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By Jason Comack  January 11, 2010, at 4:03 pm  Amir Sadollah (2-1) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-9-1)
The Fighters: Sadollah won the Ultimate Fighter, while beating C.B Dollaway twice in the process. He’s gotten off to a rocky start in his UFC career with a loss to Johnny Hendricks and a less then stellar win over a very tan Phil Baroni.
Blackburn is “looking to steal some of Sadollah’s name value.” Bad Brad is an IFL veteran who is currently on a 3 fight UFC win streak.
Breakdown: We haven’t seen a ton of Sadollah. He certainly has some ground skills but he lacks the wrestling to take a guy down. He has some striking skills but it’s nothing to right home about. On the other hand Blackburn has solid kickboxing skills that should be able to frustrate Sadollah. Truth is I don’t think Sadollah is very good at all and I still have no idea how he won TUF.
Prediction: Blackburn KO Round 3.
Aaron Simpson (6-0) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-1)
The Fighters: Much like Khamal Shalarous, Simpson is a decorated wrestler who found MMA late in his career. Simpson was a standout wrestler. In high school, Simpson compiled a 142-1 record wrestling for Antelope Union High School in Welton, Arizona while earning four state wrestling championships. He went on to compete at Arizona State, compiling 110 wins and earning NCAA All-American status in 1996 and 1998. After 6 impressive fights, including a domination of Ed Herman, the 35 year old Simpson has all the skills to be a champion. It’s just a shame that he didn’t find MMA sooner.
Lawlor is known for his stint on the Ultimate Fighter and his goofy entrances. He’s gone to the weigh-in’s with Just Bleed painted on him and dressed as Harold Howard. He’s also come out to the cage to who let the dogs out. Also a solid wrestler, Lawlor is 2-0 in the octagon.
Breakdown: What Lawlor does well Simpson does better. Lawlor won’t be able to take Simpson down and we’ve seen time and time again wrestlers aren’t comfortable fighting off their backs. Simpson is more athletic, stronger and more explosive. I expect a dominant performance for Simpson that will leave people pining for him to get bigger fights.
Prediction: Simpson TKO Strikes Round 2.
Efrain Escudero (12-0) vs. Evan Dunham (9-0)
The Fighters: Escudero, also a TUF champion, got on the map by defeating Phillipe Nover. He followed it up with an impressive performance by knocking out Cole Miller. In that fight Escudero had trouble making weight but this time he had no problem. As of Sunday he weighed 172 and looked to be in much better shape then the Miller fight. Escudero is a wrestler but his game is constantly evolving. He hands looked much sharper against Miller then they did on The Ultimate Fighter
Dunham, 2-0 UFC, put his name on the map by defeating the seasoned Marcus Auerlio. Dunham, a BJJ Brown Belt, put all those skills to use against the skilled grappler. Dunham has also show quick and accurate striking ability in his short UFC stint. His cardio is no question as he trains with the X-Treme Couture camp.
Breakdown: The winner of this battle of undefeated fighters will surely emerge as a contender for top fights. Dunham has the more precise, technical striking while Escurdero holds an edge in terms of raw power. Escudero is a better wrestler but Dunham has the ground skills to submit or sweep him. It’s a tough fight to call but one prediction I’m not afraid to make is this will be up for Fight Of The Night honors.
Prediction: Dunham by Split Decision.
Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz (11-4)
The Fighters: Another fight full of TUF alumni. Maynard lost to Nate Diaz on the Ultimate Fighter, Diaz would go on to win. Maynards stock has skyrocketed since the Ultimate Fighter. He’s beat a whose who of top contenders; Siever, Edgar, Miller, Huerta, en route to a perfect 6-0 UFC record. Maynard’s nickname is appropriate for his fighting style. The Bully isn’t the prettiest fighter but he has a knack for taking you down and imposing his will. If there’s one knock on Gray it’s that he’s become a bit of a blanket. He’s only finished one his UFC fights and his boxing has never really evolved.
