UEFA Champions League - Round of 16 Draw + Mini Previews

In my opinion there is not a better soccer tournament than the UEFA Champions League. Earlier in life I would have said that the World Cup is a much better tournament but as good as the World Cup is to watch the UEFA Champions League to me at least is even better. This years round of 16 drawing has lead to some very interesting match-ups. Some of these match-ups were seen in last years competition and some of these match-ups have been seen in past competitions but all of them should end up being very exciting match-ups to watch. The first leg of this year's round of 16 begins on February 15th & 16th and 22nd & 23rd, the drawing was as follow:

* AS Roma (Italy) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
* AC Milan (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)
* Valencia CF (Spain) vs FC Schalke 04 (Germany)
* FC Internazionale (Italy) vs FC Bayern Munchen (Germany)
* Olympique Lyonnais (France) vs Real Madrid CF (Spain)
* Arsenal FC (England) vs FC Barcelona (Spain)
* Olympique Marseille (France) vs Manchester United FC (England)
* FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) vs Chelsea FC (England)

AS Roma (Italy) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - This should be a great match-up to watch, especially if AS Roma can enter into the tie in good form. AS Roma should be on watch for a tough set of matches against Shakhtar, a team that has never made it this far in Europe prior. While this should be a great hard fought battle on the pitch, the Shakhtar General Director, Serhiy Palkin has been quoted as saying, "We are up against very strong opponents, but I'm glad we avoided the likes of Internazionale Milano, AC Milan and Valencia". I would expect this match to be very tight and should come down to who's defense can rise to the occassion.

AC Milan (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur FC (England) - AC Milan are 7 time champions of Europe but in my opinion have drawn a very difficult match-up with Tottenham Hotspur FC. The last time that Tottenham played a team from the San Siro was in the group stage when they played Internazionale. Tottenham gave it their all in Milan but leaked goals, losing 4-3. However, Tottenham was able to beat Inter in the return leg at White Hart Lane 3-1. Because of the results in the group stage I don't believe that Tottenham will be intimidated going back to the San Siro and in my opinion have a decent chance at advancing through the Round of 16.

Valencia CF (Spain) vs FC Schalke 04 (Germany) - Schalke has a challenge in front of them having drawn Valencia, however I think that it is very helpful to them that the first leg will take place at Mestalla on February 15th, and the second leg will be in Gelsenkirchen on March 9th. If they can get out of Mestalla with a draw then Schalke will have improved their chances to advance with the deciding match being played at home. When these two clubs met in the 2007/2008 group stage Schalke lost 1-0 at home but were able to obtain a 0-0 draw in Spain. One thing Schalke has going for them is Raul Gonzalez. Gonzalez having recently left Real Madrid after 18 years knows Valencia very well and has scored plenty of goals against them. Gonzalez has scored 12 goals in 24 La Liga matches against Valencia and will need to be in great form to increase Schalke's chances of advancing through to the next round.

FC Internazionale (Italy) vs FC Bayern Munchen (Germany) - Hopefully this match-up sounds familiar to you as it happened just last year in the UEFA Champions League Final. Inter right now is in a crisis, having just fired Rafael Benítez and currently sitting in 7th place in the Serie A (13 points behind leaders AC Milan). I personally do not think this is a good draw for Inter. When I watched the drawing live on the internet and this match-up was drawn it appeared to me that Bayern Munchen was very excited to get the chance to play Internazionale again after losing 2-0 in the final last year. Bayern lost to Internazionale 2-0 in the final on two goals from Diego Milito and it was an Inter squad under the coaching of the great Jose Mourinho who of course now manages Real Madrid. Even in the media of late, there has been a lot of talk from the Bayern side about "settling scores", I just think that Bayern will be so motivated in this match-up that Inter will find it a very difficult task to advance through to the next round.

Olympique Lyonnais (France) vs Real Madrid CF (Spain) - I think that what is so intriguing about this match-up is that just last year these two teams met in the Round of 16 and it was Olympique Lyonnais that came out on top, eliminating Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. This years Real Madrid to me are a much better squad and as mentioned earlier now has Jose Mourinho at the helm. Mourinho has already proven that he can win in Europe and I for one would be surprised if the results of last year's Round of 16 happen again this year. Both teams feature very good defenses and it will be interesting to see who can crack in the first goal of this match-up but I would think that Real Madrid's chances of advancing through to the next round are very good.

