My Breakdown of the NHL Playoffs Conference Semifinals via Playboy’s The Smoking Jacket
After my NHL Playoff Cheat Sheet was the second most popular article on their site last week (behind a post about a porn star so clearly it couldn’t have done better) Playboy’s safe for work website The Smoking Jacket asked me to follow up with a preview of the Conference Semifinals and with some hockey themed selfies to add to the mix. Thank you to all the hockey fans that have helped me get the opportunity to write these blogs; without you reading and supporting I wouldn’t get these opportunities
You can find the feature here: http://www.thesmokingjacket.com/girls/tristin-huntamers-half-naked-stanley-cup-preview-continues
Playboy’s The Smoking Jacket featured my NHL Playoff Preview
http://www.thesmokingjacket.com/girls/tristin-huntamer-is-your-nhl-playoffs-cheat-sheet
Playboy’s safe for work site The Smoking Jacket featured my NHL Playoff Preview and a bunch of my modeling work on their site as a cheat sheet for the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Check it out if you are interested!
NHL Playoff Preview- Round 1
Players from sixteen NHL teams have thrown away their razors in favor of playoff beards and are preparing to battle for the most coveted trophy in hockey, Lord Stanley’s Cup. It doesn’t matter if they barely scraped enough points to make it to the playoffs or if they are the number one seed in their conference. The regular season is now past tense, each individual playoff game the present and the Stanley Cup can be any of these sixteen teams future no matter if they are currently eighth seed or first. Here is a look at the first round matchups:
Eastern Conference
The number 1 seeded Pittsburgh Penguins (36-12-0, 72 points) against 8th seeded New York Islanders (24-17-7, 55 points). The Penguins are 4-1-0 against the Islanders in the regular season.
Penguins: They have had a fantastic offense all season and where they lacked in physicality GM Ray Shero played Mr. Fix It by making some deals that filled that void. The Pens have been plagued with injuries all season and those coming off injuries are going be watched by opponents for weakness’. Islanders: If it wasn’t for a strong month of April the Islanders may not have had this opportunity. They certainly didn’t have the strongest defense for the majority of the season. They will need a strong showing from key players like Evgeni Nabokov and John Tavares to have a shot at Round 2.
Wednesday, May 1st 7:30 p.m. (ET) NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Friday, May 3rd 7 p.m. (ET) NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Sunday, May 5th Noon (ET) Pittsburgh at NY Islanders (Broadcasting on: NBC, TSN)
Tuesday, May 7th 7 p.m. (ET) Pittsburgh at NY Islanders (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
*Thursday, May 9th 7 p.m. (ET) NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Saturday, May 11th TBD Pittsburgh at NY Islanders (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Sunday, May 12th TBD NY Islanders at Pittsburgh (Broadcasting on: TSN)
The number 2 seeded Montreal Canadiens (29-14-5, 63 points) against the 7th seeded Ottawa Senators (25-17-6, 56 points). The Canadiens are 2-1-1 against the Senators in the regular season.
Canadiens: This team knows how to win possession and has the advantage of speed that tests the endurance of their opponents. They are methodical in the way they play, but if they lose that focus they lose games. They have a great starting goalie with Price and a strong relief with Peter Budaj if Carey Price fails.
Senators: They have strong all around goaltending. They do need to focus on offense and make a point to score more than once a game. Cory Conacher will need to step up his game and show that The Senators got an asset in their trade with the Lightning.
Thursday, May 2nd 7 p.m. (ET) Ottawa at Montreal (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS, CNBC)
Friday, May 3rd 7 p.m. (ET) Ottawa at Montreal (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS, CNBC)
Sunday, May 5th 7 p.m. (ET) Montreal at Ottawa (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS, NBC Sports Network)
Tuesday, May 7th 7 p.m. (ET) Montreal at (Broadcasting on: Ottawa CBC, RDS, CNBC)
*Thursday, May 9th 7 p.m. (ET) Ottawa at Montreal (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS)
*Saturday, May 11th TBD Montreal at Ottawa (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS)
*Sunday, May 12th TBD Ottawa at Montreal (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS)
3rd seeded Washington Capitals (27-18-3, 57 points) against the 6th seeded New York Rangers (26-18-4, 56 points). The Rangers are 2-0-1 against the Capitals in the regular season.
Capitals: The Caps have had new life breathed into them over the second half of this season with a hot offense. Unfortunately there defense could use some resuscitation right about now. Braden Holtby is under pressure, but holding his own under an on slot of shots.
Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist needs to play like the Vezina winner he is and the offense needs to actually play offensively. Rick Nash will need to light it up and inspire his teammates to follow suit for a Round 2.
Thursday, May 2nd 7:30 p.m. (ET) NY Rangers at Washington (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Saturday, May 4th 12:30 p.m. (ET) NY Rangers at Washington (Broadcasting on: NBC, TSN)
Monday, May 6th 7:30 p.m. (ET) Washington at NY Rangers (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Wednesday, May 8th 7:30 p.m. (ET) Washington at NY Rangers (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
*Friday, May 10th 7:30 p.m. (ET) NY Rangers at Washington (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Sunday, May 12th TBD Washington at NY Rangers (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Monday, May 13th TBD NY Rangers at Washington (Broadcasting on: TSN)
4th seeded Boston Bruins (28-14-6, 62 points) against the 5th seeded Toronto Maple Leafs (26-17-5, 57 points). The Bruins are 3-1-0 against the Maple Leafs in the regular season.
Bruins: They are a big team that is strong on the faceoff. The Bruins have reliable goaltending in the form of Tuukka Rask. To win Milan Lucic will need to get it together and the team will need to stay focused on their objectives.
Maple Leafs: A much improved penalty kill and strong goaltending the Leafs made it to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. They led the league in major penalties and in the playoffs Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren become nearly obsolete.
Wednesday, May 1st 7 p.m. (ET) Toronto at Boston (Broadcasting on: CNBC, CBC, RDS)
Saturday, May 4th 7 p.m. (ET) Toronto at Boston (Broadcasting on: CNBC, CBC, RDS)
Monday, May 6th 7 p.m. (ET) Boston at Toronto (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS, NHL Network U.S.)
Wednesday, May 8th 7 p.m. (ET) Boston at Toronto (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS, NHL Network U.S.)
*Friday, May 10th 7 p.m. (ET) Toronto at Boston (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS)
*Sunday, May 12th TBD Boston at Toronto (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS)
*Monday, May 13th TBD Toronto at Boston (Broadcasting on: CBC, RDS)
Western Conference
The number 1 seeded Chicago Blackhawks (36-7-5, 77 points) against the 8th seeded Minnesota Wild (26-19-3, 55 points). The Blackhawks are 2-0-1 against the Wild in the regular season.
Blackhawks: The team has depth and youth in their favor. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp have all had spectacular showings during the regular season. They boast a great blueline, but they need work on their power play.
Wild: They have strong players such as Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. They also have speed and create scoring chances. The Wild need the defense to step up and not falter to bigger opponents. Niklas Backstrom will need to play strong and stay healthy because there is no Plan B on this team in terms of goaltending.
Tuesday, April 30th 8 p.m. (ET) Minnesota at Chicago (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Friday, May 3rd 9:30 p.m. (ET) Minnesota at Chicago (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Sunday, May 5th 3 p.m. (ET) Chicago at Minnesota (Broadcasting on: NBC, CBC)
Tuesday, May 7th 9:30 p.m. (ET) Chicago at Minnesota (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, CBC)
*Thursday, May 9th TBD Minnesota at Chicago (Broadcasting on: CBC)
*Saturday, May 11th TBD Chicago at Minnesota (Broadcasting on: CBC)
*Sunday, May 12th TBD Minnesota at (Broadcasting on: Chicago CBC)
The number 2 seeded Anaheim Ducks (30-12-6, 66 points) against the 7th seeded Detroit Red Wings (24-16-8, 56 points). The Red Wings are 2-1-0 against the Ducks I the regular season.
Ducks: They had one of the best offensive teams in the league and they need to remain hot and light it up to win. Viktor Fasth and Jonas Hiller are both strong goalies and will provide the Ducks with what they need in the net.
Red Wings: They boast fast skating forwards and a strong blueline. What they have in speed they unfortunately lack in size. Goalie Jimmy Howard doesn’t have the best numbers in past playoffs, but he has been good in the regular season.
Tuesday, April 30th 10:30 p.m. (ET) Detroit at Anaheim (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Thursday, May 2nd 10 p.m. (ET) Detroit at Anaheim (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Saturday, May 4th 7:30 p.m. (ET) Anaheim at Detroit (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Monday, May 6th 8 p.m. (ET) Anaheim at Detroit (Broadcasting on: CNBC, TSN)
*Wednesday, May 8th 10 p.m. (ET) Detroit at Anaheim (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Friday, May 10th TBD Anaheim at Detroit (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Sunday, May 12th TBD Detroit at Anaheim (Broadcasting on: TSN)
The 3rd seeded Vancouver Canucks (26-15-7, 59 points) against the 6th seeded San Jose Sharks (25-16-7, 57 points). The Sharks are 3-0-0 against the Canucks in the regular season.
