NFL Schedules Announced

Well the time has arrived. Start making your plans now football fans. The National Football League just announced the schedules for the 2018 regular season. Lots to look at around the NFL this year. Lots of great games set to go for this year's schedule, so lets take a look at that right now.

Here's some of the high quality games to keep an eye on this season:

New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week two rematch of the AFC title game. Jacksonville almost pulled off the impossible last year, knocking the Pats out of the playoffs. It didn't happen, but it was a statement game by the Jags as they aren't a team to be fooled with this year. Can Jacksonville repeat the success they had in 2017? This game will be an early test.

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Week eight brings up the rematch of the Minnesota Miracle, the Stefon Diggs miraculous catch to keep the Vikings moving on in last years playoffs. So you can be that there's going to be revenge on the mind of the Saints for that game.

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
This week fifteen battle is going to have revenge on the mind for the Steelers. Just ask Jesse James about that from a season ago. Now that the rule change looks like its going to be in tact for this season, it going to make this game even more intriguing.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week eleven is going to be a chance for the Steelers to get back at Jacksonville for what the Jags did to them last year. Pittsburgh has a sour taste in its mouth from the playoffs, so they're going to try and get revenge.

Here's a look at the schedule for the local teams in 2018.

Here's the schedule for the New York Giants

September 9th JACKSONVILLE 1 p.m.
September 16th at Dallas 8:20 p.m.
September 23rd at Houston 1 p.m
September 30th NEW ORLEANS 4:25 p.m.
October 7th at Carolina 1 p.m.
October 11th PHILADELPHIA 8:20 p.m.
October 22nd at Atlanta 8:15 p.m.
October 28th WASHINGTON 1 p.m.
November 4th Bye
November 12th at San Francisco 8:20 p.m.
November 18th TAMPA BAY 1 p.m.
November 25th at Philadelphia 1 p.m.
December 2nd CHICAGO 1 p.m.
December 9th at Washington 1 p.m.
December 16th TENNESSEE 1 p.m.
December 23rd at Indianapolis 1PM
December 30th DALLAS 1 p.m.

Here's the schedule for the New York Jets

September 10th at Detroit 7 p.m.
September 16th MIAMI 1 p.m.
September 20th at Cleveland 8:20 p.m.
September 30th at Jacksonville 1 p.m.
October 7th DENVER 1 p.m.
October 14th INDIANAPOLIS 1 p.m.
October 21st MINNESOTA 1 p.m
October 28th at Chicago 1 p.m.
November 4th at Miami 1 p.m.
November 11th BUFFALO 1 p.m.
November 18th Bye
November 25h NEW ENGLAND 1 p.m
December 2nd at Tennessee 4 p.m.
December 9th at Buffalo 1 p.m
December 15th HOUSTON 4:30PM
December 23rd GREEN BAY 1 p.m.
December 30th at New England 1 p.m.

There's your Football schedules for 2018!

NBA Playoffs First Round Preview

The time has arrived. The big dance is here. Sixteen teams are still standing. When all is said and done in about two months time, somebody is going to walk away with the Larry O'Brien trophy as the best team in the NBA for the 2018 season. Every team has that dream when this 82 game journey started back in October, now there's only a select few who are left.  Over the next few months, we will determine who the best of the best for the 2017-18 season really is. A few teams made the playoffs this year that are worth noting. Its the first playoff appearance for the 76ers since 2012 and the best record they've had since 2001. This also ends a long drought for the Timberwolvces, who haven't made the playoffs since 2004. So enough with the fluff, lets get right into it. Here's how the opening round of the 2018 playoffs goes down!

First up is the top seeded Atlantic Division Champion Toronto Raptors taking on the 8th seeded Washington Wizards. This marks the 4th time in the last five seasons that the Wizards, who finished 2nd in the Southeast this year. Each of the last five years has brought on at least 40 wins for the Wizards, including 43 this year. The last three trips to the playoffs have produced opening round wins for the Wizards, who are now 89-124 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Raptors, this marks five straight playoff appearances and four Atlantic Division titles in those five years. They've won at least 50 games now for the 3rd year in a row. Toronto has earned a victory in opening round series each of the last two years. Toronto is 28-44 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between the two clubs in the playoffs, Washington won in a sweep in 2015. These two teams split the four regular season meetings this year.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 14 5:30 PM Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
April 17 7:00 PM Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
April 20 8:00 PM Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
April 22 6:00 PM Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
April 25 TBD Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors* Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
April 27 TBD Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards* Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
April 29 TBD Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors* Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Toronto cooled off a little near the end of the season, but by that point it didn't really matter because they've been in sole possession of the top spot in the East for so long that it really wouldn't have mattered. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are still leading the charge for the boys north of the border, but its been a long time since they've had this kind of talent surrounding them. Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas have been major assets for the Raptors all year and have been major factors to this Raptors team sitting where they do in the East. This team is  built for the playoffs, they are deep and know how to spread around the wealth. Toronto has the starters, they have the depth, they may very well have what it takes for a deep playoff run this year. They got a taste of the sweet life two years ago, they want to get back to it this year.

Washington, on the other hand, not so much in the way of having to offer. Sure, they've got John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. who make for a formidable triumvirate. Getting John Wall back and healthy could make them a dangerous basketball team. Hell this starting five in DC is playoff tested, they know what its like to tangle this time of year, something that could be a big factor for them. But a question still remains. Behind the big three that the Wizards have, how well can Kelly Oubre Jr. and Markieff Morris produce under pressure? Do they have enough to be able to pull off a first round upset?

Logic here says no. Don't get me wrong, Washington has a good basketball team I'm not taking anything away from them. The thing is they are going to be outmaned and outplayed in this series. Toronto is just too deep and too good a basketball team to really be beaten. This should be an easy series.

Prediction: Raptors in 4!

Next up is the 2nd seeded Boston Celtics taking on the 7th seeded Milwaukee Bucks. This marks the 2nd straight year and 4th time in the last seven years for the Bucks in making the playoffs. Winning 44 games is the highest win total for Milwaukee since 2010. The Bucks are looking for their first playoff series win since 2001. Milwaukee is 108-126 lifetime in the playoffs. As for Boston, this is the 4th straight year and tenth time in the last eleven years that they are in the playoffs. Winning 55 games this year is the highest total that the Celtics have had since 2011. After making the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago, Boston is looking to get back there again this year. Boston is 349-263 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 6th ever meeting in the playoffs between the two teams, with Boston winning four of the previous series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 15 1:00 PM Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
April 17 8:00 PM Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
April 20 9:30 PM Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 22 1:00 PM Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 24 TBD Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics* TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
April 26 TBD Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks* Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 28 TBD Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics* TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Not having Kyrie Irving, in this series changes the dynamic for the Celtics in this series. They've also been without Gordon Hayward all year because of the ankle injury on opening night. But there's still plenty of depth to go around in Boston. Think about how deep this team is. Boston still has Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier. All solid players but they can't match the level that Kyrie was at. He was averaging over 24 points a game. Boston played under .500 ball the final six games of the year, including losing their last three road games, so that will make things a little interesting when they have to travel to Milwaukee in this series. What's really going to help out Boston is their depth and defensive abilities in this series.

