NHL 1st Half Thoughts

Sidney Crosby is still the best player on the planet

Can we please put this conversation to bed? For some reason everyone wants the new wave of young blood to take over the torch…but it’s just not happening…yet. Sid the kid (who is almost 30) had probably the best year any hockey player could possibly have: Stanley Cup, World Cup, and MVP’s in both tournaments. And he currently leads the league in goals in much fewer games than anyone else. 

But Connor McDavid is not far behind

Although Crosby isn’t ready to hand over the crown, in just his 2nd season, Connor McDavid looks like he’s right there and ready to grasp at greatness. Leading the league in points for most of the season, Connor simply looks a level above everyone he plays with / against.  When Crosbystarts to slow down, McDavid will be ready to be crowned for many different accolades. 

The Canadiens are coming out of the East

Last year the Habs suffered a huge loss with Carey Price going down for the season and simply could not recover – they promptly plummeted down the standings and easily missed the playoffs. This year, however, they suffered through the injury bug as well (Desharnais, Shaw, Markov, Galchenyuk) and have come through it looking no worse for wear. If the Habs took lessons from last year’s adversity, then they will have no problem getting out of the East Conference.

The Leafs are making the playoffs…next year

This team isn’t just exciting…they’re good! What the leafs lack in experience, they make up for in offensive upside. The Buds lead the league in most points among rookies with 118, the next highest team being the Winnipeg Jets with 43. They’ve blown too many games late in the 3rd period this year, but with valuable lessons learned, Toronto should be primed to take next step the following year. 

NHL Goalie Power Rankings

  1. Carey Price (MTL)
  2. Braden Holtby (WS)
  3. Henrik Lunqvist (NYR)
  4. Tuukka Rask (BOS)
  5. Pekka Rinne (NSH)
  6. Jonathan Quick (LA)
  7. Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ)
  8. Ben Bishop (TB)
  9. Cory Schneider (NJ)
  10. Corey Crawford (CHI)
  11. Craig Anderson (OTT)
  12. Ryan Miller (VAN)
  13. Devan Dubnyk (MIN)
  14. Roberto Luongo (FLA)
  15. John Gibson (ANA)
  16. Cam Ward (CAR)
  17. Jake Allen (STL)
  18. Semyon Varlamov (COL)
  19. Jimmy Howard (DET)
  20. Cam Talbot (EDM)
  21. Martin Jones (SJ)
  22. Jaroslav Halak (NYI)
  23. Kari Lehtonen (DAL)
  24. Frederik Andersen (TOR)
  25. Matt Murray (PIT)
  26. Brian Elliott (CGY)
  27. Steve Mason (PHI)
  28. Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)
  29. Mike Smith (PHX)
  30. Robin Lehner (BUF)

NBA Top 20 Players Ranked

With all the drama surrounding Sports Illustrated ranking Demar Derozan 46th overall in the NBA, I figured I would give my own current power rankings. Take in mind this is pretty subjective and my opinion of some of these players change weekly, but this is what I currently have:

  1. Lebron James (CLE)
  2. Steph Curry (GSW)
  3. Kawhi Leonard (SA)
  4. Russell Westbrook (OKC)
  5. Kevin Durant (GSW)
  6. James Harden (HOU)
  7. Anthony Davis (NO)
  8. DeMarcus Cousins (SAC)
  9. Damian Lillard (POR)
  10. Demar Derozan (TOR)
  11. Klay Thompson (GSW)
  12. Kyrie Irving (CLE)
  13. Isaiah Thomas (BOS)
  14. Jimmy Butler (CHI)
  15. Paul George (IND)
  16. Blake Griffin (LAC)
  17. John Wall (WSH)
  18. Andrew Wiggins (MIN)
  19. Cj McCollum (POR)
  20. Kristaps Porzingis (NYK)

Super Bowl 51 Preview

It’s one of the most anticipated Super Bowls in recent memory, and for good reason. The Best Offence against the Best Defence is a matchup the seldom happens but when it does, it never disappoints…except when it does (see Seahawks vs Broncos Super Bowl). The Falcons lead the NFL with 33.8 points per game, while the Patriots have allowed the fewest: 15.6 points per game. 

