*** EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION SEMI-FINALS (1) Boston Bruins (54-19-9, 117 points) vs. (4) Detroit Red Wings (39-28-15, 93 points) The Bruins and the Red Wings last met in the playoffs in 1957, so simply from a hockey purists standpoint, this series will be worth the price of admission. The Bruins have been dominant this year, and the Wings decimated by injury. Rational analysis would suggest the Bruins have an easy run here. But were not relying on rationale. Random: The Bruins won the 57 series in 5 games, so in their last one series against the Wings, the Bruins are undefeated. Hockey logic suggests that trend would continue. Additionally, Daniel Alfredsson has yet to lose a playoff series as a Red Wing.Coin Toss: BruinsI-Ching: "Success through smallness. Perseverance brings good fortune to the wanderer." This suggests the smaller more creative Wings will beat the big, bad Bruins.Utter Nonsense: The Bruins have sandpaper and grit, which are synonyms and essentially mean that they have players who dont mind fighting and bending the rules. Sandpaper and grit are very popular among NHL managers and coaches. Mostly, they like saying, "sandpaper and grit." Likewise, the hockey media has taken to referencing sandpaper and grit. They like players with sandpaper and grit. Players lacking sandpaper and grit are not the makings of a champion. Whoever invented the Corsi and Fenwick stats needs to develop a quantifiable Sandpaper Quotient, or the term must be banned from the sport. Prediction: Im a Montrealer, and as such morally and physically incapable of favouring anything Boston-related. Wings in 7. ~ (2) Tampa Bay Lightning (46-27-9, 101 points) vs. (3) Montreal Canadiens (46-28-8, 100 points) Montreal is the only Canadian team in the playoffs, and each of the past 6 times that has occurred theyve won the Cup. The Bolts are entering their first playoffs without a French Canadian star player and an injured team MVP in goaltender Ben Bishop. The big question in this series is: Will there be enough Canadian snowbirds in Tampa to give the Habs a home ice advantage on the road? Random: No team has ever won the Stanley Cup after one of its forwards was charged with cocaine possession the week before the playoffs. The Habs are undefeated in the playoffs in years that Pauline Marois PQ government has been defeated in a provincial election.Coin Toss: Habs.I-Ching: "Biting through has success. It is favorable to let justice be administered." Neither team is particularly truculent, but with the return of Brandon Prust to the Habs lineup and George Parros in the press box at the ready, I-Ching likes the Canadiens.Utter Nonsense: Bolts head coach Jon Cooper is a lawyer. No NHL head coach who is a lawyer by trade has ever lost to the Habs in the first round of a playoff series. Prediction: Price gets hot and carries the Habs to Round 2. Habs in 6. ~ METROPOLITAN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS (1) Pittsburgh Penguins (51-24-7, 109 points) vs. (4) Columbus Blue Jackets (43-32-7, 93 points) Tomas Vokun was added to the Pens roster over the weekend, suggesting that the organization has little faith in starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. One would have to believe that if the Penguins dont make a deep run this year, head coach Dan Bylsma would be looking for another job. The Jackets are just happy to have been invited to the dance, are playing with house money, and (insert third cliché here.) An upset, or long series, would seemingly rely on Ryan Johansens coming out party as the games next dominant power forward and Sergei Bobrovskys return to Vezina excellence. Random: The price of a cappuccino in Columbus is 10.59% less than in Pittsburgh. You have to respect that kind of sabermetrics when considering the outcome of a series.Coin Toss: Penguins.I-Ching: "Decrease combined with sincerity brings about supreme good fortune without blame." I-Ching mustve meant "the crease" not decrease. Eastern online divination suggests Bobrovsky outplays Fleury, with the latter again to be blamed for the Pens misfortunes in the second season.Utter Nonsense: No one thought that in a sport dominated by misogynistic locker room sentiment, a team nicknamed the BJs would be a bad idea? Prediction: Bob returns to form, and Ohio hockey goes to Round 2 for the first time ever. Jackets in 7. ~ (2) New York Rangers (45-31-6, 96 points) vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers (42-30-10) Broadway versus Broad Street. This series promises to be one of the most entertaining, as these decades-old rivals meet in Round 1. Ultimately, in the series (as with most really) comes down to goaltending. The Rangers will be relying desperately on the play of Henrik Lundqvist, who has looked mortal this year. The Flyers, as always, have goaltending issues, and could probably start the ghost of Pelle Lindbergh and still have a better chance than the suspect duo of Steve Mason and Ray Emery. The series will most certainly miss John Tortorella. Hes the Jim