While Diaz won the season of TUF he isn’t nearly the same class of fighter Gray is. Diaz has been up and down in the UFC, 6-2, but is 1-2 in his last three fights. The knock on Diaz is that much like Maynard he’s a one trick pony. Without his jiu-jitsu he’d be useless and when he’s taken a step up in competition, Gudia/Stevenson, it’s cost him. Even against Melvin Guillard he was losing that fight before catching Melvin. Diaz tries to use to same tactics his brother does. Except his goofy slap boxing doesn’t work nearly as well because he doesn’t have the naturally heavy hands his brother does.
Breakdown: You don’t need Greg Jackson to come up with a game plan for this fight. Maynard will look to stand with Diaz and if he gets in trouble he should have no problem taking him down. I would expect Gray to try to take Diaz down towards the end of rounds in order to score points while minimizing the risk of submission. Diaz on the other hand will try like hell to get Gray on his back where he would be a fish out of water. Expect him to jump to guard and try an inordinate amount of standing Kimuras.
Prediction: Maynard avenges his loss and wins a lackluster decision.
Bonus Prediction: Maynard’s non-fan friendly style gets him passed over in favor of Frankie Edgar for a title. This being despite Maynard holding a win over Edgar.
By Anthony De Franco November 20, 2009, at 3:41 pm Karo Parisyan v. Dustin Hazelett – Bout Cancelled. Hazelett will receive both his show and win money.
I’ve waited this long specifically to see if anyone can find out what the hell happened that made Parisyan pull out of the fight. He made a claim that the Nevada State Athletic Commission wanted the money, 32,000 dollars, for his steroid suspension up front, but a ton of sources have interview NSAC member Keith Kizer and he says they worked out a payment plan for Karo, let alone asked for the money up front.
The same bit Karo that always does: he’s not of right mind. He simply self-destructs far too often to be employed by anyone, let alone the UFC. Dana White has said that he’ll never work for the UFC again, and now I can imagine that Strikeforce or DREAM will likely try and sign him. Good luck, boys. You’ll need it.
Phil Baroni v. Amir Sadallah
Here’s the fight that will replace Hazelett and Parisyan on the main card.
Baroni is making his return to the UFC after being banished to the wastelands of MMA in 2005. He hasn’t really been all that successful since, going 13-11 in his MMA career and just 8-5 since UFC 55.
He’s mainly a kickboxer and used to train with Team Hammerhouse, which means that he has almost no jiu-jitsu whatsoever. There’s an awesome moment where he tries to describe a kimura that he used after finally learning it. If you can find the video, leave it in the comments. because it’s hysterical. Baroni also has a tendency to gas early, so watch for that.
I like to call Sodallah the “Forgotten TUF Winner.” After winning TUF 7, defeating a much better fighter in C.B. Dolloway, he missed over a year with injuries before losing to Jonny Hendricks at UFC 101. It was a really early stoppage, as after Sodallah got buckled, the ref jumped in really quick. He’s also a kickboxer, but has good submissions, but has to take Baroni down first.
If Sodallah can’t beat Baroni, he doesn’t belong in the UFC.
Prediction: Sodallah via submission
Luiz Cane (#10 Light Heavyweight) v. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Cane is making his name a a light heavyweight contender in the UFC. He’s 10-1-1 in his career, and his only loss is to James Irvin via DQ when illegally kneed Irvin in the head when he was on the ground. The American Top Team product is a very strong BJJ practitioner and has pretty good standup to go with it.
Lil Nog is making his UFC debut, and he’s pretty much a smaller carbon copy of his brother. Sick BJJ and very good boxing is what both Nogueiras bring to the table. He’s 17-3, with wins over Alstair Overeem, Dan Henderson, and Vladimir Matuyshenko.
Nog will be the first real road bump in Cane’s career.
Prediction: Nogueira via TKO
Paulo Thiago v. Jacob Volkmann
Thiago’s on this undercard too, huh? It wasn’t too long ago that he knocked out Josh Koscheck, right? Since then he lost a decision to Jon Fitch at the swing fight of UFC 100, and now he’s been banished to the undercard. He’s only loss is the one to Fitch, and he still has a bunch of potential.
