NHL Playoffs Round 2 results, Round 3 Predictions, Vegas 2 sleeps

I have come to the conclusion that I suck at playoff hockey, pools and picks alike. I just do. I think it is mainly to do with the one thing that a gambler should never ever do: bet with their heart. I have no idea why I continue to do this, but I do... and it gets me into trouble everytime. And by trouble, I mean: I lose.

So from now on I am guessing/betting with my hockey smarts. Not based on "who I want to win or cheer for" that is just a dumb way to approach it. You can't expect proper results if you make your decisions based on what you want to happen. Instead you should be making your picks based on who you actually think is going to win. My round 2 picks are a great example of this. I knew that Detroit was going to win... except I picked Colorado. Partially because I really can't stand Detroit and all their stupid Stanley Cups they keep winning (3 in the last 10 years I believe) and partially because I wanted the Avs to win. I knew they had no chance, but I picked the Avs anyway. Wanting and knowing are two different beasts and you should always go with what you know, not what you hope for. Duh.

Let's punish myself some more shall we. Here is how badly I did in round 2:

Eastern Conference:
My correct picks: NONE! Both Montreal and New York lost in 5 games. Again, I made those picks with my heart and not my brain. I love the Rangers (ever since they layed the beat on my Canucks in 94'... although it seems a bit backwards doesn't it?), I picked them to go to the Cup finals this year. Part of this was because of my stooopid Astin pool that I am in, and part of this was because I just really like the Rangers. Avery is a grinder but got injured early and sat out, and their goalie Lundqvist was on fire. IF I had actually thought it through, I should have realized how good the Flyers and the Pens actually are. Both teams are playing at their peak right now and I look for the Eastern Final to go deep and be very physical. The Penguins led the regular season series 5 games to 3. I look for this to be the same again in the playoffs... with lots of hard hitting and fantastic goal scoring.

Western Conference:
My correct picks: NONE! Ha!!! How pathetic. Again, as I stated above - I just didn't want the Red Wings to win. I knew they were going to, but I just hoped that somehow, someway the Avs would find a way to win. I thought they might "do it for Sakic" but I was totally wrong. The Wings are such a force, I can't really see anyone stopping them, let alone even winning a single game at this rate. They are that good right now. As far as the Stars go, I really need to give them some props. Turco is standing on his head and there isn't much anyone can do about it. Maybe if someone gives him a run, sure. I knew that goal tending would (and always does) make the difference in the playoffs, but I guess I just didn't know that Turco had so much to prove. I picked San Jose to win the Cup and obv. I was totally way mutha fuckin' off. Again, I picked them here on this blog because I picked them in that dumb Astin pool, and I had to stick with it. I couldn't contradict my own pool here on this very blog. That just makes no sense to me up in my little brain. So I went with SJ, even though I knew, I just knew that Dallas would win. Both of my teams lost, in 5 games. LOL what a joke. Please don't contact me for NHL advice as I obviously know shit all. weeeeeee.

Here are my Round 3 predictions:

Eastern Conference Finals: The Battle of Pennsylvania: Penguins vs. Flyers

My Pick: The Penguins in 7. This is going to be a very ugly series. In fact, I am going to say that the team that wins this series will get crushed in the Stanley Cup Finals only because they will be so worn out from beating each other up in the Eastern Final that they'll barely have anything left in the tank come game 1. This match up is very very close and has a lot of young talent with mega stars in the making. It's all going to come down to home ice advantage and I am positive that the Pens will pull it out here.

Western Conference Finals: Texas vs. Michigan

My Pick: I hate to say it, but the Red Wings are going to win the Stanley Cup. Of course, first they need to plow their way through the Dallas, which really might cause them a bit more stress than the first two series'. I can't see them sweeping the Stars, but you just never know. It would be great to witness a team totally destroy everyone in their path and go 16-0 to win. Now that would be special. Almost Tiger special (now that is special). The last team to go undefeated was the 1960 Montreal Canadians... but they only had to win 8 games back then... The Red Wings also went 8-0 in 1952. Hopefully the Stars will make it interesting. If Turco goes nuts again, then they do have a legit chance of taking this to 6 or 7 games. If Osgood falters and they for some reason put in Hasek, then look out Wings. Your days are numbered.

----
I leave for Vegas in 3 days. Staying at the Palms. Going for a stag. Trip report to follow... if I end up getting in any poker... LOL who am I kidding!! It's first on my list! If anyone is going to be out there, maybe we can meet up at the Venetian for a little cash game action. Hit me!