NHL: Stanley Cup Finals Thoughts

At long last, the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals are set, and Count Gary Bettman is creaming his pants at having biglargehuge TV markets Los Angeles and New York as the final two teams.

Seeing the Kings in the finals is no real surprise, but the Rangers? I bet you would have cashed in big if you bet on them to make the finals back in September.

First, a look back at the semi-finals. I got both predictions wrong, so now I'm 9 for 14 in the playoffs. Like the Canucks, I choke in the later rounds :(

Rangers v. Canadiens

I flipped a coin, and ended up picking the Canadiens in 7. It's the coin's fault, obviously.

A few things did the Habs in, and led to the Rangers taking the series in 6 games.

1. Goaltending: Carey Price went down in the first game to an injury that ended his playoffs. Dustin Tokarski, the third-string goaltender, was given the reins after that. While Tokarski did well for himself, he didn't steal games like Carey Price was able to. Lundqvist has been, by far, the best goalie in these playoffs. 


2. Coaching: I think that Michel Therrien is not a very good coach, and the advanced stats back that up. In game six, the Canadiens were constantly on the defensive, and the Rangers looked like the desperate team. Alain Vigneault knows how to better use his players, and his team looked fresh and confident.


3. Thomas Vanek: What a disappointment as Vanek completely disappeared in this series, with just 2 assists and a -4 in 6 games. Instead of owning up to his indifferent play, Vanek blamed his new linemates for a 'lack of chemistry', and his coach for his own lack of production. Vanek was good the first two rounds, but then decided, for whatever reason, that he was done playing hard. Not the kind of guy I want on my team, when the chips are down.

Image borrowed from dennis-kane.com, a fine Habs blog.

Kings v. Blackhawks

While I picked the Hawks to win this series in 7 games, it was pretty much another coin-flip scenario. I figured the Hawks would be a bit fresher and a bit deeper.

In the end, it came down to a bad bounce in Game 7's overtime to give the Kings their ticket to the Cup Finals. It was a great series, and, apologies to the Rangers, truly showcased the two best teams in the league.

1. Justin Williams is clutch. Just look at his production in playoff Game 7s. He is the best Game 7 playoff scorer, ever! Yes, even better than Gretzky and Glenn Anderson. If this was Final Fantasy 7, Williams would be doing 7,777 damage each hit!

• 7 games
• 7 goals
• 7 assists
• 7 wins

2. Jonathan Quick is actually the weak link in the Kings armour. With a 90.6 SV% in these playoffs, Quick ranks well below average. Luckily for him, Corey Crawford was not that great for the Hawks, either.

3. Duncan Keith does not get enough press for being one of the dirtiest players in the league. He got away with concussing Daniel Sedin a few years ago,  got caught slashing Jeff Carter on the head, and even got called out by Don Cherry for his slashiness. If Keith weren't a 'star' player, you can bet he'd be punished a lot more severely. I suppose this makes Keith a modern-day Chris Pronger.

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LOS ANGELES KINGS v. NEW YORK RANGERS

The Los Angeles Kings have to be the "Team of Destiny". Not only did they overcome a 3-0 series deficit versus the Sharks in the first round, but they've now won three straight Game 7s to get to the finals. Things just seem to be going their way.

Most pundits expect the Kings to walk away with the Stanley Cup, and I am not going to disagree. The Kings have been one of the strongest teams for the past few years, better overall depth, and I think their larger forwards will give the Rangers problems. The Canadiens are a small team, and the Rangers had a fairly easy time containing the Montreal attack.

That said, the Rangers have a decent shot at pulling the upset, for a few reasons.

• Goaltending: Henrik Lundqvist has been stealing games left and right, and compare his 92.8 SV% to Quick's 90.6%. Quick has been overrated for awhile now, while King Henrik was been, somewhat quietly, one of the elite goaltenders for some time.

Lundqvist is also so damn handsome. It's not fair!

• Fatigue: Western Conference teams have far more travel, and the New York teams have always had some of the easiest travel schedules in the league. While the Kings have had the nice luxury of playing two California teams during these playoffs, the season-long travel schedule can really be a factor for LA.


