Picks to Click: Chelios, Anyone?

Just scanning the playlist looking for what I might watch tonight in the Lounge. Already today, I have seen Edina take apart Roseau, 7-3, in Minnesota Class AA boys hockey state tournament action.

The early games (7 pm Eastern starts) leave me a bit cold.

I've already watched every team in the NHL play at least 10 times. It's a rule the Lounge established when we hooked it up with the Center Ice package. You must see every team play twice per month. Every now and then I declare a team unwatchable, which means I will only look at say, Columbus, if the Blue Jackets' opponent is interesting and I need to get them off my list for the month.

Which brings me to Atlanta at Columbus. The Blue Jackets are on my list. When the Los Angeles Kings were stripping the Blue Jackets of all its parts in a back alley on Monday night, I said it was over for Columbus in March. And then Chris Chelios was called up by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Now, could I miss Chelios's return to the league? Not a chance. But if this game gets ugly, I'll give it the quick hook and go to Boston at Philadelphia. I've seen Tampa Bay play quite a few times in the last few weeks, and the Lightning on the road is not so impressive.

We'll also be checking in on St. Louis at the New York Islanders, a 7 pm start. Why? A, Because we can. B, Because I enjoy the banter of Howie Rose and Billy Jaffe. C, Deb Placey is a fine studio and between-period interviewer. And although I never liked Butch Goring as a player once he left the Los Angeles Kings (that's going waaaayyy back), he usually makes some good points as an analyst.

Florida at Colorado at 9 Eastern is the good middle game and Nashville at San Jose is the 10:30 Eastern game. On the laptop, we'll keep an eye on the entire league with the CBSSports.com scoreboard. Almost every night, watching this scoreboard post live results (shots, saves, hits, fights, you name it) is like watching popcorn, through a glass lid, cook up in a deep sauce pot. Thirty teams dropped onto a slippery surface. Heat is turned all the way up. Let's see what develops. Nothing but tasty goodness behind that glass.

(Side note: Popcorn and movies are a natural pairing, and adding this CBSSports.com scoreboard to the coffee table makes the night complete. Watch a DVD, reach for a snack and say, "Hey, my boy just put another one in the net." This little added feature makes a bad movie tolerable and a great movie even more enjoyable. Your welcome.)

We'll keep another screen open to watch the two night games in Minnesota. Minnetonka, the favorite in Class AA, plays Lakeville North at 7 Eastern. Hill-Murray faces Duluth East in the 9 Eastern finale of the quarterfinal round.