Daniel Chiarelli Previews the NHL Season

The NHL season is upon us! So today I decided to roll out the big guns and I brought in my friend Daniel "Landy" Chiarelli to give us his thoughts. Landy knows the most hockey out of anyone I met and he has a major passion for the sport. Here are his thought's on the dawn of the NHL:

With four exciting games kicking off the 98th season of the NHL tonight, here is my attempt at unbiased predictions for the 2015-2016 NHL Season!

Eastern Conference :
Atlantic Division:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (x)

Tampa Bay returns with most of it’s Stanley Cup Final team still intact. Forwards Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov supplement the superstar Steven Stamkos to make up a truly scary offense. If goalie Ben Bishop provides another Vezina-type (best goalie) season, look for the Lightning to contend for not only the Eastern Conference but for the President’s trophy (best regular season record) as well.

2. Montreal Canadiens (x)

Led by Hart and Vezina winning goalie Carey Price, the Canadiens look to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since 1993. They will have a successful regular season campaign, but unless offensive fire power and depth is added at some point, look for the Canadiens to fizzle out of the playoffs early.

3. Florida Panthers (x)

Without bias, I truly believe the Florida Panthers are built for a deep run in the playoffs. Regardless of the fact that the Panthers have missed the playoffs all but once since 2000 and haven't won a playoff series since 1996, I feel as though the combination of Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad, Brandon Pirri, Aaron Ekblad and Roberto Luongo will push the Panthers over the top this season.

4. Detroit Red Wings (x)

Make it 25 straight years in the playoffs. The last time the Wings missed out on the playoffs, the Berlin Wall had just fallen. Somehow, the bruised and busted Red Wings will slip into the playoffs to and forwards Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist will put up a ridiculous amount of points this season.

5. Ottawa Senators

Bouncing off last year’s miracle run to the playoffs, the Ottawa Senators did not do much during the offseason to improve their team. Goaltender Andrew Hammond will have a difficult time repeating his record of 20-1-1, especially in a rebuilt and stronger Eastern Conference. The Senators will miss the playoffs, but only by a few points.

6. Boston Bruins

After missing the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, the Bruins failed to improve their team over the offseason. In fact, many would argue that they made the team less competitive overall. The loss of Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic is huge, and the front office did not do enough to compensate for it. Look for Matt Beleskey to rebound from last year with an average point total.

7. Buffalo Sabres

I feel for the Sabres. Years of high draft picks and high expectations turn into sad seasons of loss and disappointment. But I truly think the Sabres are on the turnaround, especially with the addition of forwards Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane and 2nd overall pick Jack Eichel. Look for the Sabres to make strides of progress this season, but fail to make enough noise to be playing meaningful games in April.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs

Ever since their collapse in the playoffs against the Bruins in 2013, the Maple Leafs have been a different team altogether. Making Mike Babcock the highest paid coach in NHL history was a smart move, but I don’t expect immediate progress. He’s the perfect leader of a championship team but to reach the top, you must start at the bottom.

Metropolitan Division:

1. Washington Capitals (x)

This is the most bold prediction on this entire post but: Alexander Ovechkin will finally win his first Stanley Cup. The Capitals squad is extremely deep in all areas, and the addition of T.J Oshie and Justin Williams adds to a sniper filled offense that will lead this team deep into May and June. Goalie Braden Holtby will have a Vezina-worthy season.

2. New York Rangers (x)

The loss of Marty St.Louis will sting, but the Rangers are still extremely deep and are built for the playoffs. With Dan Girardi, Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonough and Marc Staal on the back end, and the ageless wonder goaltender Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes, the Rangers will be competitive all season long and into the playoffs as well.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins (x)

With the biggest offseason splash being the trade for Phil Kessel, the Penguins are really putting all their chips in and hoping for their first Cup since 2009. This season really hinges on the play of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and whether or not he can be consistent in the playoffs.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets (x)

The first line of Brandon Saad, Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen scored 26 points in the preseason. If that doesn’t open eyes than I don't know what will. This team is extremely good when it’s healthy, and baring any major injuries should slip into the 2nd Wild Card spot in the East.