Volkmann is making his UFC debut, but has big fight experience as his last bout was on ESPN’s Bellator Fighting Championship. He’s 10-0, and a very hot prospect. Another Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts project, he’s got great BJJ, and a decent all around game. Side note: His nickname is Christmas. Not kidding.
I’m just pretty sure that this fight is designed for Thiago not to lose.
Prediction: Thiago via unanimous decision
Josh Koscheck v. Anthony Johnson
This is probably the most interesting fight on the card, and has some serious implications.
Koscheck is one of the original TUF cast, and has a laundry list of achievements in the UFC. However, he is 2-2 in his last four fights. He’s coming off a TKO victory over the returning Frank Trigg and is looking to get himself back into the welterweight title picture. Coming from the American Kickboxing Academy, he possesses great wrestling and sick power in his hands.
Johnson is an unbelievable athlete who has a few things going for him in this fight. First off, he trains as kickboxer with the legendary Cung Le. He possesses knockout power in all four limbs, and if you think I’m kidding, check out his last couple of fights. He also is a good wrestler, which he should be looking to use in reverse to stay on his feet. Last, he is HUGE for 170, as people have suggested that he cuts from around 195. If he walks into the cage at 195, he will be hard for Koscheck to take down.
Welcome to the championship conversation, Rumble.
Prediction: Johnson via TKO
Forrest Griffin (#9 Light Heavyweight) v. Tito Ortiz
Griffin needs this win as bad as anyone has ever needed a win. He;s coming off two consecutive losses, and one to Anderson Silva where he made a bad moment embarrassing by running out of the ring as soon as the fight was over. He doesn’t posses elite skills, but is one of the toughest fighters in the world, and will go after Ortiz, there’s no question about that.
Ortiz is making his much publicized return to the UFC, and claims to finally be healthy after having back problems for years. He hasn’t won a fight in nearly three years, but blames the injury for most of his problems. He always has possessed good wrestling and is one of the forefathers of ground and pound. There is no doubt of his gameplan in this one. He won’t get caught in a submission, as he isn’t Ken Shamrock and has evolved his game over the years. Look at the Machida fight when he almost triangled the Dragon at the end of the fight.
Griffin better be working on his wrestling, which is the weakest part of his game. Otherwise, he’s in trouble.
Prediction: Ortiz via unanimous decision
By Zach Schiff November 16, 2009, at 11:57 pm Coming Tomorrow on The Rivalry!
* * Alex Ovechkin’s return is imminent, and what better way to do it than against the Rangers! (See: Kovalchuk; Atlanta; 11/12/09)
* * Bryan thinks the Islanders might be “for real” this year. His prediction is 85 points, putting them exactly where I predicted in September: 10th place.
* * Matt Moulson is to 2009 fantasy hockey as Steve Slaton was to 2008 fantasy football: Best Waiver Wire Pickup of the Year.
* * Chris Drury and Brandon Dubinsky still not playing for the Rangers. Don’t worry, even if they were, they wouldn’t score.
* * Wade Redden returns to glory on the power play. (Webster’s Dictionary defines glory as: “non-scoring, non-shooting, can’t keep the puck in the zone, overpaid, and got Tom Renney fired.” Weird.)
* * John Tortorella says Redden is “playing decent.” Glen Sather agrees. Sather then states that “All decent players should received $6.5M for 6 years.”
* * Blair Betts makes $600,000. Does more than Drury. Sather preemptively refuses to offer him a deal next year, saying “I will make mistakes, but I will never admit them.” (See: Betts; Moore; Drury; Redden; Rozsival; Orr; Brashear)
* * The guy behind me at the Ranger games is constantly a dick to everyone. Will he yell at the large people I sold my tickets for tomorrow’s game to? Will he live to tell about it? Why does he put a belt around his sweatpants and still think he’s a tough guy?
Stay Tuned!
By Bryan Berg October 8, 2009, at 8:18 pm
The Phoenix Coyotes could play their last home opener ever this weekend, what with the team in bankruptcy, the ownership situation unsettled and the possibility of relocation never all that far from the conversation about their future.
Relocation that, if you recall, requires a $750 million payment to the city of Glendale. Nice try, though.