Schoenfeld of his generation. Random: Martin St-Louis has never lost a playoff series while with the Rangers. Craig Berube is undefeated in the post-season as a head coach. What? How can one reconcile these two contradictory yet indisputable facts?Coin Toss: Rangers.I-Ching: "The Taming Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water." Well, looks like I-Ching sees these teams crossing the Hudson a few times before its over, ultimately going 7 games, with the road team the victor. Flyers go to Round 2.Utter Nonsense: Lundqvist once played Guns n Roses "Sweet Child O Mine" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. No goalie that has performed a GnR tune on NBC has ever lost to the Flyers in a 7 game series. Prediction: Hard to argue with I-Ching here. Flyers in 7. ~ WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION SEMI-FINALS (1) Colorado Avalanche (52-22-8, 112 points) vs. (4) Minnesota Wild (43-27-12, 98 points) Colorado is the surprise one seed in the West, finishing strong under first-year head coach Patrick Roy. Roy was at home in the playoffs as a player, winning four Cups and three Conn Smythe Trophies, more than any other player. His team seems to have appropriated his temperament and passion, a scary notion for opponents. Minnesota is the team that money bought, still trying to reap the rewards of signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter two summers ago. Their goaltending currently relies on Ilya Bryzgalov having one last good run in the tank. Hell be back on the lecture circuit soon. Random: Dany Heatley, acquired by the Wild in the off-season, is having his worst season as a pro, with some suggesting his time in the league could be done. This is wonderful news for fans in Ottawa and Edmonton, who took Heatleys shunning of their communities quite hard a few years ago. What does this have to do with this matchup? Nothing really. Thats why this is the "Random" section. I explained this in the introduction. Did you even read the introduction? Coin Toss: Avs.I-Ching: "The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring. Changing Lines: Changing yang at the bottom means hidden dragon. Do not act." The movement of heaven suggests the Avs are on a roll not to be stopped, and the superior man is obviously Roy (just ask him). I-Ching sees this series coming down to the third and fourth lines, giving the Avs depth the advantage. Utter Nonsense: The best burger Ive ever had in my life was at the Crowne Royal hotel in Denver. Ive never been to Minnesota, but I doubt their burgers measure up. However, Betty Whites character Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls is from Minnesota, suggesting this series may go longer than I believe. Prediction: Roy in the playoffs is good for the game. Avs in 5. ~ (2) St. Louis Blues (52-23-7, 111 points) vs. (3) Chicago Blackhawks (46-21-5, 107 points) I suppose this series is the one that many are most looking forward to, but my reaction to the matchup is: Meh. St. Louis, under Ken Hitchcock, plays the kind of hockey that ruins hockey: An over-coached, systems based, reduce chances game that makes Jacques Lemaires teams look like the 80s Oilers. Ryan Miller, playing for a contract, will be something to watch, however. Chicago is a little banged up, having rested Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane down the stretch. No team has repeated as champions since the late 90s Red Wings, suggesting the Hawks may be in for more of a challenge than they might expect. Including the Olympics, many of the Hawks best players have played a lot of hockey in the past 16 months. Random: At the beginning of the season, Hitchcock ordered that the Blues no longer celebrate by fist bumping along the length of the bench as most teams do. In the regular season, this was an exercise in team before player, the collective over the individual. But in the post-season, when emotions arent just running high, but rather an intangible asset, how will this micromanaging affect the Blues players?Coin Toss: Blues.I-Ching: "The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water and the rope does not go all the way, or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune."Ya, I dont know what that means. Utter Nonsense: Ryan Miller is married to actress Noureen DeWulf, who appeared in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey won an Oscar this year for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, and was critically lauded for his performance in HBOs True Detective. These facts suggest DeWulfs husband will win a Stanley Cup. Prediction: Hitchcock is part of the destruction of up-tempo hockey. I cant pick the Blues. Hawks in 6. ~ PACIFIC DIVISION SEMI-FINALS (1) Anaheim Ducks (54-20-8, 116 points) vs. (4) Dallas Stars (40-31-11, 91 points) Anaheim, since replacing Randy Carlyle with Bruce Boudreau as head coach, plays the kind of hockey we all want to see: Offensive, creative, and relying more on the players than a system. We need more Boudreaus. Any team that