Lets not take anything away from what the Bucks have been able to do this year. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the Bucks best player, averaging almost 27 points a game. Khris Middleton has also been a big factor for the Bucks, averaging just over 20 points a game. Him and Jabari Parker are both going to be counted on to have big series if the Bucks wanna stand a chance at pulling off the upset against Boston. It seemed that Milwaukee seemed to start to turn the corner in the middle of January when they fired Jason Kidd and replaced him with Joe Prunty, so it seems as if the coaching change may have been the spark the club needed. In a series like this, its going to be up to Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Jabari Parker to step their game up and really help out Antetokounmpo.

Boston dealing with Irving's injury is going to be critical in this series. I think the depth here is what will help get Boston to the next level. Not to take away from anything that the Bucks have done over the course of this season, but it took them a little while to get the mojo working on the year. Boston has proven that they are deep enough to be able to play, and win, without Kyrie.

Prediction: Celtics in 5!

Next we have the 3rd seeded Philadelphia 76ers going against the 6th seeded Miami Heat. The 76ers come into the playoffs with 52 wins, the most they've picked up in a season since 2001. This marks the first playoff appearance for the 76ers since 2012. Philly is looking for its first playoff series win since 2012. The 76ers are 217-205 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Heat, they won 44 games, the third straight year that the Heat have won 40 or more games. It marks the 2nd time in the last four years, and eighth time in ten years that Miami has made the playoffs, a year after the Heat missed the post season. Miami is looking to get its first win in the playoffs since 2016. Miami is 123-96 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs, as Miami won the only other meeting between the teams in 2011. During the regular season, the teams split the four meetings, with the home team winning every meeting.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 14 8:00 PM Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 16 8:00 PM Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 19 7:00 PM Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
April 21 2:30 PM Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
April 24 TBD Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers* Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 26 TBD Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat* American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
April 28 TBD Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers* Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

At long last, the process has started to play off, the 76ers are back in the playoffs. This was a team who two years ago won just ten games. You read that right, ten wins for Philly two years ago. Now they have a core that they can really rely on and run with. Joel Embiid has been as advertised and better. He's averaged almost 23 points a game this year, showing why he's one of the best young talents in all of basketball. Ben Simmonds has been outstanding in his rookie year, contributing almost 16 points a game as well. Throw in a veteran presence like J.J. Reddick, and you got something that can really get a team going. Philadelphia is an up tempo basketball team and to be a success in the playoffs, they need to keep that pace going.

Miami is at the other end of the spectrum as far as pace of play, they like to slow things down. Miami doesn't have a ton of scoring power, meaning they don't have anybody who averages over 20 a game. Goran Dragic leads the way a little over 17 a game. He's not alone though, as Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside also average over 14 a game. Those three are the keys that make the car move. What makes a difference is, if those three guys don't have a solid night in some way shape or form, then the Heat won't be going anywhere. Sure, Dwayne Wade has been finding his footing again now that he's back in Miami. He's nowhere near at the level he was his first go around with the Heat, but if can get that old spark back and get rolling, then the Heat may have a chance.

Miami can't be taken lightly, they have a battle tested leader. At the end of the day though, its the depth that wins out in this series. Philadelphia is deep, young and ready to rock and roll. Miami is going to take a game or two in this series, but the 76ers have this series.

Prediction: 76ers in 6!

Finally, we have the 4th seeded Cleveland Cavliers taking on the 5th seeded Indiana Pacers. Cleveland is the three time defending Eastern Conference Champions, having won 50 games this year. Its the fourth straight year that the Cavs have won at least 50 games. Cleveland hasn't had a first round playoff exit since 1998. The Cavs are 100-89 lifetime in the playoffs. Indiana is in the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row and 7th time in the last eight years. Their 48 wins this season are the most they've had since 2014. Indian is looking to get its first series win in the playoffs since 2014. Indiana is 181-160 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 3rd ever meeting between the teams, with the two splitting the prior meetings. Indiana won three of the four meetings between the teams during the regular season.

Here's the dates and times of every game in this series:
April 15 3:30 PM Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 18 7:00 PM Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 20 7:00 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
April 22 8:30 PM Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
April 25 TBD Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 27 TBD Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers* Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
April 29 TBD Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Its no secret that the best overall player in basketball still resides in Cleveland. As long as the Cavs still have LeBron James, they will always have a chance to stay in and win a series. In fact, during his career, LeBron has never experienced a first round series loss, and as a matter of fact, has only had to go six games twice in the opening round. It just seems like the supporting cast this year in Cleveland isn't as good as it has been in years past. Sure Kevin Love is still there to help out the King. Upper management tried brining in veterans like Dwayne Wade and young guns like Isiah Thomas and it didn't work helping out the Cavs. Bringing in Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson at the trade deadline helped with the depth, but the three of them have a combined 11 career playoff games. If Cleveland wants to get to the next round, they need to step their games up bigtime.

Indiana has some studs that they could really work well with for quite some time. Victor Oladipo had himself a fine season, being the only Pacers player to average more then 20 points on the year, while Thaddeus Young, Darren Collison, Myles Turner and Bojan Bogdanovic have all played high-quality basketball. All of them have hit double digits in points, on average, for the season, which makes this a potential threat to the Cavs. Indiana had a great year and came just short of earning home court advantage in this series. They have a solid, balanced team that could give Cleveland a run for its money.

Indiana may have a good team, but as we have seen in the past that when LeBron wants something, he has no problem willing his team to victory. He does that again here. Indiana has a solid team, can't take that away from them. Cleveland hasn't lost in the first round with Lebron in the lineup, that doesn't start here.

Prediction: Cleveland in 6!

Now to the Western Conference, its the top seeded Houston Rockets taking on the 8th seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. With 65 wins during the regular season, Houston had the best record in the entire league. Those 65 wins are the most the franchise has ever had, and the 6th straight year they've won more then 50 games. It also marks the 6th straight playoff appearance for the club. Each of the last two years, Houston has won its opening round matchup. The Rockets are 136-146 lifetime in the playoffs. Minnesota finished the season with 47 wins, the highest total for the club since 2004. Minnesota hasn't made the playoffs since 2004 and have won 40 or more games three times since then, including this year. 2004 was also the last time that the Timberwolves won a playoff series. Minnesota is 17-30 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the 2nd ever playoff series between the two teams, with Houston sweeping Minnesota in 1997. Houston won all four meetings between the two teams during the regular season.

