Monday, April 02, 2007
Baseball Standings - One Week Left
Slight wrinkle in today's standings; I just added a couple of columns showing the best and worst possible Final Position for each team. A few notes:- The most crucial division race, in my
humbleopinion, is the Atlantic. Assuming that the Sabres manage one more win (they finish by playing the 3 worst teams in the conference), the Atlantic runner-up will get Ottawa in the 1st-round. Regardless of whether they get to host that series (and regardless of your feelings on Ottawa's playoff mojo, or lack thereof), the Sens will be a much tougher opponent than whoever finishes 7th. - Even though the WC standings seemed to shake out a bit over the weekend, there is still plenty to be decided. Not one team has clinched so much as home-ice advantage in the 1st round, although a peek at the Wings and Preds' schedules tells us that they're still an excellent bet for 1st and 4th.
- That said (and knowing Minnesota's last 3 are EDM, EDM, STL -- all at home), it looks a lot like this: DET (1) v. CGY (8), ANA (2) v. MIN (7), VAN (3) v. SJS/DAL (6), NSH (4) v. DAL/SJS (5)
Wells's Second Rule of Politics holds that if everyone in Ottawa knows something, it isn't true. This one crosses my mind all the time, reading and watching the professional hockey media. Unfortunately, this one is slightly petrifying at the moment. Any idiot can see that the Top 8 teams in the West are all very good and pretty closely matched. (Last season, the difference between 1st and 8th was 21 in the EC, 29 in the WC. In '03/04, 15 and 18. '02/03, 30 and 19). Any team could beat any other team, without it being considered a huge upset. It's obvious!
...which probably means that all the higher seeds will win their 1st-round series with relative ease. We'll see! My preference is still to avoid the Wings in Rd1; it looks to me like they're the best in the West. Oh well -- you just hit the ice and see what happens. Go Flames.
# posted by Matt @ 11:59 am 
Comments:
Devils just fired Julien. No idea why.
I know they did the same to Ftorek, but this is even later and they've won 4 out of 5.
People who read this site don't know who Paul Wells is? That seems, in the words of Vizzini, inconceivable!
I really should have used the Battle of Wits in a post this year.
What the hell goes on in New Jersey? Insane.
I think the Preds still scare me more than the Wings. I mean, Hasek's groin is bound to give out any time now, right?
Raw deal for Julien in NJ.
There are some close battles this year. Really any team could go down early.
Is it really going to take 100 points to make the playoffs in the west this year?
Andy, with that Vizzini reference you may have just become my blogging-community hero, but I don't think that word means what you think it means...
I'd rather play the Wings than the Ducks.
I think the Preds still scare me more than the Wings. I mean, Hasek's groin is bound to give out any time now, right?
Agreed. I'd pick playing the Wings over the Preds and Ducks as well. Hasek is their goalie, they haven't done anything in the playoffs in years, and the Flames match up well with them.
I would love to see the Flames play the Ducks. Two reasons: 1 - The Ducks are a pretty average team since the first 40 games of the season, so Calgary would have the best chance against them, I think. 2 - It would be sweet revenge for last year.
And remember, never get in to a land war in Asia.
Looking at this table again, here's what's amazing, even after tonight's Dallas game.
6 days left, and three teams are capable of being first seed OR eighth seed. It would be amazing if one team still had that range of possibility, but three of them?!
Crazy.
The Ducks are a pretty average team since the first 40 games of the season.
True, but you should also consider that the only reason we are in this standings mess is a particular 2-9-2 stretch without Giguere/Pronger/Beauchemin.
The team is weaker without Fedoruk and O'Brien, sure, but it's not that far off.
even after tonight's Dallas game
Oops. That is, unless Dallas beats St. Louis tonight. They were one of the three teams, but a win would get them out of 8th.
Ender raised a valid question the other day: if Detroit and Calgary meet in the first round, who chokes and collapses in horrific fashion?
If I was a Flames fan I'd be all over a matchup with Det.
Maybe this Bertuzzi/Calder possible second line combo will give them some juice and maybe Datsyuk will break his playoff slump but who's their best player outside of Lidstrom? Z-Berg and he's gonna be coming back from a back injury. That spells doom for the Wings and I don't trust any Central team with bloated point totals in the first fucking place.
I'd put huge money on Cgy in a flames/wings matchup.
As a final note, what I'd really like to see is Cgy/Ana and SJ/Van. I want both western teams out of the playoffs AQAP
If i were a flames fan. and more than likely In a week I will be
I would hope to draw the Wings. IF you guys have solved your road woes, and it looks like you have. Detroit wants no part of you either.
So for now... Go Avs
But, barring a miracle, next week is Go Flames
Post a Comment
<< Home
Devils just fired Julien. No idea why.
I know they did the same to Ftorek, but this is even later and they've won 4 out of 5.
# posted by 
: April 02, 2007 12:18 pm
: April 02, 2007 12:18 pm People who read this site don't know who Paul Wells is? That seems, in the words of Vizzini, inconceivable!
I really should have used the Battle of Wits in a post this year.
What the hell goes on in New Jersey? Insane.
I think the Preds still scare me more than the Wings. I mean, Hasek's groin is bound to give out any time now, right?
Raw deal for Julien in NJ.
There are some close battles this year. Really any team could go down early.
Is it really going to take 100 points to make the playoffs in the west this year?
# posted by : April 02, 2007 1:34 pm
: April 02, 2007 1:34 pm Andy, with that Vizzini reference you may have just become my blogging-community hero, but I don't think that word means what you think it means...
I'd rather play the Wings than the Ducks.
I think the Preds still scare me more than the Wings. I mean, Hasek's groin is bound to give out any time now, right?
Agreed. I'd pick playing the Wings over the Preds and Ducks as well. Hasek is their goalie, they haven't done anything in the playoffs in years, and the Flames match up well with them.
I would love to see the Flames play the Ducks. Two reasons: 1 - The Ducks are a pretty average team since the first 40 games of the season, so Calgary would have the best chance against them, I think. 2 - It would be sweet revenge for last year.
And remember, never get in to a land war in Asia.
Looking at this table again, here's what's amazing, even after tonight's Dallas game.
6 days left, and three teams are capable of being first seed OR eighth seed. It would be amazing if one team still had that range of possibility, but three of them?!
Crazy.
The Ducks are a pretty average team since the first 40 games of the season.
True, but you should also consider that the only reason we are in this standings mess is a particular 2-9-2 stretch without Giguere/Pronger/Beauchemin.
The team is weaker without Fedoruk and O'Brien, sure, but it's not that far off.
even after tonight's Dallas game
Oops. That is, unless Dallas beats St. Louis tonight. They were one of the three teams, but a win would get them out of 8th.
Ender raised a valid question the other day: if Detroit and Calgary meet in the first round, who chokes and collapses in horrific fashion?
If I was a Flames fan I'd be all over a matchup with Det.
Maybe this Bertuzzi/Calder possible second line combo will give them some juice and maybe Datsyuk will break his playoff slump but who's their best player outside of Lidstrom? Z-Berg and he's gonna be coming back from a back injury. That spells doom for the Wings and I don't trust any Central team with bloated point totals in the first fucking place.
I'd put huge money on Cgy in a flames/wings matchup.
As a final note, what I'd really like to see is Cgy/Ana and SJ/Van. I want both western teams out of the playoffs AQAP
If i were a flames fan. and more than likely In a week I will be
I would hope to draw the Wings. IF you guys have solved your road woes, and it looks like you have. Detroit wants no part of you either.
So for now... Go Avs
But, barring a miracle, next week is Go Flames
Post a Comment
<< Home