boasts Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Teemu Selanne, has the ability to challenge for the Cup. Dallas. Well, Dallas has Tim Thomas, the strangest right wing quote machine, back in the playoffs after a year spent away from the game, building bomb shelters and reading Ayn Rand. But, the team squeaked into the playoffs, and despite the rise of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, seems a few years from being the dominant force that GM Jim Nill is intent on building. Random: If you dont like Selanne, you dont like hockey. It would be great for the game if the Ducks made a bit of a run. Coin Toss: Ducks.I-Ching: "Contemplation. The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up to him."See, even Internet I-Ching likes Teemu. Utter Nonsense: Boudreau had a minor role in Slap Shot. No head coach of a California-based NHL team who has appeared in a Paul Newman film has ever lost a playoff series against a Texas-based team if that series began on a weekday. Prediction: Teemu plays like hes 23, and takes the Stars out quick so he can rest like hes 43. Ducks in 4. ~ (2) San Jose Sharks (51-22-9, 111 points) vs. (3) Los Angeles Kings (46-28-8, 100 points) This is perhaps the most compelling series of the first round. The forever playoff-challenged Sharks against the surprising recent champion Kings. San Jose just cant seem to ever find that playoff gear. If they dont go to the conference finals this year, it could be time for a rebuild. Even more surprising is the fact that somehow the curmudgeonly Kings coach Darryl Sutter has become an entertaining quote machine. Where was that in Calgary? Sutter has this team playing well, and if goaltender Jonathan Quick can regain his 11 form, the Kings could go deep. Random: See what I did above? Did you see that? This is exactly what I was railing against in the introduction. What kind of nonsense is that, "if goaltender Jonathan Quick can regain his 11 form, the Kings could go deep"? Of course if their goalie gets hot they could go deep. If any of a number of things happen, any team could go deep. I cant believe people get paid for this.Coin Toss: Kings.I-Ching: "Dispersion. Success. The king approaches his temple." Goodbye San Jose. Utter Nonsense: Brent Burns wears awesome suits. Sharks should win on that fact alone. Prediction: No self-respecting hockey team should wear teal. Kings in 7. Cheap Hawks Jerseys .Y. - Alex Rodriguez paid $305,000 for evidence that could be used in the case involving the Biogenesis of America drug clinic, the Daily News reported Saturday. Custom Atlanta Hawks Jerseys . Ramirez is still hitting behind Puig, only now they are in the third and fourth spots, and the change is starting to generate positive results for manager Don Mattingly. https://www.cheaphawks.com/ . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders. Atlanta Hawks Store . "Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience, having worked both in Canada and overseas in player development," Canada Soccer technical director Tony Fonseca said in a release. Fake Hawks Jerseys . Groves signed with Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent last year after a season with Arizona. He was in the linebacker rotation and had a sack in the season opener against Miami.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Henrik Lundqvist wasnt happy going into Game 6 against Montreal. Given the hook midway through the previous game of the Eastern Conference final, the US$100-million-plus Rangers goalie had been doing a lot of soul-searching. "You have so many highs. You have a few lows where youre questioning a lot of things, but then you just have to make up your mind," Lundqvist said after Thursdays 1-0 series-clinching win over Montreal. "You cant have any excuses. You just have to go out there. "I kept telling myself all day, believe in what youre doing. Ive been in that spot before. It gets silly, you get pulled. You have a tough game, but you just have to stay confident." The mental review concluded, Lundqvist returned to world-class form. In dispatching the Canadiens to win the series four games to two, Lundqvist only had to deal with 18 shots. There were stretches of inactivity for the stylish Swede but he had to be razor sharp on a couple of occasions. Lundqvist, in 20 playoff games this season, leads the NHL with a .928 save percentage and ranks second with a 2.03 goals-against average. New York will need more of the same in the Stanley Cup final. "He was totally focused," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said of his goalie. "He was probably a little upset tonight coming into the game. I dont know if it was because of the opportunity or if he was upset with the way it ended in Montreal in Game 5. "But he was definitely focused, and those are not easy games to play. I mean, there is not a lot of work, but youve got to stay sharp. He stayed really sharp." The biggest save came in the second period off Thomas Vanek. It was an amazing circus-like save with his arm and then blocker as Lundqvist, who