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Join the Football Survivor Pool

The survivor pool concept is a simple one: Don’t. Ever. Lose.

But picking a different winner every week presents some challenges for obvious reasons. You can’t take the same team twice, so eventually you’ll have to gamble on some marginal squads. No team finishes the 16-game NFL season without picking up at least one win, so you can’t just take whoever plays the Cincinnati Bengals every week. And let’s remember – it’s freakin’ football – so “Any Given Sunday” and all that jazz is in play, big time.

For the most part, I like to stay away from division games and low-scoring, defense-oriented teams, especially toward the beginning of the season, but sometimes you have to take a chance. Week 1 has some tough games, so you’ll have to trust the general projections we’ve all seen in season previews and tumble into the madness headlong. With that said, let’s take a gander at my pick suggestions for the first slate of games:

 
Pick #3: Arizona Cardinals over Carolina Panthers

The revolution has started in Phoenix. With the addition of Kevin Kolb, the Arizona Cardinals added a strong, accurate arm that can supplement a talented receiving corps. The Arizona defense is dynamic, flexible and adept at creating turnovers – a perfect storm for this matchup against a rudderless Carolina Panthers squad. Relying on a largely untested QB (Kolb) in a new city isn’t my first choice, but if you’re brave enough to avoid the following powerhouse AFC teams (New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers) at the outset of your survivor journey, you can’t do much better than the capable Cards at home.

 
Pick #2: New England Patriots over Miami Dolphins

The Pats may be on the road and facing a division rival, but they’re still the Pats – a team that made big strides in shoring up their offensive and defensive ranks in the offseason. While it’s a pretty safe bet that the Pats take this one, I’d look elsewhere – saving this juggernaut for a future week when your options are a little more limited.

 
Pick #1: San Diego Chargers over Minnesota Vikings

The Chargers tend to start off a little slow, but this is still a lock. The Vikings have a new old quarterback, a debilitated offensive line, and will most likely struggle to put together a winning season. Donovan McNabb is still talented and can throw the long ball, but he’ll see loads of pressure from the diabolical Chargers pass rush. Offensively, there are only a couple teams with as much firepower as San Diego. QB Philip Rivers is poised for an MVP-caliber season, and the full range of weapons he commands (Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Ryan Mathews, Mike Tolbert, etc.) is on another level. Mark it down.

Check out the
March Madness
Survivor Pool

I love NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness pools. All kinds too, from the regular brackets that tally total wins and the point-based sheets that weight the final rounds more heavily, to more creative approaches.

My uncle Chancy runs a pool where you pick two teams from each bracket and for each win they get, you receive their seed number value in points, plus bonus points for the Final Four and National Championship.

I also collaborate with a friend on a big-money squares pool. It is just like a football squares grid (0-9/0-9) except we pay out the final scores of all 63 games in the tourney. First round gets you half your money back and the winnings keeps doubling from there. It’s dumb luck, there are really no bad numbers, and it’s still brilliant.

Even with all of my pool experience, the most challenging – and most rewarding – pool I’ve seen is Mike’s March Madness Survivor Pool at MyOfficePool.ca.

The idea with the survivor pool is to pick a team to win on opening day of the tournament, this Thursday. If they win, you advance. If they lose, you’re out of the pool. Keep picking one winning team each round of the tournament (Rounds 1 and 2 are each split for the pool) and see how long you can last. The last person alive, the survivor, wins the pool.

The catch of course is you cannot pick the same team more than once. In an elimination tournament like March Madness, it means you can absolutely run out of teams to choose from. Planning ahead is important, and one upset – which will no doubt occur (more than once) – can throw a wrecking ball into your plans.

There are plenty of ways to strategize your survivor pool plan, but I like to approach it backwards. If you’ve filled out a standard March Madness bracket, take a look at how you’ve got the final couple rounds predicted. You’re going to need to wait until the last round to use the winner, so plan ahead by listing the most certain winners last – and then advancing toward the tournament start by picking teams who you think will win, but lose their very next game.

