Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 4

It was all east, all day. And with the exception of the Thrashers, everybody managed to even up their series as they all prepare to switch cities for the next two games. Tonight's game recaps follow.

Penguins 4, Senators 3
Series tied 1-1
After the Pens got an early goal from Ray Whitney, the Sens evened up the game, then took the lead midway through the second period. It looked like this was going to be Ottawa's game until Pittsburgh mounted a comeback. Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby each got their second goals of the series. All I can say is I kind of wish I'd gotten to see the third period of this one. That's where it really got exciting and the young Penguins showed the Senators they deserved to be in the postseason. NBC carried this game (in HD) in most markets. But not mine. Game 1: Senators 6, Penguins 3

Rangers 2, Thrashers 1
Rangers lead series 2-0
The Rangers got off to a quick start after a kooky goal from Sean Avery (who was a major part of this game) during the first period. He meant to dump it in but it took a strange bounce off the glass and caught Atlanta goalie Johan Hedberg off guard. The Thrash answered five minutes into the third with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal. Then Brendan Shanahan scored with four minutes to go to give New York the win. NBC had this game (also in HD) in a handful of markets in the south and northeast, mine included. I'm watched and it was a good one. Game 1: Rangers 4, Thrashers 3

Lightning 3, Devils 2
Series tied 1-1
I listened to Dave Mishkin call the game online until an anonymous commenter from Cape Coral told me they actually have the game on Comcast cable here in the Fort Myers area (via the FSN New York telecast). I started watching the third period just after Vinny Lecavalier gave the Lightning the lead again and kept watching until the very end. The Bolts got their first lead of the series midway through the first period on a Filip Kuba goal. But the bane of the Lightning's existence in this series, Zach Parise, tied the game with two minutes to go in the period. Jamie Langenbrunner gave the Devils the lead in late in the second but Marty St. Louis tied it up again just a few minutes later. Ultimately, it was Vinny's early third period tally that spelled victory for the Bolts, despite some tense moments at the end of the game when he took a bad penalty. I love hockey! GO BOLTS! Game 1: Devils 5, Lightning 3

Islanders 3, Sabres 2
Series tied 1-1
The Islanders jumped out with the lead by scoring first three minutes into the game. Trent Hunter was credited with the goal which was a redirection of Mike Sillinger's shot. Then Bruno Gervais scored to give New York the two-goal lead and Toni Lydman put Buffalo on the board with 1:02 left in the period. The second period was quiet but the Sabres tied the game two minutes into the third period. Then it was the power play that served the Isles very well. With Maxim Afinogenov in the box, Marc-Andre Bergeron scored what would turn out to be the game-winner. A very enjoyable game. I was glad to see Rick DiPietro reinvigorate his club. I've said it before: hockey is beautiful in Versus HD. Game 1: Sabres 4, Islanders 1

Photos: ESPN.com, CBS Sportsline.com

A Beautiful Sight

Just like I was hoping. This photo is fresh from Game 2. Look at that. How can you deny the undying beauty of something like this? Wonderful.

Predators' Radulov Suspended For Game 2 Hit

April 14, 2007
ESPN / Associated Press

Radulov won't play in Game 3; Hartnell eligible

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NHL on Saturday suspended Predators forward Alexander Radulov for one game for a hitting-from-behind incident involving Sharks forward Steve Bernier in Nashville's first-round series with San Jose.

Radulov will miss Game 3 of the Western Conference series Monday at San Jose. He will be eligible to return for Game 4, on Wednesday at San Jose.

Also Saturday, the NHL rescinded two game misconducts called on Predators forward Scott Hartnell, meaning he won't have to sit out a game in the series with the Sharks.

The calls came Friday in the closing minute of Game 2.

As Hartnell scuffled with Ryan Clowe and Mike Grier, his jersey tie-down was opened causing him to lose his jersey and earn his first game misconduct. The second resulted from the fighting that continued between the two teams.

"The tie-down problem was pretty clear on video," Predators coach Barry Trotz said Saturday. "You see a player yanking on him. It broke the strap on the back of his pants.

"The league reviewed the entire altercation. They sorted it out and determined which was the first fight."

According to league rules, a player who earns two game misconducts in a playoff series has to sit out a game

———

Photo: CBS Sportsline.com

This Just Makes My Heart Smile

This is just one of those rare sights that leaves me with an unexplainable and uncontrollable urge to... well, grin from ear to ear. Here's hoping there's plenty more of that tonight... for Game 2!

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 3

...And we switched back to the West. Exclusively, tonight. Two series got evened up and three players each scored a pair of goals. Now for brief recaps of some exciting Stanley Cup playoff action.

Predators 5, Sharks 2
Series tied 1-1
It's been an ugly series so far. A hit Steve Bernier took from Alexander Radulov resulted in five minutes and a game misconduct for the Predator. Plus at the end of the game, a bunch of Sharks went after Scott Hartnell for his hit on Jonathan Cheechoo the other night. Cheechoo did play tonight, however. But something's got to give because San Jose's been having guys helped off the ice in every game so far. Anyway, the series is tied up now. J.P. Dumont was credited with the game-winner. He scored twice tonight and leads the league in playoff goals with four. Peter Forsberg scored twice as well, including an empty-netter in the last minute.

Stars 2, Canucks 0
Series tied 1-1
Well that's the second Western Conference series to get tied up after two games. Marty Turco earned his first career playoff shutout with 35 saves. Jeff Halpern scored the first goal 24 seconds into the game and Joel Lundqvist netted number two just 45 seconds into the second period. Following a depressing defeat in the fourth overtime of Game 1, Dallas earned the series-evening victory. I enjoyed tonight's action on Versus in rather glorious HD. No other way to watch hockey.

Ducks 3, Wild 2
Ducks lead series 2-0
What began more like a Friday fight night than a hockey game ended with Minnesota putting up a hell of a fight. The Ducks' Francois Beauchemin opened the scoring on the power play in the first period and kept the lead until early in the second when Marian Gaborik netted a beauty for the Wild. But as time ran down in the middle period, the Ducks respondede with a second power play goal from Beauchemin and a short-handed tally from Ryan Getzlaf less than two minutes later. It seemed as if Minnesota was ready to throw in the towel in the third period until Mikko Koivu put the Wild within one with five minutes remaining. It was a hard-fought battle in those last few minutes, and call me crazy, but I was really hoping to see some overtime tonight. In the end, the defensively-strong Anaheim held on for the victory and the two-game lead in the series. By the way, I couldn't have been happier about Versus carrying the TSN feed so I could watch this game. I just wish they'd carried the HD feed. Standard TV just isn't the same anymore.

Photos: ESPN.com, CBS Sportsline.com

Is DiPietro Ready To Come Back?

April 13, 2007
ESPN / Associated Press

DiPietro nears return after 1st practice in 3 weeks

AMHERST, N.Y. — New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro inched closer to returning to the lineup after practicing Friday for the first time in three weeks since sustaining his second concussion.

Coach Ted Nolan said DiPietro looked sharp, but he'll wait until the morning pregame skate Saturday before determining whether the goalie will play in Game 2 of the Islanders' first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at Buffalo.

Nolan, though, expressed hope that DiPietro's potential return would provide the Isles a boost following a 4-1 series-opening loss to the Sabres on Thursday.

"Anytime you get your most valuable player back, a guy who led you all season, it's a big lift for us for sure," Nolan said.

DiPietro has been out since March 25, when he sustained his second concussion in a span of 12 days. He missed the final seven games of the regular season, but New York rallied to win its final four games behind minor-leaguer Wade Dubielewicz and clinch the East's eighth and final playoff berth.

Dubielewicz stopped 31 shots in making his career playoff debut Thursday. DiPietro traveled to Buffalo in time to watch the game after he was cleared by team doctors in Long Island earlier in the day.

The best-of-seven series shifts to Long Island for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday.

Except for feeling a little rusty, DiPietro said he felt fine after practice.

"I think tomorrow morning will be a good indicator and we'll go from there," said DiPietro.

"It's good to be back," DiPietro added. "It's tough to put into words how excited I am to be back and be a part of this. ... If you're a competitor, you want to play and I realize how important these games are."

DiPietro went 32-19-9 with five shutouts this season, his first since signing a 15-year contract.

Holmqvist Or Bust?

April 13, 2007
E.J. Hradek / ESPN The Magazine

Holmqvist needs to improve if Bolts want to survive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If the Lightning are going to beat the Devils in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, inexperienced goaltender Johan Holmqvist is going to have to play better than he did in Thursday's series opener.

A lot better.

