5-hole.com Pick ’em – Marc owes me $1

OMG PETR PRUCHA’S PLAYING TONIGHT!

But Ryan Callahan isn’t because he has the flu.

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5-hole.com Pick ’em – Marc is Mini-Kipper – 1/15/09

#2 Boston Bruins @ #30 New York Islanders

Eric – Bruins – If the Bruins don’t win I will eat my hat.  *gimmie*
Marc – Bruins – The Isles were already hopeless with MacDonald… now Danis is in net. *gimmie*
Rory – Bruins – Ha! *gimmie*

#25 Toronto Maple Leafs @ #15 Carolina Hurricanes

Eric – Canes – Fantasy team pick (Cam Ward)
Marc – Canes – blah
Rory – Canes – The Leafs have lost 8 of their last ten.  Plus they suck.

#22 Nashville Predators @ #6 Montreal Canadiens

Eric – Preds – hahaha Pekka.
Marc – Habs – The Preds are looking good recently but it’s tough to go into the Bell Centre and win.
Rory – Habs – No dollar bills are going to be mailed out tonight.

#9 Philadelphia Flyers @ #27 Tampa Bay Lightning

Eric – Flyers – There is no possible way that the Lightning beat the Flyers tonight.  None.
Marc – Flyers – The Lightning are back from a long west coast road trip where they actually won 2 out of 3.  But they lost 7-1 to the Sharks and jet lag is a bitch.
Rory – Flyers – Come on, now.

#20 Edmonton Oilers @ #19 Minnesota Wild

Eric – Wild – I flipped a coin.  It landed on it’s rim.  Bad teams are bad.
Marc – Wild – Backstrom is the man.
Rory – Wild – I flipped a coin – these two are practically the same at the moment, stnadings-wise and record-wise, anyway.

#21 Colorado Avalanche @ #28 St. Louis Blues

Eric – Avs – They’re on a roll… of sorts.
Marc – Avs – These teams are both pretty bad, but at least Col has looked decent lately.  Stl has lost their last 2 and 7 of the last 10.
Rory – Avs – St. Louis is suckin’ it big time this season.

#13 Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. @ #23 Dallas Stars

Eric – Stars – They’re playing pretty well lately.  But then again so are the Sabres.
Marc – Stars – Yes, I’m actually picking Turco.
Rory – Stars – Why not?  I like to mix it up.

#14 Phoenix Coyotes @ #11 Vancouver Canucks

Eric – Canucks – Luongo hath returneth.
Marc – Canucks – Luongo is back in action.  Sanford got waived… ouch.
Rory – Canucks – Not-so-sucky team playing pretty-damn-sucky team. (Ed. Note:  Look at the standings…)

#3 Detroit Red Wings @ #24 Los Angeles Kings

Eric – Wings – Just beat up the Ducks last night.  Didn’t have to travel very far today.
Marc – Wings – When the Wings turn it on, they are the best team in the NHL.  Anyone who has watched a team try to hold on to a 3rd period lead against the Wings knows what I’m talking about.
Rory – Wings – LA shouldn’t even bother to show up to this game.  Save everyone some time and effort.

#5 Calgary Flames @ #1 San Jose Sharks

Eric – Sharks – The Flames probably have the best chance to had the Sharks their first home regulation loss.  But I don’t think that will happen.
Marc – Flames – This would be a big time upset, but I freakin love Kipper almost as much as the Mini-Kipper.  Almost, but not quite. (see video below)
Rory – Sharks – San Jose haven’t lost at home in regulation and only twice in OT.  Yup.

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5-hole.com Pick ’em – OMG! Controversy! – 12/23/08

There is controversy brewing over the Penguins’ game winning goal scored by Sidney Crosby in overtime last night.  The big question is whether Crosby made contact with the puck above or below the crossbar.  The goal was reviewed and it stood.  So what’s the problem?  The call on the ice was goal.  The replay did not conclusively disprove that.  It’s a goal right?  Maybe, maybe not.

Why it’s a goal:
1. The NHL says it’s a goal, therefore, it’s a goal.
2. Someone at Pensblog drew a cute picture!  They can’t be wrong, can they?

Why it’s not a goal:

1. Conspiracy theorists claim the NHL is just furthering the Sidney Crosby love fest.

2. The picture from Pensblog is misleading because the puck was not in line with the corner where the post and crossbar meet when it made contact with Crosby’s stick.  It was actually closer to the center of the crossbar.  Oh no!  The new line goes under Crosby’s arm and the puck!  NO GOAL!
3. Commenter Tom L. on the Puck Daddy post says, “Crosby is 5′ 11″, 6′ 3″ on skates. The crossbar is 4ft high and the puck hit a few inches below his armpits. Unless Sid’s swollen head is 28 inches tall, that’s well over 4ft.”
4. If the NHL had disciplined Crosby for his actions in the game against Atlanta, he would not have even been playing in this game.
5. This picture left by another commenter in that Puck Daddy post shows with more lines that the net is only 80 pixels tall in the image, while the distance from the puck to the ice is 91 pixels.  11 pixels isn’t all that much but it’s still something.

I say it was no goal.  But what do I know?  Onto the picks!

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5-hole.com Pick ’em – Zambonis and Crosbys gone wild! – 12/19/08

In yesterday’s game between the Thrashers and Penguins, a fight broke out after the Thrashers’ first goal.  At one point, Sidney Crosby gives Boris Valabik 3 solid punches from behind while teammate Kris Letang held Valabik down.  Crosby was clearly the third man in on this “fight” and he sucker punched Valabik not once, not twice, but three times yet he was only accessed a roughing minor.

The Honda zamboni was so excited to get inside Wrigley field that it jumped off of the truck that was transporting it.  Luckily, no one (including the zamboni) was injured.

Quick! Go look at our picks before Sidney Crosby punches you in the back of the head!

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5-hole.com Pick ’em – Bottom Feeders Delight – 12/2/08

This is a new daily feature here on 5-hole.com.  Everyday, Marc, Rory, and I will each pick which teams we think will win that day.  Each of us will consider one of our picks to be a “gimmie” meaning that there is no way that we will get that pick wrong.  At the end of the season, the writer with the most correct picks wins!  In the event of a tie, the percentage of gimmies correctly chosen will break the tie.  Pretty straight forward right?

And don’t forget to vote early and vote often for the New York Rangers for the All Star Game.  Or, just write a program that votes thousands of times for you!

On to the picks! (Rankings are for the entire league).

#30 Tampa Bay Lightning @ #12 Philadelphia Flyers

Eric – Flyers
Marc – Flyers
Rory – Flyers

#26 Florida Panthers @ #11 Washington Capitals

Eric – Capitals
Marc – Panthers
Rory – Capitals

#29 Atlanta Thrashers @ #7 Montréal Canadiens

Eric – Habs *gimmie*
Marc – Habs
Rory – Habs

#28 Dallas Stars @ #10 Calgary Flames

Eric – Flames
Marc – Flames
Rory – Flames

#21 Los Angeles Kings @ #23 Phoenix Coyotes

Eric – Coyotes
Marc – Coyotes
Rory – Kings

#20 Toronto Maple Leafs @ #1 San Jose Sharks

Eric – Sharks
Marc – Sharks *gimmie*
Rory – Sharks *gimmie*

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