Here's the dates and times of every game in this series:
April 15 9:00 pm Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
April 18 9:30 pm Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
April 21 7:30 pm Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
April 23 8:00 pm Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
April 25 TBD  Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
April 27 TBD Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves* Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
April 29 TBD Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

There's no denying the fact that the Rockets were the best team in the league. They re-wrote the team record books and a lot of it had to do with the play of Chris Paul and potential league MVP James Harden. Harden averaged a shade over 30 points a game during the regular season, playing at a level that was head and shoulders above the rest of the league. With the type of season that he's had, and with the season that the Rockets have had. Some had wondered if Harden and Paul could play well together, and that has been answered this year.Paul averaged a shade over 18 points a game while playing less then 60 games. Eric Gordon, Gerald Green, and Trevor Ariza have all been contributing factors, so its not just James Harden. Harden has been a huge factor, no doubt, but tehre's more to it then just a one man show.

Minnesota is no slouch. Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns both averaged over 20 points a game. But Towns and Andrew Wiggns have had a ltitle trouble developing the way head coach Tom Thibodeau would have liked, at least that's how it appears depending on who you talk to. Still those guys have been productive, as has Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague, and Taj Gibson. So things have balanced out for the starting five in Minnesota. One knock that could be made about the Timberwolves is their defense, its been their primary weakness. They were middle of the pack during the regular season, at best, as a defensive team. With everything been thrown into the mix for Minnesota, having made the playoffs for the first time in fourteen years is a sight for sore eyes for the Timberwolves and their fans.

That being said, this is going to be a tough matchup for Minnesota. Having an average defensive team and going up against the best team in the league is going to make for a quick series. Minnesota will be lucky if they get a game at home. Houston starts the march to the finals off the right way.

Prediction: Rockets in 5!

Next its the 2nd seeded Golden State Warriors taking on the 7th seeded San Antonio Spurs. Golden State won 67 games to make the playoffs for the 6th year in a row. This also marks the 5th straight year of 50 or more wins for the Warriors. Golden State has gotten first round victories in each of the last three years and four out of the last five playoff appearances. The Warriors are 161-146 lifetime in the playoffs. San Antonio won 47 games this year, the first time they have failed to win more then 50 games in a full season since 1997. That year was also the last time that the Spurs missed the playoffs. San Antonio had managed to be able to get a first round win in each of the last two seasons. The Spurs are 200-158 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning two of the first three meetings. Golden State won three of the four meetings between these teams during the regular season.

\Here's the dates and time of every game in this series:
April 14 3:00 pm San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
April 16 10:30 pm San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
April 19 9:30 pm Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
April 22 3:30 pm Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
April 24 TBD San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
April 26 TBD Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs* AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
April 28 TBD San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

Golden State has limped a little into the playoffs, losing 10 of its last 17 games. Not having Stephen Curry there in the lineup has been a bit of a pain for the Champs. Curry has been out with an MCL sprain. Before the injury, Curry was averaging over 26 points a game. Same thing with Kevin Durant. Rounding out the 20 point scorers for the Warriors was Klay Thompson, who averaged just over 20 a game. Throw in Draymond Green with this team, and you see the balance they have out West. Golden State also has one of the better benches in Basketball. Not having Curry dressed for this round does change the dynamic for the Warriors. Only surprising wonder is that Golden State is 17-14 when Curry isn't in the lineup, as compared to 40-10 when he's on the floor.

While Golden State is playing without their best player, so are the Spurs. Kawhi Leonard has played only nine games all year. Fans have been calling for Leonard to get back in uniform, but that's not possible. So With Leonard not there, LaMarcus Aldridge has really stepped his game up. He has been deserving of being included in the MVP conversation this season, becoming the only Spurs player to average over 20 points a game on the season. Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, and Patty Mills were the only other Spurs players to average over double digits in points this season.

This would have been a prime matchup had the Spurs not gone downhill. No doubt that San Antonio is a solid team, but may not have enough. Head coach Gregg Popovich will milk as much production from his troops as humanly possible, but San Antonio is outclassed without Kawhi Leonard.

Prediction: Warriors in 5!

Next its the 3rd seeded Portland Trail Blazers taking on the 6th seeded New Orleans Pelicans. Portland won 49 games this year, its highest win total since 2015. This marks the 5th straight year that the Trail Blazers are in the playoffs. Portland is looking to win its opening round matchup for the 2nd year in a row. Portland is 107-132 lifetime in the playoffs. New Orleans won 48 games this year, the 3rd highest win total the team has ever had. This year will mark the 7th time ever that the Pelicans have made the playoffs. New Orleans has only one playoff series win in franchise history, that coming in the opening round in 2008. New Orleans is 15-25 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the first ever playoff meeting between the two teams. Both teams split the four meetings during the regular season

Here's the dates and times of every game in this series:
April 14 10:30 pm New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
April 17 10:30 pm New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
April 19 9:00 pm Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
April 21 5:00 pm Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
April 24 TBD New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers* Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
April 26 TBD Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans* Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
April 28 TBD New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers* Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

Anthony Davis is fired up beyond belief, getting his first shot at playing playoff basketball. He lead the team with just over 28 points a game. He's not the only one hitting that high water mark. DeMarcus Cousins averaged just over 25 points a game this year, to help Davis lead the charge. Jrue Holiday was also an impact for New Orleans, hitting right at 19 points a game. When Cousins went down with the injury, Davis and Holiday have stepped their game up. Holidays play is going to be critical in the defensive game against Portland in this series.

Portland has its big guns ready to go in this series. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are going to be counted on bigtime for this series. McCollum averaged 19 a game and Lillard averaged 18 a game. There's nobody else on this team that's averaging over 15 a game, which makes it even more impressive that Portland won 49 games and finished in 3rd.

This is the toughest first-round matchup to pick in either conference, but let's take the team with the best player (Davis) and an underrated supporting cast that's coming into its own at the right time.

Predictions: Pelicans in 7!

Finally, its the 4th seeded Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the 5th seeded Utah Jazz. Oklahoma City 48 games this year, marking it the 9th straight year that they've won over 40 games. Oklahoma City has made the playoffs eight out of the ten years they have been in the city and have gotten out of the first round in every year except two. OKC is 39-34 lifetime in the playoffs. Utah also won 48 games this year, making it the 3rd year in a row that they've won 40 or more games. This is also the 2nd straight year that the Jazz have made the playoffs. Utah is looking to win a round in the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. Utah is 118-134 lifetime in the post season. This is the fifth playoff meeting between the SuperSonics/Thunder franchise and the Jazz, but the first since the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder in 2008. the two teams have split their previous four playoff matchup. Oklahoma City won three of the four regular season meetings between these two teams.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 15 6:30 PM Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 18 8:00 PM Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 21 10:00 PM Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
April 23 10:30 PM Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
 April 25 TBD Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder* Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 27 TBD Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz* Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
April 29 TBD Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder* Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Russell Westbrook has had another fantastic season, averaging over 25 pints a game. He had plenty of help from Paul George and in a lesser role, Carmelo Anthony.Lets not forget that George is still a superstar, capable of dominating a game offensively or defensively. Same thing with Melo, who has proven in the past that he is one of the best shooters in the game today. There's still something left in the tank and Melo can try and prove that he really knows how to be able to play a fantastic supporting role in this series.

