Author Archives: Anoop Uppal

Abby Canucks unreal playoff run continues

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(Photo: The Abbotsford News, AHL)

The Abbotsford Canucks are heading to round 3 of the AHL’s Calder cup playoffs, and they are heading there with a lot of confidence and momentum. After a great hard fought series in the divisional semi finals against the Coachella Valley the Canucks will play there first two games of the Division finals at home against the Colorado Eagles. The Eagles were the best team in the Pacific Division edging out the the Abby Canucks by 2 points and those 2 points are big as they get the 3 home games in this best of 5 series. 

In the series against Coachella Valley the Canucks showed a great ability to comeback as they came back in games 1 and 2 as they won game 1 and lost a tough OT game in game 2. Players like Linus Karlsson and Danila Klimovich have turned up there offence game a significant amount in these Calder Cup playoffs. Klimovich and his physical play and his playmaking ability has been on display and the Abby Canucks defence has been so solid these playoffs. The canucks only gave up 7 goals in 4 games against Coachella Valley and only giving up 1 goal in game 3 and 4. There ability to limit coachellas scoring chances has to be carried over into the 3rd round. 

Some things for the Abby Canucks that they need to clean up ASAP is there slow starts in games. The Canucks love to go behind and try to climb there way back and so far it has worked, but they eventually this will bite them so they need to clean this up sooner than later. Heres a clip of the Abby Canucks preparing for there thrid round matchup.  https://x.com/abbycanucks/status/1922371398606987744

As the Abby Canucks prepare for round 3 in Abbotsford the Canucks will need to Continue there hard checking style and so far disciplined play and capitalise on there depth which they have a lot of if you have watched the big club in Vancouver play. With Artur Silovs playing the way he is the Abby Canucks can win any game because he has that ability every great goalie should have and that is to steal a game for you. The mix of Vets and youth on this Abby team is perfect and they have something special cooking here. Fans in British Columbia and beyond the lower main land will be watching closely too see if the Abby Canucks can bring there first ever Calder Cup to Abbotsford.   

Jets on the brink

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(Photo: Global News, NHL)

The Winnipeg Jets lose a tough 3-1 game in American AirLines Center in Dallas which means the Jets will be facing elimination game 5 in Winnipeg. The Stars can thank mikael granlunds amazing performance as he scored a hatrick to boost the Stars to grab this win. This is mikael granlunds first career playoff hatrick. Hatricks have been a trend for the Stars so far these playoffs as this is the 3rd hatrick scored in these playoffs so far for the Stars. 

Grandlunds scoring touch was on display thought the whole game as he scored in the first, second and third period. He really set the tone with his smart IQ plays to score throughout the game. The Jets lone goal came from Nikolaj Ehlers in the early in the 2nd period. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck road struggles continue as he only saved 21/24 shots posting a 8.75 save percentage. Hellebuyck actually is bottom 3 in the playoffs in save percentage the only two goalies with a lower percentage is Stuart Skinner and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Jets have yet to win a road game these playoffs and the Jets are going to at least have to win one more road game if they want too keep there season alive. 

The Jets face a must win situation at home game 5 is scheduled for Saturday so the Jets can have a rest day and a practice day to recollect there thoughts and try to come up with some new game plans to beat this hot stars team. On the other side the Stars also get 3 days rest. 

In my eyes i do not see this Jets team winning this series anymore. The questions we had about Hellebuyck going into this series on if he could play on the road have been answered he cant. In the Playoffs you need your goalie to be able to at least steal you one game and Connor Hellebuyck has not been able to do that which is shocking due to him not just being a Vezina Trophy candidate, but a Hart Trophy candidate. Jake Otteinger across the crease has been great and he came up big today with 31/32 saves. The Stars are too big and fast and now that they have Miro heiskanen back I just can not see them losing. The Stars will go in to Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg and take out the Presidents Trophy winners.   

Cavs get fraud checked

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(Photo: USA Today, NBA)

In a result only few predicted the Cleveland Cavaliers who had the second best record in the NBA and were the first seed in the Eastern Conference have just been eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in 5 games in the second round. 

The Cavs were eliminated earlier today falling 114-105. The Pacers are going to there 2nd straight Eastern Conference Finals where they will most likely be facing the New York Knicks barring a miracle comeback by the Boston Celtics. What is shocking about this elimination is that the Cavs had previously only lost 5 games at home all year and the surprising thing is all 5 losses came to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers who were lead by Tyrese Haliburton’s 31 points he was fueled by the Cavs fans “Overrated” chants and Pascal Siakam’s 21 points. The pacers have so much depth and team chemistry this is the main reason they will have a chance to play to go to the NBA finals. 

