Welcome back! After two 5-1 weeks, I had a return to earth going 3-3 last Saturday. It wasn't what I had hoped for, but it definitely could have been worse (see my first few weeks this season). However those weeks may have felt though, they pale in comparison to what Team Canada (both Men's and Women's) must be feeling right now. 

I tuned into the Women's final in the second period, and things were looking great. Even through most of the third, I thought they played alright. Things drastically changed in OT where Canada looked fatigued from the get go. The American women just seemed to have another gear, constantly applying pressure and winning puck battles. In the shootout, I definitely thought we had the advantage, but we all know how that played out. A tough loss for a Women's team with a dynasty reputation. Having a legacy of 4 straight Olympic Gold victories is an accomplishment that I don't see being topped any time soon.

As for the men, unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the game and only caught highlights. From what I did see, it looked like we had our chances but Germany just got the better of us (let me know if I'm way off here in the comments). For a team that wasn't expected to make the Finals, playing for Bronze and padding the Canadian Medal total is a win in itself… losing to a team that wasn't expected to make it out of the quarterfinals? Tough pill to swallow. 

Moving on to the NHL, I'm experiencing a tale of two cities (of sorts) with my goaltending in two of my main leagues. In one, I'm third in the top division and am racing for third overall in the points race, all thanks to Connor Hellebuyck. Both he and the Winnipeg Jets are having a season to remember (I'm pulling for them to go all the way), and it's making the price I paid for him this summer (a 3rd round pick) look like highway robbery (sorry Mike).  In my other league, which has a three-way battle for first, I'm currently second and am falling back due to the performance of Braden Holtby who's gone 2-7 in the month of February. 

With that in mind, I am pulling for a big Capitals victory when they face off against the Sabres. I can't see this downward trend going any further, and a home game against a basement dwelling team could just be what the struggling Caps need to get this monkey off their backs.

On to today's games:

Personal Record: 210-141 (60%)

Dobber Record: 68-40 (63%)

Philadelphia @ Ottawa (2:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Philadelphia – Visitor Team Victory – V

Confidence Level: 3.5/5

Boston @ Toronto (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Toronto – Home Team Victory – H

Confidence Level: 4/5

Tampa Bay @ Montreal (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Tampa Bay – Visitor Team Victory – V

Confidence Level: 4/5

Pittsburgh @ Florida (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Pittsburgh – Visitor Team Victory – V

Confidence Level: 4/5

Buffalo @ Washington (7:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Washington – Home Team Victory – H

Confidence Level: 5/5

Anaheim @ Arizona (8:00 PM EST)
 

Pick: Anaheim – Visitor Team Victory – V

Confidence Level: 5/5