Holmqvist, 28, playing in his first career playoff game, looked more than a little shaky in the Lightning's 5-3 loss at the Continental Airlines Arena. Afterward, he was ready to put it behind him.

Well, I can't say he doesn't have the right attitude.

In the first period, Holmqvist's night started with a softy when he allowed Zach Parise's wrist shot to trickle through him. It was the kind of goal that doesn't inspire confidence on the bench. It was also a good illustration of the Devils' game plan against Holmqvist.

"We wanted to get quick shots," Devils right wing Brian Gionta said. "When he gets set, he's a good goalie. Our scouting report says it takes an extra second or two for him to get set. We didn't want to give him that time."

A few moments later, the Devils took a 2-0 lead on a frozen rope of a one-time slapper by captain Patrik Elias from the top of the right-wing circle. Again, Holmqvist seemed a little slow getting across his crease to square up for the shot. In fairness, though, Elias' blast ticked off the stick of Lightning defender Nolan Pratt on its way to the net.

The Bolts' first-line studs, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, weren't about to let a few soft goals get them, or their team, down. When Lecavalier netted his second goal of the game at the 2:51 mark of the third period, the Lightning had pulled even, 3-3.

But, 63 seconds later, Holmqvist couldn't the keep the knot tied. After a neutral-zone turnover by Ruslan Fedotenko, Parise took a pass from Jamie Langenbrunner and moved down the right side. The sophomore sniper banked a shot off the goalie's left shoulder and it went into the net.

Down one, the Lightning again pressed for the equalizer. This time, they couldn't get it.

Any final chance Tampa might have had went down the drain at the 18:38 mark when Gionta beat Holmqvist from in close. On the goal, Holmqvist created his own problem by deciding to flip Gionta's first shot back into play. He was attempting to get the puck to defenseman Paul Ranger, who misread his goalie's intentions. Elias swooped in to pick up the loose puck and made a quick pass to Scott Gomez. He slid the puck to Gionta, who finished the play by beating Holmqvist stick side.

After the game, Tampa coach John Tortorella handled questions about his starter with care.

"He played OK," said Tortorella, who has been known to offer some brutally honest critiques of his own goaltenders. "He can play better. It was his first [playoff] game. He'll be better in the next game."

Tortorella really doesn't have much of a choice but to defend Holmqvist because he doesn't have anywhere else to turn. The coach made it a "Holmqvist or bust" situation for his team when he relegated early-season starter Marc Denis and his dreadful .883 save percentage to street clothes for Game 1, opting to dress less-than-little-known Karri Ramo as the backup.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the rink, it was business as usual for Martin Brodeur, or, as Gomez referred to him, "The Great Martin Brodeur." Making the 154th career playoff appearance, Brodeur kept Tampa at bay down the stretch to secure the win.

"The bigger the stakes, the better he gets," Gomez said. "He's so good, we probably take him a little bit for granted."

Gomez made an interesting point when talking about the future Hall of Famer.

"Every other goalie measures himself against Marty," Gomez said. "They all get up when they play against him. Every night, those goalies at the other end of the rink really want to beat him. Marty knows that, and he knows he has to be on every night. That's a lot of pressure. I think people really overlook that."

If the guy at the other end of the rink is going to beat Brodeur in this series, he'll have to be better than he was Thursday.

A lot better.

E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.

———

While I don't completely agree that Holmqvist is the key to the series, he does need to play better. But he's inexperienced and a little shakiness in his first game is not entirely unexpected. It's also worth noting that Holmqvist has won a championship in Sweden and a Calder Cup in the AHL, so he does have experience carrying teams all the way.

Ahead In Television

It's the end of the week and by now you have all of my predictions for the fall 2007 television season. That said, there are still plenty of pilots in development that I haven't even commented on that could very well be on network schedules this May. So over the next few weeks while we wait for the upfronts, I'm going to do a couple things.

First, next week I'm going to outline all the pilots in production and label them by whether I like them and if I think they have a shot at making the fall schedules. I'll be running those in the same order as this week (and the upfronts). NBC on Monday. ABC on Tuesday. CBS on Wednesday. And FOX on Thursday. So keep and eye out for that, if you have any interest in that sort of thing.

Plus, for the pilots I really like, I'm going to put together posts with photos of the actors who have been cast to start getting a look at everyone together for the first time for these potential new shows. Expect those posts scattered with no rhyme or reason throughout the next few weeks leading up to that wonderful week of network presentations.

This Just In: “Action News” Gets Renamed

All right, I couldn't resist the headline. But seriously, FOX has retitled the Kelsey Grammer/Patricia Heaton-led series Action News to Back To You. They also announced some cast changes including the addition of Ayda Field who is in second position as she has another pilot elsewhere. Field was in Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip this season.

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 2

Last night featured the West and some very long games. Tonight featured the East. And if you thought there a lot of goals last night (21 goals in 4 games), tonight was even better (25 goals in 4 games). Unfortunately, that didn't extend to my Bolts. The Lightning couldn't manage to take the first game of the series. Read on.

Red Wings 4, Flames 1
Red Wings lead series 1-0
Calgary just got outplayed tonight. I was actually called "an idiot" by someone for suggesting that the Flames might get swept. I would have no problem eating my words, but we'll see if I have to. The Red Wings are doing just fine. The Flames have some work to do if they're going to win a game in this series. Niklas Lidstrom scored on the power play for Detroit and Alex Tanguay prevented Hasek's shutout. I watched most of this game on Versus.

Rangers 4, Thrashers 3
Rangers lead series 1-0
I saw a few quick highlights from this game during Hockey Central on Versus. The Jagr goal was nice. Ultimately it was Nylander's that won the game. It's worth noting Atlanta never had the lead during this one either. They didn't look very good. Hope it was a fluke and this series goes the distance. I put my money on the Thrash, you know.

Devils 5, Lightning 3
Devils lead series 1-0
It was a tight game most of the way and I wish I could've been able to watch it. If only Fort Myers made the cut to fit in Sun Sports' Lightning coverage zone. Yes, we lost, but consider who scored our goals: Marty with one and Vinny with a pair. That's kind of what we were looking for. I just wish Holmqvist could've been stronger. Some of those goals were soft. Zach Parise scored twice for New Jersey.

Sabres 4, Islanders 1
Sabres lead series 1-0
I got to watch the third period of this game thanks to bonus coverage from Versus. They carried the TSN feed from Canada. Buffalo pretty well dominated the game. Brian Campbell and Chris Drury each scored twice, including once each on the power play. I think the Isles really need DiPietro back if they're going to have a shot in this series.

By the way, I've added a new feature to the sidebar. I'm keeping a schedule of nationally-televised games for those of us who either live outside NHL markets or just want to watch as much playoff hockey as is humanly possible.

Photos: ESPN.com, CBS Sportsline.com

Versus Investigating Reports 4th OT Went Off Air

April 12, 2007
ESPN/Associated Press

Infomercial reportedly aired in some markets

STAMFORD, Conn. — Some television viewers who stayed up late to watch Dallas' first-round playoff game against Vancouver might have missed Henrik Sedin's fourth-overtime goal.

The game was televised on Versus, and the network said Thursday it received reports the game was switched to an infomercial during the last overtime.

"We are obviously very disappointed to hear that some fans in a few select markets have reported that they did not see the end of this great game," network spokeswoman Katie Bradshaw said.

Henrik Sedin scored 18:06 into the fourth overtime — at about 3:30 a.m. ET Thursday — to give the Canucks a 5-4 Game 1 win over the Stars in the sixth-longest playoff game in NHL history.

"The game did run in its entirety on the Versus network feed," Bradshaw said. "But based on the information we have received, we are currently working with our affiliates in the affected markets to find out what caused the problem and to make sure that this doesn't happen again during the playoffs."

———

If that had happened to me, I would've completely lost it. Imagine staying up until 3 AM (in the east) for an overtime final only to suddenly switch to an infomercial before the game's over.

FOX Fall 2007 : My Hopes & Predictions

This week I'm making my hopes and predictions for the fall public for all to know. Not that anyone would want to. I'm going through and making educated guesses about which shows will be on the primetime schedules come the fall. Be it returning shows or pilots currently in development.

Be warned: I'm an expert only insofar as a self-proclaimed couch-potato can be an expert. I watch a lot of network TV and so here is how I think the fall will go down for FOX. Take a break, Peter Liguori, I'll handle things from here.