Donavan Mitchell who was playing through a supposed ankle injury once again carried the load on the offensive end putting up 30 points. However he made a critical error missing 3 straight free throws with his team to that point being down 106-100 with less than 2 minutes remaining. The clip is down below. https://x.com/BricksCenter/status/1922466750743842841

A moment which will now be looked at as a wasted chance to save the Cavs season. The Cavs defence which was one of the main reasons they had the 2nd best recored in the NBA could not stop the Indiana attack. The Pacers ability to take advantage of miss matches and maintain pressure while on the fast break opportunities is what really gave the Cavs issues. 

This Playoff defeat marks a now failure of a season from the Cavs, while successful in many ways the way this run ended will not be forgotten by Cavs fans. This Cavs team had championship aspirations and they looked like a legit team in the regular season. Cleveland will be kicking them selfs at this lost opportunity all summer long. All the Cavs can do now is reflect on this season and plan for the future as the Cavs have several free agents to sign. Now as we look to the Eastern Conference Finals the Indiana Pacers will be watching the game between the Knicks and Celtics very closely. The Pacers will at least have a four day rest period and im sure they will make the most of it. 

Blue Jays Vs. Rays preview

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(Photo: Forbes, MLB)

The Toronto Blue Jays are set too face the Tampa Bay rays tonight, At the Rogers Center in downtown Toronto. This will be a three game series between the American League rivals and the Jays look to continue there winning streak as the rays look to climb back up the American League standings. 

The Blue Jays enter this series carrying a 4 game win streak on the road they have a 20-20 record and are looking to go above .500 for the first time since earlier in the year. The jays offence which is very hot and cold has had 29 runs in there last four games. The bottom of the order has also been playing great in this stretch guys like Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and Addison Barger have been swinging the bat very well. 

On the mound for the Jays is veteran Jose Berrios he has a 1-1 record this year while having a 3.86 ERA which is a little bit higher than the usual for him. The Tampa Bay Rays will send out Shane Baz, Baz is 3-2 on the year holding a winning record but his ERA is slightly higher than Berrios with his being 4.93. 

The Rays are currently going through a nit of a rough stretch having gone 2-4 in there last six games. Its going to be hard though facing a streaking Blue Jays team who are definitely high in confidence. Fans can catch the game on Sportsnet first pitch is scheduled for the usual 4:07 Pacific time. This series is crucial for both teams as the Jays look to sneak in to a AL Wild Card sport and the Rays look to catch up to the Jays in the AL standings. 

My predictions for the game tonight, I think Jose Berrios is going to have a great game he has some trouble in the earlier innings of games, but i think he will go 6 strong innings giving up 2 runs and putting the Jays in a wonderful position to win the game. For the batters side I think the Jays hot bats will continue. I think Straw and Lukes will continue to hit well and i think Vladdy also goes and hits a Homer today. Final prediction is a 6-2 victory for the Blue Jays. Down below is a quick little stat for you showing Jose Berrios is a unbelievable 17-1 since 2021 while being the money line Favourite for the Jays.   https://x.com/ShayneTrail/status/1922378785606828061

Oilers lock it down to take commanding series lead

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(Photo: CBC, NHL)

The Oilers Delivered a Dominating performance on Monday night as they shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to take a 3-1 series lead in the West Semis. Adam Henrique the 35 year old lead the Oilers with 2 first period goals as he must have thought it was 2014 again. Stuart Skinner had 24 saves in a shutout win which i am sure no one predicted trust me i didn’t. 

Henrique scored the first of the game just 3 minutes and 45 seconds into the game he buried home a nice steal and pass from Connor Brown which was the eventual game winner. He later doubled the lead with a pass out front from Zach Hyman after the gaol there was some pushing and shoving after Oiler Evander Kane went flying into Vegas Goaltender Adin Hill. The Oilers would score again in the 2nd period with a goal coming from Kane which in my opinion was a weak one to let in to rub salt into the wound for Adin Hill. 

Skinners performance was amazing and he shut me and a lot of critics up with this performance,  and it has to be a nice confidence boost for him to get his team a win and his first playoff win this year. Also credit has to go to the defence of the Oilers who stepped it up big time limiting the Vegas chances and maintiang a certain poise with the puck we really haven’t seen this postseason from the oilers backend. Connor McDavid also got on the score sheet he assisted the Kane three nothing goal McDavid now extends his post season point streak to eight games. 

With this victory the Oilers now have a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night at the T-Mobile Arena.

For me Vegas has to do a better job on there power play if they want to extend there season on Wednesday night. Vegas went 0-3 on the power play and in those 3 power plays did not have much extended pressure. The Oilers are a very aggressive penalty killing team, the way to beat and aggressive penalty killing team is to snap the puck around a little bit faster if Vegas can do that they will have there chance to do damage to the Oilers. The keys for the Oilers keep that aggressive mindset on defence clearly the Knights have not shown they can deal with the pressure so keep it up and you might see yourself in a conference final for a second straight year.  

