Baumblog EST 1968 - A blog for the Baumbachs who originated in Syracuse, NY


	Posts tagged with "playoffs"

Congratulations to the Champs, and NHL Playoff Predictions
posted by GJ on April 9, 2007 @ 1:18PM

Congratulations to the Motor City Madmen, champions of the 2007 Baumbach Fantasy Hockey Cup. I'll post the final overall standings soon, but Steve managed to both knock off the defending champ in the semis and then demolish his opponent in the finals. This marks his first win.

OK, time for my first round NHL Playoff predictions:

Western Conference:

(1) Detroit vs (8) Calgary. I'll take Calgary in six. Hands-down, Detroit is going to lose this series.

(2) Anaheim vs (7) Minnesota. Anaheim in seven, though it wouldn't be a shock to see Minnesota in seven.

(3) Vancouver vs (6) Dallas. You're kidding me, right? Vancouver in five.

(4) Nashville vs (5) San Jose. This will be the best series in the West. Nashville in seven....or San Jose.

Eastern Conference:

(1) Buffalo vs (8) New York Islanders. Buffalo is a scary, scary team. New York isn't. Buffalo in five.

(2) New Jersey vs (7) Tampa Bay. I think the last second coaching change is going to hurt the Devils...in the second round. New Jersey in six.

(3) Atlanta vs (6) New York Rangers. New York is hot. Atlanta is not a playoff team. New York in five.

(4) Ottawa vs (5) Pittsburgh. On paper, this series is pretty close. On ice, it's not. One reason: Ray Emery. Pittsburgh in six.

1 comment | Tags: fantasy, hockey, playoffs

GJ's famous Stanley Cup Predictions
posted by GJ on May 8, 2007 @ 12:10PM

First, how did I do in the second round?

Buffalo vs New York: I'll take Buffalo in six. Bingo!

Ottawa vs New Jersey: I think Ottawa may win in seven. Ottawa in six

Detroit vs San Jose: Sharks in seven. Wings in six

Anaheim vs Vancouver: Ducks in five. Bingo!

OK, so I did a lot better in this past round. Here's how I see things for Round 3:

Buffalo vs Ottawa: Make no doubt about it, Ottawa hasn't seen a team as deep or talented as Buffalo. Ray Emery's GAA will be climbing for this series. At the same time, Buffalo forgot how to score at times against New York, and if they do it again Ottawa will decimate them. I'm rooting for Buffalo, but I think Ottawa wins in six.

Detroit vs Anaheim: Detroit's defensive corps is hurting. Anaheim is relatively unscathed and well rested. But...Anaheim should have beaten Edmonton last year in this round, and it wasn't even close. They picked up Pronger to try to make a difference this year. Will it work? Ducks in six.

2 comments | Tags: hockey, playoffs

Stanley Cup Predictions Thread
posted by GJ on April 10, 2008 @ 10:49AM

So, here's my first round picks:

New Jersey vs New York: Rangers in five, as the Devils can't score, especially not Lundquist.
Pittsburg vs Ottawa: Penguins in four. Ottawa is a shell of last year's team, due partly to injuries and partly to poor goaltending.
Washington vs Philadelphia: Flyers in seven. This should be the most hardfought of the first round Wales Conference series. Both teams are playing well, but the Flyers simply are tougher and have more intangibles than the Caps. I could be wrong, though--the Caps seem to have the entire Soviet Red Army team playing for them.
Boston vs Montreal: Montreal in six. Boston will put up a good fight, but Montreal is simply too strong for the Bears.
Detroit vs Nashville: Red Wings in five. Preds will give Detroit a bit of a shock, taking one of the first two in Detroit, but Detroit will cruise once they get serious.
Calgary vs San Jose: Flames in six. This is not a good matchup for the Sharks, and Playoff Choke Thornton will likely disappear this series.
Minnesota vs Colorado: Avalanche in five. Colorado is just hitting their stride--Minnesota fell off the horse in the last few weeks of the season.
Anaheim vs Dallas: Dallas in seven. Could be the best matchup in the Campbell Conference. Dallas matches up very well against Anaheim, and should prevail. Anaheim has all the tools to repeat as champs, but doesn't seem to be playing with that "killer" attitude. That said, Dallas goalie Marty Turco has some playoff ghosts to scare off...if he doesn't, it may just be the Ducks in seven.

Overall, I think we're looking at a possible Detroit - Montreal final, but I'll wait till this round is over before embarrasing myself with the next round of predictions. Argue with me in the comments!