• Fatigue, again: The LA Kings have had three straight brutal 7-game series, and have made things tough on themselves. The Rangers, on the other hand, came through the Canadiens series relatively unscathed, apart from Derek Stepan's jaw. The Rangers will be better rested before the series starts, and this might come into play down the road. Remember, Western Conference hockey has tended to be faster-paced and more physical than Eastern Conference hockey. Just watch a regular season game and notice the difference. 

Prediction: LA Kings in six.

NHL Playoffs: Round 3 Predictions and Musings

While the first round of the 2014 NHL Playoffs went about as much as expected (I got 7 of 8 predictions correct), the second round produced a lot of shocking results.

PREDICTION RESULT MATCH? Hawks in 6 Hawks in 6 Y* Kings in 6 Kings in 7 Y Bruins in 4 Habs in 7 N Penguins in 6 Rangers in 7 N

Thanks to the more predictable Western Conference, I was able to go 2 for 4 with one perfect pick. That leaves me 9 for 12 for the playoffs, thus far.

Hawks v. Wild - As usual, the Wild were almost-unbeatable at home, but were outclassed by the much stronger team. Kudos to the Wild for playing their hearts out.

Kings v. Ducks - The Kings certainly don't make it easy for themselves, but they managed to edge out another California powerhouse. I wonder how much they'll have left in the tank. Admittedly, this is the series I watched the least.

Bruins v. Canadiens - I picked the Bruins to sweep, and they really are the team with more talent and size ... but, the Canadiens were not intimated, and took the play right to the Bruins.

Yes, Carey Price pretty much carried the Habs for most of the series, but just look at how Tomas Plekanec reacts (or doesn't) to this Brad Marchand cheapshot to the face.

"I ain't even mad!"

The Canadiens were not at all scared of the big bad Bruins, instead playing an aggressive speedy style that put the Bruins back on their heels. It was astonishing, and also great to see. I'm not fond of Therrien's coaching, but he's certainly pushing the right buttons right now.


*** Now, allow me to go on a bit of a tangent.

Milan Lucic is one of my favourite all-time players, especially since I got to see him grow up as a member of the Vancouver Giants. He led our WHL club to a Memorial Cup, and his story is one of perseverance.

That said, I've lost a lot of respect for him the past few weeks.

First, he seems to have taken up the hobby of spearing other players in the junk. A player of Lucic's size does not need to resort to such stickwork, and he's always been able to stick up for himself fairly in the past. 

Second, the whole 'handshake line' nonsense. Yes, I think the forced handshake line tradition is overrated, but glaring at Dale Weise and threatening him with violence is just lame. Suck it up, shake hands, and move on. Lucic just comes off whiny, and seems to have picked up bad habits from douchebag Marchand.

So, for now, Brendan Gallagher has surpassed Lucic on my list of favourite Vancouver Giants. ***


Rangers v. Penguins - This was the series that my gut told me would be an upset, but I went against my gut and picked the Penguins. Lesson learned.

The Penguins, like the Bruins, ran into a really hot goaltender. The lack of depth on the Penguins did not help matters, and Crosby/Malkin can't do EVERYTHING. Already, GM Ray Shero has been canned, and head coach Dan Bylsma might be soon behind.

It's not like the Penguins played poorly...really, they had the majority of chances and puck possession...but they just seem to flame out in the playoffs like the San Jose Sharks. To his credit, Marc-Andre Fleury played fairly well in this series.

ROUND 3 PREDICTIONS

LOS ANGELES v. CHICAGO

These are the two teams I consider the cream of the crop, despite the Kings not-as-dominating regular season record. The addition of Marian Gaborik has given the Kings much-needed offense, and Jonathan Quick has decided to stop being a merely average goaltender.

I think the Hawks edge will be the fact that the Kings will eventually run out of steam. The Kings have to travel a LOT more than the Hawks have, and the Kings have played two brutal seven-game series.

