Fierce Fifteen -- Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

Week 5 is now officially in the books, and we're on to Week 6. With some statement performances by some teams, and bad games by others, the Power Rankings have switched up quite a bit heading into Thursday Night Football. Here's the Top 15:

1. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)

2. Denver Broncos (3-1)

3. San Diego Chargers (4-1)

4. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)

5. Green Bay Packers (3-2)

6. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)

7. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

8. Arizona Cardinals (3-1)

9. San Francisco 49ers (3-2)

10. New England Patriots (3-2)

11. Dallas Cowboys (4-1)

12. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

13. New York Giants (3-2)

14. Carolina Panthers (3-2)

15. Detroit Lions (3-2)

Toronto Maple Leafs' Opening Night Roster

Forwards:

#37 - Carter Ashton, Right Wing

Winnipeg, Manitoba - April 1, 1991

          

#20 - **David Booth, Left Wing

Detroit, Michigan - November 24, 1984

             

#42 - Tyler Bozak, Centre

Regina, Saskatchewan - March 19, 1986

#71 - David Clarkson, Right Wing

Toronto, Ontario - March 31, 1984

#39 - Matt Frattin, Right Wing

Edmonton, Alberta - January 3, 1988

#24 - Peter Holland, Centre

Toronto, Ontario - January 14, 1991

#43 - Nazem Kadri, Centre

London, Ontario - October 6, 1990

#81 - Phil Kessel, Right Wing

Madison, Wisconsin - October 2, 1987

#47 - Leo Komarov, Centre

Narva, Soviet Union - January 23, 1987

#67 - Brandon Kozun, Right Wing

Los Angeles, California - March 8, 1990

#32 - Josh Leivo, Left Wing

Innisfil, Ontario - May 26, 1993

#19 - Joffrey Lupul, Left Wing  "A"

Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta - September 23, 1983

#25 - Mike Santorelli, Centre

Vancouver, British Columbia - December 14, 1985

#26 - Daniel Winnik, Centre

Toronto, Ontario - March 6, 1985       

#21 - James van Riemsdyk, Left Wing

Middletown, New Jersey - May 4, 1989

Defense: 

#4 - Cody Franson

Sicamous, British Columbia - August 8, 1987

#51 - Jake Gardiner

Minnetonka, Minnesota - July 4, 1990

#50 - Stuart Percy

Oakville, Ontario - May 18, 1993

#3 - Dion Phaneuf  "C"

Edmonton, Alberta - April 10, 1985

#46 - Roman Polak

Ostrava, Czech Republic - April 28, 1986

#44 - Morgan Rielly

Vancouver, British Columbia - March 9, 1994

#12 - Stephane Robidas

Sherbrooke, Quebec - March 3, 1977

Goalies:

#45 - Jonathan Bernier

Laval, Quebec - August  7, 1988

#34 - James Reimer

Morweena, Manitoba - March 15, 1988

        

** denotes player starting season on Injured Reserve

NCAA Five Locks Of The Week

Another wild week in the NCAA. So many upsets, and so hard to predict the spreads and games, with blowouts going the opposite way as people expect. Here are my 5 Locks for Week 6:

(20) Ohio State -7.0 at Maryland

(6) Texas A&M +2.5 at (12) Mississippi State

(3) Alabama -4.5 at (11) Mississippi

(4) Oklahoma -3.5 at (25) TCU

South Carolina -3.5 at Kentucky 

Week 5 Picks Against The Spread

Week 5 is up next, and the picks don't get any easier. Last week started off great, but finished 8-5 in my picks. It was a week of blowouts, and crazy upsets, and while that doesn't fair very well for people making their picks, it makes for some great football games. 
Here are my Week 5 picks:



Minnesota at Green Bay
Line: Packers -8.5
My Pick: Packers -8.5

Houston at Dallas
Line: Cowboys -6.0
My Pick: Cowboys -6.0

Buffalo at Detroit
Line: Lions -7.5
My Pick: Lions -7.5

Baltimore at Indianapolis
Line: Colts -3.5
My Pick: Colts -3.5

Pittsburgh at Jacksonville
Line: Steelers -6.0
My Pick: Steelers -6.0

Tampa Bay at New Orleans
Line: Saints -10.0
My Pick: Saints -10.0

Atlanta at New York Giants
Line: Giants -4.5
My Pick: Falcons +4.5

St. Louis at Philadelphia
Line: Eagles -7.0
My Pick: Eagles -7.0

Cleveland at Tennessee
Line: Titans -1.0
My Pick: Browns +1.0

Arizona at Denver
Line: Broncos -7.5
My Pick: Broncos -7.5

New York Jets at San Diego
Line: Chargers -6.5
My Pick: Chargers -6.5

Kansas City at San Francisco
Line: 49ers -6.0
My Pick: 49ers -6.0

Cincinnati at New England
Line: Bengals -1.0
My Pick: Patriots +1.0

Seattle at Washington
Line: Seahawks -7.5
My Pick: Seahawks -7.5

Teams on Bye's: Miami, Oakland

How The 7 Canadian Teams Look Heading Into The 2014/2015 Season...

