Round 1 Summary
PostedCOLON Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:03 pm
Welcome to the realm of upsets…
Round 1 of the BBKL playoffs has seen 4 teams with home-ice advantage eliminated. In the West, the perennial President’s Trophy winners, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Northwest Division winners, the Minnesota Wild, find themselves golfing. In the East, the top seeded Pittsburgh Penguins fall short once again, with Southeast Division winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, following suit.
But is it fair to call these match-ups upsets?
The short answer? Yes. The long answer: No, this is the genesis of parity in BBKL.
Since its inception, BBKL has been the poster child for socialism. The free market has led to the existence of third world franchises, thanks to sub-par GMs not cut out for this league. In the 4 years that BBKL has been around, there has been a core of GMs holding down the strongest franchises. The remaining teams have seen a revolving door of slow horses, who slowly dismantled their teams until they were removed from office and replaced with more competent GMs.
Enter Lee (Philadelphia), Josh (Calgary), Kareem (Vancouver), Peter (Dallas), Mik (Nashville) and Kyle (New York Rangers) and add to it GMs who have drastically improved – Paul (Carolina) and Shoalzie (Detroit).
The result is a league where it is no longer easy to get a “free ride”, the word “rape” is not thrown around like it used to be and there is no sure thing when it comes to a 1-week match-up. When Scott won back-to-back championships, Vegas would have given him an 80% chance to win many match-ups. Such an advantage no longer exists in the playoffs. The most you will see is a 60-40 advantage in the playoffs. And can you really call that an upset? Or is it similar to bounces going your way in a hockey game?
Onto the storylines for this week:
Exceptional Performances
Alexander Ovechkin (MIN) – 7 Goals, 2 Assists, 9 Points, +5, 7 Hits, 2 PIMS, 4 STPTS, 20 SOG, 2 GWG
Ryan Callahan (BOS) – 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 5 Points, +5, 11 Hits, 15 SHTOI, 14 SOG
Nicklas Backstrom (COL) – 9 Assists, 9 Points, +5, 42 FOW, 4 Hits, 6 PIMS, 3 STPTS
Rick Nash (NJD) – 3 Goals, 2 Assits, 5 Points, +4, 22 SOG
P.K. Subban (STL) – 5 Assists, 5 Points, +3, 7.65 SHTOI, 7 Hits, 4 PIMS, 3 STPTS
Shea Weber (TBL) – 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 3 Points, +2, 7.23 SHTOI, 21 Hits, 13 SOG, 11 Blocks
Kevin Klein (PIT) – 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 6.61 SHTOI, 13 SOG, 11 Hits, 13 Blocks
Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) – 3 Wins, 1.22 GAA, 0.962 SV%
Brian Elliott (CLB) – 3 Wins, 1.45 GAA, 0.952 SV%
Braden Holtby (NJD) – 3 Wins, 2.27 GAA, 0.922 SV%
Carey Price (MTL) – 2 Wins, 2.00 GAA, 0.924 SV%,
Tuukka Rask (BOS) – 1 Win, 1.01 GAA, 0.924 SV%, 1 SO
Goaltending
With the increasing parity, Skater categories are a battle. The value of goaltending in an H2H match-up has never been higher.
MTL received a major win from Peter Budaj of 1 GAA and 0.970 SV%.
MIN did not have any Goalie GP because of Luongo and lost 8-7-1.
Rask got a shutout for BOS for Kyle.
NJD received 4 straight wins from Braden Holtby/Michal Neuvirth.
Brodeur lost 4 straight starts for PIT.
Injuries
Sidney Crosby
The 2013 Hart Trophy winner coincidentally went down just as the BBKL playoffs were starting…and screwed 2 teams in the process. Nick’s Tampa Bay Lightning lost by 2 Goals and 2 STPTS – a margin Sidney could have conveniently made up. The injury had collateral damage as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kunitz and Dupuis had their worst scoring week of the year with 4 points and Tyler Kennedy/Jussi Jokinen between them instead of the greatest player on the planet.
Patrice Bergeron
Bergeron might be the 2nd best player to own after Sidney Crosby in BBKL. Well or Toews but Mike owns him too. How long will the Leafs’ MVP be out for? TOR saw injuries to Bergeron, Fisher and Sharp in round 1. Luckily, NYR had its own string of injuries in Kovalchuk and Michalek to name a couple. And how long can TOR survive without Bergeron?
Joffrey Lupul
To the ire of Leaf fans in BBKL and the Penguins in particular, Lupul took a shot to the head 1:40 into his first game of the week and did not return for the rest of the week. In his 1:40 of ice time, he collected an Assist to continue his points streak. But his absence was a major blow to the Penguins as he was their leading point-per-game producer on the season. Hopefully, he is back for the Leafs in real life or else this Leafs fan will have two of his teams screwed.
Paul Gaustad
Gaustad played 1 game during Round 1, in which he had 19 FOW. He was then mysteriously ruled out for the remaining games, causing PIT to come back and win FOW on the week. Gaustad’s status is still unknown.
T.J. Oshie
Major injury #2 for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is amazing what two injuries can do to a team. Tampa Bay was firing on all cylinders in the first half of the season, mowing over teams.
Outlook for Round 2
STL is looking like the favourite in the West with LAK out of the picture. In the East, it’s BOS’ conference to lose with all the injuries TOR is facing. If TOR gets healthy, though, look out. This team will mow down the competition. What TOR has that every team doesn’t is the ability to ice a roster that constantly maxes out on GP in every matchup, with his depth.
Looking Forward
So should be expecting 50% of the top 4 seeds in each conference eliminated in Round 1 every year? Maybe that is reasonable. A new era is beginning in BBKL – and it will only make competition and matchups in this league more exciting for years to come.