Arsenal FC (England) vs FC Barcelona (Spain) - This is actually the draw that I am most looking forward to. Going into the drawings I think there was a 50/50 chance that Arsenal was going to draw Barcelona or Real Madrid and sure enough they drew Barca. This is also a rematch from last season that saw Barcelona advancing through on aggregate (6-3) after a masterful second-leg match by none other than Lionel Messi. Last season these two squads played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in north London. In the second leg at the Camp Nou it was Arsenal who took an early lead but then Messi scored all 4 of Barcelona's goals in a 4-1 second leg victory that saw them through. Barcelona's European dreams were then cut short in the very next round as they ended up losing 3-2 to eventual champions Internazionale. What can you say about Barcelona? Their reputation precedes them in both European and Domestic competition. Arsenal is currently fighting to be the top of the English Premier League and made a statement just the other day beating a currently struggling Chelsea squad at the Emirates. For Arsenal to advance through to the next round Fabregas and Walcott will need to be great. This is a Barcelona team that has pretty much dismantled everyone they have played this year, including an absolute beat-down of Real Madrid a few weeks back. To me this will be the best match-up of the Round of 16. If you can only watch one game on the day(s) these two play, it should be this match-up.

Olympique Marseille (France) vs Manchester United FC (England) - While the possibility of drawing Internazionale or AC Milan was very real for Manchester United they instead drew Olympique Marseille. Manchester United are in good form and currently sit atop the table in the English Premier League with a couple of games in hand. To date they have yet to lose a league match this season with 10 wins and 8 draws to their credit. Marseille currently find themselves 5th in France Ligue 1 but only 3 points behind leaders Lille. I think that what is good news for Manchester United is that Wayne Rooney has been showing signs of returning to his good form of late. If Wayne Rooney can get going again, Manchester United can be a very dangerous team to not only advance through to the next round but also to contend for the UEFA Championship. The key for this match-up will be Manchester United's play away at Olympique de Marseille's Stade Vélodrome. Marseille are a pretty tough squad who get great support and are really good at home. Their domestic record at home is currently 4 wins 4 draws and 1 loss outscoring opponents 14-7 in those 9 games. Manchester United should hope for at least a draw in France and get a win at Old Trafford to see themselves through to the next round.

FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) vs Chelsea FC (England) - On February 22nd the first leg of the tie will take place, as Kobenhavn will welcome Chelsea to Parken Stadion. Parken Stadion has been a great place for Kobenhavn as they have not lost a UEFA Champions League match at home this year including a 1-1 draw against Barcelona on match day 4 of the group stage. FC Kobenhavn is the first Danish team ever to progress from the group stage and they will be hoping that their terrific play at Parken Stadion can continue. Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea squad is at the moment in a bit of a "crisis" by their standards anyway. Chelsea just recently beat Bolton to give them their first league win in their last 7 matches. Chelsea currently sit 4th in the Premier League, 4 points behind leaders Manchester United. The key to this tie will be the play of Didier Drogba who is very hungry for a UEFA Championship title. While I have seen stranger things in my life, I would lean that Chelsea should be able to pull it together and advance through to the next round knocking off FC Kobenhavn who may come up just short.

As the time gets closer to the start of all of these matches I would like to post some more detailed analysis of some of these Round of 16 match-ups. No matter if you are a fan of these teams or just a fan of soccer in general, this year's UEFA Championship League Round of 16 drawing has surely promised all of us some great matches to watch and enjoy!

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#1 Alabama (3-0) @ #11 Arkansas (3-0)

While there are many great games this weekend, one that I and many other people are looking forward to is the showdown between (#1) Alabama and (#11) Arkansas at Razorback Stadium, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While both teams come into this game with perfect 3-0 records, this will be Alabama’s first game versus a SEC opponent and Arkansas’s second game.

Last Week:
Last week Alabama rolled into Duke and blew them out (62-13) and it could have been much worse, as Alabama was able to put up 28 points in the first quarter alone last week. The questionable decision of playing Mark Ingram for the first time this season did end in disaster, but a disaster for Duke. Mark Ingram managed to put up 151 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 9 carries. In a lot of ways this was not only a message that he is healthy, but a message to Trent Richardson just to make sure he remembers who the starting running back on this team really is. Greg McElroy had a great day through the air as he went 12 of 20 for 258 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in an absolute rout of Duke. Through their first 3 games Alabama has not really been challenged, they were challenged some by Penn State but ultimately Penn State’s untimely turnovers helped to do them in.