Canucks: They have a strong hard to shut down offense but their power play which is ranked 22nd in the league is a far cry from the way it was the 3 seasons prior. Canucks have reliable goaltending but their blueline has suffered some injury.
Sharks: They are great on the faceoff and have a strong penalty kill. The Sharks also have fantastic goaltending from Antti Niemi. Scoring has been difficult for the team and they will need to light it up to advance.
Wednesday, May 1st 10:30 p.m. (ET) San Jose at Vancouver (Broadcasting on: TSN, NBC Sports Network)
Friday, May 3rd 10 p.m. (ET) San Jose at Vancouver (Broadcasting on: TSN, CNBC)
Sunday, May 5th 10 p.m. (ET) Vancouver at San Jose (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, TSN)
Tuesday, May 7th 10 p.m. (ET) Vancouver at San Jose (Broadcasting on: CNBC, TSN)
*Thursday, May 9th 10 p.m. (ET) San Jose at Vancouver (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Saturday, May 11th TBD Vancouver at San Jose (Broadcasting on: TSN)
*Monday, May 13th TBD San Jose at Vancouver (Broadcasting on: TSN)
4th seeded St. Louis Blues (29-17-2, 60 points) against the 5th seeded Los Angeles Kings (27-16-5, 59 points). The Kings are 3-0-0 against the Blues in the regular season.
Blues: They have big forwards that have no problem scoring and even more size on their defense. They need a real first line to play at the level expected of all teams in the playoffs. Goaltending sometimes sizzles and sometimes fizzles so the Blues will hope that Brian Elliott can keep the puck out of the net.
Kings: The defending Stanley Cup Champions have a good blueline, depth and boast two-way play. Jonathan Quick needs to match the way he played in the last playoffs because his current goaltending isn’t living up to his potential. Dustin Penner will also need to step up his game like he did in the last playoffs as well if he wants his name on the Cup again.
Tuesday, April 30th 8 p.m. (ET) Los Angeles at St. Louis (Broadcasting on: CNBC, CBC)
Thursday, May 2nd 9:30 p.m. (ET) Los Angeles at St. Louis (Broadcasting on: CNBC, CBC)
Saturday, May 4th 10 p.m. (ET) St. Louis at Los Angeles (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Monday, May 6th 10 p.m. (ET) St. Louis at Los Angeles (Broadcasting on: NBC Sports Network, CBC)
*Wednesday, May 8th TBD Los Angeles at St. Louis (Broadcasting on: CBC)
*Friday, May 10th TBD St. Louis at Los Angeles (Broadcasting on: CBC)
*Monday, May 13th TBD Los Angeles at St. Louis (Broadcasting on: CBC)
* If necessary
Every hockey player wants to hoist it in victory, they want their name engraved on it, and they want a day with it. They have dreamed about it since they were young boys idolizing Gretzky, Lemieux and Oor. This is their chance and because it’s The Cup they will willingly leave their blood, sweat and maybe a few teeth on the ice in the pursuit of it.
Read MoreCrashin’ the Net – Episode #2: Hockey Fights 101
Here is the newest episode of Crashing the Net. I cover the basics of hockey fights, its unspoken etiquette, the pros and cons of its presence in the game and my opinion of hockey fights: Crashin’ the Net – Episode #2
To read my original blog on hockey fight etiquette where I go even further in depth on the subject check out: http://sportsrants.com/thegoal/2012/08/24/hockey-fights-culture/
Read MoreNHL Realignment and Playoff Format and Crashing the Net on SportsRantz TV
If you watched Crashing the Net on SportsRantz TV you may have caught that I said that eight teams would be going to the playoffs. I wanted to apologize for that as it was bad editing on my part. Eight teams from each conference will be going to the playoffs making sixteen teams in all. Please watch Crashing the Net every Thursday for more hockey talk and in time I will work out the kinks on the show. Below is a better view of the NHL Realignment and Playoff Format as promised on Crashing the Net.
Western Conference:
Division A:
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks
Division B:
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets
Eastern Conference:
Division C:
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Division D:
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Playoff Format:
Sixteen teams will still qualify for The Stanley Cup Playoffs. Three teams with the best records in each division will comprise the first twelve teams in the playoffs. The wildcard slots will go to two teams from each Conference with the next best records in the regular season points.
Wild-card teams seeding will be determined within each divisional playoff on the basis of regular-season points. The division winner with the most points in the conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lowest number of points while the division winner with the second-most points in the conference will play the wild-card team with the second fewest points.