Ideally, your teams will win the game you chose them for, and then bow out in their next tilt. That’s what I call survivor gold. You can’t put a price on pushing through a team you haven’t yet selected, and simultaneously jettisoning a squad you’ve already picked (and that someone may have not already used in favor of a team that’s advanced). Well – I guess you can put a name on it. Charlie Sheen sure can. It’s called Winning…duh?!?!

Hey – I could be wrong, but it’s seems pretty tough to win this thing if you start off by selecting Final Four favorites in Round 1. Each of the last two years, the pool winners went as far as and picked the National Champion (2010 and 2009 pool results).

Initially, you have to look for teams with difficult prospective second-round matchups. As this thing gets into the Sweet Sixteen, we separate the wheat from the chaff. If you blow a mid-round selection on Duke and they make the Final Four, your road is going to be difficult. Think Jimmer Fredette has just one win in him before BYU’s bubble bursts? You better hope he doesn’t go off for 50 again and lead his squad to the promise land in Houston.

Are you ready to take your chances with this pool? Here is a quick list of teams you should consider for the first round games on Thursday and Friday, and reasons why they might go out in the next round, Saturday and Sunday. Remember Rounds 1 and 2 are each split, so you need to pick a winner for Thursday before Friday even becomes relevant.

Ohio State – I know, they’re the overall number one seed. But the overall number one seed doesn’t have a great history and once they get past the 16 seed, they’ll tackle either perennial Big East power Villanova or one-time Cinderella darlings George Mason.

Xavier – I think they can handle Marquette, but there’s almost no chance they beat Syracuse, who could have yet another Final Four run.

Texas – This hinges on what happens to Arizona in Round 1, but there’s a good chance Texas wins one and then loses to the Wildcats – as long as Memphis doesn’t topple ‘Zona right out of the gate.

Purdue – They’ll easily smash the Peacocks, but I’d be worried about the matchup with Georgetown. You don’t want to face these Big East teams in the early going.

Notre Dame – The Zips are always tough, but I think the Irish can handle them. The next matchup, however, could pose some problems.

BYU – The Cougars will get past Wofford, but there are a couple of giant-killers lurking in Round 2.

Florida – I have no doubts about a Round 1 victory, but their prospective Round 2 opponents have 13 NCAA championships between them. Yeah.

So take your time, work backwards when necessary and take some chances. It’s not called a survivor pool because everybody survives. Just the opposite, actually…

 
Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators (Sunday, 5:00 Eastern)

It’s officially “must-win” time for the Buffalo Sabres who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes nipping at their heels, the Sabres have been on a roll of late reeling off a 5-1-2 record in their last eight games.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s “must-lose” time for the 29th-ranked Ottawa Senators, but more points at this stage won’t help their cause in acquiring a top selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in June. While Craig Anderson’s stifling play between the pipes for the Sens have made wins easier to come by, the Sabres lead the season series 4-1 and need to continue beating up on weaker opponents to secure a playoff berth.

Prediction: Sabres win 3-1

 
Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues (Saturday, 8:00 Eastern)

The Detroit Red Wings seem like contenders year after year, while the St. Louis Blues seem like pretenders year after year. The 2010-11 season has been no different and despite suspect goaltending, Nick Lidstrom’s Red Wings are again among the NHL’s elite. Look for the ageless wonder to lead his team to a road victory over the 23rd-ranked St. Louis Blues on Saturday night at the Scottrade Center.

Prediction: Red Wings win 4-2

 
Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 8:00 Eastern)

The Nashville Predators could not have picked a worse time to hit a rough patch. Having won just two of their past nine, Nashville has slipped to 10th-place in an extremely tight Western Conference playoff battle. Fortunately for the sputtering Preds, the abysmal Colorado Avalanche come to town on Saturday having won just one of their past 17, posing an ideal opportunity for a turnaround. The Predators have been awful offensively all season, but the Avalanche have been even worse defensively. One of Shea Weber’s signature slap shots could well be the deciding factor in this matchup of slumping squads.

Prediction: Predators win 3-2

Keep in mind that Vancouver, Tampa Bay, Washington, San Jose, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Atlanta are off the table for all three of our remaining contestants, so short of picking some big underdogs to outright win, the choices are pretty slim.

