches that is. Two small market teams in America’s least favorite “major” sport who have avid fan bases in their respective markets, but no real broad appeal elsewhere. Sidney Crosby may be the player the NHL is counting on to bring more fans to the game, but I think this series could help do that sooner, if only the NHL could get it out there for more people to see,

Pick: Buffalo in 6 (and leaning toward taking the OVER in every game of the series)

Since I rambled on too long about the Eastern Conference match up, I don’t have any time left to do my Western Conference breakdown today. Look for it tomorrow.

Tonight’s picks:

Pistons +2.5

Buffalo -140

Buf/Ott OVER 5

End of the Month

Just played my last session of poker for the month of April. I have played 12 cash game sessions this month and have turned a profit in 11 of those. Most of those 11 were small wins seeing me walk away 4-10 BBs ahead from when I sat down, but all but one of those sessions lasted more than 90 minutes.

I am nowhere near being able to pay for a trip to Vegas solely with my poker winnings this year, but if I can keep my cash game tight throughout spring and into the summer I might just have to spend a week out there during the WSOP just to take advantage of the side action. With decent cards and/or luck I am pretty sure I can win more than enough to freeroll myself into one of the smaller buy-in events.

Hell, if I can book a few big wins in the coming month I might be able to move up to a limit where the money actually means something. I've still got a few leaks here and there, but my profit per hour keeps creeping up toward my hourly wage at work. Hopefully in the next couple months I'll be making more per hour with my "side job" than I am at my 9-5.

In other news, the Lions seemed to have another sub par draft this year. We really couldn't mess up the second pick as far as I am concerned, and I really like the idea of having Calvin Johnson on this team. But it seems that everyone in the war room was too busy giving each other congratulatory blowjobs the rest of the day to pay attention to who was out there that could actually help the team this year, instead of holding a clipboard as a third string QB or playing on kick coverage teams.

Other than that the weekend weather was great and it really looks like spring is finally here. I am looking forward to many a lazy afternoon on the porch watching the hilarity that is my neighborhood in the summer.

The Pistons looked good disposing of the Magic in 4 games, while Chicago did the same to the Heat. I can't wait to see what the crowd is like when the Bulls come to town for games one and two of our series.

The Red Wings looked pretty good against Calgary in the first round, but playing the Sharks is a whole different story. San Jose is a much better team than Calgary, and we suffered a couple injuries in round one that might really effect the next few games of round two. As I sit here game three in San Jose is tied 0-0 halfway through the first period, with the series tied at one game apiece.

Last but not least, my golf game still sucks....but it's not any worse than the guys I play with so I am ok. After spotting Mark and Mark three strokes on the first hole yesterday I only finished two strokes behind them for the nine holes we played. My short game failed me and I three putted on three different holes because I misread the cut and/or the speed on the green. After a few more days at the range and a couple more rounds I should be able to get a decent swing back and play well enough through the summer.

NHL Round One Results

So I was a little off on the number of games for most of the series, but I did manage to correctly pick who would move on to the next round and who was going to be hitting the golf course early. I am not as confident in my second round picks, but here they are anyway.

Detroit vs San Jose:
With my Wings a little banged up going into our matchup against San Jose I am a little worried. With all the pressure on this team to win a playoff series, I hope that they can focus on round two now that they have finally beaten a team they are supposed to in the first round of the playoffs. Hasek has been playing well enough to carry us to the finals, and if he gets some defensive support in this series we should advance in 6 or less. Normally I would bet the Wings on the money line for game one at home in any playoff series, but I think the Sharks may come in and steal this game.
Pick: Detroit in 6

Anaheim vs Vancouver:
I think the long Dallas series will really take it's toll on Vancouver. They will be fired up for the first couple games in Anaheim, which is good, and I'd look for them to seriously push the Ducks in those games but I just think Anaheim is gonna grind them down and take the series pretty handily.
Pick: Anaheim in 5