MONDAY
08.00 : Prison Break
09.00 : Company Man *new series*

Let Me Explain My Monday
I watched and loved the first season of Prison Break but the beginning of the second didn't hold my attention as well. I've heard, however, that since then they've made huge improvements. I plan to catch up on season two via DVD this summer and watch next season on a regular basis. So since FOX has already confirmed its renewal, I'm leaving Wentworth and his rebel pals in their timeslot.

I'm also a giant fan of 24, but since it gets a late start in January to allow for an uninterrupted run, I'm going with Company Man for the fall. After all, it comes from the producers of 24. The drama is a described as a thriller that centers on a regular guy working for a defense contractor who knows a little too much and gets sucked into the world of espionage. Sound a little like NBC's Chuck? The difference the tone of the series, which is everything. Thrillers have been FOX's bread and butter with the huge success of 24 and Prison Break. I think we can look forward to another hit here. The creators are Robert Cochran and David Ehrman and the pilot was directed by 24's very own Jon Cassar.

TUESDAY
08.00 : New Amsterdam *new series*
09.00 : House

Let Me Explain My Tuesday
You don't want to do too much rearranging when it comes to the hits. People make time for their favorites like House and you don't want them to have to choose between your show and another network.

The new show I'm introducing to the Tuesday lineup is New Amsterdam. It's an interesting one. The show follows a NYPD detective who has been blessed/cursed with immortality. A resident of New York City since the 1640s when it was the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, he brings a unique perspective to solving crimes. But here's the rub, he can become mortal again once he finds his "one true love." Cheesy? Maybe, but it sounds to me like a fascinating premise. The only problem is I don't recognize a single name on the cast or crew. Maybe they'll surprise me.

WEDNESDAY
08.00 : Bones
09.00 : Them *new series*

Let Me Explain My Wednesday
Bones, like House and Prison Break have already gotten word of a new season from the network and I'm content to leave it where it is. I don't watch it but I hear it's an okay hour of TV.

Now the fun part. Like New Amsterdam, Them has a cool, funky premise. It's about an alien sleeper cell living on Earth among humans, basically gathering information for a mission they don't really know anything about. The twist is that they can become tempted by the planet's offerings and get distracted from their mission. I'm curious. The cast features Rachel Nichols and Tricia Helfer and I've never heard of any of the producers. I have a feeling though that this might end up being one of those cool ideas that the writers fail to execute well.

THURSDAY
08.00 : Action News *new series*
08.30 : The Return Of Jezebel James *new series*
09.00 : Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Let Me Explain My Thursday
To start off the night, I'm selecting a pair of new comedies with a lot of potential. First off, FOX has already made a 13-episode commitment to Action News. But I'm not surprised. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton headline a cast that also includes Fred Willard. The show is about the reunion of a male-female news anchor team when, after an on-air tirade ends a network gig, Chuck Darling (Grammer) returns to his old station. The producers are Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan of Frasier fame. And no one with a sense of humor can deny Frasier was the pinnacle of comedy. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

The Return Of Jezebel James marks Amy Sherman-Palladino's return to television after prematurely departing from Gilmore Girls, a show I never really watched. I've seen a few episodes and I like her writing style (remind anyone of Aaron Sorkin?), I'm only a little weary about the fact that's its a multi-camera comedy. This means the always-irritating laugh track. (You'll notice its the ONLY multi-camera pilot I'm suggesting for any network this season.) I'm just not sure how the incessant interruptions for canned chortling will affect the rhythm of the dialogue. Jezebel James stars Parker Posey (as Sarah) and Lauren Ambrose (as Coco) as estranged sisters leading very different lives who come together to raise a baby. The title comes from the name of Coco's childhood imaginary friend about whom Sarah has written a children's book.

I'm as annoyed as anybody that I have Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? as my Thursday night anchor, but while I'm writing about my hopes here, I feel I need to use some real logic too. And logic tells me a ratings smash like this deserves a worth timeslot. (Secretly, I'm hoping CSI and Grey's Anatomy will kill it, even though they seem to be seeking out very different audiences.)

FRIDAY
08.00 : Nanny 911
09.00 : K-Ville *new series*

Let Me Explain My Friday
I don't like Nanny 911 although I did know somebody who was on the show. But I guess people watch it, so it can stay. What I'm looking forward to is a new show called K-Ville which is a police drama set in New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina hit. The network describes it as the "new Wild West" in that criminals roam the streets with assault weapons and the city is still in chaos. The cast features John Carroll Lynch, Tawny Cypress (last seen on NBC's Heroes) and Anthony Anderson. It sounds like it will combine quirky humor with serious police storylines. I don't know any of the writers but director Deran Sarafian as helmed some of my favorite House episodes. So I'm on the fence about this one until I actually see it.

SATURDAY
08.00 : Cops
08.30 : Cops
09.00 : America's Most Wanted

Let Me Explain My Saturday
Not much to say here. Cops and America's Most Wanted are a Saturday night staple on FOX. Who am I to stir the pot?

SUNDAY
07.00 : repeats
07.30 : repeats
08.00 : The Simpsons
08.30 : American Dad
09.00 : Family Guy
09.30 : Til Death *new night & time*

Let Me Explain My Sunday
Unlike CBS, FOX has realized scheduling shows on Sunday during football season often is tricky. Games almost always run long and cause shows to be pushed back, annoying TiVo users who end up missing most of their shows on this night. To combat this, FOX has been scheduling repeats for Sunday at 7 which can be dropped in the likely event a game runs over.

I like The Simpsons even though I don't watch it every week. I sometimes doubt whether it will ever end. American Dad annoys me as it's a less-funny rehash of Family Guy. I'm keeping all those shows where they are and moving Brad Garrett's Til Death to a new night to replace The War At Home (which I'm canceling).

MIDSEASON
As always, you need a handful of shows that can step in and serve as a replacement when one of your new shows does a swirly. I'm adding a few new dramas for the winter and I'll get to that in just a moment. But first, it should go without saying that 24 and American Idol will be back in January. I don't hate American Idol like most reality shows, but I am somewhat annoyed by it and the people whose fantasies they give in to.

I'm also hanging on to King Of The Hill for a late premiere. And I'll make a mention of Drive here, but like ABC's Traveler, it has yet to premiere so I can't say whether it warrants being on the fall schedule at this point.

Canterbury's Law is a new Denis Leary project starring Julianna Margulies who plays the title character of Elizabeth Canterbury. She is a defense attorney who is "willing to bend the law to protect the wrongfully accused." It piqued my interest so I wouldn't mind seeing it serve as a replacement later in the year.

I'm also curious about Supreme Courtships, a new show that takes an irreverent, behind-the-scenes look at the U.S. Supreme Court. It follows the lives of six twentysomething clerks made up of an impressive cast which includes Camille Guaty (FOX's Prison Break), Kate Burton (ABC's Grey's Anatomy), Kurtwood Smith (FOX's That '70s Show) and Shane West (NBC's ER). John Eisendrath (ABC's Alias) and Marty Adelstein serve as executive producers. I'll keep my eye out for this one as well.

CANCELED
FOX already put the ax to Justice, Vanished, Happy Hour, The Wedding Bells (wrongfully) and The O.C. (righfully). Now I'll take the liberty of adding The War At Home, Trading Spouses and The Winner, the latter of which is, for Rob Corddry, embarrassingly unfunny. Having never seen The War At Home, I'm killing it for no other reason than hoping to see Michael Rapaport be fugly on CBS.

EL FIN
So there, that was my run at playing the FOX Entertainment President. Liguori, you can have the job back now. I also look forward to seeing your selection next month. And that wraps it up. I won't be covering The CW. I don't watch it. At all.

FOX is fun because they tend to take more risks than anyone else when it comes to trying out new ideas. Do you think anyone else would've given 24 a shot back in 2001? Now here it is possibly going on to a seventh season. By the way, built in tagline for that season: 24/7. Get it?

Not that you asked, but my FOX shows are House, Prison Break and, of course, 24. I'm looking forward to the season finales of House and 24 next month and catching up on Prison Break on DVD this summer.

Peter Liguori announces the official FOX fall schedule on Thursday, May 17.

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Night 1

Wow, were the Penguins caught in the headlights tonight or what? And could the night have possibly gone any longer? Regardless, the last thing anyone can say about the opening night of the 2007 postseason is that there aren't enough goals in hockey. In just four games, we saw 21 goals. Here's a recap of the night's matchups.

Senators 6, Penguins 3
Senators lead series 1-0
I caught bits of this game here and there on Versus but don't let the score fool you. It was 6-1 at one point. The Pens got utterly crushed. And before you ask, yes Crosby got a goal. A completely inconsequential and meaningless goal. Now as far as my prediction goes, the Pens have to win the next four straight or I'm wrong. Anyone think I have a shot at being right?