Arkansas had a tougher battle in their game last week as they went on the road to Athens, Georgia to face the Bulldogs. Arkansas came into the game 1.5 point underdogs at most shops, but it did not take them long to let everyone know they came to play. Arguably one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation Ryan Mallett started the scoring off in the first quarter with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Chris Gragg. Arkansas then went on to really control the first half of play, taking a 17-7 lead into halftime. In the second half of the game, Georgia’s defense began to assert itself more, especially when the fourth quarter came around. Georgia even came back to tie the game late at 24-24. However, Ryan Mallett was able to lead his team down the field for one final drive, capped off with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Greg Childs, to give Arkansas a 31-24 in Athens.

This Week:
Alabama comes into this game with the nation’s 4th best overall offense and 10th best overall defense. Arkansas is sporting the nation’s 15th best overall offense and 11th best overall defense. The line for this game has not moved very much from where it opened and is currently sitting at Alabama (-7) at most shops with the total at 56. Last year Arkansas went to Alabama and get pushed around in a 35-7 beat down. I actually expect this year’s meeting to be a much closer game. I feel that Arkansas will definitely be Alabama’s biggest challenge so far this season and will be one of their biggest challenges this entire season.

Arkansas Wins This Game If:
So far this season Alabama has looked to be unstoppable on both offense and defense, however there have been some times where their defense has looked vulnerable. If not for throwing mistakes by some of their opponents, the Alabama defensive backs would have been exposed on numerous occasions. Ryan Mallett, being as good as advertised will relish the opportunity to exploit the Crimson Tide defensive backs and take advantage of soft spots in the zone. On defense Arkansas needs to be concerned about stopping the run. The run sets up many other offensive opportunities and is one of Alabama’s strong suits. This task however is much easier said than done, but if it can be done, Arkansas may very well find themselves playing in the SEC Title game if they can grab a victory at home over Alabama.

Alabama Wins This Game If:
Most of Arkansas’s offense rides with the hot hand of Ryan Mallett. So far this season Ryan Mallett has thrown for 1,081 yards on 70 of 100 passing with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. So far this season Alabama has given up 132.7 yards per game through the air, while Arkansas has averaged 367.7 yards per game passing. There is no secret here, stop Ryan Mallett and you can stop Arkansas. However, as mentioned earlier the Alabama DBs will be tested and will need to have much better coverage against the Arkansas wide-outs than they have shown in previous games this season. On offense, Alabama should try and pound the ball with their Heisman winning running back Mark Ingram. This will allow them to tire out the Arkansas defense for later in the game, and will allow them to set up pass threats from Ingram to Alabama’s leading receiver Julio Jones.

We do not currently have a recommended play or even a lean on this game. My suggestion would be grab your favorite football food, kick back in your favorite chair, and enjoy every minute of this game. My only opinion on this game would be that it will be a lot closer than last year’s meeting. I would be very surprised to see this game be a blow out, I would also be surprised if Alabama wins that they cover much more than the (-7) spread. Enjoy every one, this should be a classic SEC battle!

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Michigan Wolverines - '10 Football Preview

While I do agree with most "pundits" that this upcoming college football season is very big for Rich Rodriguez I do not think that it is a make or break year. I feel that he gets at least one more opportunity if his Michigan Wolverines struggle during the 2010 season. I think that the 2010 college football season is going to be a great one and the Michigan Wolverines will be a season long story to keep your eyes on. The Michigan Wolverines started the 2009 college football season very promising winning their first 4 games of the season, including a 4 point win as 3 point dogs over Notre Dame (38-34) in front of 110,000+ fans at The Big House. However, after an OT loss to their in-state rivals Michigan State, the Wolverines season took a turn for the worse. Michigan would not win another game against a FBS team in 2009 after week 4. The 2009 season for Michigan continued to spiral downward as they ended the season losing 5 straight including a loss at home to Purdue while being a 6 point favorite and worse than that a 38-13 beating at the hands of a horrid Illinois team in Champaign as a 7 point favorite. The loss to Illinois was huge because it essentially cost Michigan the chance to be bowl eligible. Michigan then ended the 2009 season with a 21-10 loss at home to eventual Rose Bowl winners Ohio State. The 2009 season was not only gloomy for Michigan straight up, but they also managed to post a 5-6-1 record against the spread in '09. 2009 also marked the 2nd straight year that the Michigan Wolverines did not make it to a bowl game. On a bright note, Michigan did improve from 2008 where they posted a 3-9 straight up record to 5-7 in 2009.