This is a tough matchup; Every time I lean one way, I pull back the other way. This is Tom Brady’s 7th Super Bowl appearance, he knows what it takes to win….on the other hand, he’s missing his best weapon: Gronk. 

The Falcons have the best Offence in the league…but defence wins championships. Belichick is the best Coach, arguably ever….but he tends to cheat and who knows that he has up his sleeve this game. Julio Jones is the best player playing in this game…and he tends to disappear sometimes.I truly am torn on this decision… my heart says Atlanta, but my mind says never bet against Brady and Belichick. 

At the end of the day, what I’m really thinking is that after all that deflategate crap… Tom Brady is motivated and inspired. He’s determined to win the 5th title and receive the Lombardi trophy from Goodell in quite possibly the most awkward exchange ever. 

And for that reason I’m taking PATRIOTS (-3) over the FALCONS in Super Bowl 51.

NFL Championship Round

Both these games are pretty difficult to predict...but I’m looking forward to them both. The Ideal matchup here is Packers vs Patriots but truthfully, any combination of the 4 below teams would be amazing – can’t wait for the Super Bowl. 

PACKERS +4.5 over FALCONS

Nelson is back for the Pack. They are riding a high after last week’s crazy win against the Cowboys. And Aaron Rodgers looks hungry for his 2nd ring. Both these teams have lackluster defence so it should be a shootout, but I see Green Bay coming out on top. They’re relatively healthy and are facing a relatively playoff untested Falcons squad…I just can’t bet against Green Bay. 

PATRIOTS -4.5 over STEELERS

“I’m drunk, I’m stupid, I’m a Pats fan.” Those were the words of a drunk, stupid Pats fan who pulled the fire alarm at 3 in the morning at the hotel the Steelers were staying at, the morning of their game. The Steelers were lucky to get past KC and looked pretty terrible. Tom Brady looked rather human himself in last week’s game as well. So the question really is, who is going to rebound? Who is hungrier? The Steelers have more weapons, but the Patriots have Brady and Belichick. It ultimately comes down to the best running back and wide receiver in the game vs the best quarterback and coach in the game. And with that comparison, I will go with the coach and QB. Patriots are winning this game and then the super bowl – mark it down.

NFL Divisional Round

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Ok, last week was a little too easy… I expect this week should be tougher. No way Vegas will let us keep taking their money. But that won’t stop us from trying.

FALCONS -4.0 over SEAHAWKS

This should be an interesting battle: Offence vs Defence. The Falcons averaged 33.8 points per game during the regular season, while the Hawks allowed an average of 18.3. This is usually where I say, Defence beats Offence, or the playoffs are different than the regular season. But I am not going to bet against Matt Ryan right now… I think this is his breakout postseason.

PATRIOTS -15.0 over TEXANS

So it’s obvious the Pats are going to win here…just question is just by how much. The Texans have only beaten the Patriots once in their history and have never won a game in Foxborough. It’s a lot of points and I’m not feeling overly confident but Belichick never backs down – I think the Pats should run the table. 

COWBOYS -4.5 over PACKERS

The Packers have scored 30 or more points in each of their past 5 games…but they are without Jordy Nelson for this one. The Cowboys have too many weapons and I can’t wait to see their rookies step up in the playoffs. This will be a great game. 

STEELERS -1.5 over CHIEFS

The Steelers have won 8 straight games and also destroyed the Chiefs 43-14 back in week 4. I think this line is very generous and the Steelers should do pretty well against KC, despite their defence being one of the best in the league. Look for Antonio to rake it in. 