Sharks 5, Predators 4, 2OT
Sharks lead series 1-0
Nashville battled back... almost. They recovered from a 4-2 deficit only to fall in double-OT. I didn't get to see this one (except for highlights on Versus), but I wish I did. Bad news for San Jose though. A bad hit by Scott Hartnell resulted in Jonathan Cheechoo having to be helped off the ice. No word on when he'll be back yet.

Canucks 5, Stars 4, 4OT
Canucks lead series 1-0
Good god, it's over! I know this wasn't the longest game in league history, but it sure felt like it. And I watched every single second, through four overtimes. Truthfully, I can't believe it's actually over. Seriously though, it was an amazing game and a killer way to open the playoffs. And Luongo won his first-ever playoff game. I truly enjoyed it and it's just a shame that only one team could win. I should also mention that I'm glad Versus broadcasts games in HD. There is no better way to watch hockey unless you're there.

Ducks 2, Wild 1
Ducks lead series 1-0
The Ducks snatched the win with five minutes to go to give them the lead in the series. I didn't get to watch this game but saw highlights on Versus during the intermission breaks. I forgot how many there were. Ridiculous.

Photos: ESPN.com

Pair Of Pilots Get New Names

Couple of brief notes. Two of the pilots I wrote about in my fall television predictions have gotten new titles as of today.

ABC has changed the name of Bedrooms & Boardrooms to Perfect Gentlemen. You can read my thoughts on that pilot under the Midseason section on this post.

Plus, for some reason, CBS changed Fugly to The Stumps Of Hollywood. Personally, I think Fugly is a much funnier title, but we'll survive. I wrote about it under the Wednesday lineup here.

I've already made the changes on the fall prediction pages, noting the former titles.

CBS Fall 2007 : My Hopes & Predictions

This week I'm making my hopes and predictions for the fall public for all to know. Not that anyone would want to. I'm going through and making educated guesses about which shows will be on the primetime schedules come the fall. Be it returning shows or pilots currently in development.

Be warned: I'm an expert only insofar as a self-proclaimed couch-potato can be an expert. I watch a lot of network TV and so here is how I think the fall will go down for CBS. Eat your heart out, Les Moonves.

MONDAY
08.00 : How I Met Your Mother *new time*
08.30 : The Big Bang Theory *new series*
09.00 : Two And A Half Men
09.30 : The New Adventures Of Old Christine
10.00 : CSI: Miami

Let Me Explain My Monday
The only episode of How I Met Your Mother that I ever watched was on the day after this year's Super Bowl. And I laughed. It's not my kind of show, but it was funny. CBS has a pretty strong set of Monday night comedies. I dare anyone to mess with them. Therefore, I'm keeping Two And A Half Men and The New Adventures Of Old Christine right where they are. That and CSI: Miami. Like they say: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The only change I'm making to the night is the addition of The Big Bang Theory, a new series about a couple of eggheads (read: theoretical physicists) who meet a woman who shows them how little they know about real life. Like the majority of CBS's multi-camera comedies, the premise is lackluster but the folks behind it have had some success with being funny. Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady wrote the pilot and James Burrows directed it. Can't say much for the cast, though. The only names I recognized were Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki.

TUESDAY
08.00 : NCIS
09.00 : Criminal Minds *new night*
10.00 : Babylon Fields *new series*

Let Me Explain My Tuesday
In the days when I watched more TV, NCIS was on my list. I've missed almost all of the past few seasons, though. But I like it. I like the characters and I like the dialogue. I hardly notice the investigation storylines. I've never watched Criminal Minds but I hear it's a hit so it stays, just on a different night. You'll see why.

Now here's where the fun begins. Babylon Fields sounds like an absolute riot. Truthfully, I'm shocked CBS even considered going into development with such a crazy idea. Let me paint you a picture. Quaint town, average family. Dad's a mean drunk. Mom and daughter conspire to kill him and get away with it. Until... he comes back from the dead! It's a comedic drama wherein the dead come back to life and try to resume their lives. Amber Tamblyn and Kathy Baker star.

WENDESDAY
08.00 : Jericho
09.00 : Atlanta *new series*
09.30 : The Stumps Of Hollywood *new series*
10.00 : CSI: NY

Let Me Explain My Wednesday
First off, I'm enjoying the hell out of Jericho. At first I wasn't sure how the writers would find a way to keep the show interesting after the first few weeks but they have managed. So I'm keeping it right where it is along with CSI: NY.

With Criminal Minds moved to Tuesday, I opened up a slot to add a couple of comedies. I think we should have more than just Monday set aside for laughs (although, Babylon Fields). The interesting thing about these two comedies is their single-camera nature. If I'm not mistaken, this might be a first for CBS.

Atlanta is a comedy from Paul Reiser and Harold Ramis (hello? jackpot!) about a man and a woman who meet at a funeral and then can't seem to stop running into each other. Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Leslie Bibb have been cast as the leads. You know Reiser from NBC's Mad About You and Ramis from the film Groundhog Day.

The Stumps Of Hollywood (formerly titled Fugly) is a comedy from Greg Garcia and Todd Holland (hello?! double jackpot!) about three ugly siblings (twin sisters and a brother) who pool their money to get plastic surgery for one and move to L.A. and live off her new looks. Michael Rapaport and Nikki Cox star. Rapaport, however, is still committed to FOX's The War At Home, should it get picked up for another season. You know Garcia from NBC's My Name Is Earl and Holland from FOX's short-lived Wonderfalls.

THURSDAY
08.00 : Survivor
09.00 : CSI:
10.00 : Shark

Let Me Explain My Thursday
Is there really anything that needs to be said? It's a solid lineup and it has served The Eye quite well. I refer you back to that mantra about fixing broken things.

FRIDAY
08.00 : Viva Laughlin! *new series*
09.00 : Close To Home
10.00 : NUMB3RS

Let Me Explain My Friday
A bold choice to be sure, but I thought it might be interesting to see Viva Laughlin! on the air. I've never really heard of a primetime musical series. But I like Hugh Jackman and DB Woodside. I'm also a fan of British television, which reminds me, this is yet another U.K. import.

And anyway, I know I've been calling Friday night a garbage night, but it's different for CBS. Their audience usually avoids going out dancing for fear of breaking a hip. So to round out the night, I'll leave Close To Home and NUMB3RS right where they are.

SATURDAY
08.00 : repeats
09.00 : repeats
10.00 : 48 Hours Mystery

Let Me Explain My Saturday
Saturday serves a purpose in network TV: to repurpose. I'm fairly sure I'm using that term incorrectly but the joke was hard to avoid. We'll give the people reruns of the CSIs and what have you and toss in a little news magazine goodness in the end.

SUNDAY
07.00 : 60 Minutes
08.00 : The Amazing Race
09.00 : Cold Case
10.00 : Without A Trace

Let Me Explain My Sunday
If I had my way, I'd dip into the afternoon and cancel the football coverage, but since that's not up to me, I guess I'll leave it. The problem is the games always run over and always cause my TiVo to miss The Amazing Race. And I do love my Race. It's the ax to football or join 60 Minutes in progress. No, I know, that's never going to happen.

But just so you know, I was tempted to move The Amazing Race back to Tuesday and put Criminal Minds on Sunday. On the other hand, I did enjoy the Race-Case-Trace promos from last year. That reminds me. I'm keeping Cold Case and Without A Trace in their tried and true spots.

MIDSEASON
Can we please move on to the midseason now? As always, you need a handful of shows that can step in and serve as a replacement when one of your new shows does a swirly. I'm keeping The Unit but it will have to wait as there are just not enough hours in the week.

Now I'll move on to the new shows I'd like to see hit the airwaves in the not-too-distant future. Protect & Serve is one of those shows I like for the cast, despite the crew. Consider the likes of Dean Cain, Steve Harris, Monica Potter and Eric Balfour sharing the screen in a drama about cops living in the L.A. suburbs, dealing with stress on and off the job. But then Gary Scott Thompson is an executive producer. He's the genius behind NBC's Las Vegas. And I'm not amused.

The Captain is a single-camera comedy with a decent cast but a questionable premise. All it says is that a young writer's "life changes when he moves into an old Hollywood apartment building." So I have my doubts, but Chris Klein, Jeffrey Tambor and Raquel Welch are on board, so I'll give it a chance.