The Hawks have had some physically challenging series, too, but should be a bit more fresh. Otherwise, this is a battle of two great clubs.

Predictions: Hawks in 7

MONTREAL v. NEW YORK

(It's 2-0 New York in Game 1, as I type this...)

Honestly, I have no idea how to predict this series. I did not expect both teams to make it this far, and both teams have ridden red-hot goaltenders. One upset team in the conference finals makes sense, but two???

I do like the depth of the Canadiens more, especially up front. The Habs also have superstar d-man PK Subban, and should be able to generate more offense, overall.

Still, it's pretty much a toss-up, so let me flip this coin...

Prediction: Canadiens in 7

NHL Playoffs: Round 2 Predictions and Musings

The first round of the 2014 NHL Playoffs was definitely full of surprises ... and a lot of groin shots. Seriously, what the hell?

How did I do with my first round picks?

PREDICTION	RESULT	MATCH?
Avalanche in 5	Wild in 7	N
Hawks in 7	Hawks in 6	Y
Ducks in 6	Ducks in 6	Y*
Kings in 7	Kings in 7	Y*
Bruins in 5	Bruins in 5	Y*
Habs in 7	Habs in 4	Y
Penguins in 5	Penguins in 6	Y
Rangers in 7	Rangers in 7	Y*

Wow, I got 7 out of 8, including 4 perfect picks :) Too bad I had no money on the line...

A few first round thoughts, before I predict the next round.

AVALANCHE V. WILD

I will never get tired of seeing Patrick Roy angry.

This series was definitely a "home-ice advantage wins", except for Game 7. The Wild were absolutely terrific at home, where Mike Yeo could match up his lines well vs. the Avs top line of Stastny, Landeskog, and MacKinnon. The Avalanche spent way too much time in their own zone when playing in Minnesota, and Roy was simply outcoached by Mike Yeo.... yes, Mike Yeo.

Darcy Kuemper was brought in after Bryzgalov sucked in Games 1-2, and was easily the better of the three goalies who played in the series. He should carry the torch the rest of the way.

HAWKS v. BLUES

Yes, the Blues won the first two games, but their loss was inevitable :(

The Blues have a very good team, but they definitely need toughness on the blueline. Bouwmeester, Pietranglo, and Shattenkirk are all fabulous defensemen, but that is a lot of Marshmallow on the back end. The physical Hawks had their way in front of Miller, and showed why they, and not the Blues, win in the playoffs.

Ryan Miller was also a complete bust and had a sub 90.0 SV% with the Blues... so much for THAT #1 GOALIE WE'VE ALWAYS NEEDED! The Blues should not waste any money signing Miller to a long-term deal.

KINGS v. SHARKS

Although I predicted the Kings to win in 7, nobody could have thought the series would go the way it did... with the Sharks winning the first 3 games and the Kings becoming just the fourth team, ever, to come back from that deficit.

The Sharks looked unbeatable, and then the Kings woke up and the Sharks just choked. Expect a coaching regime change.

CANADIENS v. LIGHTNING

Backup goalie Anders Lindback didn't lose the series for the Lightning, but he certainly did nothing to help the Bolts have a shot. The Lightning need a real backup next season, as coach Cooper had so little confidence in Lindback that he ran Ben Bishop into the ground. The Bolts definitely deserved better than a sweep.

PENGUINS v. BLUE JACKETS

The Jackets have a ton of heart, but injuries and an awakened Malkin did them in.

The Penguins have a lot of glaring holes, starting with Marc-Andre Fleury. Although his SV% is much higher than it has been in the past, his glaring miscues late in games make any Pens fan nervous. In addition, the Penguins get completely outchanced when Crosby and/or Malkin are not on the ice, by a WIDE margin.

SECOND ROUND PREDICTIONS

CHICAGO v. MINNESOTA

Minnesota exposed the Avalanche's weaknessess, but what do they do against a team that has so few?

The Wild play so well at home, so I expect they can take two games from the Hawks. Darcy Kuemper has shown that he is a pretty good goaltender, and gives the Wild a distinct advantage over Corey Crawford.

