How do you feel about overtime losses when it comes to my picks? If you want to give me the benefit of the doubt, I was a respectable 5-4-2 last week. If you want to hold me to the ultimate standard (Who won the game?!), then I was a less exciting 5-6.
Either way, I'm going to wade into the picking pool again. Wish me luck.
Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins
I always love an "Original Six" showdown, particularly when it's between an Eastern and Western Conference team. Those O6ers don't see each other quite as much as they should. The Hawks scored a 5-4 shootout win over the Bruins on Dec. 18. I'll take the Hawks to get it done again.
To see the rest of E.J. Hradek's picks for all of Thursday night's games, you must be an ESPN Insider.
E.J. Hradek
Senior Writer, ESPN The MagazineABOUT THIS BLOG
E.J. Hradek
E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.
In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.
Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.
