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During my last article, with regard to the San Jose Sharks post-season, I referenced the famous Glengarry Glen Ross line, "Coffee's for closers only." As we all know, another name for coffee is "Joe," and it often comes in jumbo sizes in a country that is always looking for artificial stimulation. As we all know, Jumbo Joe is the nickname for the Western Conference's best regular season centre, playing for the ...

I was going to do a recap of Game Three, but it is far too painful. And it is not constructive—how do you recap what went wrong in a game you dominated but did not close? However, I work a sales job for the performing arts in San Jose, and have seen a number of David Mamet's scripts in action. The only one most of you will know was Glengarry Glen ...

In Game One of the first-round matchup between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, Evgeni Nabokov played well in net. In 30 Colorado shots, he allowed only a screened power play goal and a freak goal off the skate of defenseman Rob Blake. In Game Two, he had arguably his worst playoff performance ever, giving up five goals on 18 shots in regulation. Granted, one was shot off his defenseman's chest ...

It is April, and the San Jose Sharks are in trouble. In other news, the sun rose in the east and will reportedly set in the west today. This time of the year, playoffs is survival of the fittest. The fittest is not the most talented, but the most willing to do whatever it takes. You know the old saying, will beats skill. Well, there is another one that applies here: It's not ...

The first-round best playoffs in the world are underway, so I am a little late with these picks. Thus, let me get right to them:   Washington Capitals hosting Les Habitants de Montreal Caps in five Sorry, no contest. I know it has been a while since Washington played a game that mattered, and Montreal is boasting that Washington does not have any goalie as good as either of theirs, but there are ...

The best playoffs in the world are about to begin. They are the best because, like March Madness, the unpredictable happens. Despite this unpredictability, there are enough constants that a prognosticator who looks beyond the obvious stats and personal biases can accurately foresee the future. In my previous articles on April Fool's Day predicting who would be in and what matchups would take place, I was 16 of 16 on the ...

Call the San Jose Sharks Flame-Retardant Duck hunters. And call me one happy camper. The Sharks won the Pacific Division for the third year in a row. In the journey that brought them here, they had arguably more to say about the failure of the rival Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames to make the playoffs than anyone. San Jose won both season series, albeit only by goal differential (thanks to a 9-1 ...

Volume One of this article predicted the Eastern Conference. This one deals with the West and the Stanley Cup Finals. San Jose Sharks over Colorado Avalanche in five games. The problems of the Sharks are well-documented, both this season and in playoffs past. But Colorado is also backing their way into the playoffs, lacks experience, and just does not have the talent to compete with a team as good as San ...

Only a fool tries to predict the historically anything-can-and-will-happen NHL playoffs before the season is even over. Have you ever met me? There is nothing I do not foolishly believe I can analyze! And to some extent, I can back it up: I have not wavered from the 16 teams I predicted making the playoffs, only in the order they will be seeded. To keep this from being too long an article, Volume ...