The Hawks, on the other hand, came off a brutally physical series against the Blues. The Hawks might end up running out of steam faster due to the beatings they took.

Still, I don't think the Wild will pull the upset.

Prediction: Hawks in 6

LOS ANGELES v. ANAHEIM

Another Battle of California pits the 'How the hell are they winning so much?' No-longer Mighty Ducks of Anaheim versus the awakened LA Kings.

The Kings seemed to have found their stride, and choke opponents to death with Sutter's stifling system. It's boring, but it works!

I still think the Ducks play worse than their record shows, and their luck has to run out. The Kings can better stop a one-line team than the Stars could.

Prediction: Kings in 6

BOSTON v. MONTREAL

An Original Six classic, and a real David v. Goliath battle. You pit the big physical Bruins versus the tiny, speedy Habs, and you get quite a contrast in styles.

The Bruins are my pick to take the East, and should roll over the Habs without a big sweat. Carey Price matches up decently with Tuukaa Rask, but the rest of the roster? The Bruins have every advantage, by a mile.

Prediction: Bruins in 4

PITTSBURGH v. NEW YORK

If there was a series to pick an upset, this might be it. The Penguins look like they have too many glaring weaknessess, and will eventually implode. Looking at advanced stats, the Penguins, as a team, rank quite low in Corsi and Fenwick. To put it in basic terms, the Penguins tend to possess the puck less and generate fewer scoring chances than the opposition.

That said, I would expect a much more physical team would do well against the Penguins, as past history has shown, than the Rangers.

Prediction: Penguins in 6.

NHL: First Round Playoff Predictions - Bestern Conference

Tonight's the night where Canadian hockey fans can unite and watch American teams chase the Stanley Cup. No, Montreal is not going to win it all. *sigh*

Here are my picks, using actual standings for the rank vs. the weird NHL system.

#2 Colorado Crapalanche vs. #7 Minnesota Mild

As an aside, I have loathed the Avalanche for many years, dating back to them beating the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals and Clod Lemieux's dirty hit-from-behind on Kris Draper. I dislike the Red Wings with respect, and the Avalanche without it.

Now, they are coached by the megalomanical Patrick Roy, a man with serious anger and ego issues (Just ask his wife). In goal? How about oft-drunk woman-beater Semyon Varlamov, whose sins seem to be swept under the rug because he can stop a hockey puck.

*ahem*

As for the on-ice stuff, the Avalanche have been this season's surprise story in the West, going from laughing stock to finished second in the West. For all of Patrick Roy's faults, his player want to play hard for him (out of fear, perhaps), and they show 10x the emotion the Canucks have.

That said, the Avalanche are the league's luckiest team, and their record is a bit of a mirage. The Avalanche, like the Maple Leafs, are constantly out-shot and out-possessed (is that even a term, Jes?). Although the Avalanche have a lot of skilled players, they have relied far too much on their goaltender to bail them out.

Goaltending: Varlamov, as I mentioned, is the prime reason the Avalanche did so well. His 92.7SV% ranks third in the NHL, and he did it facing many quality scoring chances.

For the Wild, Josh Harding provided the league's best goaltending early in the season, before his battle with MS forced him out of the lineup. Crazy Ilya Bryzgalov was brought in to be his replacement, and he's a clear downgrade. Advantage: Colorado

Defense: I still laugh at how the Blues fleeced Colorado for Kevin Shattenkirk. Erik Johnson is an OK defenseman, but he'll never be the franchise player that was expected of him. Minnesota's D is anchored by Ryan Suter, one of the league's steadier blueliners, and a guy who *did* blossom into a franchise-type player.

Where it comes apart for the Wild is their 78.8% penalty kill, 4th worst in the league. Colorado isn't great on the PK, either, but still better than Yeo's club. 

Forwards: Is it Mike Yeo's terrible coaching? The Wild have some really good forwards (Parise, Koivu, Moulson, Pominville), but have, as always, trouble scoring goals. Their +1 goal differential is the worst amongst all Western playoff clubs, and 207 goals for is second worst. Their leading scorer, Pominville, had only 60 points.