 
Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

Pittsburgh has done an admirable job holding it together without Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but their lack of depth is starting to shine through. The Pens have won just three of their last ten, and they roll into Beantown to face a streaking Bruins team that has won six straight.

Not only are the Bruins on a tear, but they are the NHL’s leaders in goals against. The B’s have allowed just 148 goals so far this year. This doesn’t bode well for a Pens team that is missing its two best offensive players.

Prediction: Bruins win 4-1

 
Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers (Saturday, 10:00)

In a battle of two of the NHL’s worst teams, the Avs get a slight edge. They still have most of the core that made it to the playoffs last year, and can at least boast a couple of legit offensive stars in Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny. The Oilers are still too erratic, and frighteningly thin on D as long as Ryan Whitney is out. Taylor Hall injured his ankle in their game Thursday and is questionable. Dealing Dustin Penner won’t help them this year, but I can’t help but marvel at how much Steve Tambellini was able to fetch for the one dimensional winger.

Prediction: Avalanche win 4-3

 
Boston Bruins at Edmonton Oilers (Sunday, 8:00 Eastern)

The Bruins-Oilers matchup will mark the first meeting between top two 2010 draft picks Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. While Hall has had the better rookie season, it’s Seguin who will likely get the first taste of playoff hockey at the NHL level, as his Bruins have been the far superior team. With a measly 46 points, Hall’s Oilers are the NHL’s basement dwellers and appear to be just a few months away from yet another lottery pick. While the Oilers could be a perennial contender a few years from now, they are presently no more than a team to beat up on.

Prediction: Bruins win 4-1

 
Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres (Saturday, 7:00)

Winners of five of their past six, the Detroit Red Wings appear poised to capture their ninth Central Division title in 10 seasons. Following some abysmal play around the midway point of the season, Red Wings’ goaltender Jimmy Howard has rediscovered his game. Detroit’s offense has also received a substantial boost since Pavel Datsyuk returned from a broken hand eight games ago.

The mediocre Buffalo Sabres have lost three of their last four, and have struggled to find consistency all season long. Superstar netminder Ryan Miller has allowed 13 goals in his past four starts en route to an 0-3-1 record.

Prediction: Red Wings win 4-2

 
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

Under normal circumstances, there is no way I would take the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately for the Penguins, these are anything but normal circumstances. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and several other regulars on the shelf with injuries, the Penguins are mired in a slump, having won just twice in their past nine.

Conversely, the Maple Leafs are red hot with a 7-2-2 record in February. Rookie goaltender James “Optimus Reim” Reimer has been stifling between the pipes, and is making it so that the Leafs don’t have to do much scoring to win games. This is great news for the Leafs, because they’re zero for 10 on the powerplay since Tomas Kaberle’s departure.

Prediction: Maple Leafs win 3-1

Had the Sabres lost in regulation, this pool would be decided with markymark2281 declared the winner. Instead, his pick of the Dallas Stars failed him, yet he is still alive in the pool because that is just his first incorrect since we started 13 weeks ago. This pool is double elimination remember. The other three entries are all on their last life.

On to this week, pickings are definitely getting slim because we’re almost halfway through the available NHL teams! In fact, at this point, five teams are off limits for all four of our contestants: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, and Washington. This does take some of my favourite matchups off the table, but there are still some solid picks this week. Let’s have a look!

 
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 10:30 Eastern)

Last year, the Colorado Avalanche looked like they could be the league’s next up and coming contender, with their solid core of drafted talent. They still should be, but this year has been a rough learning experience for the young bunch. The recent distractions surrounding Foppa’s abbreviated comeback surely didn’t help, and this was evident in the Avs 9-1 dismantling at the hands of the Calgary Flames on Monday. To make matters worse, the Avs lost their leading scorer, Matt Duchene, to an injury in that same contest. With a 1-8-1 record in their last ten, things are looking pretty bleak for one of last season’s biggest surprise teams.

On the flipside, the Sharks seemed to have turned things around nicely after a rough holiday season. They are 7-2-1 in their last ten, thanks largely due to efforts from depth players such as Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. If Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Ryan Clowe can get back on track, the Sharks could be scary.

ezcollectibles and JoePoolGuy, this one’s for you.