Lets not rule out the Jazz, who have gone 17-4 down the stretch to close out the regular season. Donovan Mitchell was the leader on this team, averaging over 25 points a game for the year. He wasn't the only one producing in Utah this year, as Rodney Hood, Rudy Gobert, and Ricky Rubio have all been picking up the play and helping out Mitchell this season.

But you need a top-tier offense to have a chance against the crescendoing Jazz, and the Thunder don't boast one. The scores in this series figure to be rather low, which plays right into Utah's hands.

Prediction: Jazz in 7!

Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Preview

We started this journey back in October with 31 teams and a dream. The end goal, after 82 regular season games, was to try and reach this point. Sixteen teams now remain standing, all with the same goal in mind. The Stanley Cup. The greatest prize in all of hockey is on the line and only one team can lay claim to it at the end of the dance. There is plenty of interesting stories to look at going into the playoffs. Can Pittsburgh win the title for the 3rd year in a row? Can Nashville get back to the Finals? How far can Vegas go? Who's the biggest dark horse this year? All of that and more will be played out over the next two months.

Before we get into it, there's quite a few interesting facts heading into this years playoffs. Vegas became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the 1979–80, and also became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season since the 1967 NHL expansion. This marks the fourth time in league history (2000, 2001, 2007), only two Original Six teams are in the playoffs, Boston and Toronto. For the first time since 1966, none of the three teams based in the state of New York made the playoffs. For the fifth time in eight years, all three California-based teams made the playoffs. This is the first time that the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and the St. Louis Blues will be sitting out of the playoffs together.

So now lets get right into it, here's the first round matchups in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

First up, its the Atlantic Division Champion Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Wild Card winning New Jersey Devils. For the Lightning, this marks their first division title since their Stanley Cup winning year in 2004, and the second time in four years that they've won 50 or more games. Its also a spot back in the playoffs after missing out last season. The 113 points the Lightning picked up are the most they've ever recorded in a season. Tampa is 12-8 lifetime in playoff series. As for the Devils, this marks the first time since 2012 that they will be making the post season. That year, the Devils went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and was also the last time the team won more then 40 games in a season. New Jersey is 25-18 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams with New Jersey winning both previous series. They last met in the 2007 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which New Jersey won in six games. New Jersey won all three games in this year's regular season series.

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
April 12 New Jersey @ Tampa Bay, 7 p.m
April 14 New Jersey @ Tampa Bay, 3 p.m.
April 16 Tampa Bay @ New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
April 18 Tampa Bay @ New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
April 21 New Jersey @ Tampa Bay, TBD
April 23 Tampa Bay @ New Jersey, TBD
April 25 New Jersey @ Tampa Bay, TBD

When the season started, Tampa came out hotter then a wild fire, scoring at will and shutting down the opposition at every turn. After all, they did go 27-8-2 from October through December, which shows how much of a level of dominance they had. As of late though, the Bolts have come back to reality a little bit. Andrei Vasilevskiy has looked more like a solid netminder then he did the Vezina favourite, although he did finish the season with 44 wins, which set the franchise record. Goaltending and defense have slipped a little for the Lightning as of late, but the offense is still as high powered as ever. Leading the charge for the Bolts this year was Nikita Kucherov (100 points), Steven Stamkos (86 points), and Brayden Point (66 points). Two other Bolts had more then 60 points this year in the form of Yanni Gourde (64 points) and Victor Hedman (63 points). Tampa has the scoring depth, but there is one thing that could trip them up. Penalty trouble. Since the beginning of February, Tampa has had the 30th ranked penalty kill in the league. If they can't stay out of the box, they're going to have trouble.

They're going up against a surging Devils club that has been riding the hot play of Taylor Hall and, as of late, Keith Kinkaid. Hall finished the year leading the Devils in scoring with 93 points, a wide margin over the 2nd highest scoring player on the team in Nico Hischier, who had 52 points. The only other Devils who had more then 40 points on the year were Kyle Palmieri and Will Butcher, who each had 44 points. Butcher and Jesper Bratt made up three of the team’s top five scorers, which goes to show that a youth movement has worked pretty well this year in Jersey. In goal, Corey Schneider has been good, winning 17 of his 40 starts. As good as Schneider has been, Keith Kinkaid has been playing out of his head. In 41 starts, he won 28 games with a 2.77 goals against.For the Devils have any chance to pull off an upset and move on to round two, Kinkaid is really going to have to shine through to give the Devils a second round visit.

Prediction:
Solly: Lightning in 6
Steve: Lightning in 7

Next up is the Atlantic's second seeded Boston Bruins taking on the Atlantic's third seeded Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston comes in having finished 2nd in the Atlantic division with 112 points, highest total that the B's have had since winning the Presidents Trophy in 2014. Boston made the playoffs last year too but were bounced in the first round. Boston is seeking its first playoff series win since 2014. Boston is 57-64 lifetime in the playoffs. As for Toronto, this marks the first time they've made the playoffs in back to back years since before the season long lockout.The 103 points the Leafs picked up this year was the most they've picked up since 2004. Toronto hasn't won a playoff series since that year. Toronto is 56-53 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the fifteenth playoff meeting between these two teams with Toronto winning eight of the fourteen previous series. They last met in the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Boston won in seven games. Toronto won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 12 Toronto @ Boston, 7 p.m.
April 14 Toronto @ Boston, 8 p.m.
April 16 Boston @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
April 19 Boston @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
April 21 Toronto @ Boston, TBD
April 23 Boston @ Toronto, TBD
April 25 Toronto @ Boston, TBD

Toronto has a good hockey team, lead by young high flying players like Mitchell Marner (69 points), Auston Matthews (63 points), and William Nylander (61 points). With them leading the charge, Toronto earned the most points in a long time. They were the seventh highest scoring team in the league so its should come as no surprised if the Leafs make a lot of noise. And as good as the offense is, the goaltending can hold its own. Frederik Andersen won 38 games and had a goals against of 2.81, so he's no slouch. Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly can be productive on the offensive side of things, but if the Leafs want to have a chance in the playoffs, they need to cut down on the shots against Andersen if they want to move on. They're young, quick, healthy and got a taste of this life last year and want to go farther.

They're going up against a stacked Bruins team that can go against pretty much any other style of play in the league. Boston has the sixth-most goals in the league, allowed the fourth-fewest, averaged the ninth-most shots, and gave up the second-fewest, so they know they can control the tempo of a game at will. What the Bruins deserve a lot of credit for is dealing with a lot of injuries and to key guys like Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk, Charles McAvoy, and Zdeno Chara. Yet here the Bruins sit as the 2nd best team in the division. With the way guys like Bergeron and Brad Marchand having both played at MVP levels. David Pastrnak has had an impact too, as he's the second leading scorer on the Bruins, so expect him to have an impact in this series as well. Boston has a great mix of youth and veteran leadership. And if the Vegans Golden Knights, there would have been a stronger nod to Bruce Cassidy for coach of the year for what he's been able to do with this Bruins club.