Twilight is a drama about a P.I./vampire who struggles with immortality and the feelings he has for a mortal. There's not a lot of information about this show, but if Rade Sherbedgia is the lead (read: vampire), I'd watch. But somehow, I just don't see this ever making it to air on CBS.

And that will bring us a drama about an ex-Jesuit priest/psychologist who performs exorcisms called Demons. With Ron Eldard as the lead and Harold Perrineau (ABC's Lost) co-starring, how could you go wrong really? Great actors and a fascinating premise. It might also be worth noting that this show comes from Barbara Hall, who last brough Joan Of Arcadia to our TV screens. So, yeah.

CANCELED
CBS already put the ax to 3 Lbs., The King Of Queens and Smith. If you don't mind, I'll take the liberty of adding Armed & Famous, Rules Of Engagement, Ghost Whisperer and The Class to the chopping block. I watched the beginning of The Class. Funny but nothing special.

EL FIN
So there, that was my run at playing the CBS Entertainment President. Moonves, you can have the job back now. I look forward to seeing your selection next month, as well.

CBS is not a network I'd have a lot of fun programming. It just seems like too many of their shows are too... lame. I recognize that was a lame description, but I can't help it. The three CSIs, Shark, NCIS, NUMB3RS, Close To Home, Cold Case, Criminal Minds and Without A Trace are all basically cop shows about meticulously solving crimes. It's like watching someone do a jigsaw puzzle. Almost literally at times. Boring. I'll take NBC, ABC or FOX over CBS any day.

Not that I don't enjoy some of their offerings. My CBS shows are The Amazing Race, Jericho and NCIS when I catch it.

Les Moonves announces the official CBS fall schedule on Wednesday, May 16.

Last Minute Predictions From ESPN

While I was off trying to get some even coverage from all the big sports outlets, I completely skipped over ESPN's experts and I like all those guys. So here's how John Buccigross, Scott Burnside, E.J. Hradek and Barry Melrose think the first round will play out.

Buffalo vs. NY Islanders
John Buccigross Sabres in 5
Scott Burnside Sabres in 5
E.J. Hradek Sabres in 5
Barry Melrose Sabres in 5
My Verdict Again Sabres in 5
The Consensus Sabres... in 5, apparently

New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay
John Buccigross Devils in 6
Scott Burnside Lightning in 7
E.J. Hradek Devils in 6
Barry Melrose Devils in 7
My Verdict Again Lightning in 6
The Consensus Devils

Atlanta vs. NY Rangers
John Buccigross Rangers in 7
Scott Burnside Thrashers in 7
E.J. Hradek Rangers in 6
Barry Melrose Thrashers in 6
My Verdict Again Thrashers in 7
The Consensus Thrashers

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
John Buccigross Penguins in 6
Scott Burnside Senators in 5
E.J. Hradek Penguins in 6
Barry Melrose Senators in 6
My Verdict Again Penguins in 5
The Consensus Penguins

Detroit vs. Calgary
John Buccigross Red Wings in 7
Scott Burnside Red Wings in 7
E.J. Hradek Flames in 6
Barry Melrose Flames in 7
My Verdict Again Red Wings in 4
The Consensus Red Wings, but probably not by the margin I've suggested

Anaheim vs. Minnesota
John Buccigross Ducks in 7
Scott Burnside Ducks in 6
E.J. Hradek Ducks in 7
Barry Melrose Ducks in 6
My Verdict Again Wild in 7
The Consensus Ducks, though somewhat ironically yesterday's consensus was the Wild

Vancouver vs. Dallas
John Buccigross Canucks in 6
Scott Burnside Stars in 7
E.J. Hradek Stars in 6
Barry Melrose Canucks in 7
My Verdict Again Canucks in 6
The Consensus Canucks

Nashville vs. San Jose
John Buccigross Sharks in 6
Scott Burnside Sharks in 7
E.J. Hradek Sharks in 7
Barry Melrose Sharks in 6
My Verdict Again Predators in 6
The Consensus Sharks, and once again I think I'm the only person on earth who has faith in Nashville

For ESPN's rather extensive coverage of the postseason, including schedules, results and anything else you could think of, click here.

DiPietro Skates, But Not Ready To Return To Isles

April 10, 2007
Associated Press

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Rick DiPietro skated before the rest of the New York Islanders practiced on Tuesday, but Wade Dubielewicz is expected to start in goal in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres.

DiPietro hasn't played or even practiced with the team since the second of two concussions sustained 12 days apart sidelined him following a March 25 loss to the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old goalie, in the first season of a 15-year deal with the Islanders, hopes to have a neurological exam at the end of this week that could clear him to play in the postseason.

"I felt really good," DiPietro said. "As long as I don't have headaches. It's been a while since I got the nauseous feeling, so it seems like everything's going in the right direction. Obviously you have to go through the right channels and the right steps, and hopefully I'll be ready soon.

———

I'm telling you. The Isles are toast. Dubielewicz is fine and all that but this the playoffs. And Buffalo is still reeling from the 1999 "skate-in-the-crease incident" with Brett Hull. I was going for the Stars that year. And I stayed up all night to watch that game.

ABC Fall 2007 : My Hopes & Predictions

This week I'm making my hopes and predictions for the fall public for all to know. Not that anyone would want to. I'm going through and making educated guesses about which shows will be on the primetime schedules come the fall. Be it returning shows or pilots currently in development.

Be warned: I'm an expert only insofar as a self-proclaimed couch-potato can be an expert. I watch a lot of network TV and so here is how I think the fall will go down for ABC. Back away, Stephen McPherson, back away slowly.

MONDAY
08.00 : Wife Swap
09.00 : The Bachelor
10.00 : Eli Stone *new series*

Let Me Explain My Monday
I don't like Wife Swap, I don't watch Wife Swap. But whatever, I'll leave it. It's one of those reality shows that, rather inexplicably, people do watch. Same goes for The Bachelor. I'll keep it and let it lead into a new show.

That new show will be Eli Stone, a drama centering around a cutthroat corporate lawyer who begins having visions that turn his world upside down. The show combines spirituality and fantasy with quirky humor and sincere passion. The network even goes so far as to compare the show to a hybrid of The Ghost Whisperer, Monk and The Practice, the latter of which is the only one I've ever watched/liked. Regardless, it sounds like an interesting premise and I like the folks behind it.

The creators are Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. (I never watched Everwood but I've only heard good things about it.) The director is Ken Olin, who directed many of my favorite episodes of Alias. I'm also a fan of members of the cast: Johnny Lee Miller plays the title character and Loretta Devine, Natasha Henstridge and Victor Garber (ABC's Alias) are some of the other names I recognize. Garber is a favorite of mine from his days as Jack Bristow.

TUESDAY
08.00 : George Lopez
08.30 : The Thick Of It *new series*
09.00 : October Road *new night & time*
10.00 : Boston Legal

Let Me Explain My Tuesday
Never watched George Lopez, probably never will, but I understand its ratings are decent and that's that. I'm also keeping October Road, just on a new night. I watched the premiere last month and while I wasn't impressed or anything, it wasn't that bad.

Now the fun part. The Thick Of It is another BBC adaptation. But unlike NBC"s Coupling and other such catastrophes, this one was written by none other than Mitchell Hurwitz. If you never saw FOX's Arrested Development, do yourself a favor and check out the DVDs. There are three seasons worth and hardly a moment will pass that doesn't leave you laughing so hard it hurts. (Not an oversell, try me.)

I'm starting to ramble again. The Thick Of It is a single-camera comedy that follows a barely-elected, inept Congressman and the rather ridiculous inner-workings of the U.S. government. Without having seen it, I'm thinking Arrested Development (naturally) with a little The West Wing mixed in there. I'm looking forward to it. Directed by Christopher Guest, the cast features John Michael Higgins, Alex Borstein, Wayne Wilderson (recently on NBC's The Office) and one of my favorites, Oliver Platt (I enjoyed him on Showtime's Huff).

Boston Legal will keep its timeslot. I'm a fan of a lot of what David E. Kelley produces and this show knocks it out of the park most weeks. When it began, I was a devoted fan, but along the way I've missed episodes here and there. I have the first two seasons on DVD and will have the third when it's available.

WEDNESDAY
08.00 : Cavemen *new series*
08.30 : The News *new series*
09.00 : Private Practice *new series*
10.00 : Dirty Sexy Money *new series*

Let Me Explain My Wednesday
You don't have to tell me it's a risky move to design an entire night of brand new shows, but here's why I think it could work. Two of the four shows won't be completely unfamiliar to viewers. To start, anyone who watches a normal amount of television has seen Geico's cavemen ad series at least once. They're hilarious. I'm a little skeptical as to whether the premise warrants a series, but I'm starting the night out with Cavemen nonetheless.