Prediction: Sharks win 4-2

 
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators (Saturday, 7:00)

I can’t believe it’s come to this. I am picking the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a hockey game. Not only that, I’m actively telling others, who have money at stake, that I think they should do the same.

Let’s look at the facts though: the Senators have recently shipped out Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly, and Daniel Alfredsson is out indefinitely. Things aren’t looking good. The Fisher and Kelly deals sort of puzzle me, because I really don’t think they were part of the problem in Ottawa. Unfortunately for Brian Murray, he doesn’t have much else in the way of marketable assets, as guys like Alex Kovalev, Jason Spezza, Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar all have contracts that seriously hamper their trade value. So Murray is stuck with dealing two of his character guys for draft picks in what is supposed to be one of the weakest draft classes in recent memory.

The Senators have also won just once in their last ten, while the Maple Leafs have won six of their last ten and are currently riding a two game winning streak. As if I needed to rub more salt in the wound… not surprisingly, all of our contestants still have the Leafs available as a pick. Hold on tight and good luck!

Prediction: Leafs win 3-1

 
Detroit Red Wings at Minnesota Wild (Sunday, 12:30)

I was actually pretty shocked that only one of our contestants (Eugenius) picked the Red Wings so far. The Wings and Wild have actually split their two meetings thus far this season, but Detroit took the last meeting in Minnesota by a 4-1 margin, and their other matchup needed OT to be decided.

Detroit is currently riding a two game winning streak, and getting Dan Cleary back in the lineup has helped the team get back to its regular forward lines and re-establish their depth up front. Minnesota meanwhile, is currently riding a two game losing streak.

Prediction: Wings win 4-2

 
San Jose Sharks at Florida Panthers (Sunday, 5:00 Eastern)

Who do the Sharks have to thank for their 9-0-1 record in their last 10? It’s not the usual suspects, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley or even Patrick Marleau, who have stepped up but rather the return to Stanley Cup-form of backstopper Antti Niemi and Logan Couture’s knack for scoring timely goals. Couture doesn’t just lead all rookies in goals with 24, he recently set the record for most game-winning goals scored on the road by an NHL rookie with seven. He’ll have a great opportunity in Florida against the struggling Panthers to push that mark to eight on Sunday.

Prediction: 4-2 Sharks

 
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues (Saturday, 9:00 Eastern)

The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks aren’t the only hot teams in the Northwest division right now. Having outscored their opponents 29 to 13, the Wild are winners of seven of their last nine. The Blues have struggled in 2011 so far, winning just four of 15 games in the New Year. In his last 17 starts, Blues’ goaltender Jaroslav Halak has surrendered three or more goals 12 times so look for the Wild to pepper the 25-year-old Czech early and often on Saturday.

Prediction: 3-1 Wild

 
Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 8:00 Eastern)

With two convincing three-goal victories over the Detroit Red Wings in the past week, the Predators are making a legitimate run at the Central division title. They only got stronger yesterday after acquiring two-way centre Mike Fisher from the Ottawa Senators. He’ll debut for the Preds on Saturday night against the Avalanche, who have a new – well, sort of new – player of their own in Peter Forsberg. This one could come down to goaltending though, and Pekka Rinne has been significantly better than Craig Anderson this season.

Predicition: 3-2 Predators

As mentioned a couple weeks ago, our poolies are starting to run out of elite teams to choose from, making some tougher matchups more and more relevant. This is definitely evident in this week’s picks.

 
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. St. Louis Blues (Sunday, 3:00 Eastern)

Tampa Bay is red-hot, currently riding a six game winning streak. They’re also sporting a solid 17-4-2 home record. St. Louis, on the other hand, would actually probably be in the playoff picture if they could manage to play .500 hockey on the road. The Blues are 15-8-3 at home, but sit at 7-12-4 on the road.

This is my favourite pick this week, and of our remaining contestants, only JoePoolGuy used Tampa Bay already.