NFL Wild Card Round

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This is it – the playoffs are finally here! I am beyond excited – let’s kick things off right away…

TEXANS -3.5 over RAIDERS

The Texans finished the season with the second best passing defence in the league, allowing 201.6 yards per game. Throw in the fact that Derek Carr, who was playing like an MVP Candidate all year for Oakland, is out… the Raiders don’t stand a chance unfortunately. 

SEAHAKWS -8.0 over LIONS

The Lions have lost 8 straight playoff games and have never beaten the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Simply put, the Hawks have been in this position so many times over the last few years and the Lions are doomed to be an abysmal franchise. Matt Stafford can’t carry them any further than he already has.

STEELERS -10.5 over DOLPHINS

This one is a mismatch. The Steelers have won 7 straight games in a row and are 6-2 at home. The trend should continue after this game.

PACKERS -5.5 over GIANTS

The Giants have allowed 10 points or fewer in 3 of their last 4 games…so one would think I would be leaning New York…but Aaron Rodgers just dials it up to a new level in the playoffs. Other than Brady there’s no one I trust more. I gotta lean with the pack.

Kat's Corner: Week 17

RAVENS +1.0 over BENGALS

The Bengals don’t really have much to play for in this final week, and with several injuries hampering them I still don’t think they can win this game – despite being the home team.

TITANS -3.0 over TEXANS

Marcus Mariota left last week’s game with a broken fibula, but people don’t seem to remember how poorly he was playing up until that point. Since the Titans bye week, Mariota has looked like a different, more timid player – relying on his Running Backs 35+ times a game. They’ll continue the same approach, and I’ll take Demarco Murray vs Houston any day. 

BUCS -5.0 over PANTHERS

Even without Doug Martin, I trust Tampa’s defence more than I trust Carolina’s. Not too mention the fact that the Panthers only threw up 16 points in what was supposed to be a shootout at home against the Falcons. 

COLTS -4.5 over JAGS

This pick is more challenging then it looks, as it’s a divisional game in the last week of the season – with the Jaguars coming off a win. I still think the Colts have more talent and will come through with a victory with the home crowd behind them. 

PATRIOTS -9.5 over DOLPHINS

Anytime I can get the Patriots under double digits against almost anyone, I’m going to go with them. 

VIKINGS -5.5 over BEARS

Both of these teams have strongly underperformed this year, which should set up for a disappointing meeting as well. It’s a coin flip, and I’ll usually defer to the home team.

BILLS -3.5 over JETS

The Bills will be playing for a new coach…and a new/old quarterback. I like them to bounce back this week, especially against a horrible Jets team.

EAGLES -3.5 over COWBOYS

There’s no reason for the Cowboys to try in this game, or for their regulars to play. With that very little motivation, plus the fact the Eagles are a decent team at home (5-2), I’ll take Philly in this one.

STEELERS -6.0 over BROWNS

This is a very generous spread for the Browns – despite the fact that they’re coming off their first win of the season. The Steelers should destroy them.

FALCONS -7.0 over SAINTS

With Julio back in the lineup it’s hard for me to not pick the Falcons – especially against a poor defence like New Orleans. 

REDSKINS -7.0 over GIANTS

Kirk Cousins puts up huge numbers week after week, and I don’t see that stopping this week. The Redskins have some weapons that should not be ignored.

CARDINALS -6.0 over RAMS

The Rams are 1-6 at home and can’t buy a win. Cards should get the easy win here.

BRONCOS -1.5 over RAIDERS

I’d probably swing the other way if Derek Carr was playing but unfortunately it looks like his season is done. Denver defence can be mean at home and that’s ultimately the deciding factor for me. 

CHIEFS -6.0 over CHARGERS

The Chargers lost against the Browns… they don’t deserve my pick…ever.

SEAHAWKS -9.5 over 49ERS

Doug Baldwin looks like he’s trending upwards again, and the 49ers are garbage anyway. There’s a lot of points on the table here but I like Seattle to cover the spread.

PACKERS -3.5 over LIONS

Jordy Nelson has been a beast of late, I like the Packers to take this despite being 3-4 on the road this season. 

Dark Side Picks 2017