The News is another example of a powerful creative force. Ric Swartzlander wrote it and Marc Buckland directed it. Ever watched NBC's My Name Is Earl? Not sure I need to say more. The show delves into the "ego-ridden, hyped-up world of local TV news" and features a cast comprised of, among others, Barry Bostwick, Jay Harrington and Rachel Boston.

I think it's a fair guess that good percentage of the people who watch Grey's Anatomy will at least give Private Practice a shot so I'm betting on it being strong enough to anchor the night. For those who haven't heard, the spin-off will follow Kate Walsh's Addison to a new town and includes co-stars such as Taye Diggs, Merrin Dungey, Tim Daly and Amy Brenneman, to name a few. I and many others will be surprised if ABC passes on this potential gem of a series.

Lastly, Dirty Sexy Money is a drama that comes from the aforementioned Greg Berlanti and director Peter Horton. The show follows the exploits of a rich, spoiled, powerful family from the Upper East Side of New York City. Think: the Kennedys. Donald Sutherland, Peter Krause, Samaire Armstrong and William Baldwin make up a part of the impressive cast. And dude, the family's name: the Darlings. Seriously. We'll see how it goes with this one. You never know.

THURSDAY
08.00 : Ugly Betty
09.00 : Grey's Anatomy
10.00 : Football Wives *new series*

Let Me Explain My Thursday
What is there to say about Thursday? I don't like Ugly Betty and I don't understand how it wasn't the first show canceled last season, but it lasted and even managed to hold on to a coveted Thursday night slot. So who am I to cancel it?

Grey's Anatomy is an obvious choice to leave well enough alone. It might also be worth mentioning that I watched the first season and a little bit of the second. I plan to catch up on DVD as time goes by. I've liked what I've seen.

And then there's the second in a trio of British adaptations to round out the night. Football Wives chronicles the lives of three women and their husbands who are teammates on a fictional NFL team in Orlando. Here's the rub, though: the only members of the crew I recognize I last saw as producers on North Shore. So it should go without saying that I'm not really holding my breath. But the premise is just the sort of thing that might hit it big with the audience. That and the cast: James Van Der Beek, Eddie Cibrian, Ving Rhames, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Lawless and Kiele Sanchez (recently on Lost).

FRIDAY
08.00 : Supernanny *new night & time*
09.00 : Men In Trees
10.00 : 20/20

Let Me Explain My Friday
Like I've said, Friday has typically been a throw-away night when it comes to network television. Ergo, Supernanny to open the evening. Don't watch, don't care to. You've heard it all before. Reality shows are cheap to produce and networks have 22 hours per week to fill with programming.

I saw the first episode of Men In Trees and it was funny and quirky like Ed, but I guess it didn't have whatever Ed did to really hold me as a viewer. But it's not a bad show and ABC already renewed so there it is. On the schedule. We'll polish off the night with some good ol' 20/20.

SATURDAY
08.00 : Saturday Night College Football

Let Me Explain My Saturday
As if Friday night wasn't bad enough. I don't know what else to fill the night with aside from movies, so Saturday Night College Football works for me.

SUNDAY
07.00 : America's Funniest Home Videos
08.00 : Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
09.00 : Desperate Housewives
10.00 : Brothers & Sisters

Let Me Explain My Sunday
America's Funniest Home Videos is an hilarious ABC staple and will be for years to come. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is stupid and pointless and will be for years to come. I haven't watched Desperate Housewives since the first season but the network already picked it up. I saw the premiere of Brothers & Sisters and was unimpressed but I've since heard they've made leaps and bounds in quality so I'd like to catch up and give it another try.

MIDSEASON
As always, you need a handful of shows that can step in and serve as a replacement when one of your new shows does a swirly. I'm keeping Dancing With The Stars (not sure why) and Primetime (soft news makes for great filler).

In addition, I'm obviously keeping Lost (since ABC already picked it up) for a fourth season. Hands down my favorite show on television. I love it and I always have. I read somewhere (accuracy as ever) that ABC is giving the producers what they want, a true midseason premiere, a la FOX's 24. It will give the show a continuous, uninterrupted run and not annoy the fans who are impatient when it comes to waiting for a new episode. As for Lost's timeslot placement, I'd either give Dirty Sexy Money a limited run until January or else wait until somebody crashes and burns.

That being said, there are quite a few new shows I'm going to put up for midseason. It might be more than a little ambitious especially when you consider that a show that was announced by ABC last May won't be premiering until almost June of this year (that is, Traveler, which I am looking forward to seeing).

Okay, enough whining already. Life On Mars is that third BBC series being converted for American TV by the American Broadcasting Company. The show gets its title from the David Bowie song of the same name and is about a detective who wakes up 30 years in the past (remember Journeyman on NBC?). He has to solve crimes without the aide of present-day tools and equipment and so forth. But more importantly, there's a girl he likes and needs save from imminent death. Can he?

Now here's the hook: David E. Kelley wrote the pilot. The reason it's not on the fall schedule, though, is that ABC pushed it back while they seek out a new lead actor. With the talent pool diminishing during pilot season, it's been difficult for the producers to nail down the right fella. Better to improve quality and premiere late than rush to premiere and ignore quality. Anyway, I watched the first few installments of the original British version on BBC America and enjoyed it very much. I'm looking forward to DEK's version.

Another show I'm saving for later is The Call. It's a single-camera comedy about a paramedics riding around in an ambulance all day. The show comes from the producers of Kitchen Confidential and 24, and naturally, takes place in real time. ABC describes it as an "hilarious, high octane thrill ride." I'll keep my eyes peeled.

One show I'm on the fence about but still interested in seeing make the schedule is TV version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Obviously Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been recast. Go figure. Jordana Brewster and Martin Henderson will be filling the title roles and if for no other reason than the premise (husband and wife spies don't know each other's true identities) and to see Doug Liman do something on television other than The O.C. and Heist.

All right now, there's just one more. I'm interested in Perfect Gentlemen (formerly titled Bedrooms & Boardrooms) solely for the cast, since the writer, Jon Harmon Feldman, last wrote Reunion for FOX. Not impressive. That show was a good idea but poorly executed. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt this time, however, considering the talent he's cobbled together. There's Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina, Nia Long, Paige Turco and Michael Vartan. Tell me that's not a brilliant group of actors. The show is basically about the blurred line between the boardroom and the bedroom and follows the travails of four CEOs who will do anything to stay on top.

CANCELED
ABC already put the ax to Six Degrees and Day Break. I believe I'll take the liberty of adding The Nine, According To Jim, Big Day, The Knights Of Prosperity, In Case Of Emergency, Help Me Help You and What About Brian to that list. I hope I'm not going overboard though. I just figured ABC's probably going to do it anyway so I'll beat them to the punch.

EL FIN
So there, that was my run at playing the ABC Entertainment President. McPherson, you can have the job back now. I look forward to seeing your selection next month, as well.

Just briefly now, you may notice that I went without mentioning Traveler in my schedule. Since it has yet to premiere, I can hardly make a ruling on it one way or another for the fall. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

It's weird how few half-hour comedy series ABC has had in the last couple years. Last year's fall schedule listed only one (and it's been canceled). I added a few and got rid of a few. But you know, you can do comedy in an hourlong format too. Just ask Boston Legal and Desperate Housewives. Sometimes it's even more effective that way.

I know you didn't ask, but my ABC shows are Lost, Boston Legal, October Road

Stephen McPherson announces the official ABC fall schedule on Tuesday, May 15.

Panthers' Belfour, Peltonen Arrested After South Beach Scuffle

April 9, 2007
The Associated Press News Service

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour was arrested at a popular South Beach bar early Monday after a scuffle with a police officer.

Belfour and teammate Ville Peltonen were at the bar when security guards from the club asked police to make Belfour leave, police said.

The 41-year-old hockey player refused and walked toward the officer "in a fighting stance" and pushed him, a Miami Beach police report said.

Belfour pulled away from the officer trying to arrest him and grabbed his shirt. The hockey player then fell forward on the ground, kicking and refusing to place his hands behind his back, the report said.

Belfour had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, police said. He was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence.

Peltonen, 33, was charged with criminal mischief after he broke a metal pole off a fire rescue truck parked in the area, a police report said.

Belfour was released later Monday from Miami-Dade County jail on $1,500 bond. Peltonen was released on $500 bond.

"We have been informed about the incident that occurred last night and we are currently in the process of gathering all the information," the Panthers said in a statement. "We have no further comment at this time."