Round 1 of the BBKL playoffs has seen 4 teams with home-ice advantage eliminated. In the West, the perennial President’s Trophy winners, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Northwest Division winners, the Minnesota Wild, find themselves golfing. In the East, the top seeded Pittsburgh Penguins fall short once again, with Southeast Division winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, following suit.
But is it fair to call these match-ups upsets?
The short answer? Yes. The long answer: No, this is the genesis of parity in BBKL.
Since its inception, BBKL has been the poster child for socialism. The free market has led to the existence of third world franchises, thanks to sub-par GMs not cut out for this league. In the 4 years that BBKL has been around, there has been a core of GMs holding down the strongest franchises. The remaining teams have seen a revolving door of slow horses, who slowly dismantled their teams until they were removed from office and replaced with more competent GMs.
Enter Lee (Philadelphia), Josh (Calgary), Kareem (Vancouver), Peter (Dallas), Mik (Nashville) and Kyle (New York Rangers) and add to it GMs who have drastically improved – Paul (Carolina) and Shoalzie (Detroit).
The result is a league where it is no longer easy to get a “free ride”, the word “rape” is not thrown around like it used to be and there is no sure thing when it comes to a 1-week match-up. When Scott won back-to-back championships, Vegas would have given him an 80% chance to win many match-ups. Such an advantage no longer exists in the playoffs. The most you will see is a 60-40 advantage in the playoffs. And can you really call that an upset? Or is it similar to bounces going your way in a hockey game?
Onto the storylines for this week:
Exceptional Performances
Alexander Ovechkin (MIN) – 7 Goals, 2 Assists, 9 Points, +5, 7 Hits, 2 PIMS, 4 STPTS, 20 SOG, 2 GWG
Ryan Callahan (BOS) – 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 5 Points, +5, 11 Hits, 15 SHTOI, 14 SOG
Nicklas Backstrom (COL) – 9 Assists, 9 Points, +5, 42 FOW, 4 Hits, 6 PIMS, 3 STPTS
Rick Nash (NJD) – 3 Goals, 2 Assits, 5 Points, +4, 22 SOG
P.K. Subban (STL) – 5 Assists, 5 Points, +3, 7.65 SHTOI, 7 Hits, 4 PIMS, 3 STPTS
Shea Weber (TBL) – 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 3 Points, +2, 7.23 SHTOI, 21 Hits, 13 SOG, 11 Blocks
Kevin Klein (PIT) – 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 6.61 SHTOI, 13 SOG, 11 Hits, 13 Blocks
Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) – 3 Wins, 1.22 GAA, 0.962 SV%
Brian Elliott (CLB) – 3 Wins, 1.45 GAA, 0.952 SV%
Braden Holtby (NJD) – 3 Wins, 2.27 GAA, 0.922 SV%
Carey Price (MTL) – 2 Wins, 2.00 GAA, 0.924 SV%,
Tuukka Rask (BOS) – 1 Win, 1.01 GAA, 0.924 SV%, 1 SO
Goaltending
With the increasing parity, Skater categories are a battle. The value of goaltending in an H2H match-up has never been higher.
MTL received a major win from Peter Budaj of 1 GAA and 0.970 SV%.
MIN did not have any Goalie GP because of Luongo and lost 8-7-1.
Rask got a shutout for BOS for Kyle.
NJD received 4 straight wins from Braden Holtby/Michal Neuvirth.
Brodeur lost 4 straight starts for PIT.
Injuries
Sidney Crosby
The 2013 Hart Trophy winner coincidentally went down just as the BBKL playoffs were starting…and screwed 2 teams in the process. Nick’s Tampa Bay Lightning lost by 2 Goals and 2 STPTS – a margin Sidney could have conveniently made up. The injury had collateral damage as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kunitz and Dupuis had their worst scoring week of the year with 4 points and Tyler Kennedy/Jussi Jokinen between them instead of the greatest player on the planet.
Patrice Bergeron
Bergeron might be the 2nd best player to own after Sidney Crosby in BBKL. Well or Toews but Mike owns him too. How long will the Leafs’ MVP be out for? TOR saw injuries to Bergeron, Fisher and Sharp in round 1. Luckily, NYR had its own string of injuries in Kovalchuk and Michalek to name a couple. And how long can TOR survive without Bergeron?
Joffrey Lupul
To the ire of Leaf fans in BBKL and the Penguins in particular, Lupul took a shot to the head 1:40 into his first game of the week and did not return for the rest of the week. In his 1:40 of ice time, he collected an Assist to continue his points streak. But his absence was a major blow to the Penguins as he was their leading point-per-game producer on the season. Hopefully, he is back for the Leafs in real life or else this Leafs fan will have two of his teams screwed.
Paul Gaustad
Gaustad played 1 game during Round 1, in which he had 19 FOW. He was then mysteriously ruled out for the remaining games, causing PIT to come back and win FOW on the week. Gaustad’s status is still unknown.
T.J. Oshie
Major injury #2 for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is amazing what two injuries can do to a team. Tampa Bay was firing on all cylinders in the first half of the season, mowing over teams.
Outlook for Round 2
STL is looking like the favourite in the West with LAK out of the picture. In the East, it’s BOS’ conference to lose with all the injuries TOR is facing. If TOR gets healthy, though, look out. This team will mow down the competition. What TOR has that every team doesn’t is the ability to ice a roster that constantly maxes out on GP in every matchup, with his depth.
Looking Forward
So should be expecting 50% of the top 4 seeds in each conference eliminated in Round 1 every year? Maybe that is reasonable. A new era is beginning in BBKL – and it will only make competition and matchups in this league more exciting for years to come.