Prediction:
Solly: Bruins in 7
Steve: Bruins in 7

Next is the Metropolitan Division Champion Washington Capitals taking on the Wild Card Winning Columbus Blue Jackets. Washington had won the Metro division with 105 points, but this was the first time in three years they failed to win the Presidents Trophy. Washington has won in the opening round each of the last years. The Caps are 16-27 lifetime in playoff series. As for the Blue Jackets, they got into the playoffs with 45 wins and 97 points, 11 points less then they earned last year. Its the 2nd straight year that the Jackets are in the playoffs. Columbus is looking for its first ever playoff series win, as they are 0-3 lifetime in the playoffs, having won only three playoff games ever. This is the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Washington won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the Dates and Times for every game in this series:
April 12 Columbus @ Washington, 7:30 p.m.
April 15 Columbus @ Washington, 7:30 p.m.
April 17 Washington @ Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
April 19 Washington @ Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
April 21 Columbus @ Washington, TBD
April 23 Washington @ Columbus, TBD
April 25 Columbus @ Washington, TBD

Lets face facts, there;'s a ton of pressure on Washington, because they've had an inability to get past round two in the Alex Ovechkin era. This Washington team lost a fair chunk of its firepower from last year and yet somehow still managed to be able to win the division for the 3rd year in a row and eight times in the last eleven years. It shows that this team has a model of consistency during the regular season, but once the playoffs roll around, its a totally different animal. Washington's core of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and T.J Oshie have a wealth of playoff experience. So they know what can happen around this time of year. When you mention the Capitals, you think of not only the offense, but the goaltending as well. Braden Holtby is considered one of the top netminders in the game, but as of late he hasn't really looked like the top flight goalie that you've seen over the last few years. Philipp Grubauer has been the more steady and reliable option for the Caps since early February. Once the playoffs get rolling, if Holtby can't hold it down then Grubauer will be ready to step up and take it over. Local media in Washington has even said that Grubauer gives the Caps the best chance to win right now.

They are facing a team that's trying to get its own playoff monkey off its back as the Jackets have never won a playoff series. Sergei Bobrovsky is going to be counted on bigtime to carry this team. He helped the Jackets get off to a hot start, before they cooled down in about the middle of the season. Columbus has plenty of firepower near the top of the lineup with guys like Artemi Panarin (82 points), Seth Jones (57 points), and Pierre-Luc Dubois (48 points) and they have a guy like Thomas Vanek who has plenty of playoff experience. What has to be a concern for the Jackets is the offensive depth on this team, as Panarin was the only player to score more then 60 points.

Prediction:
Solly: Capitals in 5
Steve: Jackets in 7

Finally its the Metropolitan's second seeded Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the third seeded Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh is the two time defending Stanley Cup Champions and are looking to become the first time since the Islanders in the early 80s to win three straight Titles. Their 47 wins and 100 points are the lowest total they've had since 2015. Pittsburgh has made the playoffs every year since 2006. The Penguins are 39-27 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Flyers, they're back in the playoffs for the 3rd time in the last five years, seeming to make the post season every other year. Winning 48 games and earning 98 points are the most the Flyers have earned since 2012. That was also the last time the Flyers won a playoff series. The Flyers are 43-37 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the seventh playoff meeting between these two rivals with Philadelphia winning four of the six previous series. They last met in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Philadelphia won in six games. Pittsburgh won all four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the Dates and Times for every game in this series:
April 11 Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
April 13 Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
April 15 Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia, 3 p.m.
April 18 Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
April 20 Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh, TBD
April 22 Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia, TBD
April 24 Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh, TBD

This series is going to be a fun one to watch. It features four of the top 10 scorers in the league, with Claude Giroux (102 points), Evgeni Malkin (98), Phil Kessel (92) and Sidney Crosby (89). It took the champs a little while to get going this year, as around the holidays, they were the 22nd best team in the league. Since then, Pittsburgh has managed to turn things around and finished 2nd in the division and hit the 100 point mark. Their best players played like it during stretches to get to this point. Not only that but the Pens haven't really changed much over the course of this title run they've been on over the last three season. One thing that has to be a bit of a question is in goal. Matt Murray is no doubt the number one man in the nets, but this time there's not a playoff proven backup behind him. Marc Andre Fleury is killing it out in Vegas. So if Matt Murray faulters for the Pens this year, they will be in trouble. Murray needs to play at a top flight level for the Penguins to even remotly have a chance in net.

The Flyers aren't out of the woods, they have the same sort of problem that the Penguins do in net. Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth went down to injury, which forced management to go out and get Petr Mrazek at the trade deadline. He had a good start to playing in his new city, but he has come back down to earth a little bit. Elliott is back and ready to go for the playoffs, but if you saw what he did with the Flames in the playoffs last time out, the Flyers might be in trouble. Philly's young defense has helped the team to the fifth-lowest shots-against average this season and their offense is the 11th-best in the league. Claude Giroux (102 points), Jakub Voracek (85 points), and Sean Couturier (76 points) have been leading this offensive charge, which might not be as high powered, but it is just as balanced as their in state rivals. Valtteri Filppula, Wayne Simmonds, and Travis Konecny will have to step their game up trying to shut down the Pens top players, something they should be able to handle.

Prediction:
Solly: Flyers in 6
Steve: Penguins in 6

Moving to the Western Conference, its the Presidents Trophy winning Nashville Predators taking on the Wild Card winning Colorado Avalanche. Nashville earned 117 points, winning the Presidents Trophy as the best team in the league during the regular season. It was the 6th time in team history they've hit the 100 point mark. Nashville is trying to repeat a trip to the Stanley Cup finals they had a season ago. This marks the 11th time that they've made the playoffs and Nashville is 6-10 lifetime in the post season. This marks the first playoff appearance for the Avalanche since winning the division in 2014. Colorado earned 95 points, the highest total since that division title year. Colorado is looking for their first playoff series win since 2008. Colorado is 19-11 all time in the post season. This is the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Nashville won all four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the Dates and Times for every game in this series:
April 12 Colorado @ Nashville, 9:30 p.m.
April 14 Colorado @ Nashville, 3 p.m.
April 16 Nashville @ Colorado, 10 p.m.
April 18 Nashville @ Colorado, 10 p.m.
April 20 Colorado @ Nashville, TBD
April 22 Nashville @ Colorado, TBD
April 24 Colorado @ Nashville, TBD

Nashville is continuing to carry the momentum from the Stanley Cup finals run last year into a Presidents Trophy this year. Nashville has gone 29-8-6 since New Years day, the only team in the league that had put up a better record the Boston. And like Boston in the East, Nashville is the most balanced team in the West, maybe all of hockey. Pekka Rinne is holding things down in net, winning 42 games and picking up 8 shut outs. He does have help in front of him in terms of a solid blue line that's being lead by Mattias Ekholm, Roman Josi and P.K. Subban. A corp that lead by these three guys is going to be tough to get past. Filip Forsberg was leading the charge up front, while Viktor Arvidsson showed last season’s career-best on offence wasn’t a fluke, while Ryan Johansen did a great job as the top setup man on this hockey club. Nashville has no problem rolling four lines, but they had a little trouble staying out of the box. Their penalty kill unit has been able to make up for it, but it might get them in a little trouble against the Avs. They are balanced and they are hungry to get another step after getting a taste of it a season ago.