While playing for the Dallas Stars in 2000, Belfour pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest following a scuffle with a security guard at an upscale hotel.

He was sentenced to two years' probation and a $3,000 fine.

———

It might be fair to say that somebody was a little disappointed about missing the playoffs.

More Postseason Prognostications

I just got tired of the word predictions. Anyway, I've been doing a little reading up around the net and I'm not the only one making guesses on the outcomes in the first round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. So I'm going to share them and we'll see how they stack up against mine.

SPORTSNATION at ESPN.com is holding a poll for viewers to pick their favorites. At the time of this post, over 80,000 votes have been cast. I'll just post the consensus here. Also, Al Strachan of FOXSports.com has selected the teams he thinks will win (wasn't brave enough to predict the number of games, though). And over at CBS Sportsline and NBC Sports, they've each gathered their hockey experts. So for that I'll show their consensuses. Then I'll add a reminder of my picks from earlier today along with an averaging of everything.

Buffalo vs. NY Islanders
SPORTSNATION 58% say Sabres in 5
FOX Sports Sabres
CBS Sportsline Sabres, 5-0
NBC Sports Sabres, 8-0
My Verdict Sabres in 5
Averaging Everything Sabres, overwhelmingly. Nobody seems to think the Isles have a chance. That's the makings of a great comeback story, right there. But yeah, it's not going to happen.

New Jersey vs. Tampa Bay
SPORTSNATION 42% say Devils in 6 (11% agree with me)
FOX Sports Devils
CBS Sportsline Lightning, 3-2
NBC Sports Devils, 6-2
My Verdict Lightning in 6
Averaging Everything Devils, slightly. Everyone's been saying this series will be about goaltending and I'm not sure they're wrong. It'll be Johan Holmqvist's first postseason but I think he can handle it. I hope he can handle it.

Atlanta vs. NY Rangers
SPORTSNATION 27% say Rangers in 6 (15% agree with me)
FOX Sports Rangers
CBS Sportsline Rangers, 4-1
NBC Sports Rangers, 8-0
My Verdict Thrashers in 7
Averaging Everything Rangers, by a lot. Nobody but me seems to think Atlanta has a chance against New York. But I think if the series goes all the way, the Thrashers will take it home.

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
SPORTSNATION 28% say Penguins in 6 (8% agree with me)
FOX Sports Senators
CBS Sportsline Penguins, 3-2
NBC Sports Penguins, 5-3
My Verdict Penguins in 5
Averaging Everything Penguins, by a lot. FOX Sports went with Ottawa, but history has a nasty bitch of a habit that is repeating itself. Especially when it comes to the Sens in the postseason. Pens over Sens, I say.

Detroit vs. Calgary
SPORTSNATION 30% say Red Wings in 5 (13% agree with me)
FOX Sports Flames
CBS Sportsline Red Wings, 4-1
NBC Sports Red Wings, 6-2
My Verdict Red Wings in 4
Averaging Everything Red Wings, by a lot. Seems to be a sure bet for Hockeytown. But even though I'm giving them the sweep, there was that 2003 series when Anaheim embarrassed them with a sweep of their own.

Anaheim vs. Minnesota
SPORTSNATION 31% say Ducks in 6 (10% agree with me)
FOX Sports Wild
CBS Sportsline Wild, 5-0
NBC Sports Ducks, 5-3
My Verdict Wild in 7
Averaging Everything Wild, slightly. A lot of people think the Ducks defense, led by Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, will be unpenetrable. But I don't know.

Vancouver vs. Dallas
SPORTSNATION 29% say Canucks in 6
FOX Sports Canucks
CBS Sportsline Canucks, 3-2
NBC Sports Canucks, 6-2
My Verdict Canucks in 6
Averaging Everything Canucks, overwhelmingly. It seems that like the Islanders, the experts make no room for the possibility of the Stars moving on. But if the playoffs are all about goaltending, this could be a tricky one.

Nashville vs. San Jose
SPORTSNATION 24% say Sharks in 6 (16% agree with me)
FOX Sports Sharks
CBS Sportsline Sharks, 3-2
NBC Sports Sharks, 7-1
My Verdict Predators in 6
Averaging Everything Sharks, by a lot. Here again, I've been very much outnumbered. Call me crazy, but I think the Predators have a real shot. The superstars they added (namely Forsberg and Kariya) have playoff experience. Some even have Cups of their own. San Jose is the Ottawa of the West. Great until April and then they let the air out.

So, there you have it. Even more predictions than you could ever possibly want. The CBS experts were Wes Goldstein, Erin Brown, Greg Cimilluca, Dan Dobish and Mike Cercel. See their picks here. The NBC experts are Bill Clement, Ray Ferraro, David Pagnotta, The Bellowing Moose, Brian Schiazza, Martin Thorstensson, Pamela Barone and Eric McErlain. They're picks are here.

Dude, I just totally realized all three New York teams made the playoffs this year. Geez, when is the last time that happened? If anyone knows, please comment!

My 2007 Stanley Cup Predictions, Round 1

Okay, before I start, let me please express my disgust (is that putting it too strongly?) in both NBC Sports and Versus. While I'm glad they're putting hockey on the national stage, can I please ask why The Devils/Lightning series does not warrant an ounce worth of coverage? Meanwhile, the Senators/Penguins series is all over the place. Crosby's pretty god. We get it. Now get the fuck over it! Jesus!

Pardon me. This outburst stems from a place of love, you know. I love my Bolts and because I now live in Fort Myers, I can't watch them on television anymore. And it hurts.

Let's get on with it. Now, I'm going to go all out here and make my predictions for the entire 2007 playoff run. However, chances are I'll likely embarrass myself by choosing a team to win the Cup that ends up not making it out of the first round. That said, as each round begins, I'll post a new round of predictions right here.

Here's how it works. I'll simply suggest a winner and the number of games in the series. There's no real rhyme or reason to it. No complicated research or anything. Just gut feelings and some dreaming.

Conference Quarterfinals

Sabres & Islanders
Regular Season Series:
Sabres win 3-1
Sizing It Up: I don't know. For my part, I think the Islanders sort of slipped in through the back door. No wait, that's exactly what they did. They blew a 2-0 lead in the last game of the season against the Devils and only managed to sneak by with a win in the shootout. So I'm not impressed. That said, I don't see a sweep happening necessarily, but I think Buffalo will probably have an easy time the way they've been playing.
How Will It End? Sabres in 5

Devils & Lightning
Regular Season Series:
Lightning win 3-1
Sizing It Up: Obviously, I'm quite biased on this series. But here's the thing, check out the season series. Not to mention the Bolts have a pretty good track record against New Jersey as of late. But yes, I do remember back to 2003, the year before we brought home Lord Stanley. New Jersey KO'd Tampa Bay in five games in the second round. The Devils went on to win the Cup that year, though, so I don't feel so bad. But not this time. I'm going for the underdog in this series, wishful thinking or not.
How Will It End? Lightning in 6

Thrashers & Rangers
Regular Season Series:
Thrashers win 3-1
Sizing It Up: I was surprised as anyone to see Atlanta take off the way they did this season. The Southeast Division just keeps getting stronger doesn't it. If the Thrashers can go the distance, then every Southeast team will have made it to the Finals at least once. Two of the four who have made it even won the whole mess. Anyway, the Rangers have a lot of fight, but I doubt it will be enough. I say this one goes the distance.
How Will It End? Thrashers in 7

Senators & Penguins
Regular Season Series:
Penguiins win 3-1
Sizing It Up: This is the Sens and Pens series. Such a marketable name. A lot of people like Ottawa for this one I think, but I'm going with Pittsburgh simply because this is the time of year when things come apart for the Senators. They're so strong all season until the playoffs hit. Then the nerves get them or something. Maybe a curse.
How Will It End? Penguins in 5

Red Wings & Flames
Regular Season Series:
Tied 2-2
Sizing It Up: I'm sorry, but the end of the season was very bad to Calgary and I'm a little sad the Avalanche lost to Nashville and had to miss this postseason. Back in late March, a win against Detroit, spurred Flames to a six-game winning streak. But forget about it. Detroit is too powerful. It's like some weird voodoo. I don't think they'll ever miss the playoffs.
How Will It End? Red Wings in 4

Ducks & Wild
Regular Season Series:
Tied 2-2
Sizing It Up: I honestly have no idea on this one. I'm tempted to go with Anaheim for their strong season, but when it comes playoff-time, Minnesota is hard to beat. Plus, the Ducks have had some trouble ever since going to a marathon Finals series against Jersey in 2003. Reluctantly, I'm going to give it to the Wild by a hair.
How Will It End? Wild in 7

Canucks & Stars
Regular Season Series:
Tied 2-2
Sizing It Up: Is there a West season series that didn't end 2-2? Oh wait, the next one. Anyway, this one is ridiculous to base off of the regular season. Every game ended 2-1 and two of those went to extra time. Come on. So this one will be a wild shot in the dark. But I'm giving it to Vancouver because of Luongo. We all know how goalies can carry teams. Brodeur. Giguere. Khabibulin. Need I say more?
How Will It End? Canucks in 6

Predators & Sharks
Regular Season Series:
Predators win 3-1
Sizing It Up: I just feel like Nashville will be in the Conference Finals. They've been amazing this year and in no small thanks to some new additions, if I do say so. Kariya and Forsberg did single-handedly eliminate their former club (the Avs) from playoff contention at the end of the regular season. Sorry, San Jose, I'm going with the Preds on this one.
How Will It End? Predators in 6

Now, I'm going to do a brief version of that for the rest of the playoff rounds. We'll get more in-depth as the postseason progresses. Still, I think I'm being pretty ambitious going this far.