T-Wolves push Golden State to the brink

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(Photo: Draft Kings Network, NBA)

The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead in there 2nd round matchup against the Golden State Warriors just like I predicted. This win now gives the T-Wolves a chance to book there ticket to there 2nd straight Conference Finals appearance. 

Anthony Edwards and Julias Randle carried the way for the T-Wolves in this game Randle had 31 points and Edwards had 30 in this game 4 match up. Edwards ignited a huge run in the 3rd quarter where the game was still in reach for either team the Wolves went on a 17-0 run with Edwards putting up 11 points in the 17-0 run. After this run the Wolves did not look back as they held this lead all the way up until the end of the game. 

Minnesota’s defence played a huge part in this game as Jaden McDaniels had a great game grabbing 13 boards and putting up 10 points for a double double. McDaniels efforts really showed as he stopped Golden State star jimmy butler from having the breakout game me and many other people expected. Rudy Gobert played a big part in the paint keeping the warriors out of there he had 6 boards 8 points and 1 block. The Warriors playing without superstar Steph Curry struggled from beyond the arc just shooting an abysmal 8 of 27, compared to Minnesota who shot 16 of 34. 

Steph Curry will likely miss game 5 in Minnesota on Wednesday at the Target Center, but i have a sneaky suspicion that Curry might fast track his return to try to save the Warriors season on Wednesday. Golden State have a history of Star players returning a little bit faster than expected in 2019 both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant came back rushed to face the Toronto Raptors in the NBA finals both stars suffered career altering injuries that kept them sidelined for years. The question is Steph Curry is 36 year old he is getting no younger is it worth it to bring him back and risk his injury becoming more significant? In my opinion Golden State has maybe 2 more years left with Curry so i think its not worth it. Steph is a fierce competitor though thats why he is a future 1st ballot Hall Of Famer we will see if he returns. For the Wolves i think the game plan stays the same keep shooting that 3 ball, feed off the crowds energy and smother Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga in the half court. Do those things and you might have another Conference Finals appearance on your hands.   

Mavs capture the Flagg

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(Photo: NBA)

The NBA Draft Lottery went down last night and the results were shocking. The draft which was held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago last night delivered a stunning outcome. The Dallas Mavericks who had a 1.8% chance of winning the Lottery won the NBA Draft Lottery. With the Lottery win this Mavericks team is now in position to draft generational talent Cooper Flagg in the upcoming draft in June.

Flagg, is an 18 year old superstar from Maine, he is widely regarded as a generational talent and he has all the intangibles to be the next generational talent. He stands at 6’9″ and weighs 225 he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in collage at Duke. He also lead the Blue Devils to a final 4 appearance in just his freshman year. His unbelievable basketball IQ and his anchoring defence have drawn comparisons to NBA legends. He is one of the most hyped prospects in a long time people knew this kid was special all the way back in middle school and the public has been watching him since his days at Montverde academy which has produced countless NBA talent and the best high school basketball teams of all time.

The Mavericks unexpected lottery win comes after there most tumultuous season yet. Coming off the backs of a NBA Finals appearance things were looking up for the Mavs, but in a shock move the Mavs ended up trading away the man who took them all the way to the finals in Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis. Mavericks fans were not happy about this trade as protests were held outside of there arena and fire Nico (there general manager) chants were heard on multiple occasions in Dallas. Fans hope they can turn this franchise around again as they get a re do with another generational talent. 

Else where the San Antonio Spurs got the second overall pick as the Spurs who already have Victor Wembanyama get another lottery pick as they prepare for there future of what seems to be an exciting time to be a Spurs fan. The 76ers off the backs of a horrible season which saw star player Joel Embiid and rookie Jared McCain go down with season ending injuries ended up getting the 3rd pick in this years draft. 

The 2025 draft is scheduled for June 25th and 26th and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York. With the draft order now determined teams are locking in on scouting to find there teams next superstar. 

Knicks take down Celtics to take 3-1 series lead

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( Photo: Gulf News, NBA)

The New York Knicks just took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals, following a 121-113 victory at MSG, however this game was over shadowed by something very big. Jayson Tatum went down late in the 4th quarter and initially it looked like a sprained ankle, but looking at further replay that is not what happened. Tatum extends his leg out snd goes down immediately holding his lower part of his leg. Tatum had such a great game today as well up to that point having 42 points 8 rebounds and 4 assists really putting the Celtics on his back. I am no doctor but that to me looked like an achilles injury prayers go out to Jayson Tatum he is such a young athlete only one can hope it’s not as serious as it looks. An MRI is scheduled to take place so hopefully Tatum is all good. Here is a doctors tweet sharing his concern about the Tatum injury.  https://x.com/DrJesseMorse/status/1922112270626066579

Despite having a 14 point lead in this game the Celtics managed to blow another lead in this series it has been a pattern as in all 3 New York wins they have been down by double digits in the 2nd half. This win has New York one game away from a conference finals appearance the Knicks haven’t been to a conference final in over 25 years. The series now shifts back to TD Garden in Boston, and more than likely the defending champion Celtics will be without there star player.

