What a first round. The only team to sweep an opponent was a #6 seed. The Bruins undertook a comeback for the ages. Pittsburgh was given a run for their money by the Islanders. All of that produced a variety of levels of success for our panel.

The Penguins, Blackhawks and Bruins were all solid choices, and the Sharks weren’t far behind. The rest of the field, difficult to pick, produced mixed results. The length of each series was also hard to choose, further widening the scoring gap between our experts.

So be sure to check the results below to see who’s in the lead, and come back Thursday for the next round’s picks. Continue reading 2013 NHL Playoffs Expert Picks: First Round Results »

The playoffs are upon us, and there are plenty of good match-ups. Boston backed into the postseason and faces Toronto, who you don’t usually see in May. The Blackhawks and Penguins easily solidified their positions. Ottawa barely avoided Pittsburgh in the first round, while Minnesota is just happy to be in, winning a tiebreaker over Columbus.

All of that mix made for some interesting choices for our expert panel. Aside from the two #1/#8 series, only Boston and Toronto had a unanimous winner in all pick sets. And whoever got the nod in their series, St Louis and Los Angeles look to be the most fun to watch, with everyone but one choosing the series to go a full seven games.

As usual, correctly guessing the winner of a series is worth two points, while guessing how many games a series will last is worth one point.

So now that everything is underway, be sure to check below for everyone’s picks, and check back for the results after the first round is complete. Continue reading 2013 NHL Playoffs Expert Picks »

Just one week remains in the season, and there’s still plenty left to play. The unfortunate events surround the Boston Marathon and the week after have forced the Bruins to postpone two games, in turn forcing the Penguins and Sabres to postpone a game. That leaves Boston with six games games to play between now and a week from Sunday, especially leaving them with plenty of influence on their division and the top seeds. The playoff teams are starting to come into picture, though Winnipeg, Detroit and Dallas all have legitimate chances of breaking into the bracket on the final week. With that and the placement of seeds very much up for grabs, let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, April 20 at 1:00pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 13 »

Just two weeks remain in the season, and teams are starting to clinch spots. Time is quickly running out for teams to make their moves or break into the top 16. The Blackhawks, Ducks and Penguins continue to sit easy of course (and are now joined by Vancouver as a solid #3), but it’s not so clear cut from there on out. The Northeast and Southeast divisions are still very much in play, and it’s getting very difficult to hold onto any other seed for any amount of time. With the field still playing itself out, let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, April 13, before the day’s games: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 12 »

Less than a month remains in the abbreviated season, but the situation remains heated. Plenty of divisions remain up for grabs. The playoff chases for #9 and below, especially in the East, remain open. The Southeast Division is starting to look like you either win the division or stay home in May. And of course the seeding of the 16 teams is almost completely on shaky ground. With everyone on edge in the home stretch, let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, April 6 at 8:15pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 11 »

10 weeks into the season, things are still being shaken up. Pittsburgh is on a major roll. Plenty of squads are still hoping to get into the race. The playoff teams in general are crowding each other and could drastically shift among each other at any time. So before this wacky season gets any wackier, let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, March 30 at 7:45pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 10 »