Michigan Wolverines - 2010 - Schedule:

Date:     Opponent:
09/04     Connecticut
09/11     @ Notre Dame
09/18     Massachusetts
09/25     Bowling Green
10/02     @ Indiana
10/09     Michigan State
10/16     Iowa (HC)
10/30     @ Penn State
11/06     Illinois
11/13     @ Purdue
11/20     Wisconsin
11/27     @ Ohio State

Michigan's first game of the season at home vs Connecticut could be very telling to how their 2010 season will unfold. I think that a benefit to Michigan is 2010 is having games against Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Iowa at home. I am not saying that Michigan will win all 4 of those games, but it at least will help them a little bit to have those as home games. The Iowa game is especially intriguing as it is home coming and the Wolverines have a decent record against Iowa (24-7-1, with 5 of those 7 losses by 3 points or less). Michigan also has a QB controversy that Rich Rodriguez has said will remain an open competition in August, between Forcier, Robinson, and freshman Devin Gardner. My early lean would be that Tate Forcier will get the starting QB job. Looking through their schedule I can see Michigan getting at least 6 wins and making it to a bowl game for the first time since 2007. A 6 win season will also keep the developing trend of Michigan improving their straight-up record each year from 2008 through 2010.

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World Cup Preview - Group A

Current FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking:
France: {9}
Uruguay: {16}
Mexico: {17}
South Africa: {83}

France - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Defender(s): Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla FC)
Midfielder(s): Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Forward(s): Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Djibril Cisse, Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Mexico - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Luis Michel, Guillermo Ochoa, Oscar Perez
Defender(s): Paul Aguilar, Efrain Juarez, Jonny Magallon, Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar), Ricardo Osorio (VfB Stuttgart), Francisco Rodriguez (PSV Eindhoven / Atletico Junior), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Jorge Torres Nilo (Atlas)
Midfielder(s): Pablo Barrera, Israel Castro, Giovani Dos Santos, Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna), Alberto Medina, Gerardo Torrado
Forward(s): Adolfo Bautista, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Guillermo Franco (West Ham United), Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela (Arsenal)

South Africa - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Moneeb Josephs, Itumeleng Khune, Shu-Aib Walters
Defender(s): Matthew Booth, Siboniso Gaxa, Bongani Khumalo, Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth), Anele Ngongca, Siyabonga Sangweni, Lucas Thwala
Midfielder(s): Lance Davids, Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham), Thanduyise Khuboni, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Teko Modise, Surprise Moriri, Steven Pienaar (Everton), MacBeth Sibaya (FK Rubin Kazan), Siphiwe Tshabalala
Forward(s): Katlego Mphela, Siyabonga Nomvete, Bernard Parker (Twente Enschede)

Uruguay - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Juan Castillo, Fernando Muslera (Lazio), Martin Silva
Defender(s): Martin Caceres (Barcelona), Jorge Fucile (FC Porto), Diego Godin (Villarreal), Diego Lugano, Andres Scotti, Mauricio Victorino
Midfielder(s): Egidio Arevalo Rios (San Luis / Penarol), Sebastian Eguren, Alvaro Fernandez (Nacional / Universidad de Chile), Walter Gargano (Napoli), Ignacio Gonzalez (Newcastle United), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax Amsterdam / Nacional), Alvaro Pereira (Argentinos Juniors / FC Porto), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica), Diego Perez (AS Monaco)
Forward(s): Sebastian Abreu, Edison Cavani (Palermo), Sebastian Fernandez, Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Luis Suarez (Ajax Amsterdam)

Preview:
While every host nation has always qualified for the round of 16, the buzz going around is that South Africa will be the first host nation not to qualify for the round of 16 in the history of the World Cup. Despite playing horrid international friendlies, France is still probably the team to beat in this group. They have a lot of individual talent, who played very well for their clubs and will probably have their chemistry figured out by the time the World Cup starts on June 11th. Uruguay can also be a threat to advance into the round of 16, especially with a star player like Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid). Mexico despite being a very young inexperienced team is still a very good squad and even though it was just a friendly, anytime you can beat Italy you will gain lots of confidence. Les Bleus on the other hand, despite all their talent has struggled through their friendlies including an embarrassing loss to China, whom we can assume France scheduled as a morale booster that went terribly wrong.

