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For those waiting on pins and needles for the final score tally of the playoff prediction contest, without further ado...

Clint = 44 points (2+1+1) *3= 56 Points

Mike = 26 points + (6+0+5)*3 = 59 Points

Barga = 44 points (1+4+5) *3= 74 Points

BZArcher = 54 points (5+3+1)*3 = 81 Points

Andy = 40 points (7+5+5) *3= 91 Points

As a reminder of the last round picks http://www.jacketscannon.com/2009/5/15/876790/playoff-prediction-round-3#comments

I was able to pull out the dramatic come from behind victory. Partly due to picking the correct conference final winners and the eventual champion AND because I kept score.

If you revisit my first round choices... I had the Pens lose to the Flyers in 7 in the first round so I'm not going to claim to be a wizard at this. The Pens that played the last half of the year were not impressive. The Pens that showed up in the playoffs were very very good. They got excellent play out of their role playing wingers in every series. When you can be so strong down the middle, you can get lucky on the wings... it doesn't work the other way around.

I was honestly happy to see Pittsburgh win, I was happy to see Detroit lose. If we only sucked a little more 2003-2006, we could have been in the same spot at the Pens, but that is the luck of sucking during the right years.

Detroit's loss, and subsequential signings and free agency will be interesting. They've spent a lot of cash on their best players in long term contracts, not something the Wings have done during the Cap era. I honestly think it will be the start of their slide. I learned that I love Kronwall and Ericcson (how about we get some Swedish defensemen, eh?), Helm will be pesky, but the farm will have to keep churning them out. The days of signing a roster of UFAs is over, the days of avoiding terrible contracts has begun.

I still will swear to you that if we had gotten on the board first in one of those games in Detroit... we could have won that series. When you get down 2 goals in every game, it is not going to work out.

Congrats to the Pens on a big Cup Win and Congrats to all who participated in the Prediction Contest. Hopefully we'll get more next year.