Buffalo vs NYR:
It's no fluke that Buffalo was the best team in the regular season. Usually in the NHL that doesn't mean much in the playoffs, but I really don't see the Rangers hanging with the Sabres this series. This could be painful for NY.
Pick: Buffalo in 4

NJ vs Ottawa:
I think this will be the best series of the second round and could go either way. I really think it will come down to goaltending, and for my money there hasn't been a better pressure goalie in the NHL the last decade or so than Martin Brodeur. He looked someone average in the first couple games against Tampa Bay, but the defense shored up in front of him after that and he played very well the rest of the series. NJ could ride his play to the finals, and if they do he will almost certainly be a lock for the Conn-Smythe no matter who wins the cup.
Pick: NJ in 6

Today's Picks

I wanted to get more of these in this week, but hey.

Detroit -240
Det/Cal under 5
Ottawa +115
Ott/Pit under 6.5

NHL playoff games are all about match-ups and adjustments to those match-ups. Game 2 between the Wings and Flames should be relatively low scoring. I see a 2-0 or 2-1 game.

After playing a high energy game just yesterday, Ottawa and Pittsburgh should play a little tired today. Both teams need to make quite a few adjustments. I believe the Senators will implement their adjustments a lot better than the Penguins, but coming home will mean a lot to Pittsburgh. Ottawa should get on the board early to take the crowd down a notch.

NHL First Round

I used to make brackets every year for the NHL playoffs to see how well I was really paying attention to the game throughout the year. This year I have paid little attention to the game itself and have relied more on stats to tell me about the games and match-ups. Here are my thoughts on round one.

Eastern Conference

#1 Buffalo vs #8. NY Islanders
I really don’t see the Sabres having too much of a problem with the Isles. NY may win game 3 or 4 at home, but I think that’s about it.
Pick: Buffalo in 5

#2 New Jersey vs #7 Tampa Bay
Another series where I think the lower seed is really overmatched. Martin Brodeur is a machine. 2.18 GAA this season (3rd in NHL, 1st in East) in 78 games (1st in NHL). Impressive stats for a goalie, but even more I think it’s a great indicator of how well this NJ team plays as a whole. Tampa might be able to take a game at home, but I doubt it.
Pick: NJ in 4

#3 Atlanta vs #6 NY Rangers
I really like the Rangers team this year and think that they will take this series if they get some good play in goal. I think they will steal a game in Atlanta and lock up the series in NY in game 6. If they don’t take it in six, I don’t think the win game 7 in Atlanta.
Pick: NYR in 6

#4 Ottawa vs #5 Pittsburgh
Nothing would please the NHL front office more than the Pens making it deep into the playoffs led by the great play of Sidney Crosby. I think Crosby will play well and could cause some match-up issues for the Senators, but I think Ottawa will prevail. I also think all seven games will be very close 1-2 goal difference games.
Pick: Ottawa in 7

Western Conference

#1 Detroit vs #8 Calgary
Being a Red Wing homer I always get a little too optimistic in the first round of the playoffs considering the Wings track record over the last few years. That being said, I think this team is ready for anything and barring any major injuries (keep and eye on Bertuzzi) we should take this series handily, with the possibility of a sweep. Look for Hasek to get 2 shutouts in this series.
Pick: Detroit in 5

#2 Anaheim vs #7 Minnesota
Another series that could be a sweep, but I think that Backstrom might just stand on his head in one or two games and really frustrate the Ducks. Even if he handles the playoffs as well as he handled the regular season, I don’t think he can keep his GAA under 2 in this series and it may actually end up being double that when all is said and done.
Pick: Anaheim in 5

#3 Vancouver vs #6 Dallas
I also think this series has the underdog really overmatched and Vancouver should win pretty easily.
Pick: Vancouver in 5

#4 Nashville vs #5 San Jose
This may be the most entertaining match-up in the entire first round. I think that the games will be close, could all be pretty high scoring, and it will go seven games.
Pick: San Jose in 7