5. New York Islanders

After moving to Brooklyn, the Islanders take a step back from the playoffs. John Tavares has another unbelieveable season and the steady play of goalie Jaroslav Halak will keep the Islanders in the playoff race until early April, where they will not make the final 8.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

A healthy Steve Mason means that the Flyers will be competitive all season long. Look for freshman coach Dave Hakstol to make positive changes from Game 1.

7. Carolina Hurricanes

The addition of Kris Versteeg from the Blackhawks will help their anemic offense, even with cornerstone pieces such as the Staal brothers (Eric and Jordan) and Jeff Skinner. This team just isn’t deep enough and doesn’t have enough prospects to make any noise in the East.

8. New Jersey Devils

New GM Ray Shero will make moves in the coming offseasons that will benefit the Devils in numerous ways. But for now, the Devils will reside in the basement of the East. Goalie Cory Schneider will have league-leading numbers once again.

Western Conference
Central Division:

1. Chicago Blackhawks (x)

The core of this team is what every team strives to have. The combination of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford makes the Blackhawks an elite team. But eventually every dynasty falls, and the Blackhawks will fall short of another cup this season.

2. Dallas Stars (x)

This is another bold statement but the Dallas Stars will reach the Finals for the first time since 2000. The first line of Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn should strike fear in all defenses and the addition of netminder Antti Niemi solidify the somewhat shaky goaltending situation.

3. St. Louis Blues (x)

Another first round exit would spell disaster for this team, but that’s exactly what I predict. Forward Troy Brouwer will bring a hard-nosed style of play to a usually gritty team, but the loss of Oshie hurts. This team is elite, but always fails to show the elite level of talent in the playoffs. Ken Hitchcock gets fired at the end of the season.

4. Minnesota Wild (x)

This team will ride the sensational play of goalie Devan Dubnyk as far as he will take them. The moment he begins to falter in play, so will the team. Veterans Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise headline a team that’s headed for the Wild Card position.

5. Nashville Predators

After a surprise playoff year last year, Peter Laviolette’s squad will take a step back this year. Unless goalie Pekka Rinne has an unbelievable year, their defense improves drastically and
Filip Forsberg avoids the sophomore slump, the Preds will miss the playoffs.

6. Winnipeg Jets

As much as I would love to see Winnipeg rocking come playoff time, I truly believe that this is an overrated team. Big Dustin Byfuglien highlights a team of average players, and goalie Ondrej Pavelec will fail to repeat last year’s performance.

7. Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche replaced their problem of a lack of defensive depth with a problem of no offensive depth. This team has holes all over, and won’t be able to recover from a slow start. Legendary goalie and current coach Patrick Roy’s seat gets a little warmer.
 

Pacific Division:

1. Anaheim Ducks (x)

This team is extremely deep and was one game away from the Finals last year. Adding Kevin Bieksa assists an already impenetrable defense and the goaltending of Frederik Andersen will carry the Ducks to the top of the conference in the regular season.

2. L.A Kings (x)

Milan Lucic brings an attitude of toughness and tenacity that the Kings missed last season. Sniper Marian Gaborik will have a comeback season and Anze Kopitar will truly take a step forward in production. The Kings will return to the Conference Finals.

3. San Jose Sharks (x)

The window for the Cup in southern California is slowly closing as aging stars Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton move closer to their final years. Former King and young goalie Martin Jones looks to dominate in his first year as a starter on an NHL team.

4. Calgary Flames (x)

This team has the perfect mixture of veterans and rookies. Look for the Flames to bounce back from last season’s second round loss to the Canucks and slide back into the playoffs. The return of Defenseman Mark Giordano will lift this team to new levels.