Colorado is a good hockey team in its own right. This was a team that a season ago won 22 games and earned 48 points. Now, after trading away Matt Duchene, Colorado has found it's way again and are back into the playoffs. Leading the charge is Nathan MacKinnon, who's had a career year with 97 points. That kind of effort could have put him into serious contention for the Hart trophy as best player in the league. He hasn't been doing it all himself, as Mikko Rantanen put up a career high 84 points to take some of the offensive pressure off MacKinnon. Semyon Varlamov had done pretty well for the Avs this year, winning 24 games, but he won't be available for the playoffs due to injury. So the team is going to have to rely on Jonathan Bernier, who was able to win 19 games for the Avs. He is no slouch, proving in the past that he's a very capable netminder. What has to be an area of concern for the Avs in this series is coring depth. Outside of the top line, Colorado don't really have much.

Prediction:
Solly: Predators in 5
Steve: Predators in 4

Next up, its the Central Division's second seeded Minnesota Wild taking on the third seeded Winnipeg Jets. Minnesota has now made the playoffs for the 6th year in a row and the 2nd straight year they have earned more than 100 points. The Wild haven't won a playoff series since 2015, so they'll be looking to break that slump this year. Minnesota is 4-8 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the JEts, this is the best numbers they've put up since moving to Winnipeg, earning 114 points. As a matter of fact, its the only time they have collected more then 100 points even when they were in Atlanta. This marks the 3rd time ever that the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise has made the playoffs and they are looking for not only their first series win, but their first win period in a playoff game. They were swept by both the Rangers and Ducks in their only other two playoff appearances. This is the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The only previous playoff meeting between professional hockey teams representing Winnipeg and Minnesota came during the inaugural World Hockey Association season when the original Jets defeated the Minnesota Fighting Saints in five games. Winnipeg won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the Dates and Times for every game in this series:
April 11 Minnesota @ Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
April 13 Minnesota @ Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m.
April 15 Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 7 p.m.
April 17 Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 8 p.m.
April 20 Minnesota @ Winnipeg, TBD
April 22 Winnipeg @ Minnesota, TBD
April 25 Minnesota @ Winnipeg, TBD

Minnesota has a lot going for it this season, at least in the second half of the year. After new years, the Wild won 24 games, which was good enough to be able to get them to reach 99 points. They've been able to get lines to produce, with Eric Staal having a resurgent year. He had 76 points and 42 goals, one of two Wild players to score more then 30 (Jason Zucker was the other with 33) and he was the only player to hit 70 points. Mikael Granlund (67 points) and Zucker (64 points) were the only guys to hit more then 60 points. Zach Parise had missed a big chunk of time with injury but started to hit his stride a little when he got healthy. Devan Dubnyk had done pretty well in goal, managing to earn 31 wins on the year. At times though, the defense has looked suspect. Now that Ryan Suter is out with an injury, it might not look to good for the Wild.

They're going up against a Jets team that is one of the quickest teams in all of hockey. Blake Wheeler lead the charge with 91 points and oh yeah Patrik Laine blasted home 44 goals and 70 points. Bryan Little and Mark Scheifele have been key contributers to this team all year as was new addition Paul Stastny, who was picked up at the deadline. Winnipeg has been getting balanced contributions from a lot of guys and they have been able to keep pace in the division with Nashville most of the year. Another big reason that the Jets had been able to finish where they did was Connor Hellebuyck. The 24 year old netminder won 44 games this year, which placed him among the elite during the regular season. It's something that has been a bit of a problem, stabilizing the goaltending position. Now they have it and they are set for a long run.

Predictions:
Solly: Jets in 5
Steve: Jets in 6

Next its the Pacific Division winning Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Wild Card winning Los Angeles Kings. Vegas won the division with 109 points, most ever for an expansion team in its first year of operations. Their 51 wins is also a record for expansion clubs. This is their first ever playoff series. As for the Kings, they earned 98 points, their most in two years. They've made the playoffs twice in the last four years, and have only missed the playoffs twice since 2010. Los Angeles is looking to get a playoff series win for the first time since winning the 2014 Stanley Cup. Los Angeles is 21-26 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the first playoff meeting between the two clubs.

Here's the Dates and Times of every game in this series:
April 11 Los Angeles @ Vegas, 10 p.m.
April 13 Los Angeles @ Vegas, 10 p.m.
April 15 Vegas @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
April 17 Vegas @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
April 19 Los Angeles @ Vegas, 10 p.m.
April 21 Vegas @ Los Angeles, TBD
April 23 Los Angeles @ Vegas, TBD

There's a lot of pressure on Vegas, being an expansion club in their first ever playoff series. Two big stories for Vegas this year have been the play of both William Karlsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. Karlsson really had a breakout year, scoring 43 goals. It really put himself on the map as a top flight player in the league. Him and Jonathan Marchessault were the only Knights players to register 70 or more points. Sure, there are plenty of weapons for the Vegas team to run with, but Karlsson is the one who makes this team move forward. He is the key. Then there's the case of Marc Andre Fleury, who had been basically put on the back burner in Pittsburgh. Fleury needed a fresh start and he got it in Vegas. He had missed some time due to injuries, but he was still productive enough to win 27 of his 41 starts. There had been speculation that this team would possibly limp into the playoffs after how hot a start they had to the season. Not the case as Vegas picked yup 25 wins since January.

The first test for the Golden Knights are the playoff tested and proven Los Angeles Kings. John Stevens had a different approach to the style of play then former coach Darryl Sutter did. Anze Kopitar had the biggest benefactor from it, scoring 92 points, which was 40 points higher then the year before. Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown each scored over 60 points. Los Angeles is another one of those teams that rely on one maybe two lines to score, if that gets shut down they may be in trouble over the course of the series. They're also starting to get Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter starting to heat up at the right time. Then there's Jonathan Quick, who's having the 2nd best year of his career. He went 29-26, this coming a year after starting only 17 games. Its going to be a battle between two goalies who are still proving they have something left in the tank.

