The Fives: April 17th, 2010

Five observations from Friday in sports…

1.    The surprises in the NHL playoffs continue.  After 4 road teams won Game 1, Nashville goes out and beat the Blackhawks in Chicago last night.  I’m starting to get the feeling that the majority of these first round series are going to go down to the wire.  My prediction: 6 of the 8 series go at least six games.

2.    The Ben Roethlisberger story continues to live on and the longer it goes, the longer the suspension gets in my opinion.  I had the over/under at 4 games during the week, but now I’m starting to believe it might be going into the neighborhood of 8 games.

3.    I wonder how serious the Rams are about drafting Sam Bradford at No.1.  With reports saying there will not be a deal in place before the draft and rumors that the Browns are kicking around the idea of trading up, I think the first pick of the draft may be in flux until it’s actually made.

4.    With reports that CBS and Turner Sports have the lead bid for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, I just don’t think ESPN is out of the running just yet.  There are rumors that they won’t up their bid, but it’s reportedly only $40 million less than the CBS/Turner deal.  There may be a lot more wheeling and dealing before the new deal is completed.

5.    Roy Halladay continues to impress in the National League.  It’s a good thing for him that lineup behind is so potent, because as its been shown the last couple of nights, that Phillie bullpen is struggling to say the least right now.

Five top performances from Friday…

1.    Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings LW: a hat trick in DET’s 7-4 Game 2 win over PHO

2.    Andre Ethier, Dodgers RF: 2 for 4 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in LA’s 10-8 win over SF

3.    Pekka Rinne, Predators G: 25 saves on 26 shots in NAS’s 4-1 Game 1 win over CHI

4.    Chris Carpenter, Cardinals SP: 0 runs on 4 hits with 10 K’s in 7 IP in STL’s 4-3 win over NYM

5.    Mitch Talbot, Indians SP: 1 runs on 6 hits with 2 K’s and a CG in CLE’s 6-2 win over CHW

Five events to watch on Saturday (all times Eastern)…

1.    NHL Playoffs: Bruins at Sabres, Game 2, 1:00 PM, NBC (BUF looks to go up 2-0)

2.    NBA Playoffs: Bulls at Cavaliers, Game 1, 3:00 PM, ABC (Cavs start their title chase)

3.    MLB: Giants at Dodgers, 4:10 PM, FOX (Lincecum (SF) vs. Haeger (LAD))

4.    NBA Playoffs: Heat at Celtics, Game 1, 8:00 PM, ESPN (How much Boston luck is left?)

5.    NBA Playoffs: Jazz at Nuggets, Game 1, 10:30 PM, ESPN (1st of 4 great West series starts)

Have a good day.