Colorado, on the other hand, finished fourth overall in goals scored. Speedster Matt Duchene is out for at least the first round, which hurts a lot, but they seem to be a better-performing group. The Avalanche have five players with 60 or more points, and their Power Play is also one of the league's best.

Patrick Roy knows how to let his dogs out (It was him!).

Prediction: Avalanche in 5. The Wild are relying on a real wild-card in goal, and appear to be the weakest team heading into the playoffs.

#3 St. Louis vs. #5 Chicago

The Blues have long been my *other* favourite team, so this is my one dog in the fight.

Unfortunately, the Blues seem to have run into the most rotten of luck. Besides having to face the powerful and experienced Blackhawks, the Blues limped into the playoffs, losing their final six games. With injuries to Oshie, Backes, and Pietrangelo, it is not looking good for the good guys!

Goaltending: Ryan Miller's save percentage went from 92.4% to 90.3% with the Blues. Ugh! He was traded for to be the OMGAWESOME goalie the Blues have always lacked. Corey Crawford is a steady goalie who provides slightly-above-average 'keeping. I'd give the edge to the Blues, but not with how Miller is playing right now.

Defense: The Hawks have an amazing trio of Keith, Seabrook, and Hjarmalsson, which the Blues match up well with Olympians Bouwmeester, Shattenkirk, and Pietrangelo. The Blues have better depth, but Pietrangelo's injury could even things up.

Forwards: The Hawks have the star power with Kane, Hossa, and Toews, but the Blues have a lot more depth up front. Unfortunately, ex-Sabres Steve Ott and Derek Roy have been terrible for the Blues, giving the lineup a glaring hole. When you trade for players from crappy teams, do you really expect them to do well? This is why the Canucks need to stop trading with the Florida Panthers (David Booth, I'm looking at you!).

Honestly, both lineups are pretty stacked, and both teams could have easily had a better record than they did if not for injuries. With Kane and Toews back from injury, I think this series is the Hawks' for the taking :(

Prediction: Hawks in 7.

#1 Anaheim vs. #8 Dallas

For some reason, Anaheim does not seem like THAT good of a team to me. Yeah, they have talent, but something about their record seems...inflated like Pamela Anderson's boobs. I haven't delved into why I feel this way, but some bacteria in my gut tells me the Ducks aren't as good as their record suggests. Their special teams are middle-of-the-road, for one thing...

Goaltending: Anaheim's greatest weakness is that Jonas Hiller is not that good. Will the Ducks go with rookie Frederik Andersen? He's played much better than Hiller has.

For the Stars, Kari Lehtonen has put behind his groin injury problems and become a very dependable goaltender. This is Dallas' one edge in the series.

Defense: Adding 50-year old Sergei Gonchar and dumping Stephane Robidas did help the Stars make the playoffs, but their group isn't overly impressive. The Ducks are anchored by the underrated Cam Fowler and steady Francois Beauchemin. A slight edge to the Ducks.

Forwards: This is where Anaheim has shined all season. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau has always been great at getting offensive production from his roster, and the Ducks finished second overall with 266 goals for. The Ducks get good production throughout their lineup.

The Stars have two absolute bombs in Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but their depth just doesn't compare. Somehow, the Stars think the corpse of Erik Cole is still worth putting on the ice, and Ray Whitney's age has finally caught up to him.

Prediction: Ducks in 6.

#4 San Jose vs. # 6 LA Kings

The LA Kings have quietly been one of the league's most dominant teams, at least according to advanced stats. Darryl Sutter is a great coach for the club, and the Kings possession numbers and metrics suggest their record should be better than it is.

Darryl Sutter, the original "Grumpy Cat"

San Jose, of course, has a Vancouver Canucks-like history of playoff misery.

Goaltending: Quick is a bit overrated, in my eyes, but still battle-tested and dependable. For the Sharks, Niemi is also solid. A fairly even match.