Predictions:
Solly: Golden Knights in 6
Steve: Kings in 6

Finally, its the Pacific Division second seeded Anaheim Ducks taking on the third seeded San Jose Sharks. Anaheim earned 101 points, marking the 5th straight year that the team has picked up 100 or more points. Those 101 points mark the lowest points total the Ducks have had in a full season since 2012, the last time they missed the playoffs. The Ducks made the conference finals last year, they're looking to get back there again this year. Anaheim is 16-12 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 3rd straight playoff appearance for the Sharks, who finished the year with 100 points. Its the first time the Sharks have hit that mark since 2014. San Jose is looking for its first playoff series win since reaching the Cup finals in 2016. San Jose is 17-19 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the second playoff meeting between these teams. Their only previous series occurred in the 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Anaheim won in six games. San Jose won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the Dates and Times of every game in this series:
April 12 San Jose @ Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.
April 14 San Jose @ Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.
April 16 Anaheim @ San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
April 18 Anaheim @ San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
April 20 San Jose @ Anaheim, TBD
April 22 Anaheim @ San Jose, TBD
April 24 San Jose @ Anaheim, TBD

Have to give credit where its due to the Ducks. They were hammered by injuries at the start of the season, but they were able to stay competitive and hang around in the playoff picture till the team got healthy. Once they did, the Ducks made a strong surge late in the year to be able to get into the playoffs. Rickard Rakell (69 points), Ryan Getzlaf (61 points), and Corey Perry (49 points) lead the Ducks in scoring, but the reason for the low point totals is because of injuries. Rakell played in 77 games, Getzlaf playedin 56 games and Perry played in 77. Adding a guy like Adam Henrique in a trade earlier in the year was a great move because it added a little more depth to this Ducks offense. They ended up giving up Sami Vatanen in the trade, but that shows how deep the Ducks feel they are on the blueline if they were able to make that move to bolster the team up the middle. Goaltending is going to be a bit of a question here. John Gibson went down earlier this month with an injury, so Ryan Miller has come in and done a very serviceable job holding down the fort in net.

San Jose was a favorite to be a major threat out of this division, but have been just as fine flying under the radar. They've picked their play up since adding Evander Kane at the trade deadline, going 12-6-1 since then. San jose has a balanced attack, being led by Brent Burns (67 points), Joe Pavelski (66 points), and Logan Couture (61 points). You'd expect Joe Thornton to be up high on that list, but he only played 36 games due to injury. They've got the star power, but if the Sharks want to move on to the next round, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski need to step their game up, as does Tomas Hertl, Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier. Martin Jones has proven once again that he's a very capable goalie over the last couple of months, managing to finish the season with 30 wins. He's done some of his best work in the playoffs, as you saw by his play in the Sharks Cup run two seasons ago.

Predictions:
Solly: Sharks in 7
Steve: Ducks in 7

AV Ousted On Broadway

For the first time since 2010, the New York Rangers will be missing the playoffs. Somebody needed to take the fall for the Rangers having a bad year, as they finished last in the Metro Division this season. The players won't be let go, so somebody had to take the bullet for the way this season went. That somebody was Alain Vigneault, who was let go on Saturday after the Rangers loss on the final day of the season. After five years in New York, AV is now looking for a new coaching job.

Vigneault had taken over in New York after spending seven years in Vancouver, six of which resulted in division titles. Once leaving Western Canada, AV came to New York to replace John Tortorella, who, ironically enough, ended up going to Vancouver to take over for Vigneault. During his time running the Rangers, New York won the Presidents Trophy once, the Stanley Cup Finals once and the Conference Finals twice. Those good years came right at the start of AV's tenure as the bench boss here in New York. The team made the playoffs the two years following that, getting ousted by the Penguins in the opening round and the Senators in the 2nd round. This year is the year where the wheels came of for AV.

New York finished the year in last place in the Metro division, going 34-39-9, making it the first time the team had failed to make the playoffs since 2010. Rangers management told the fans that they were going to start working on rebuilding the team. Some in the organization weren't sure where AV stood with the plans, but at one point, GM Scott Gorton had said in an interview with ESPN in March "I want to sit down with AV at the end of the year and figure out what's best for him and what's best for us, and where it goes. How he sees it, and how we see it."

Clearly AV wasn't in the plans to rebuild. Lets be fair here, Vigneault had done a very good job with this Rangers team, he won 226 games as coach, which was the 3rd most in the history of the franchise. What we kind of saw with AV this year was that he struggles to be able to really connect with the younger talent. He works great with veteran laden teams, he knows how to be able to communicate with older players, but he struggles a little with trying to make that same transition to younger guys. Out of the 1,246 games AV's coached in the NHL, he's won 648 of them. That tells me that he knows how to be able to coach and to win.

When it came to the Rangers, he started to lose control a little during the year. A perfect case in point of that was when he decided to try and call out Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers best player. I called him out for it earlier in the year on this very blog. I think the Rangers organization kind of started to see that too, which is why they decided to part ways with him. AV did great with what he had on Broadway, but it seemed like it kind of ran its course.

Now the search is on to find the new bench boss/

Villanova Rolls To National Title

Think its safe to say that Villanova could solidify itself as a national power in College Basketball? Last night's performance in the national championship game could make that argument. They don't have a lineup full of future NBA stars but they have a team built perfectly for the system that Jay Wright has implemented. Nova didn't need to drop 18 3-pointers like they did in the Final Four against Kansas in the Semifinals. They just went out and hit a mixed bag of shots and it was enough to cruise to a 79-62 win over Michigan. Since the end of UCLA’s dynasty in the mid-1970s only three other schools have won two national championships in as short a span, Duke did it in the early 90s and the last being Florida’s back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.

Going into this game, a lot of people were expecting a big game from junior point guard Jalen Brunson, who just became the seventh Naismith recipient to win that same year’s NCAA tournament. Brunson struggled to find his shot, finishing with 9 points in 28 minutes and then fell into foul trouble. Situations like this always call for a new hero to step his game up. Enter sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo, who came off the bench to lead all scorers by dropping 31 points, which was good enough to get him named the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. DiVincenzo was one of only two Wildcats to reach double digits in points, Mikal Bridges was the other one dropping 19 points. Bridges was the only Nova starter to reaach double digits in scoring. They had bigger games then the three guys from Michigan who hit double digits. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman lead the way for the Wolverines with 23 points, and he got help from Moritz Wagner, who had 16 and was a flat out beast all tournament long, and Zavier Simpson who dropped 10 points.

What really stood out to me from this game was how well Villanova was able to respond to how slow a start they got off to. After Michigan took its largest lead of the game at 21-14 with 11 minutes left in the first half, Villanova closed the first half by scoring 23 of the next 30 points for a 37-28 halftime lead. The final basket of the extended burst was a 3-pointer from Jalen Brunson 44 seconds before the half. Michigan tried keeping within striking range in the second half, but DiVincenzo got the run rolling with an around-the-back dribble to get to the hoop and get fouled. The shot that really put the nail in the coffin for Michigan was DiVincenzo hitting that three with 7:58 left to put Villanova up 62-44. Its been a good couple of months for the City of Brotherly Love. First, the Eagles win the Super Bowl back in January and now this.

This marks the 3rd National Title for Villanova and in doing so Villanova won all six games by double digits over this tournament run. They joined Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) as the only four schools to win every tournament game by double digits. The Michigan loss extended the Big Ten Conference's losing streak in NCAA Championship games to seven. Michigan State is the most recent Big Ten team to win a National Championship, which they won in 2000.