lost his stick in the process, corkscrewed his body to stop the close-range shot that deflected off a diving defenceman. Asked what he thought of the play, Vigneault replied: "Same thing you did. Wow." The Rangers scored soon after to book a ticket to their first Cup final in 20 years. When the final whistle blew, the normally ice-cool Lundqvist threw his arms up in the air and pumped them in celebration, before being mobbed by his teammates as New York celebrated its 11th trip to the final. The Rangers will open the championship series next Wednesday in either Chicago or Los Angeles. "Its going to be a great challenge," said Lundqvist before knowing the identity of his opponent. "Were going to play against a really good team. Its about, for us, in the room to remind each other that this is such a special moment that you have to grab it. You have to make sure youre ready and play your absolute best. "Youre not going to get that many opportunities. Ive been here for nine years. This is my first final, and now its all about preparing the right way and try to leave it all out there." In front of Lundqvist, the Rangers can roll four lines. Vigneault started the fourth line of Dominic Moore, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett against the Habs in Game 6 and they responded with the lone goal on the night. The goal came through nose-to-the-grindstone resolve as the Rangers outworked a tired Montreal quintet to keep the puck in the Habs end. Left alone behind the goal, Boyle sent a perfect pass through defenceman Francis Bouillon and Moore snapped a shot past Dustin Tokarski on the stick side. The Rangers rrely on goaltending and penalty killing to limit the opposition offence.dddddddddddd Its a recipe that worked well against Montreal, other than Game 5 when Lundqvist was pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots. New York also has speed in the form of Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello and others. There are Cup winners in Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis. And first-class defencemen in Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. There is character galore. Moore and St. Louis have had to endure personal tragedies in recent time, but found refuge at the rink, according to Vigneault. The team is well-drilled and does the little things well, although there was a tendency to take poor penalties against Montreal. Behind the bench, Vigneault is a calming presence. In a year that saw the Rangers wobble out of the starting gate, forced to play on the road for most of October due to Madison Square Garden renovations, Vigneault kept the train on the tracks while changing the team culture. Lundqvist also endured a rocky start, going 8-11 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in his first 20 games. "We did change a lot of things going into the season. I think it was a time where we had to find ourselves a little bit as a group," the goalie said. "But personally, I think it was my toughest start in my career, my 12, 13 years as a pro, if I combine the Sweden years. "So its definitely a tough test. But it feels better when you turn it around and good things start to happen. Its been a great ride so far, especially the second half of the season. Its been a lot of fun to be around the guys, thats for sure." Lundqvist, in the final year of a six-year, US$41.25 million deal, signed a seven-year contract extension worth US$59.5 million that will make him the NHLs highest-paid goalie. The win that moved the Rangers into the final came a year to the day that New York fired fiery coach John Tortorella, who is worlds apart from Vigneault. "I personally just like how calm he is," Lundqvist said of Vigneault. "Obviously, he changed a lot the way we play, so it was a big change early on in training camp and the first couple months for us to adjust and for me to adjust. It was a little different game. But he was very patient and calm and understood the process for us to get there. Its going to take a while to get there. "But obviously having Tortorella for almost five years and having that coaching style and then A.V. comes in, theyre opposites. As a player, you learn from both, and I enjoy both. But its refreshing when you see a new coaching style that you havent had before and the way he handles pressure situations. ... Hes pretty consistent with the way he talks to us good or bad." Vigneault is the picture of calm, although he is no automaton. "Yeah, he gets worked up. Hes a human being, and hes a coach," said Richards. "Coaches have to do things sometimes to get things going. But his worked up is different than other peoples worked up. Different from my worked up and your worked up, everybody has different ways of showing it. "I think youve just got to be around it and be behind closed doors, and youll know when he wants a little more of a practice or a little more preparation or whatever hes doing. He still sets the tone when you see him that day, if things need to be changed or need to be worked on." ' ' '