If that wasn’t bad enough, chances are the Coyotes — a mix of minimally experienced young players, castoffs and a sprinkling of talented veterans — will miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season while bringing up the rear in the Pacific Division, if not the entire league when all is said and done.
That’s right, folks. The entire 2009-10 NHL season has already been played, and the Coyotes finished 30th out of 30 teams. But, like participants in a reality show, everyone has to act like it’s all happening at the same time we see it on TV.
To call this a mess would be to understate the situation and how much it has consumed the organization at every level for the last five months. But for the time being at least, the off-ice problems seem to be on the back burner with Phoenix becoming one of the NHL’s early pleasant surprises thanks to an impressive start that includes a well-earned road win against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Phoenix is 2-0. They’ve played exactly 2.439% of their schedule. Settle down.
Dave Tippett took over the job when Wayne Gretzky resigned a few days before the season opened. He replaced the game’s greatest icon and stepped into circumstances where failure seemed more likely than not. Yet in the space of a couple of weeks, Tippett has managed to instill a level of structure and discipline that has made Phoenix’s game virtually unrecognizable from last season, and certainly a lot more effective than anyone realistically could have imagined.
Let’s try this again. THE COYOTES WEREN’T THAT BAD LAST YEAR. They were fifth in the West at the All-Star break. They probably would have made the playoffs if not for their horrible late January and February where they netted a total of six points from fifteen games. They were 23-15-3 at home – you know, the place everyone is trying to move the Coyotes from.
Oh, and at least someone realistically imagined the Coyotes playing well this year.
More so when you consider Tippett really didn’t have to be there. A veteran coach widely respected for his teaching ability and no-nonsense approach to things, Tippett was fired unceremoniously by Dallas’ new management in June after averaging more than 45 wins in six seasons and with two more seasons remaining on his contract. Someone with Tippett’s pedigree could have waited for another opening, but instead he took what might be described as a leap of faith and has become a steadying force for a team that was in disarray.
A leap of faith is taking, say, the Devils job, knowing that Lou Lamoriello fires coaches like every week. But taking a job in a place with really nice weather, with absolutely no expectations, and when everyone has already written your team off as a horrible failure? That’s a win-win situation. It’s even better than taking a cushy TV analyst job.
[Tippett:] “I think the players have done a phenomenal job blocking out all the distractions and stuff that was in the media. Now it’s up to us, and the big thing now is that we’re playing and we can control things on the ice.”
No, you can’t. According to Wes Goldstein, you already missed the playoffs. If you already forgot, scroll up a few paragraphs.
“I had a feeling we were going to need a coach, and it was clear there was one guy for us,” Maloney said. “Back then, Wayne also thought Dave would be right for this. He’s got a quiet strength to him, and knowing what our team looked like, we thought he was a perfect fit.”
This is bullcrap. If Gretzky or Ulf Samuelsson was coaching this team and they won their first two games, Don “We Got The Better Lindros” Maloney would be singing their praises ad nauseum. In addition, I have no idea what “quiet strength” has to do with anything.
So far, he has been.
Perhaps we should wait until Dave Tippett hits the 2.440% mark on this season before calling him a “perfect fit” for anything.
By Zach Schiff September 30, 2009, at 12:50 am Okay, I’ll do them. I’ll do some predictions for next year, if only so I can do my yearly look back at preseason predictions to see how good everyone did. For the record, out of 6 last year, I came in 6th, and Isles’ Writer Bryan came in 2nd place.
So.
East
1. Washington
2. Boston
3. Pittsburgh
4. Carolina
5. Rangers
6. Philly
7. Devils
8. Atlanta
9. Montreal
10. Ottawa
11. Islanders
12. Toronto
13. Tampa Bay
14. Buffalo
15. Florida
Notes: Let’s start with the hometown boys – Why the Rangers over the Flyers? Simple: goaltending. Who would you rather have, 3-time Vezina finalist Henrik Lundqvist or NHL-castaway Ray Emery and career-backup Brian Boucher? Plus, I think Matt Gilroy and Mike Del Zotto can add a lot while limited Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden on the power play can only help. I also think Ales Kotalik and Vinny Prospal are nice compliments to Marian Gaborik, one of the best in the league when healthy (13-10-23 in 17 games last year).