The teams finishing second and third in each division will play in the first round of the playoffs. The winners of each series will play for the divisional championship.
Read MoreHockey for the Assist: Canadian Tire Jumpstart
This weeks “Hockey for the Assist” is focused on a Canadian charity that gives children the opportunity to participate in organized sports and recreation that otherwise would not have the chance. One in three Canadian families cannot afford to enroll their children in sports or recreation activities and Canadian Tire Jumpstart is trying to rectify that with the help of donors.
When I asked Jeffrey Frey of Jumpstart why this program helps he said “We see it as equipping kids for life, because participation in organized sport and recreation increases a child’s chance for success in life. They discover and participate, they gain self-confidence, they develop self-esteem, they learn leadership skills, and their lives become richer. This is the power of Canadian Tire Jumpstart.”
Jumpstart has over 315 local chapters across Canada in every province. They are dedicated to identifying and supporting financially disadvantaged children allowing them to participate in sports and recreation. Jumpstart makes it easy to donate to their cause through their website http://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/en/ Because of the local chapters donors are given the opportunity to keep 100% of the money they donate in their own community. Their hope is that donors will see the positive effect of their donations within their own community and will be inspired to help further.
100% of donations to Canadian Tire Jumpstart go directly to help kids participate in sports and recreation. They encourage individuals who wish to raise funds for the program and they provide information on how to find fundraisers in Canada on the website, they also give the opportunity to donate in another person’s name and they have a Symbolic Giving program that allows donors to sponsor a season of sports for a child, equipment or a full Kids Activity Kit that will provide a youth program or school group with enough equipment to help 20 kids get active for years to come. In 2011 alone, thanks to donations and fundraising, Jumpstart helped 102,427 kids participate in 71 activities including swimming, hockey, football and dance.
To illustrate how easy it is to help and how rewarding:
In Courtney BC, Keith Pistell, Canadian Tire General Manager, explained how a young man named Tyson Tufts came into his store with his father Darin and sister Haley to make a special donation to Jumpstart. Instead of presents at his birthday party, Tyson asked his friends to bring ‘a few bucks’ to donate to Jumpstart instead. Tyson ended up raising $170 for Jumpstart. He chose to donate to Jumpstart because he wanted to help give other kids his age an opportunity to play sports. Tyson is passionate about playing hockey and currently plays on the Legion Branch 17 Pee Wee tier two hockey team in Courtney, BC. Tyson explained that he was proud to be able to help other kids enjoy sports like he does.
Jumpstart thrives on community partners and with the City of Ottawa it has five “I Love to” programs: Skate, Dance, Swim, Play Soccer and Play Hockey. I Love to Skate, for example, teaches 400 children and 30 youth who face barriers to physical activity how to skate. The program provides skates, blade sharpening, helmets, four lessons and a wrap-up party. The Sens Foundation, a strategic partner of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, provides the venue, Scotiabank Place, for the wrap-up party, where the kids skate on the same ice as the Ottawa Senators.
“At some point during the program, a couple of Senators players teach a lesson. The kids can get their autographs. And the players have just as much fun as the kids.” said Gord MacGregor of the City of Ottawa’s program coordinator.
The reach of Jumpstart touches both the children in the sports, the donors giving them the opportunity to participate as well as the people coaching them. If you believe in this program or have been positively affected by sports I suggest offering your support.
If you are a Canadian family needing financial assistance for your children to participate in sports and recreation and would like the help of Jumpstart applications for assistance can be submitted from January 15 to June 1 for spring/summer programs, and from July 1 to November 1 for fall/winter programs. For more information on how to apply please call 1-877-616-6600 and a call center representative will guide you through the application process. All information received is kept confidential.
Read More
- Watching the game online right now. Go @PghRiverhounds! #unleash @HuntGilstrap
- Things are still up in the air with moving... hopefully Atlanta will work out though.
- Looks like I will be moving to Atlanta, GA at the end of next month.
- Check out my #StanleyCup Conference Semifinals Preview on @ThisIsTSJ w/#hockey themed selfies http://t.co/JisDzSXCKm http://t.co/88oilFzi5h
- Check out my #StanleyCup Conference Semifinals Preview on @ThisIsTSJ http://t.co/JisDzSXCKm @RinkRocket http://t.co/wU8Jf7zLtw
- http://t.co/tLCtsJelXb hot bikini #picoftheday @playboy_brasil @PlayboySi @PlayboyDotCom @PlayboyMX @grlwtchr @MaximMagazine @babesofmma