Prediction: 5-3 Lightning

 
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Atlanta Thrashers (Saturday, 7:00)

Carolina is simply too good, and too battle-tested, to not make the playoffs. If they’re going to make the playoffs however, it’s likely they will need to leapfrog their Southeast Division rivals, the Atlanta Thrashers. Carolina currently sits one point back of Atlanta, but the ‘Canes have a pair of games in hand.

With so many of the ‘Canes players having won a Stanley Cup together, you can bet this group will recognize the importance of Saturday’s tilt in Raleigh. Add to this the fact that the Thrashers have won just two of their last ten, plus the ‘Canes have won both meetings between the two this year. It’s a strong bet that Carolina will find itself sitting in a playoff position come Sunday morning.

Of interest for our poolies, JoePoolGuy was left out from the Tampa Bay pick, but is our only entry that can still pick Carolina. Bring it home, JPG!

Prediction: 4-1 Hurricanes

 
Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 7:00)

The Buffalo Sabres have very quietly won seven of their last ten, and moved themselves into a great spot to make a playoff push. They sit six points back of Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot, but currently have four games in hand on the Thrashers.

It won’t be easy for the Sabres down the stretch, as they will have to do without arguably their best forward in Derek Roy, but Sabres fans can take some solace in the fact that Buffalo is 2-0 against the Leafs this season.

All four of our remaining poolies can pick Buffalo. Perhaps the choices aren’t that tough just yet, but we’ll know for sure after Saturday.

Prediction: 3-1 Sabres

We don’t have a single person who picked the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl although a handful have them getting there. We have seven entries picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the big game, two on the Chicago Bears and even one single entry picking the New York Jets to win it all. Nice job JLPejic (#2). I’m thinking Jets fan there, no other way to explain it.

At this point there are too many scenarios to figure out our possible top three, but I will make two observations. First, jfortgomjay and statennick aren’t going to hang on to their current top spot, and snowman222 is in trouble too unless the Packers win. These guys might not even finish in the money except snowman if the Packers win it all.

Second, I picked the Steelers to win it all, but safe to say there is no way I finish in the top three. After a horrible Wild-Card Weekend, I am sixth amongst the seven Steelers will win the Super Bowl entries. It is all for pride at this point.

Now, on to this weekend’s Conference Championship games. The Packers-Bears game is shaping up to be one for the ages. Hard to believe these teams with their respective long histories have only faced each other one time in the playoffs! And that game was in 1941! Talk about trading off one team being good, the other being terrible, and back and forth for sixty years.

Tough, tough picks this week. I recorded another podcast with Tony Ricciardi and Chris Prospero on Thursday, which you can listen to right here. Tony picks the Jets because he hates the Steelers. Chris and I pick the Steelers. Tony and Chris pick the Packers and I pick the Bears. It is all there plus some prop bets for the two games. Picks of course, from the podcast as well as in this post, are for entertainment purposes only. So let’s get to it why I like the Bears and Steelers to meet in Dallas in two weeks.

 
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Sunday January 23 at 3:00pm Eastern
Line: Packers -3.5 Over/Under: 43 (lines from Intertops.com)

I could really flip a coin on this one as to who is going to ultimately win the game and punch their ticket to get to the Super Bowl. The Packers are playing great. They dominated the Falcons in one of those games where they got rolling and the Falcons couldn’t stop them. The Bears, even though the score got a little closer at the end, walked over the Seahawks which is pretty much what was expected going in.

Both teams have great defenses, something not always said about the Packers but they’ve really turned it on recently, especially with the return of Cullen Jenkins and play of Tramon Williams. In terms of offense I’d say there is a lot more trust Aaron Rodgers and the Pack will perform as expected then Jay Cutler’s Bears, but both are certainly capable of playing well. Rodgers isn’t immune to mistakes and Cutler is a bit of a wild-card. I give the edge to the Bears running game vs. the Pack as opposed to the other way around, even with the coming out party for James Starks. Special teams advantage goes to the Bears.

Statistically, the Packers are better than the Bears in recent weeks in most categories, but given these teams know each other so well much like the Steelers-Baltimore Ravens last week, and the Bears have home field, I feel a 3.5 edge to the Packers a little much. This one could easily be decided by a field goal or less. I’m picking the Bears to win it, but much prefer the point spread to the straight up prediction.