The Islanders? Either way you slice it, Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron are a solid 1-1A combo. Johnny Tavares is better than people are letting on. Rob Schremp was almost traded to the Isles for a 2nd round pick at the draft and they just got him for nothing. Mark Streit is excellent. Going to be a good team. Playoffs are a stretch, but I had them bordering at 10th or 11th.
Other Teams: NJ can never be counted out; Montreal improved but not that much. Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta were magical one season. Only one season; Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara can lead you to the top of the conference when you’re in a weak division, but then what?; Eric Staal is going to be a monster this year in Carolina; Atlanta! Bryan Little centering Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov is going to be a sick line; and Florida in 15th because their best player hates the team (Nathan Horton) and the 4,000 fans at every game can’t put them in good spirits.
West
1. San Jose
2. Calgary
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. Anaheim
6. Minnesota
7. Columbus
8. Dallas
9. Vancouver
10. St. Louis
11. Phoenix
12. Nashville
13. Edmonton
14. LA
15. Colorado
Notes: What has Colorado done to improve themselves from being a lottery pick? David Koci and Craig Anderson? No way. Anderson is good but can’t carry a team on his shoulders; I see nothing in Vancouver while others are predicting them to win the Cup. Roberto Luongo gave up SEVEN GOALS with the season on the line last year. And when your 2 biggest acquistions are a player once part of a 4-player package for Alex Kovalev (Mikael Samuelsson) and a goalie even Colorado didn’t want (Andrew Raycroft), you aren’t going far; Phoenix might be a mess, but they made a few good moves and have a great goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov to fall back on. Plus, Kyle Turris should come into his own this year; Detroit is setting up for a 1st round exit this year but again will dominate in the regular season; LA should actually be good and could surprise, if Dustin Brown bounces back from an awful year and if Jack Johnson plays as good as he could, but they have no goaltending, do they?; Anaheim and San Jose should beat each other senseless in the regular season and if they meet in the Conference Finals, we’re in for a treat (the way I have it worked out, they’ll meet in the 2nd round and it will be brutal); Minnesota’s new system and new coach should help them into the playoffs. Plus, Brent Burns, Marek Zidlicky, and Martin Havlat are in for huge years without the trap to hold them down.
If it all shakes down as it should, I have the Sharks over the Penguins for the 2010 Stanley Cup. Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are going to be unstoppable together. Danny Boyle and Rob Blake are going to be a great tandem, and Evgeni Nabokov will slam the door shut in goal.
By Bryan Berg September 24, 2009, at 9:59 pm Generally speaking, most hockey pundits follow the same formula when it comes to doing season previews. Usually, they give you a bunch of crap you don’t really care about as the season nears, then release their picks for the playoffs, the Stanley Cup and the post-season awards on the day of the first game. Of course, they don’t do this for your benefit. They do it because that’s the day everyone else puts out their predictions.
See, the earlier someone releases his or her predictions, the more that person or publication gets scrutinized and bashed, and nobody really wants that. Because in the end, predictions are just more mindless blather from people who don’t really know anything. They’re entertainment at best, and the sooner you forget about them, the happier major publications are. When ESPN did its NFL predictions, 75 percent of their “experts” had the same exact playoff teams in the AFC, five of which made the playoffs last year, and that’s in a sport where at least three teams from each conference come from out of nowhere to make the playoffs. So you can only imagine what they, and everyone else, have in store for us on October 1.
Personally, I’d love to blend in with the rest of the opining masses and put out my picks with everyone else. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. My wife is due to give birth on October 10 and I sort of need to be ready for that, so I can’t just submit my picks at the last minute. Besides, I genuinely enjoy making predictions, even if they’re horribly wrong. Remember, I’m the same person who had Barry Melrose winning the Adams last year.