Group A - Game(s) to watch
[June 11th] - Mexico vs South Africa - The first game of the World Cup should always be a game to watch!
[June 17th] - France vs Mexico - This game can should go a long way to decided who finishes 1st and who finishes 2nd in Group A.

Suggested Lean:
Team to finish 1st and 2nd in Group A. In correct order to qualify to round of 16: {Bookmaker}
1st France - 2nd Mexico [+350]

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New York Gets Super Bowl in 2014!

Today it was announced that the great states of New York / New Jersey will get Super Bowl XLVIII (48) in 2014! That to me is great news. I cannot however begin to fathom why it took 4 ballots, come on people. Miami was eliminated after the 2nd ballot, and the final vote came between New York / New Jersey and Tampa. The 3rd ballot did not have a clear cut winner, so the voting went to a 4th ballot where all you need is a simple majority of 17 votes. Finally it was announced that New York / New Jersey will get the Super Bowl in 2014.

For some reason some people really seem to have a problem with this, and I can't really grasp why. First of all, there is why to much complaining and whining about things in the world today anyway, my goodness people grow up! That mini rant aside, one of the biggest problems people have with having the Super Bowl in New York / New Jersey is the weather. Realistically most games that are considered to be the best and most memorable happened to be played in inclement weather. Weather is part of the game, that's just how it should be. When we were all growing up playing football with our friends, did we care that it was cold or snowing or windy or warm? No, no way we just played football and I'm sure that all the NFL players growing up did the same thing. Some people think it would give certain teams an advantage, but does playing the Super Bowl in doors or in warm climates give greater advantages to teams from the South or from warmer climates? Again the answer is no. What I can't believe is that there are so many wimps out there afraid to go outside in winter, boo who, there might be wind or a flake of snow. Actually going on how the climate is reacting, it could be a nice clear 55 degree day or warmer.

What better area is there really to have the Super Bowl? New York and New Jersey will absolutely make this a huge 2 week party leading up to the game. There will be events probably at Liberty State Park in New Jersey and around Giants Stadium, and of course there will be events at the Javits Center, Radio City, and of course MSG will all be involved in pre Super Bowl week festivities. I think this could and should open the door for other "cold climate" cities to have the Super Bowl in the future, like Chicago would also make a great city to have the Super Bowl. I'm actually surprised that anyone would be criticizing New York / New Jersey getting the Super Bowl, this is going to be fantastic.

The bottom line here is that weather elements are part of football, they are just part of the game. I just think that this is great for the NFL and for New York and New Jersey, Super Bowl XLVIII should be fantastic and hopefully this leads to more Super Bowls being played out doors in cities that may have "undesirable" weather at that time of the year. With the Super Bowl being played in the New York area in 2014 you can expect about a year long media build up to the event nationally and world-wide, the NFL has struck gold yet again!

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Blackhawks vs Sharks

Game 1 between the Sharks and the Blackhawks was an all out war. Normally when I think of the western conference I think speed and finesse from every team top to bottom. However, that was not the kind of game we were treated to in game 1. The Sharks and Blackhawks came out hitting and played physical hockey for all 60 minutes. There were a total of 62 hits between the two teams in game 1 and while I do not see the pace of 62+ hits per game, I do see this continuing to be a very physical and long series.

I feel that the San Jose Sharks, who have never been to the Stanley Cup Finals, controlled much of the 1st game. Nabokov let in an "easy" goal to give the blackhawks their first goal of the game, a save attempt im sure he would like back. The Sharks were not only able to controll much of the game but they also managed to put up 45 shots on goal and only Niemi's goaltending brilliance held the Sharks at bay. At the same time the Sharks did a great job at disctracting Byfuglien while he camped out in front of the Sharks net. It was though Byfuglien's powerful slapshot with 6:45 to go in the 3rd period that sealed the deal for the Blackhawks in game 1.

The Blackhawks owned the Sharks in the regular season, winning 3 out of their 4 matchups, which includes winning both games at the Shark Tank {4-3 [OT] & 7-2}. I feel that the Sharks played better in game 1 than what the final result was. I still think this series is pretty much a toss up. I expect this series to be 2-2 after 4 games. With all of that said I think that there is great value and I suggest taking the San Jose Sharks (+185)[@ BookMaker] to win the Western Conference Finals Series.

