With the All Star Break behind us, and since I haven't done a post in months, I decided to make my predictions for how the sixteen NHL playoff spots will be filled this spring. In this first post, I will be focusing on the Eastern Conference, which this year is somewhat easier to map out than the wild wild West. Here goes...
1. Pittsburgh Penguins - 112 points
While everyone seems to be clamoring to find a good seat on the Flyers' bandwagon, I am not convinced that the boys from Philly are even the best team in their own division, let alone the conference. The Penguins are simply the best all-around team in the East, and certainly the team that is best built for the Playoffs. If this team can ever have Crosby, Malkin and Staal healthy all at the same time, their motor could really start humming during the last month or two of the season. Along with all their talent down the middle, they also boast a splendid crew of experienced, gritty blue liners like Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and newcomers Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Furthermore, the Pens possess one of the greatest assets a team can possess: a proven, all-star goalie with a road Game 7 of the Cup Finals win on his resume. Look for this team to be one of the favorites again to toast with Lord Stanley's Cup.
2. Boston Bruins - 107 points
Over the course of the season so far, this Bruins team has proven itself to be the class of the Northeast Division, outlasting their inconsistent rival Montreal. Even in what seems like it should be the twilight of his career, Tim Thomas has put himself in position to be the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy this year. Additionally, if Thomas should break down for some reason, the Bruins have one of the league's best backups in Tuukka Rask, who was putting up eye-opening numbers of his own toward the end of the 2009-10 season. As far as skaters go, despite the most recent loss of Marc Savard, Boston has a great mix of eager young guns (Tyler Seguin, David Krejci, Milan Lucic to name a few), and battle-tested veteran leaders (Mark Recchi, Zdeno Chara). Along with all their tangible assets, the Bruins also have a huge chip on their shoulder after blowing a 3-0 lead to the Flyers in the Playoffs last year, so look for these Beantown boys to be extra hungry down the stretch.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning - 105 points
New GM Steve Yzerman has made an immediate impact on the Lightning's fortunes with the acquisitions of players like Simon Gagne, Sean Bergenheim and the hard-working Dominic Moore. Adding these players to a roster that already includes dynamic young guns (Steven Stamkos, Steve Downie and Victor Hedman) and solid veteran leadership (Martin St. Louis, Mattias Ohlund and Ryan Malone), and it is a recipe for success. Throw in the emergence of players like Teddy Purcell and you've really got something. The one major question mark with this team is a big one: goaltending. Grizzled vet Dwayne Roloson has stepped up to bandage the bleeding for now, but if neither he nor Dan Ellis (or Mike Smith if he gets healthy) can step up and announce with their play that they will be the goalie the Bolts can lean on down the stretch and into the playoffs, this team could get tripped up early. All in all, they will be one of the most interesting teams to watch down the stretch.
4. Philadelphia Flyers - 107 points
The East's breakout team of the first half of the season will have a lot to prove down the stretch this year. The Flyers top three lines are among the league's best and most complete, and their miracle run to the Cup Finals last season will surely be very useful to them come Playoff time, but their continued question mark in net will be what defines their season. The loss of Simon Gagne has been filled with younger up-and-coming stars like James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux and Andreas Nodl playing a bigger role in the offense. Also, the addition of Andrej Meszaros has proven to be a very key one. The Flyers have great leadership with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Chris Pronger, and it will be on their shoulders to carry this team as far as it wants to go. Finally, the huge elephant in Philly's locker room, unproven goaltending, has to be addressed. While youngster Sergei Bobrovsky has been great for this team in the first half of the season, he has never seen anything like the Playoff push at the NHL level, let alone the actual Playoffs. This along with their slew of backups who could just as well be working at Chili's right now will ultimately prove to be their undoing.
5. Washington Capitals - 103 points
The Capitals' front office came out at the beginning of the season and said this season was Stanley Cup or bust. Unfortunately, it's looking like Washington has a 7 and a 5 showing and the dealer is about to hit them with a face card. The team's captain, Alexander Ovechkin, just does not possess the maturity to lead a team to a prize as difficult to win as the Stanley Cup, as can be seen in his trophy case that is packed with individual awards but lacks any significant team trophies. While this team is built to score with the best of them, their continued blue line mediocrity and questionable goaltending will send you home Cup-less every season. Until the Caps can address these issues, I will simply not consider them a serious Cup contender, especially with the Penguins, Bruins and Flyers in their conference.
6. New York Rangers - 99 points
Having watched the Penguins-Rangers game right after the All Star Break, I became a believer in the Rangers making the Playoffs this year simply by witnessing how hard they play. It looks to me like these Blue Shirts will find themselves in the tournament this year based on two things: goaltending and sheer will. Henrik Lundqvist is one of the finest goaltenders in the league, and any team that he protects the net for, particularly one that works so hard in front of him, will always have a shot to do something special. With leaders-by-example Brandon Dubinsky, Marc Staal and Ryan Callahan, this team has the character to present a challenge to anyone they face. Throw in the unexpected contributions of players like Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust, as well as the talent of Marion Gaborik, Ruslan Fedotenko and Wojtek Wolski (who, since he is in his first year with the Rangers, will actually try hard before he reverts back to his lackluster, complacent self) and this team could make some waves in the Playoffs.
7. Carolina Hurricanes - 95 points
I was very impressed with the reception All Star Weekend got in Raleigh, from the fans to the atmosphere and everything in between. I have always known that Carolina was one of the NHL's experimental cities where hockey actually worked, and that the Canes have great fans. It was nice to see one of the more under-appreciated fan bases in the league get to show their stuff on All Star Weekend's national stage. The Hurricanes were beginning to make a push toward a Playoff spot before the break, and I believe they will carry the momentum of hosting the All Star Game into the 7th playoff spot. This team has lifted the Stanley Cup before, and they still have key pieces from that team to lead them back to the Playoffs again. Cam Ward is one of the better goalies in the league and has a Conn-Smythe in his trophy case. Eric Staal is one of the more under-the-radar superstars in any sport, and has the talent and intangibles to lead the Canes to the promise land.
8. Montreal Canadiens - 94 points
Despite early season success, the Habs' inconsistent play since then leads me to believe they will finish exactly where they finished last season when they made their miracle run to the Conference Finals. This veteran-laden team looks on paper like it should be one of the top teams in the East. With players like Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta, Hal Gill, Roman Hamrlik and Andrei Markov just to name a few, they should be a force to be reckoned with. However, this team has been victim to the injury bug, and despite Carey Price being voted into the All Star Game, he is still the goalie that got benched last year in favor of Jaroslav Halak. Price has little experience backstopping a team during an NHL Playoff push, and this team simply loses too many games that it shouldn't to be taken too seriously. But hey, it's the NHL Playoffs, and as we all know, crazy things can happen if you can just manage to get in...
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