5. Vancouver Canucks

When most of your superstars are over the age of 30, (Sedin twins, Alex Edler, Ryan Miller) that can’t be good. Forward Radim Vrbata is even 30, and he led the team in goals last season. They must mix the veterans with a group of young and flashy forwards, otherwise this team will fade out by the trade deadline.

6. Edmonton Oilers

1st overall pick Connor Mcdavid will be watched and scrutinized more than the team itself. He joins other first overall picks Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov as well as new goalie Cam Talbot. The Oilers show serious potential, just not this season.

7. Arizona Coyotes

Along with the Devils, the Coyotes will enjoy the view from the basement this season. Only benefit of that is the chance to draft hometown star Austin Matthews with the first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. This chippy team will bother some teams, but overall will make no noise in the playoff discussion all season.

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Quarterfinals:

1. TB def. 4. DET
3. FLA def. 2 MTL
1. WSH def. 4. CBJ
2. NYR def. 3. PIT

Eastern Semifinals

1. TB def. 3. FLA
1. WSH def. 2. NYR

East Finals

1. WSH def. TB

Western Quarterfinals

1. CHI def. 4. MIN
2. DAL def. 3. STL
1. ANA def. 4. CGY
2. LA def. 3. SJS

Western Semifinals

2. DAL def. 1. CHI
2. LA def. 1. ANA

Western Finals

2. DAL def. 2. LA

Stanley Cup Finals:

1.WSH def. 2.DAL in 6 games.

College Football Weekly Roundup

Another busy day for me means another guest post. This post welcomes another member to the team, my friend Alex Rievman. Rievs, as I call him, is gonna be EBSports’ weekly College Football roundup guy. Alex brings a lot of knowledge to the table and he really watches as many games as possible. Here’s Rievman’s thoughts on what we learned in this first weekend of College Football.

Week One of FBS College Football finally kicked off on Thursday. We have been waiting for this day since January 13, 2015, the day after the National Championship where the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks 42-20. I’m Alex Rievman and I will be sharing what we have learned from Florida State and some of the biggest games of the weekend: Auburn-Louisville, Texas-Notre Dame, Ohio State-Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M-Arizona State. I will also say who my player of the week is. And the Monday matchup between #1 Ohio State and ACC hopeful Virginia Tech.

Florida State: This 59-16 drubbing of Texas State was something we never saw from the 2014 Seminoles. FSU’s running game, led by Heisman hopeful Dalvin Cook and his counterpart Mario Pender, showed it could carry the #10 Seminoles throughout 2015. Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson was a pleasant surprise for the ‘Noles, as he completed 19-25 passes for 302 yards and 4 TDs with ZERO turnovers, which have been Golson’s biggest weakness. Florida State’s defense was swarming to the ball, unlike last year. The defensive line, though with one sack (zero from lineman), was collapsing the pocket and getting pressure. Marquez White emerged as the second cornerback to star Jalen Ramsey. White read routes and concepts quickly, and had a tackle for loss in run support. There was a few miscues by the ‘Noles including two fumbled punts, which led to 7 Texas State points. Let’s see if the ‘Noles hot start can carry over into their next game against in-state foe South Florida.

Auburn-Louisville: The #6 Tigers raced out to a 24-0 start, led by an ill-advised interception on the first play of the game and a botched handoff returned for an Auburn touchdown. True freshman Lamar Jackson was a big spark for the Cardinals. Jackson, a former four star recruit, who decided to remain a Cardinal over an offer from home-state Florida, started to lead a Louisville comeback with 100 pass yards and 106 rush yards. The Auburn defense, led by former UF head coach Will Muschamp and defensive linemen Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson, started allowing a comeback by the Cards to make it a 31-24 ballgame. Auburn ran out the clock and Louisville coach Bobby Petrino mysteriously called his final timeout on 3rd down, even though they could have called a timeout on the next play and gotten the ball back. Auburn and Jeremy Johnson (despite his 3 picks) survived, 31-24.