Toronto Maple Leafs

Last Season: 38-36-8, 23rd Overall; missed playoffs

Leading Scorer: Phil Kessel - 80 points

Head Coach: Randy Carlyle

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Jonathan Bernier 

Key Acquisitions: Leo Komarov, Stephane Robidas, Roman Polak, Matt Frattin, Daniel Winnik, David Booth, Mike Santorelli

Key Departures: David Bolland, Mason Raymond, Carl Gunnarsson, Jay McClement, Nikolai Kulemin, Tim Gleason

2014/2015 Prediction: 4th in the East


Montreal Canadiens


Last Season: 46-28-8, 9th overall; Lost in Eastern Conference Finals

Leading Scorer: Max Pacioretty - 60 points

Head Coach: Michel Therrien

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Carey Price

Key Acquisitions: P.A. Parenteau, Tom Gilbert, Manny Malhotra

Key Departures: Thomas Vanek, Josh Gorges, Brian Gionta, Daniel Briere, Francis Bouillon, Douglas Murray

2014/2015 Prediction: 7th in the East


Ottawa Senators


Last Season: 37-31-14, 21st overall; missed playoffs

Leading Scorer: Erik Karlsson - 74 points

Head Coach: Paul MacLean

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Craig Anderson

Key Acquisitions: David Legwand, Alex Chaisson

Key Departures: Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Joe Corvo, Stephane Da Costa

2014/2015 Prediction: 12th in the East


Vancouver Canucks


Last Season: 36-35-11. 25th overall; missed playoffs

Leading Scorer: Henrik Sedin - 50 points

Head Coach: Willie Desjardins

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Ryan Miller

Key Acquisitions: Ryan Miller, Radim Vrbata, Nick Bonino, Luca Sbisa

Key Departures: Ryan Kesler, Jason Garrison, Mike Santorelli, David Booth

2014/2015 Prediction: 6th in the West


Edmonton Oilers


Last Season: 22-44-9, 28th overall; missed playoffs

Leading Scorer: Taylor Hall - 80 points

Head Coach: Dallas Eakins

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Ben Scrivens

Key Acquisitions: Benoit Pouliot, Teddy Purcell, Nikita Nikitin, 

Key Departures: Sam Gagner, Ryan Smyth, Ryan Jones

2014/2015 Prediction: 11th in the West


Calgary Flames


Last Season: 35-40-7, 27th overall; missed playoffs

Leading Scorer: Jiri Hudler - 54 points

Head Coach: Bob Hartley

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Jonas Hiller

Key Acquisitions: Jonas Hiller, Deryk Engelland, Mason Raymond, Devin Setoguchi

Key Departures: Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak, T.J. Galiardi

2014/2015 Prediction: 14th in the West


Winnipeg Jets


Last Season: 37-35-10, 22nd overall; missed playoffs

Leading Scorer: Blake Wheeler - 69 points

Head Coach: Paul Maurice

Opening Night Starter In Goal: Ondrej Pavelec

Key Acquisitions: Mathieu Perrault, T.J. Galiardi

Key Departures: Olli Jokinen, Devin Setoguchi

2014/2015 Prediction: 13th in the West


Based on my predictions, I believe only 3 of the 7 Canadian teams will make the Playoffs this season. It will be a rough year for the remaining 4, as they are all going through rebuilding years. Don't be surprised if the Senators or Oilers slip in to the Playoffs though, or teams like the Canucks or Leafs miss. The best part about sports is that they're so unpredictable, so hopefully all 7 Canadian teams do well. We'll know within a couple months what should happen. Oh Canada!

NHL Season Preview & Predictions

The NHL season is just a week away, and I have a feeling it's going to be a great one. Rogers Sportsnet starts out their new TV deal, and there should be plenty of games on every night, even if you don't have NHL Centre Ice. This season is as wide open as ever, and i'm going to give my predictions as to how I think everything is going to stack up:


Standings:

Metropolitan Division


1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. New York Rangers
4. New York Islanders
5. New Jersey Devils
6. Washington Capitals
7. Columbus Blue Jackets
8. Carolina Hurricanes

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Bruins
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Montreal Canadiens 
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Ottawa Senators
7. Florida Panthers
8. Buffalo Sabres

Pacific Division

1. Anaheim Ducks
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Arizona Coyotes
7. Calgary Flames

Central Division

1. Chicago Blackhawks
2. Dallas Stars
3. St. Louis Blues
4. Minnesota Wild
5. Colorado Avalanche
6. Nashville Predators
7. Winnipeg Jets


Playoffs:

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Bruins
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. New York Rangers
7. Montreal Canadiens
8. Tampa Bay Lightning 

Western Conference

1. Anaheim Ducks
2. Chicago Blackhawks 
3. Los Angeles Kings
4. Dallas Stars
5. St. Louis Blues
6. Vancouver Canucks
7. Minnesota Wild
8. San Jose Sharks


Eastern Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings over New York Rangers

Western Conference Final: Anaheim Ducks over Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup Final: Anaheim Ducks over Detroit Red Wings


Awards

Hart: Sidney Crosby

Vezina: Carey Price

Calder: Aaron Ekblad 

Norris: Drew Doughty

Selke: Patrice Bergeron

Art Ross: Sidney Crosby

Maurice Richard: Alex Ovechkin 

Jack Adams: Bruce Boudreau 


There are some bold picks, and some safe ones as well. This season should be full of surprises, and my dark horse team going into the season is the Dallas Stars. I think the additions they made in the off-season puts them into contention for the Cup, but ultimately I think it's going to be Anaheim over Detroit in the Stanley Cup Final. Let's hope for a great season excitement wise!

Fierce Fifteen -- Week 5 NFL Power Rankings

Week 4 is in the books, and it was another wild week in the NFL. The week started, and ended with blowouts, and had blowouts in between. There weren't many close games on Sunday, with Tampa Bay vs Pittsburgh, and Philly vs San Francisco being the only ones. 

In saying that; here are the Power Rankings heading into week 5:

1. Seattle Seahawks (2-1)

2. Denver Broncos (2-1)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)

4. San Diego Chargers (3-1)

5. Arizona Cardinals (3-0)

6. Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)

7. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

8. Detroit Lions (3-1)

9. Green Bay Packers (2-2)

10. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

11. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)

12. Dallas Cowboys (3-1)

13. Chicago Bears (2-2)

14. New York Giants (2-2)

15. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)