The Toronto Maple Leafs were predicted by everyone who knows what they were talking about to be one of the top teams in the NHL this year.
And, as predicted, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the NHL’s best teams yet again.
So good in fact, that they are currently fourth overall and can finish as high as second, with a win tonight and a New Jersey and a Carolina loss.
But what about those other predictions? A lot of people had the Flames as a top team and the Senators finally catching the Leafs, but that didn’t exactly work out so hot.
What you really want to know is how did your boy Tanner do with his predictions? You may recall last year that my top five teams heading into the regular season were Toronto, Tampa, New York, Edmonton and Colorado, and that four of these teams ended up making the final four and the fifth was the Leafs.
If you don’t recall that, you should cause it was awesome. But what about this year?
Toronto Maple Leafs Writer James Tanner (aka me) Predicts the Future
When it comes to the Eastern Conference, here are the teams I said would make the playoffs:
Leafs
Tampa
Boston
Devils
Islanders
Penguins
Rangers
Panthers
I am unsurprised to tell you that I went 7/8 and that the only one I got wrong was the Penguins who missed for the first time in a very long time this year. Carolina made it instead, and were great. I was way off on them, but an impressive set of predictions never the less.
In the West I said these teams would make the playoffs:
Edmonton
Minnesota
Avalanche
Nashville
St Louis
Vegas
Calgary
Seattle
I was wrong about Calgary, St. Louis, and Nashville, and Dallas, LA and Winnipeg made it instead.
Overall, 5/8 in the West and 7/8 in the East for a total score of 12 of 16, or a cool 75%.
That is a pretty good record, and I am especially proud that my two eastern guarantees and my three western guarantees all made it, retaining the insane value of a guarantee from me.
Even though they were never on track to be the best Canadian team (laughable; people just hate the Toronto Maple Leafs) Calgary got insanely unlucky to miss, and this caused Winnipeg to get in by default.
While no one is going to give me a trophy, they damn well should. I hereby congratulate myself on being 75% excellent, and will celebrate with some doctor ordained decaf. Hurray!