Alexander the Great is expected to thrill us... then kill us.

Opening Analysis

While there is no clear consensus on the Cup favourites, one thing is without question: this pool likes cheap thrills.

Specifically, people want a fast ride from Washington despite not thinking they really have a chance to win it all. Capitals were picked 300 times - right up there with Cup favourites Detroit (323), San Jose (302), and more than Boston (254). However only 8 people dared to pick them to win. The Cup favourites are San Jose with 55 picks to win, Boston with 36, and Detroit with 33. On the second tier are Pittsburgh - with 18 Cup picks and 176 player picks, despite being hot at the end of the year - and, surprisingly, Vancouver, picked 16 times to win, 91 players. The Canucks are likely the home-country favourite with the added bonus of a stellar goaltender.

Wonder kid?
Having stated the pool's Capital love, it's not a surprise that Alexander Ovechkin is the pool's top pick, with 122 entries. This is followed by representatives from each of the Cup favourites. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby has slipped down to 7th with 65 picks, five entries short of teammate Evgeni Malkin and of the Common Player Card (below).

Washington also has the most popular defenseman. Mike Green tops the list with 98 picks, displacing Nicklas Lidstrom (77). Lidstrom has alternated between first and second every year for the past six seasons so expect him to be back on top next year. The other contenders, San Jose (Dan Boyle) and Boston (Zdeno Chara), also have their representatives among popular defensemen.

Osgood gets no respect
Poolies again made Evgeni Nabokov (53 picks) the top goalie but at a significant drop from last year's 83, and only four more picks than Boston's Tim Thomas (49). Clearly the goaltending category is up for grabs. Roberto Luongo's strong play last year has him in third with a reasonably high 35 picks.

However, defending Cup champion - and pool kingmaker - Chris Osgood of Detroit was picked only seven times after an average regular season. This even though Detroit is one of the Cup favourites.

In the Name of Parity
The most telling trend this year is that, despite an almost equal number of entries as last year, the top players and top teams have fewer picks. This speaks to that loved-and-hated state of parity the league is striving for... and you could say that it's good for the pool, too. It should be an exciting playoffs with lots of drama in Lord Stanley's Pool! Enjoy!

Series predictions
My predictions mean absolutely nothing, as past pools will show. So without further ado:
Boston, Washington, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Detroit, Vancouver, Calgary. No, I didn't just pick all the highest seeds - look closely.

Common Player Card:
Here are the most common players in this year's pool.

F:
Alexander Ovechkin, Was (122 picks)
Joe Thornton, San (111)
Pavel Datsyuk, Det (105)
Mark Savard, Bos (89)
Evgeni Malkin, Pit (70)
Henrik Zetterberg, Det (69)
D:
Mike Green, Was (98)
Nicklas Lidstrom, Det (77)
G:
Evgeny Nabokov, San (53)


Last year:
F:
Evgeni Malkin, Pit (133 picks)
Sidney Crosby, Pit (124)
Joe Thornton, San (122)
Henrik Zetterberg, Det (118)
Pavel Datsyuk, Det (108)
Alexei Kovalev, Mon (94)
D:
Nicklas Lidstrom, Det (113)
Brian Campbell, San (80)
G:
Evgeny Nabokov, San (83)