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So Who's Destiny Is It?

We are now into the 3rd round of one of the wildest and unpredictable NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs ever. However, its unpredictability is exactly what helps make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs arguably the best playoffs in all sports. I know handfuls of people who do not even watch hockey all season, but they will make it a point to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The sacrifice and the passion that every single player has in these playoffs are unmatched in any other sport. This is definitely not a sport for those who aren't brave, and its not a sport if you don't think the Stanley Cup is the most important thing in your life.

This year we have a somewhat predictable #1 vs #2 seeds, facing off in the Western Conference finals. However, it is a different story in the Eastern Conference finals. In the east we see the #7 vs #8 seeds, both now meeting up against unprecedented odds.

How They Got Here:
In the first round the Flyers (after going into a shoot-out vs the Rangers on the last day of the season to qualify for the playoffs), got what was probably their most favorable match-up; the New Jersey Devils. If anyone was surprised that the #7 Flyers beat the #2 Devils then you hadn't been paying attention all season. The Flyers owned the Devils in the regular season winning 5 of their 6 meetings, and they continued their dominance over the Devils in the 1st round of this years playoffs. The Montreal Canadians were given a much tougher task, the #1 Washington Capitals. The Canadians won game 1 vs the Capitals only to then lose the next 3 and find themselves down 3 games to 1 and on the brink of elimination. It was then that Halak began to seemingly flip a switch and make one remarkable save after another game after game after game. The Canadians then stunned the Capitals in game 7 in Washington; by a score of 2 to 1.

The Canadians reward for coming back from down 3 games to 1 to eliminate the #1 seed in the east, was to play the #4 seed in the east; the Pittsburgh Penguins. After splitting the first 4 games of this series the Canadians once again found themselves on the brink of elimination down 3 games to 2. Much like the first round it was Halak's brilliance and great team play all around that allowed the Canadians to again win in 7 games thus now officially shedding their Cinderella tag and showing the World that they came to play in these playoffs. If that series was not good enough, it was the series between the Flyers and the Bruins in round 2 that stole the show. Down 3 games to 0, the Philadelphia Flyers were able to become only the 3rd team in NHL history (and 4th team in sports history) ever to come back from being down 3 games to 0 to win a 7 game series. What was even more special was the Flyers found themselves down 3-0 in Game 7 in Boston and were able to pick themselves up and win the game, securing themselves in NHL history.

Canadians vs Flyers
So looking at how the two teams got here, anyone can argue that its the Canadians destiny or its the Flyers destiny to play in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. However, I feel that the Canadians will need heroics greater than what they showed in both round 1 and round 2 to be able to overcome the challenge that they face playing the Philadelphia Flyers. Shocking? Not really. Both teams that the Canadians played in the the past 2 rounds of the playoffs have similar styles offensively and defensively. Offensively the Capitals and the Penguins play with a lot of finesse and speed. They make great moves and they take shots from anywhere; straight on and off to the sides. As far as defense goes, the Capitals and the Penguins are not really known for their great defensive abilities. As I explained on Twitter about an hour before the start of game 1 against the Flyers: The Flyers are a totally different team than whom the Canadians have played against thus far. The Flyers have some speed but what the Flyers love to do is be physical and grind out goals. You will not see them make the fancy finesse moves or shots from all angels. The Flyers will place men in front of Halak all game long, every game and just pound away offensively at the front of the net. They will just drive over and over crashing the net and working hard for their goals. That is just the Flyers style. Also as the Canadians saw in game 1, unlike the Capitals and Penguins, the Flyers can play great defense. Chris Pronger will be everywhere throughout this series, and he will make it a point to make Cammalleri and the other Canadians forwards lives, a living hell.

While I do not think this series will be a sweep, as the Canadians have shown much resilience in the playoffs thus far, I do think that the Flyers will win this series and go on to play for Lord Stanley's Cup. An hour before the game started I posted on Twitter (if you are not already following me my name on twitter is omalleypicks) for everyone to take the Flyers to win the series against the Canadians at (-110) on bookmaker. Now since game 1 has already past, bookmaker has the Flyers to win the series against the Canadians at (-205), I advise to take if you missed getting on them at (-110).

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