Notre Dame-Texas: The #11 Irish soundly defeated Texas 38-3 in South Bend. Are the Irish legit? Definitely. Are they a playoff-caliber team? Maybe. This loss is an unacceptable one for The University of Texas. It’s one thing to lose, but if you are an elite program there is no excuse to lose by 35 in South Bend, especially if you are Texas. UT’s problems start with the quarterback play. Tyrone Swoopes could be one of the worst starting quarterbacks to ever walk the 40 acres in Texas’ rich history. The Longhorns’ running game mustered just 60 yards over 29 carries (2.1 ypc). This egg laid by Texas meant that they have scored just 20 points over the past three outings, which provides a good reason for their offensive coordinator to be on the hot seat. Texas’ coaching staff deserves some of the blame. First off, the West Coast offense Texas runs does not fit the players that they have. Second, Texas is a worse team than it was in January 2014, when Charlie Strong was hired, which presents the question: was Strong the right hire after all? The UT defense wasn’t much better, as they allowed 527 total yards, and 313 passing yards by QB Malik Zaire. Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller showed he may be the best in the country at his position, as he had 7 catches for 142 yards with 2 touchdowns. It is not a stretch to say that they have relinquished owning the state of Texas, to Texas A&M.

Ohio State-Virginia Tech: The #1 Buckeyes proved they are the most talented team this season. They also showed they don’t have the 2014 Florida State Syndrome, by not taking opponents seriously and cruising through the season, and the NFL prospects having "one foot out the door". When Cardale Jones and Ohio State took a 14-0 lead over the Hokies, it looked like OSU was on their way to yet another blowout over a solid team. Michael Brewer and VT made a comeback, after a long touchdown pass to the fullback on a wheel route. A touchdown and a field goal, and at halftime Virginia Tech somehow took the lead. After halftime, Ohio State showed the talent difference between the two and scored quickly on a 54 yard touchdown by former QB Braxton Miller. The game, though still in reach at 21-17, was over after Michael Brewer got knocked out of the game with a broken clavicle. Ohio State then put their foot on the gas pedal, capped off by a Braxton Miller spin move that can only be done on Madden or NCAA--if that leading to a long rushing touchdown. OSU cruised to a 42-24 victory over Virginia Tech.

Arizona State-Texas A&M: Both teams were hyped up this offseason. ASU and A&M were picked to make the playoff by a couple major analysts. The game started slow and defensive, surprisingly. The Aggies put up the first 14, as Kyle Allen (an Arizona native) threw a touchdown pass to RB Tra Carson and fellow Arizona native, true freshman Christian Kirk returned a punt 79 yards for a TD. Kirk ironically chose to be a Texas A&M Aggie over Arizona State.The A&M defense was swarming and a seemed like a completely new monster led by former LSU DC John Chavis, and star DE Myles Garrett. The Aggies replaced proven starter Kyle Allen, with true freshman and former 5 star Kyler Murray, partly to provide a spark in the running game. Murray rushed for 69 yards, and passed for 49 yards, before his injury led Allen to return to the game, and turn a 17-14 A&M lead, to a 38-17 Texas A&M victory.

Player of the Week: Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA. Are the Bruins 2013 Florida State all over again? If Rosen keeps playing like he did this weekend against Virginia (28-35, 351 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT), it is not inconceivable to say he’s similar to Jameis Winston from 2013. Brett Hundley was a talented, athletic, yet turnover machine who took a lot of sacks, similar to former FSU signal caller EJ Manuel. Will Josh Rosen lead UCLA to the promised land, somewhere Brett Hundley could never get UCLA?

What We Learned This Week: Alabama Crimson Tide

Welp. Today's a pretty busy day for me. With AP US History work up the wazoo and Labor Day festivities, I didn't think I'd have time write a post today. So I texted my buddy Tyler Gottlieb, and he said he'd like to share his thoughts on the Alabama Crimson Tide. I'll be getting more and more guests to help me get news out to you all everyday. This is the start of something new. So to start off the guest post portion of EBSports, here's Tyler's thoughts on the team that never seems to go away.