13 comments | Tags: hockey, playoffs

Geoff said about 1 hour later

It's high time Montreal sipped from Stanley...it's been too long. Go Habs!
GJ said about 1 hour later

Montreal last won in 1993, Oilers are winless since 1990. Some teams (ahem, cough, cough, Philadelphia, hack, Boston, cough) haven't won since the early to mid 70s.

Personally, I'm rooting for Minnesota and Washington. And anyone playing the Habs, Wings, or Ducks.
Geoff said about 4 hours later

Yes but Montreal, being the leading cup winner of all time, is way past due for it again. This year is hopeful! Forget the oilers, they had a brief spurt back in Waynes day...they are has beens. Phily is a never was. :)
Steve said about 7 hours later

Go Flyers! I WISH they could put together a good enough team to win the cup. Kinda like the Detroit Lions, have the talent, just can't get them to use it.
GJ said about 10 hours later

The Rangers eventually managed to do it, and might be good enough to do it again this year. If *they* can do it, any team can.

Montreal is all over Boston right now...but Boston isn't very good. ;) I think I should have predicted a 4-0 sweep. Nashville is giving Detroit a close game--this one might go six or seven.
Marc said about 11 hours later

Devils are going all the way. Brodeur is gonna score for them.
GJ said about 22 hours later

He's gonna have to--nobody else is!
GJ said 4 days later

Let's see where I stand:

NYR 2, NJD 1. So far, so good.
PIT 3, OTT 0. Looking good.
PHI 1, WSH 1. This may only go five if WSH keeps playing like they did Sunday.
MTL 2, BOS 1. Looks more like MTL in five.
DET 2, NSH 1. Is NSH showing signs of life?
MIN 2, COL 1. Colorado should be winning this series...if they could learn to play goal in the 3rd period.
DAL 2, ANA 0. Color me not surprised. In fact, if Anaheim can't get it together, Dallas may well sweep them.
CGY 2, SJS 1. San Jose's meltdown in Game 3 was the turning point of the series. Just watch.

So far, I still have all the picks right, and even look good for the number of games in each series. Still, surprises abound in the playoffs. From what I've seen so far, Pittsburgh might well be able to take out Montreal. In the West, I still like Detroit.
GJ said 5 days later

Hmm...apparently, I can't read my original post...Minnesota is leading its series, so I picked that one wrong if they win (and I've already picked the series total wrong, too!).
GJ said 10 days later

Prediction update:

(1) Rangers in five. Bingo, got both right.
(2) Pens in four. Bingo, got both right.
(3) Flyers in seven. Flyers currently up 3-2.
(4) Habs in six. Not looking good...Bruins may win in seven. Tied 3-3.
(5) Wings in five. Picked the right team, but Detroit took six games.
(6) Avs in five. Picked the right team, but Colorado took six games.
(7) Stars in seven. Picked the right team, but Dallas only took six games.
(7) Flames in six. Series tied 3-3...might still get the right team, tho.
Geoff said 10 days later

If the Bruins can take out Montreal in Game 7, at Montreal, that will be one heck of a comeback win. Momentum is definitely in their corner...
GJ said 10 days later

Yes, it most certainly is. But then again, the Oilers did something similar to the Canes in the 2006 Finals, and the Canes still managed to scrape together a Game Seven win.

Game Sevens are almost always magical, almost always a titanic battle. You don't want to have to do too many on your way to the finals, but one (especially early for a top team) can be a galvanizing force if they survive it. Look up Edmonton's 1990 cup run for a great example of this.
Geoff said 10 days later

should be a great game!

Stanley Cup Predictions, Round Two
posted by GJ on April 23, 2008 @ 8:12AM

First, how did I do in Round 1?

Picks:

Rangers in five. Actual: Rangers in five.
Penguins in four. Actual: Penguins in four.
Flyers in seven. Actual: Flyers in seven.
Canadians in six. Actual: Canadians in seven.
Red Wings in five. Actual: Red Wings in six.
Stars in seven. Actual: Stars in six.
Avalanche in five. Actual: Avalance in six.
Flames in six. Actual: Sharks in seven.

Picked 7/8 teams, and 3/7 had the right # of games. Not too shabby.

So, the matchups for the next round:

Montreal vs Philadelphia: Montreal's Price will steal this series. Habs in six.
Pittsburg vs New York: Sid the Kid is moving on. Pens in six.
Detroit vs Colorado: Sakic and Forsberg are....are....getting old. Wings in seven.
San Jose vs Dallas: Do you believe in miracles? No, but I don't think Dallas' run is over just yet. Stars in seven.

4 comments | Tags: hockey, playoffs

Username:
Password:
Remember me