I really like the under 43 as the betting public seems to be putting a lot of stock into the offenses on each side of this game, and not as much due credit to the defenses. These teams played to scores of 20-17 at Chicago (Week 3) and 10-3 at Green Bay (Week 17) this season, and in fact their past seven games played since 2007 all finished under 43.

Pick: Bears . . . Bet: Bears +3.5 and Under 43

 
New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday January 23 at 6:30pm Eastern
Line: Steelers -3.5 -115 Over/Under: 38.5

Predicting this game is less, “these teams are so close” as it is, “who knows what each team is going to bring to the table.” The Jets shocked the country last week knocking off the previously unstoppable Patriots, and it wasn’t luck that won the day. It was excellent game planning and execution that pressured Tom Brady and rendered that offense very pedestrian. Plus, the Jets offense converted touchdowns with a balanced running game and efficient if unspectacular play from Mark Sanchez. What a catch by Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone! Like we had seen something like that before from him…

The Steelers, facing their arch-rival, did not look good through the first half of their game. They were down 21-7 and the Ravens were in control. Then the Ravens offense essentially gave the game away with a horrible third quarter, fumbling and then throwing a pick in their end of the field on back-to-back series. The Steelers took advantage and the Ravens could never get it back.

So you see the conundrum with this game. The Jets played a great 60 minute game last week, while the Steelers did not. The Steelers are generally considered better than the Jets. Did the Jets play their Super Bowl last week, much like the Seahawks when they knocked off the New Orleans Saints? The Jets beat the Steelers in mid-December, 22-17 at Heinz Field.

I’m picking the Steelers, because their defense should rise to the occasion against the Jets, grinding the run to a hault and pressuring Sanchez like he’s rarely experienced. After the scare last week, the Steelers should be on their game early. Ben Roethlisberger should perform better than Brady as he can move around better to avoid the pressure, while allowing his receivers with deeper speed than the Pats stretch the field, thin out the defense and get open. The Jets have a special teams advantage which the Steelers need to be wary of allowing a punt or kickoff return TD. I’m picking the Steelers, but I expect another close one.

Pick: Steelers . . . Bet: Pass

Enjoy the games!

Not to worry though, all five survivors have the Sabres at their disposal, and JoePoolGuy and lyonn can also turn to the Capitals.

 
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames (Saturday, 10:00 Eastern)

Lost in the Flames’ disappointing record this season is the fact that they’re actually playing better than .500 hockey at home. Unfortunately for them, they are a terrible road team, posting a 9-12-5 record away from the Saddledome. Even more unfortunate for the Flames is the fact that the Canucks are a ridiculous 15-3-3 on home ice.

When you take into account all the NHL team payrolls and the state of their respective farm systems, it’s hard to argue there is an NHL team in worse overall shape than the Calgary Flames. I can’t help but hope that Jarome Iginla gets dealt to a contender, because there isn’t a guy in the game who deserves to win more than Iggy.

Prediction: Canucks win 4-1

 
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 7:00)

Toronto’s actually a respectable 5-4-1 in their last ten, and the Capitals are a very pedestrian 9-9-3 on the road. Ovechkin loves the original six matchups and the big atmosphere buildings though, and the Leafs just got handed a 7-0 thumping at the hands of the Rangers. It’s not too late to call James Reimer back up, is it?

Prediction: Capitals win 5-2

 
Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders (Sunday, 3:00)

Buffalo started the season off on the wrong foot, but has slowly worked themselves back to .500 and into playoff contention. The Sabres are 6-3-1 in their last ten, and their resurgence has oddly enough come after Derek Roy was lost to injury.

The Islanders, on the other hand, currently hold the distinction of being the only NHL team currently using two goalies I had never heard of prior to this season. Dwayne Roloson was just shipped out of town, and Rick DiPietro’s latest injury woes have left the Islanders with Kevin Poulin and Nathan Lawson to man the crease. Maybe Islanders owner Charles Wang can convince Garth Snow to come out of retirement.

Prediction: Sabres win 3-2