Last year, I stumbled onto what I thought was a winning formula. I took last year’s standings and simply figured out who would be better or worse than they were a year ago. This year, I’m taking it one step further by giving point totals for how much better or worse I think each team will be. While these revised point totals are not meant to be taken very literally, they’re a decent guide for how much teams have improved (or gotten worse) without worrying about playoff positioning.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Boston (116): Same. The Bruins’ loss to Carolina in Game 7 will end up being a blessing in disguise. The pain of defeat will help the Bruins to maintain their focus throughout this season.
2) Washington (108): +5. Not unlike the Bruins, the Capitals have plenty to prove. The Southeast division crown is a given, but the Caps should really be aiming for the President’s Trophy.
3) New Jersey (106): Same. Every year, everyone writes the Devils off. Every year, the Devils make the playoffs. Until they falter, I have no reason to doubt they’ll be great once again.
4) Pittsburgh (99): +6. The Penguins played like crap until it mattered last year, then proceeded to win the Cup. They might have a bit of a Cup hangover, but they should still hit 100 points.
5) Philadelphia (99): -4. Yes, the Flyers have Chris Pronger. No, they do not have a reliable goaltender for the playoffs. AGAIN.
6) Carolina (97): -10. Carolina went on an insane run to get into last year’s playoffs and had a tremendous run once they got in. I can’t see them doing it again, though.
7) NY Rangers (95): Same. Many are picking an off year for the Rangers, which can only mean that they will be very good. At any rate, it’s hard to say this Rangers team is worse than it was a year ago. Even if they are, Henrik Lundqvist will keep them afloat.
 Montreal (93): +4. Last year was a disaster. I blame the hoopla over the Habs’ 100th anniversary. They should be improved, if only because there will be slightly less chaos surrounding the Canadiens.
9) Florida (93): -6. Last year was their chance. They just barely missed it. Now they have to work on getting Florida to care about hockey again, only they have to do it without Jay Bouwmeester. Good luck with that.
10) Buffalo (91): Same. It’s hard to get excited about a team that considers giving Tim Connolly a lucrative extension a step in the right direction. They seem destined to be a bubble team for the forseeable future.
11) Ottawa (83): +10. The Senators will surely improve now that the Dany Heatley fiasco is over. Besides, they’re not that bad. Lastly, for all Heatley did to villify Cory Clouston, the Sens managed 42 points in the 34 games Clouston coached. That’s a 101-point pace.
12) Toronto (81): +5. This might come as a shock to Maple Leafs fans, but Mike Komisarek and his two goals in 2008-09 are not the answer. Nor is Colton Orr’s 4-year contract or any of the other moves Brian Burke made in the name of toughness.
13) Atlanta (76): Same. The Thrashers will try to make something happen this year, if only because it’s their only shot at getting Ilya Kovalchuk to re-sign. Look for him to be dumped at the trade deadline for about 70 cents on the dollar.
14) Tampa Bay (66): +9. It’s hard to have a worse season than the Lightning did last year. They should be much improved this year now that Steven Stamkos knows the NHL. Matt Lashoff and Victor Hedman should significantly improve the Lightning’s defense.
15) NY Islanders (61): +16. The Isles make the biggest jump for a number of reasons. They have actual NHL goalies, they can’t possibly have as many injuries as they had last year, and their young players will improve.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) San Jose (117): -5. Does San Jose finally understand that the regular season is merely a dress rehearsal for what’s really important? Probably not. But 117 points is a lot of points. I don’t see them getting quite that many.
2) Detroit (112): -14. Detroit takes a big step back in terms of points, but they’ll still be a factor in the playoffs. They’ve got too tough of a division to put up 112 points again.
3) Vancouver (100): -4. Now that the Canucks have tied up their future in the Sedin twins, they have a long future ahead of being above-average, but never truly great. Did you know that their sweep of the Blues in April was their first sweep in franchise history? Wow.
4) Chicago (104): +4. Chicago finishes the job after a dream season last year. There’s a chance the team has a bout of complacency during the season, but they should be able to win the Central.
5) Calgary (98): -6. Calgary over-achieved last year. Brent Sutter is an upgrade behind the bench over Mike Keenan, but that doesn’t change the fact that Miikaa Kiprusoff is the most overrated player in the NHL.