Defense: No team was better than the LA Kings, defensively, as they finished first in goals-against with 174! Drew "Pillsbury" Doughty is one of the league's better 2-way defenseman, and Slava Voynov is tough to score on. San Jose's group is good, but the Kings can't be matched when it comes to team defense.

Forwards: The LA Kings bane has been their inability to score, while the Sharks are loaded with talent up front. If Havlat (big IF) can come back to the lineup and produce, the Sharks may be able to break the dam the Kings will put up.

The Kings are the worst offensive team in the 2014 playoffs, and their stifling system isn't the sole reason. They have a fine assortment of offensive talent (Kopitar, Williams, Carter, Richards), but seem to struggle on the Power Play, with the league's 4th-worst conversion rate.

Marian Gaborik has given the LA Kings a big boost on offense, and he might be the spark they need to retain the throne.

Prediction: Los Angeles in 7 very close games.

NHL: First Round Playoff Predictions - Leastern Conference

Yeah, I haven't been inspired to blog here much in the past few months, but I figure the start of the NHL Playoffs is as good as any to write something.

With the Vancouver Canucks having the collapse of the century (no hyperbole here!), I'm more of an outsider observer of the playoffs. Sure, my other favourite team, the St. Louis Blues, is in the playoffs... but we know the Blues have a history of playoff failure just like the Canucks do.

First, I'll start with the teams on the other side of the continent.

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Want more proof that the Western Conference is Bestern Conference?

1. Two of the playoff teams in the East were in the West last season. Ha!

2. Western Conference had six 100-point teams vs. four in the East.

3. Six of the West teams have a +30 or better goal differential. In the East? Just two.


On to the predictions. I'm using their spot in the overall standings, vs. the new weird format the NHL uses...

(L)EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Boston vs. #8 Detroit

Mike Babcock deserves some Jack Adams votes for the way he's handled the battered Red Wings this season. Despite playing with half of an AHL team, the Wings made the playoffs with a second-half push.

Goaltending: Rask is one of the very best, while Howard is merely average.

Defense: Zdeno Chara anchors one of the better two-way defense corps in the league. Detroit just doesn't have the D corps it used to when Mr. Perfect (Lidstrom) was around.

Forwards: Detroit has some real quality, and Gustav Nyquist is quite the story, but their depth just doesn't match up to Boston's. The Bruins have depth, size, and a playoff-tested group of grunts.

What are you going to do, brother, when Milan Lucic runs wild over you?

Prediction: Bruins in 5.

#3 Tampa vs. #4 Montreal

Goaltending: Carey Price finished 3rd in Save Percentage, while the Bolts #1, Ben Bishop, suffered a late-season injury. The Habs won many games thanks to Carey Price, who made up for Michel Therrien's terrible coaching.

Defense: Douglas Murray is, probably, the very worst defenseman in the NHL. On the flip side, PK Subban and Andrei Markov are two of the most talented. As a group, the Habs give up a lot of shots, and the Bolts' D is far steadier. Hedman has developed, quietly, into one of the league's better two-way defenseman, while Sami Salo and Eric Brewer bring a wealth of experience.

Forwards: The Bolts got some surprising performances from youngsters Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. Inexperience, plus the loss of Marty St-Louis (due to his whiny trade demand) could be their downfall. The Habs have a very small forward corps, but they do have fairly solid depth. Both teams seem quite similar, in this regard.

Prediction: Habs in 7. I hope the Lightning win, but the Bolts seems to have run into some bad luck.

If the Bolts do lose, at least Ryan Malone can throw a great party!

#2 Pittsburgh vs. #7 Columbus

The BJs make the playoffs for the second time in franchise history, thanks to a move to the Leastern Conference, and a stifling put-your-opponent-to-sleep strategy.

Goaltending: BOBROVSKY!!! Given Fleury's penchant for meltdowns, this is easily an advantage for the Dinner Jackets.

Defense: Kris Letang is back after suffering a stroke, and we hope we don't see another scary incident. The Pens' D is quite mobile and offensively talented, while the Dinner Jackets play two of the most defensively risky players in the game on the back end (Johnson and Wisniewski).