Conference Semifinals
Sabres & Lightning : Sabres in 5
Thrashers & Penguins : Penguins in 6
Red Wings & Wild : Red Wings in 5
Canucks & Predators : Predators in 4

Conference Finals
Sabres & Penguins : Sabres in 7
Red Wings & Predators : Predators in 5

Stanley Cup Finals
Sabres & Predators : Predators in 6

So that's that. Now let's find out just how wrong I am. The playoffs start tomorrow. And I'll probably be watching several games here and there. Not Lightning games, mind you, but other, apparently more-deserving nationally-televised games. Whatever.

Do you agree or disagree with me? Comment now!

Building The Perfect Schedule

Originally posted at NHL.com

When the NHL's schedule doctor, Steve Hatze-Petros, begins the first drafts of what the playoff schedule will look like about a month before the season comes to a close, there are almost 30 teams still alive in the race.

Hatze-Petros, Group Vice President of Scheduling and Strategic Planning, has been working on NHL regular season and playoff schedules for two decades. He keeps track of the constant flow and flux of information on a giant color-coded grease board on the wall of his office. He's got the Eastern Conference standings on the left, the Western ledger on the right, a list of five different broadcast networks, and across the top half of the five-foot wide board is the ever-changing set of playoff matchups.

Hatze-Petros sat down with NHL.com during his busiest and most hectic time of the year to talk about what he goes through in constructing the playoff schedule every spring.

How do you go about organizing the playoff schedule?
"We start keeping track of potential matchups in the playoffs about 30 days in advance. When you're 30 days out, you wind up seeing probably every combination that could possibly happen. Our preparation on a daily basis is getting a new schedule out with the possible matchups."

It looks organized?
"You came in at the right time. We only had two games last night, so you saw me make the quick change right now on the board and nothing really moved. But after tonight's games, tomorrow morning will be a little hectic in getting in the matchups."

What's the biggest challenge?
"Like anything else in the schedule-making process, there's not just one challenge. I can't say it's just buildings, I can't say it's just television, I can't just say it's competitive issues. It's all of those. It's probably the busiest day of the year. Last year, we took over 300 calls in that one day.

What is your final deadline to have the first-round schedule completed?
"Ideally, and I say this every year, I want to get it out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, something always happens ... the moment you make a change at that time, it's a domino effect."

Of the hundreds of phone calls your office receives on Sunday, who exactly is calling you?
"Basically what it comes down to is broadcasters and teams. I'll speak to the NBA because we keep in contact with them because our seasons kind of coincide in terms of where they start and where they end. Sometimes we do get the odd fan or someone that gets through, I don't know how?"

How many rough drafts of the schedule will be created before the final product?
"Workable drafts, since we go a month out, close to 70 I'd say.

Everyone says that parity is great, but having the standings so close must make your job harder?
"Although I can't take credit for it, I think it's great that the schedule's this awesome the last month of the season."

How does this process work for subsequent rounds?
"It becomes easier. There's less inventory though. So that's where the networks really come in and make sure they hit every window. Our goal is to make sure there's a hockey game every night."

How early do you start looking at the second round?
"After Game 4 in each series we start looking at it."

How long have you been doing the schedule?
"Fifteen years. It hasn't gotten any easier. We obviously rank every possibility. We have a program that we've written, that will show you at any possible time, what the possibility is for each team finishing as far as seedings are concerned.

Do you have a background in mathematics or probability?
"Accounting and finance, actually. When I was hired by the League, I was hired in the finance department. That was 20 years ago."

Double It Up

Can you believe your luck? Not only will I be posting my predictions for ABC's fall schedule (to be officially announced next month), but I shall also post my predictions for the 2007 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. So it's double the fun as I forecast the future.

Check in tomorrow for all that and probably more.

And don't forget to stop by the bathroom first. I wouldn't want the excitement I'm causing to result in wet pants.

Neither yours nor mine.

REVIEW Tossed In The Deep End

Thank God You're Here
Premieres tonight @ 9 on NBC

Normally, I'd try and spread out my posts a little more, but this is a special case. My usual television reviews won't get posted until the day after a show airs. But on the contrary, thanks to the internet and NBC, I got an early look at Thank God You're Here.

The new series premieres tonight on NBC and is all about improv. Each week, the show gathers together some of the funniest folks in comedy, dresses them up, and tosses them into the deep end. The actor has absolutely no preparation and not a clue as to what is behind the door to the scene he's about to enter. All he knows is that somebody on the other side will say "Thank god you're here!"

David Alan Grier hosts the show and Dave Foley is the judge. The judge of what, I'm still not sure, but he's there to award a trophy to basically whoever he likes best at the end. If you're trying to figure out what the trophy is for, compare it to the points Drew Carey used to give out is Whose Line Is It Anyway?

The first episode features Wayne Knight, Bryan Cranston, Joel McHale and Jennifer Coolidge.

Knight is wearing a lab coat, and when he walks through the door, he is greeted by a television producer who puts him on set with an anchor to talk about his new line of products. Rather than an alternative medicine, he calls them an alternative to medicine. He borrows that joke a couple of other times during the sketch to get out of some jams.

Cranston is dressed as an '80s rocker complete with the crazy long hair and tight jeans. On the other side of his door is his agent, a recod label executive and a hot girl. He smooches with all of them. Seriously. Hilarious. He's then forced to break into song. Can you say power ballad?

McHale is donning 1800s-era archaeologist duds and before he goes in, jokes that he wishes he lived in the 1860s so he'd get to wear the cool clothes. Grier remarked that he was relieved he didn't as it was a "bad time" for his people. But Joel doesn't get to walk through the door. He has to crawl in through the back because his scene is set in an ancient Egyptian tomb complete with a sarcophagus and mysterious hieroglyphics. He utters the words of a curse that kills a possessed mummy.

Coolidge, dressed to the nines in her cocktail gown and labeled Miss Caicos, walked into the middle of a pageant of some sort. She was a riot if not a little slow to respond (but if she was doing that for comic effect, it worked). She was asked about what she'd rid the world of and her response of "dry ice" sent me as well as Foley into hysterics.

The show culminated with a sketch in which all four actors were involved. Dressed as ridiculous looking superheroes, they were called upon to save the world. McHale, fitted with giant prop ears, played his character as half deaf. Hilarious. Knight sported a green leotard with a purple speedo he couldn't keep up. He also had a pair of antennae that kept falling off causing him to wail with the loss of his vision. Coolidge didn't leave a big impression on me in that sketch but Cranston played a gay superhero called Lightning Rod. Pun very much intended. He might have been a tad over the top though.

It's worth noting that inasmuch as they weren't the stars, the background actors have a pretty tough gig. They have to keep up with these tried and true comedians. And they did so very well. They hardly ever broke character. Even when Cranston went around kissing everyone. And when all was said and done, despite my feeling of him being over the top, he walked away with the first ever Thank God You're Here Award. Woo. Hoo.

Ironically, the segments I laughed at the hardest were the ones pre-recorded the day before which featured each individual in a pair of scenes. One is at an airport where they've been pulled off to have their luggage searched. In the other, they're dressed as police officers, being asked questions from a reporter about an event that has just taken place.

It was a funny hour of television, if I do say so. And even though I love to laugh, I'm by and large not the biggest fan of television comedy as a lot of it has been done badly before. Enjoy the show tonight, if you decide to watch.

Grade: B