6) St. Louis (92): Same. It was tempting to give the Blues a significant bump in points, but they won’t sneak up on anyone this year. That said, they’ll be even better than they were last year, so at worst these two factors will cancel each other out.
7) Columbus (92): +3. The Blue Jackets are for real. They held their own last year in a very tough division. They’ll only improve with a full season from Derick Brassard.
Anaheim (91) +9: The Ducks proved how much the regular season means when they whooped San jose in the first round last year. This year, they should be a lot more focused. They won’t be stuck with the eighth seed next April.
9) Minnesota (89): -5. Everyone’s all excited that the Wild isn’t going to be playing the trap anymore. However, the change from all-defense to all-offense isn’t going to happen overnight. This looks to be a transitional year for the Wild.
10) Nashville (88): Same. I keep waiting for the year where Nashville puts it all together. Still waiting. Will still be waiting after this year. The Predators’ big acquisition this off-season was Francis Bouillon. Poor Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne.
11) Edmonton (85): +10. Last year, I predicted an off year for Edmonton because they wouldn’t pick up a ton of points in shootouts two years in a row. This year, though, the young players are ready to put it all together.
12) Dallas (83): +7. Dallas improved significantly last year after dumping Sean Avery. Problem is, a lot of other teams improved too. I’ll take up-and-coming young teams like LA and Edmonton over this Dallas team.
13) Phoenix (79): +9. People forget that the Coyotes were as high as fifth in the West last January before totally crapping out in the second half. The drama with the team’s move may actually serve to bring the team together. And you can’t deny their young talent, which might be the best group of prospects in the NHL.
14) Los Angeles (79): +11. Speaking of enviable pools of talent, the Kings should be a team to watch now that they have a legitimate franchise goalie in Jonathan Quick. They might not be a playoff team, but they’ll be close.
15) Colorado (69): Same. The rebuild begins in Colorado without Joe Sakic. It’s not going to be pretty.
****
So, if we do the math, here’s how my vision of the NHL shakes out for 2009-10…
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Boston (116)
2) Washington (111)
3) New Jersey (106)
4) Pittsburgh (105)
5) Montreal (97)
6) NY Rangers (95)
7) Philadelphia (95)
Ottawa (93)
9) Buffalo (91)
10) Carolina (87)
11) Florida (87)
12) Toronto (86)
13) NY Islanders (77)
14) Atlanta (76)
15) Tampa Bay (75)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) San Jose (112)
2) Chicago (108)
3) Vancouver (96)
4) Anaheim (100)
5) Detroit (98)
6) Columbus (95)
7) Edmonton (95)
St. Louis (92)
9) Calgary (92)
10) Los Angeles (90)
11) Dallas (90)
12) Phoenix (88)
13) Nashville (88)
14) Minnesota (84)
15) Colorado (69)
PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Boston def. (8) Ottawa 4-2
(2) Washington def. (7) Philadelphia 4-0
(6) NY Rangers def. (3) New Jersey 4-3
(4) Pittsburgh def. (5) Montreal 4-1
(1) Boston def. (6) NY Rangers 4-2
(2) Washington def. (4) Pittsburgh 4-3
(2) Washington def. (1) Boston 4-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) San Jose def. (8) St. Louis 4-3
(2) Chicago def. (7) Edmonton 4-0
(6) Columbus def. (3) Vancouver 4-2
(5) Detroit def. (4) Anaheim 4-3
(1) San Jose def. (6) Columbus 4-3
(2) Chicago def. (5) Detroit 4-1
(2) Chicago def. (1) San Jose 4-2
STANLEY CUP FINAL
(2) Washington def. (2) Chicago 4-2
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Hart Trophy: Zach Parise, New Jersey
Art Ross Trophy: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
Vezina Trophy: Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers
Norris Trophy: Dan Boyle, San Jose
Calder Trophy: Nikita Filatov, Columbus
Adams Trophy: Dave Tippett, Phoenix
Selke Trophy: Mike Richards, Philadelphia
Conn Smythe Trophy: Alexander Semin, Washington
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