Saturday Puck-Fest
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog. I know it's been long, and I know it's been arduous. But the 'dead zone' of the sports calendar is this close to being over. The awful month of February has come and gone (though we owe one last thank you to the Olympics for helping us make it through.) March is upon us. And although it's still far too cold for it to literally happen, there are many figurative flowers that now begin to bloom in the sports world.
Leading the way, of course, is college basketball. It's in the title: March Madness. College basketball is one of three sports that own a month. The other two cases I can think of: baseball in October and football in January. Basketball and hockey have their playoffs over multiple months, so they can't really qualify. The NCAA tournament is phenomenal, and we even get the wonderful appetizer of the conference tournaments beforehand. So whether you want to see the big guns jockey for position (the Big East tourney starts Tuesday) or the 'little Terriers that could' (America East play begins today) you can follow legitimately meaningful college basketball games from now until April. Not bad, eh?
And what's perhaps the best part of the college basketball tournament? NO SPORTS-HANGOVER! The NCAA National Championship game is the same day as nearly every baseball teams' Opening Day. Can the transition get more seamless? In case you can't tell, I'm happy March is here. As you can also tell, there's gonna be a lot on our plate here at the blog in the coming weeks. After a tremendous Olympic tournament, hockey will again take its place in the sports backseat. Riding shotgun was nice, hopefully it'll happen again in four years at the next Olympics.
So here's one more day in the spotlight for hockey. Enjoy the Saturday Puck-Fest.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS: 26-30-8 (60 Points- 13th in Eastern Conference)
Last Week: Chicago (Won, 5-3); @Atlanta (Lost, 6-3)
This Week: Boston (Today); @Philadelphia (Tuesday); St. Louis (Thursday)
Oh, these Islanders. What else is there to say? In their first game after the Olympics, they shock the second-best team in the NHL, a team with thirty more points than them. The fans get riled up and think if they can beat Chicago, they can beat anyone and go on a possible playoff run. Two short days later? They lay an egg and lose to the mediocre Thrashers. I've said it all season: everyone is looking up and wondering what the Isles have to do to sneak into the playoffs. Well I'm a guy that tends to look down, and right now I see that the Islanders are statistically the 4th-worst team in the league. When it's all said and done, a furious rush to the playoffs can make for an exciting month. A top-5 draft pick can make for an exciting 10 years for an already toddler team. Who wants to see the Isles get plastered by the Capitals in the first round, anyway? (Insert the New York Jets "Hey, you never know!" comment here.)
NEW YORK RANGERS: 29-27-8 (66 Points- 9th in Eastern Conference)
Last Week: @Ottawa (Won, 4-1); Pittsburgh (Lost, 5-4)
This Week: @Washington (Tonight); Buffalo (Tomorrow); @New Jersey (Wednesday); @Atlanta (Friday)
...Speaking of teams that may get smashed by the Capitals in the first round. How 'bout that post-Olympic schedule for the Blueshirts. The Senators (5th in the conference); Penguins (2nd); Capitals (1st); Sabres (3rd); Devils (4th.) Welcome home, boys! This team has been maddeningly inconsistent this year. If they ever needed a perfect time to put everything together, it's now. The Rangers are on the cusp of the playoffs, and now get a chance to prove that they belong there by beating the elite in the conference. So far, so good. The Blueshirts beat Ottawa handily on the road, and gave the Penguins all they could handle, losing in overtime and earning a point. If they are able to split these next four games, it has to be considered a successful week. Put a circle around that Atlanta game in particular--a two-point swing there may turn out to mean a hell of a lot in the bunched-up East.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS: 38-22-3 (79 Points- 4th in Eastern Conference)
Last Week: @San Jose (Won, 4-3); @Calgary (Lost, 5-3)
This Week: @Edmonton (Tomorrow); Rangers (Wednesday); Pittsburgh (Friday)
Here's where things get a little interesting. Besides Ryan Miller, I'd say that the player most showcased at the Olympics was Zack Parise. He's young, he's explosive, he's clutch. What the whole world saw in Vancouver was the same thing that a relatively-small amount of people have seen all year in Jersey. But what about the Devils' other international star? The guy who has made them an elite team the past 15 years. Despite coming home with a gold medal, Martin Brodeur didn't exactly have a dream trip to Vancouver. He played like a senior citizen who forgot his meds, got benched, and watched Roberto Luongo lead the team to gold. Brodeur and the Devils went 5-12 in the 17 games leading up to the break. Is there something more to all of this? New Jersey hopes not, and their impressive road win against the Sharks was a big boost for them. Their lost to Calgary was understandable, and they should handle a crappy Edmonton team before returning home for some key divisional games.
Well, there you have it. Pretty cool what I did with the font colors, right? I'm off to watch the Isles game and keep tabs on my beloved BU Terriers in the America East tournament. Hope everyone has a great weekend. March has come...rejoice!
Posted by Conor Reilly at 3/6/2010 10:35 AM 
Categories: Devils, Rangers, NHL, Islanders
Tags: Devils Rangers NHL Islanders
Categories: Devils, Rangers, NHL, Islanders
Tags: Devils Rangers NHL Islanders
tyler seguin. remember the name. if the islanders don't get a top 3 draft pick, then be prepared for a draft day blockbuster trade. playoffs aint happening, but the worst thing that can happen now is an 9th-12th place finish
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