The Knicks depth and resilience has shown in this series and they have proven they can win in Boston. There ability to capitalise on the Celtics mistakes has been second to none this series, but do not count the Celtics out. Even though they will probably not have there best player available for game 5 this Celtic team is still stacked. Guys like Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingus and 6th man of the year Payton Pritchard will have to step it up in the possible absence of Tatum. The Celtics in 2023 were down 3-0 to the Miami Heat and they forced a game 7 in that series even though they did lose, they showed incredible fight and became only a handful of teams to almost come back down 3-0. A 3-0 comeback has never been accomplished in NBA history, but u know what has been accomplished a 3-1 comeback so do not count out the Boston Celtics. 

Golden State looks to even series without curry

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(Photo: Yahoo Sports, NBA)

The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a weird position as they are down 2-1 in there 2nd round series match up against the Minnesota Timberwolves. To make matters worse for Golden State they have no Steph Curry who has been out since early game 2 with an ankle sprain and experts predict Curry could be back in time for a game 6 if we make it there. The Warriors are going to have to adapt on the fly and change up there offence as they need at least 1 win to see Curry in action again, and as a kid who has grown up seeing a Warriors dynasty and Steph Curry do the impossible a billion times i wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back and the whole series energy shifts because even at 36 years old he is one of if not the most dangerous player in the NBA today. 

In Currys absence though Jonathan Kuminga and Jimmy Butler both had 30 point performances but it was not enough to lead them to a game 3 victory. On the other side of the floor Anthony Edwards had one of his best playoff games so far dropping 36 points 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 13-28 from the field. Julias Randle continues his nice playoff run as he had a triple double in this game having 24 points 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The Timberwolves depth really showed this game compared to the lack of depth on the other side of the floor with Golden State. A positive sign though for Golden State was Jimmy Butler leading the charge he hasn’t had the best of playoffs so far but when Curry goes down Butler is next up in the order. Jimmy was very physical getting to the hoop and knocking down his patented mid range jumpers.https://x.com/big_business_/status/1921388362151190815

If the warriors can get this Jimmy in every game do not be surprised if they steal a game shorthanded. 

Game 4 is a huge match up Golden State does not want to go down 3-1 and they wont even have Steph Curry to help them fight elimination if they lose tonight, so Golden State need to figure out there offence if they want to win this game. For Minnesota they need to keep relaying on there depth and size to continue to wear down Golden State. In game 4 my prediction is Jimmy butler will have a big game and Golden State will keep it close but Minnesota will come out of Chase Center with a 3-1 series lead.  

Oilers Vs. Knights Game 4 preview

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(USA Today, NHL)

The oilers and Knights are set to clash in a pivotal game 4 of the Western Conference semis in Edmonton. The Oilers currently lead the best of 7 series 2 games to 1 but the momentum has shifted dramatically in a 4-3 victory for the Golden Knights on last Thursday, where the Knights scored the go ahead goal with .4 seconds left to pull them back into the series. 

The Oilers face a huge challenge as there back up who became playoff starter Calvin Pickard is out for game 4 meaning Stuart Skinner will be back in his starting role for the time being. Here is a clip of him at morning skate. https://x.com/TonyBrarOTV/status/1921966553592959049

However Skinner has STRUGGLED in this post season posting a .817 save percentage and a 5.36 goals against average in 3 games played these playoffs. These numbers raise concerns about the Oilers ability to contain the Knights offence. 

Despite goalie troubles and defensive woes the Oilers offence is saving there tails right now. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to lead this Oilers team with Draisaitl already having a game winner this series and McDavid scoring a late goal yesterday. This team will have to rely on its offensive depth if they want to beat the Knights. Khris Knoblauch won’t give up on the defence though as he has hinted former Vancouver Canuck Troy Stecher could be making his playoff debut in game 4. 

The Oilers are slight Favourites heading into game 4 with the odds makers definitely knowing the offensive fire power the Oilers possess with them having the two best players in the world. If you are a betting man though taking Vegas at plus odds isn’t the worst idea though, Skinner is starting and he has not won a playoff game yet and as long as he is in net anything can happen. 

Tonights game 4 is a critical game in this series the Oilers must overcome there defensive and goalie struggles and say they do lose this game the pressure is just gonna get worse and worse for Stuart Skinner, as long as Skinner does not allow more than 4 goals the Oilers have a chance at winning. On the other hand the Knights must aim to build on there recent success and look to return serve and protect there home ice advantage. Fans should expect a close and tightly contested affair tonight any Oilers game this year in the playoffs has been must watch TV and with this game expect no different.