Prager's Brackets - 2011!

I took the Habs, I don't trust those chockers in Boston. But I HATE the Habs and that Subban,...

I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

SpezDispenser wrote:

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

TONIGHT?

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

TONIGHT?

Ah...channeling the inner SSF - so to speak...

SpezDispenser wrote:

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

TONIGHT?

Ah...channeling the inner SSF - so to speak...

Indeed.

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

You didn't just take them. You took them with gusto -- a sweep.

By the way, everyone, please check your picks to make sure there are no oopses. It's a manual job to enter all those picks and mistakes are possible.

The spreadsheet has been updated with everyone -- even stempniaksen.

wprager wrote:By the way, everyone, please check your picks to make sure there are no oopses. It's a manual job to enter all those picks and mistakes are possible.

The spreadsheet has been updated with everyone -- even stempniaksen.

Thanks for doing this, prags.

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

d'oh?

All those non believers starting to get worried you didn't go with the Preds?

Mike "playoff performer" Fisher with 2 goals and 1 assist!

Michallica wrote:heh....lots of ppl sticking with the higher seeded picks.....makes me happy. There's always bound to be some upsets. I'll be laughing all the way to first place

That's what everyone thought the first year Prages did this and I won it all with Pittsburgh in 6. Most people are still in it until the final round where point value is pretty high.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

dennycrane wrote:I took the Hawks. If they win tonight, look out.

d'oh?

Only 3 picked Chicago but only SpezD picked the Habs. Picks like that, in the first round, will only get you up 2 points. That's the same as picking the correct number of games in the next round. It's not going to either cost you a lot or gain you a lot. Unless you specifically know of reasons why an upset should happen I'd stay away from picking them in the first.

I suspect Philly is going to have problems, given how they played in the last 20+ games, but even at that, they should be able to get past the first round. Same for Vancouver -- I suspected that all that pressure from being first in everything might affect them, but not enough to lose round 1, and then you can gauge how they did in round one to decide for the next one. We'll see, I guess.

The hard ones are the 4/5 match ups. Anaheim and Predators finished with the same number of points in the refular season, and both were pretty strong down the stretch. It's game 1 so nothing is over (game 2 is a much stronger indicator anyway -- teams that win game 2 and all hat). Although I now wish I hadn't picked Anaheim in 5

At least you didn't pick Anaheim in 4....Mike Fisher...who knew?

tim1_2 wrote:At least you didn't pick Anaheim in 4....Mike Fisher...who knew?

We all did. We all said he was a strong playoff contender. Same with Kovalev -- he had the game winner last night. Kelly up next

Spreadsheet has been updated (see 1st post for link). We have one more guttergrabber in the pool -- jawal, who will get the default home team in 7 selections for all the series in this round.

If you look at the spreadsheet now, I've entered the names of the teams leading their series in the results column (column AF -- used to be AE before jawal was added). You will notice that there is no number after the team name, which means to totals showing now do not include any (potential) bonus points. Stempniaksen is "leading" as he is the only one whose picks mirror the winners of game 1 in each series. Of course we all know that it's the winner of game 2 that most closely correlates to the eventual series winner, so this lead is in no way a prediction of things to come.

Well, two series are done now and another two could end tonight. It could all be over as early as Tuesday, and no-later than Wednesday. Please remember that your picks for round 2 will be due by puck-drop of the first game of the round. If you're going to be out of town please PM me your picks (alternates if not all series are over).

San Jose dispatched the Kings in 6 on an OT goal by Jumbo Joe. Four series are now "in the books" and at least two more could end tonight; could be three if Boston seals the deal on the road. If not, then they will play Game Seven at home tomorrow night, while Pittsburgh does the same in their series against Tampa. No matter what happens tonight, the first round will end tomorrow night, so by Thursday morning we will all know the second round match-ups.