National Championship Game Preview

This one is for all the marbles. We started this big dance back on March 13th, with 68 teams all fighting it out to see who will become the best team in Men's College Basketball in 2018. The battle for the biggest prize in college basketball will pit #3 Michigan against #1 Villanova. Michigan has won one National Championship in school history, beating Seaton Hall in 9189. They've also had five national runner-up finishes, although two of those (1992, 1993) have been vacated by the NCAA. As for Villanova, they've won two national titles, beating Georgetown in 1985 and North Carolina in 2016 and have only national runner-up finish (1971) was likewise vacated by the NCAA. So lets start breaking things down for tonight's championship game.

Michigan got here by finishing the regular season going 28–7, earning the #3 seed in the West Regional. Michigan defeated the #14 Montana  in the first round, then beat #6 Houston on a buzzer beater by Jordan Poole. They made it to the Elite Eight by defeating Texas A&M, then followed it up with a huge win over Florida State. Finally, they defeated the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers in the Final Four to reach the National Championship game.

Moritz Wagner is going to be a big factor for Michigan tonight. He's a Second Team All-Big Ten selection and is Michigan’s leader in points and rebounds per game. On Saturday against Loyola he became just the third player in the last 40 years to accumulate at least 20 points, he scored 26, and 15 rebounds in a Final Four game, matching Indiana State’s Larry Bird (1979) and Akeem Olajuwon of Houston (1983). Charles Matthews is also going to be another name to watch for Michigan, as he's the only other Wolverine who finished in double digits in scoring this year. This Wolverine team can score, as they have dropped at least 60 points in every game this year but two, scoring 59 points in a win over Texas back in December and 58 points in the win over Florida State in the Elite Eight.

The Wildcats of Villanova finished the regular season going 30–4, including winning the 2018 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament. That performance was good enough to get the Wildcats the #1 seed in the East Regional. In the first round, Villanova defeated #16 Radford and followed that up with a blow out #9 Alabama in the second round In the Sweet 16, Villanova beat West Virginia Mountaineers, and then beat Texas Tech to make the Final Four. Finally, they defeated Kansas to claim a spot in the National Championship game.

For Villanova to walk away with the title tonight, Jalen Brunson is going to have to play above his current level, which is saying a lot. Brunson was just named the Associated Press Player of the Year and the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy as the National Player of the Year. The junior guard leads the Wildcats in points and assists per game, with an impressive 182 assists against just 69 turnovers. He's been the go to guy in the Wildcats offense all season. He's the top scorer and one of six Villanova players to average double digits in scoring this year, along with Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, and Phil Booth. It goes to show the scoring depth this team has.

One thing that Michigan is going to have to watch out for is the three ball. Villanova set NCAA records for 3-pointers in a Final Four game with 18, 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament with 66 and 3-pointers in a single season with 454. It has been the Wildcats bread and butter all season and I don't see it changing at all tonight. That's not to say that Michigan can't hang, because they can. But the Wildcats are the best three point shooting team in the nation. Look at what happened two years ago. It was a game winning three pointer from Kris Jenkins that won them the title. The three ball will get them another title this year.

Prediction: Villanova 89, Michigan 74

Basketball Hall Makes Call

Getting that phone call is something that athletes dream about. Being called a Hall Of Famer means that you played a sport, or do something, that is at a level that is above and beyond anything anybody else can do in that profession. As of this past Saturday, the newest members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 were announced. Those Hall of Famers are Ray Allen, Maurice Cheeks, Lefty Driesell, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Dino Radja, Charlie Scott, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, Rod Thorn, Ora Mae Washington, and Rick Welts. All of these people had something unique to bring to the game of basketball. We will focuse on the NBA Stars here.

We start this off with Steve Nash. Nash played 19 years in the NBA, having played for Phoenix (1996-98 and 2004-12), Dallas (1998-2004), and Los Angeles (2012-14), playing in 1,217 games and scoring 17,387 points, pulling down 3,642 rebounds and registering 10,335 assists. His assists totals ranked 3rd all time in league history, and holds the NBA record for highest career free-throw percentage (90.4). Nash could do a little bit of everything, he could handle the ball, shot and be a noted playmaker. Nash is one of just four players in NBA history to shoot 50% or better from the field, 40% from three-point range (43.9), and 90% from the line, joining Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Mark Price in the 50–40–90 club. He was a two time Most Valuable Player, an eight time All-Star, a three time All-NBA First Team, a two time All-NBA Second Team and a two time All-NBA Third Team. The numbers don't lie.

Next is Jason Kidd. Kidd played for Dallas (1994-97, 2008-12), Phoenix (1996-2001), New Jersey (2001-2008) and New York (2012-13). Kidd played in 1,391 games scoring 17,529 points, pulling in 8,725 rebounds and recording 12,091 assists. Kidd won an NBA title in 2011 with Dallas, was a ten time all star, a five time All-NBA First Team, an All-NBA Second Team, a four time All-Defensive First Team, a five time All-Defensive Second Team, and the NBA Co-Rookie of the Year in 1995. Kidd retired second all-time in NBA history in both assists and steals behind John Stockton and when his playing career started, he wasn't considered a great outside shooter. By the time he retired, he ranked third all-time in the NBA in three-point field goals made. He made himself into a legend in this game.

Ray Allen was one of the smoothest shooters in the history of basketball. Allen played in 1,300 games for Milwaukee (1996-2003), Seattle (2003-07), Boston (2007-12) and Miami (2012-14). He finished his career with 24,505 points, 5,272 rebounds and 4,361 assists. Allen won two NBA titles in 2008 and 2013, was a ten time All-Star, was a one time All-NBA Second Team, a one time All-NBA Third Team, was an NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and an NBA Sportsmanship Award winner. Allen has the NBA record for 3-point field goals made with 2,973 in his career as well as 3-point field goal attempts with 7,429 in his career. One thing that will always stand out about Allen's career was when he was playing with the Heat, he nailed the clutch 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals against the Spurs that forced overtime.That allowed the Heat to win that game and emerge with the Heat's third championship in Game 7.

Grant Hill is considered one of the NBA's best playmakers in his prime. Hill Played 1,026 career games, playing for Detroit (1994-2000), Orlando (2000-07), Phoenix (2007-12) and Los Angeles (2012-13). He finished his career with 17,137 points, 6,169 rebounds and 4,252 assists. He was a seven time All-Star, an All-NBA First Team, a four time All-NBA Second Team, an NBA Co-Rookie of the Year and an NBA All-Rookie First Team. Hill was just as successful at the College level as he was at the NBA level. He was a great all around player who could do a little bit of everything.

Finally, there's Maurice Cheeks. Mo played in 1,101 games, playing for Philadelphia (1978-89), San Antonio (1989-90), New York (1990-91), Atlanta (1991-92) and New Jersey (1993). Cheeks finished his career with 12,195 points, 7,392 rebounds and 2,310 assists. He won and NBA title in 1983, a four time NBA All-Star, a four time NBA All-Defensive First Team, and an NBA All-Defensive Second Team.Cheeks was a key piece of those great 76ers teams of the early 80s. Cheeks was the NBA's all-time leader in steals with 2,310 and ranked fifth all-time in assists with 7,392.

The Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will take place on Sept. 7 at 7:30 in Springfield, Massachusetts.