Despite last years playoff loss to Ohio State, there is no reason the Alabama Crimson Tide aren’t an easy bet for a National Championship. The No. 3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide began the 2015 season with a highly anticipated matchup against the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers. The Tide ran all over the Badgers en route to a 35-17 victory. ‘Bama continues to look like the powerhouse that they are, despite falling to National Champion Ohio State in last years playoff. Nick Saban and company look to continue the dominance that they have displayed since 2009, winning 3 National Championships (2009, 2011, 2012).

RB Derrick Henry takes it 56 yards to the house.

The first, and probably the most recognizable, thing that we learned was that Alabama somehow manages to have a dominant running back year after year after year. After producing Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, and TJ Yeldon, the Crimson Tide have debuted their latest in a long line of talented runners: Derrick Henry. Henry, who split time with Yeldon last season, carried the ball 13 times for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns, even breaking one loose for 56 yards. The potential Heisman hopeful has set a strong tone for this season, and if he continues running like he is, there’s no reason to say he can’t lead Alabama to yet another National Championship and be a top-10 draft pick.

The Tide did a great job spreading the ball around. 9 players recorded a reception, with no player getting more than 4. It seems as though the void left by Amari Cooper won’t be filled by another superstar receiver, at least not this year, but instead by spreading the ball around to the plethora of weapons at Jake Coker’s disposal. That being said, watch out for Calvin Ridley, the true freshman receiver from South Florida (yes, the same Calvin Ridley that only played 3 games his senior year of high school due to age requirements). The 5 star recruit caught 3 passes for 22 yards in the first game of his college career. Ridley seems to be starting his career on the right note, and has some very high expectations, in the wake of Amari Cooper; watch out for him as he develops during the next few seasons.

As usual, the Alabama defense is really good. Wisconsin was held to 40 rushing yards the whole game. Let that sink in; 40 rushing yards the whole game. The Badgers averaged 320.1 last season, 3rd in the FBS. Yes, the Badgers were lucky enough to have Melvin Gordon carrying the ball for them, and three seniors from last years offensive line are no longer on the team, but 40 yards rushing by a team ranked 20th in the nation warrants some credit to the defense. That being said, the Badgers had one rush longer than 5 yards; a 25 yard carry by wide receiver Alex Erickson. Alabama’s rush defense will be crucial in determining their success. The SEC West is full of great running backs, highlighted by LSU’s sophomore ball carrier Leonard Fournette, the number one recruit from 2 years ago, who picked the Tigers over the Tide. The Tide rush defense allowed Ezekiel Elliot to run all over them, leading to a Crimson Tide loss and an ensuing Ohio State National Championship. With a tough schedule, the Crimson Tide go up against Ole Miss, Georgia, and Arkansas. These three games should provide a good measurement of how strong this defense really is, especially if Alabama can find a way to stop Georgia running back Nick Chubb, who shined after he took over for Todd Gurley last year, and looks to be on his way to another strong season this year.

The Tide played strong this week, and have no signs of slowing down. They always seem to find a way to replenish the positions left empty by those that leave for the NFL Draft. In the gauntlet that is the SEC West, Alabama seems eager and ready to rise to the top. The Tide won their last national championship in 2012, but have been oh so close for the past two years. Who can forget the Chris Davis Jr. “Kick Six” that led to Auburn being in the championship game rather than Alabama. The Tide were at the doorstep again last year, but let Ezekiel Elliot run all over them before their season came to an abrupt end. After two years of knocking on the door, you can bet that the Tide are ready to establish themselves as National Champions once more. Nobody should be surprised by this, as this has been the case for years. The Crimson Tide dominate the competition, lose great players to the NFL, and dominate again. They have found the key to consistent dominance in the NCAA, which has eluded every other program since its conception. Hate them or love them, the Alabama Crimson Tide are here to stay.