Forwards: The Jackets do have a pretty decent forward corps, albeit without the star power of the Penguins. At the very least, they can grind out goals when needed. I'll take Crosby and Malkin over whoever the hell plays for Columbus.

Prediction: Penguins in 5. 

#5 NY Rangers vs. #6 Philadelphia

Ugh, two teams I care little for. I am happy Alain Vigneault is doing well in New York, though.
The Flyers best hope is to play their usual thug brand of hockey, and hope the refs and NHL head office let them get away with it.

Goaltending: Henrik Lundqvist is not the elite goalie he used to be, but he's still better than Steve Mason.

Defense: The Rangers are the 2nd best defensive team in the East, and the Flyers D core is shallow and full of holes.

Forwards: The advantage for the Flyers here is that they have star power that can actually score. The Rangers have some big names, but both Rick Nash and Brad Richards' best days are far behind them.

Prediction: Rangers in 7 nasty games. 

NHL Predictions for 2013-14

After the heartbreak of the Canucks losing the Stanley Cup Finals three years ago, I've really cut back on the amount of hockey I watch, and the attachment I have to the game.

Of course, I still watch some games and still enjoy hockey. While I don't write about the game like I used to, I figure I might as well throw out my predictions for the upcoming season.

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The new conference and division alignments have broken up a few old rivalries, and changed the complexion of the NHL.

For the past few season, our hometown Canucks preyed upon a very weak division. Last season, especially, the Canucks had a good record simply by beating up on the Crapalanche, fLames, and Coilers. This season, the Canucks will have it tougher now that they have to play San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim more often.

Here are my predictions for the final standings, with the bolded teams to make the playoffs.

ATLANTIC - Strong on top, very weak on the bottom

Boston - Still the cream of the crop
Montreal - A good young team on the upswing
Ottawa - Losing Alfredsson will hurt, but they have one of the league's best coaches
Detroit - The core gets older, but they are still a competitive club.
Toronto - Most of the 'smart' fans realize the Leafs fluked out last season, as they were out-shot and out-possessed quite often. They don't quite suck, but I can see them falling back to Earth.
Tampa Bay - Stamkos and St. Louis will score a ton of goals, and then the rest of the team will let in a ton more.
Florida - Tim Thomas will help the goaltending situation, but this club is still the Panthers...
Buffalo - The bottom has fallen out

METROPOLITAN DIVISION - Toughest division, overall.

Pittsburgh - Losing Vokoun hurts, but this team outscores everybody else
Washington - Need to shore up their D if they are ever want to win it all
Rangers - Vigneault is a good coach, he just got stale here in Vancouver
Islanders - Will be a tough battle for them, but I have a soft spot for them
Philadelphia - Their goaltending reeks and the defense is a bit shaky
Jersey - I should know better than to bet against them, but I think this is the year they will fail
Columbus - Bobrovsky was the sole reason they had a shot at the playoffs. The Dinner Jackets have no chance with such a thin roster.
Carolina - Never seem to be the sum of their parts, and their defense is incredibly poor

CENTRAL - Weakest division of them all
 

Chicago - Unlike the previous cup win, this club's core is still around the season after
St. Louis - So much promise, so much heartbreak :(
Minnesota - Yeo is a terrible coach, but they have a lot of good young talent
Winnipeg - Some talent exists, but lazy blob Pavelec has been a huge disappointment
Colorado - We see just how valuable Craig Anderson was to this club, which has failed to really develop the past few seasons
Nashville - They can only keep losing so much talent before it catches up with them
Dallas - What happens when you refuse to rebuild? You get the American version of the Calgary Flames

PACIFIC: This division will be tight at the top
 
Los Angeles - Still cup favourites after a hiccup last season.
San Jose - They might have an old team, but they are still competitive
Anaheim - Last season was flukey, but this is a solid team
Vancouver - Meh...
Phoenix - Tippett is a magician with this club, and they are always the wild card
Edmonton - Lots of young offensive stars, but the D is terrible
Calgary - They'll fight with Carolina and Buffalo for the #1 overall pick