Hockey Thoughts: Check Yourself

With two weeks and seven games left, it's time to check in on my predictions for the playoff push. 

So far the Preds are outplaying my expectations.  They sometimes ramp it up at the end of the season and surprise me, only to faceplant in the first round.  Looks like we're right on track to do that again this year.  Of the games played so far that I predicted, the Preds have won three games I chalked up as losses (Edmonton, Boston and Buffalo), and lost one I guessed to be a win (L.A.), meaning they are up two games on my predictions.

Of the two teams they were scheduled to play twice (Colorado and Detroit), they won both of the first match-ups.  I predicted they would go one-for-two in each pairing, so we'll see how they pull out the remaining two, still yet to be played (Colorado on Thursday and Detroit next Saturday).

This brings the total points accumulated in the previous eight games to 14, out of a possible 16.  Not bad!  I had conjectured a total of 15 points for the entire rest of the season, so barring some terrible collapse here in the remaining handful of games, they will beat out my prediction, hopefully by quite a bit!  That's a good thing, too, because it is more than clear that 91 total points would not have been enough to get into the 8th spot, and probably not even 12th, when all is said and done.

Tonight the Preds play Dallas, who are sitting in 9th spot with 86 points.  The Preds are in 6th, with 90.  This should be one hell of a game...and one I had predicted as a loss for Nashville.  While I'm encouraged by their play of late, their performance Thursday night against the Ducks was almost embarrassingly catastrophic, and I still don't have much confidence in the team's ability to rise to meet adversity.  I'm still cautiously optimistic, but am not willing to change my prediction of a loss.  I may add an asterisk and change this one to an OT loss, but a loss just the same.

We have tickets to all of the remaining home games this season, so I'm excited to get to watch this run-up to the playoffs live and in person!

As for my Caps, not much has changed.  They've remained on fire, despite a ridiculous loss last night in Ottawa.  The team is holding it together despite Green still out indefinitely, Ovi sitting 7-10 days, and Arnott inexplicably MIA.  They haven't mathematically clinched the Southeast Division yet, but with Tampa holding a modest 89 points to the Caps 96, I think it's all but in the bag for Washington.

The biggest question is whether, with Philly holding two games in hand, if the Caps can pass them for the Conference lead.  Today Philly has 98 points (and again, two games in hand over Washington), but I have confidence that they might just pull it out still.  

What dismays me the most right now is that Shittsburgh also managed to somehow get to 96 points, and I will not be much pleased to see them end the season with more points than the Caps.  Someone needs to get their shit together here, especially with talk of Crosby returning any day now.  Come on Caps, you know you are better than that crappy little team!