Canada vs Russia 2012 World Junior Championships Semi Finals Prediction

This is likely one of the last matchups the Canadians would have liked in the semi-finals of this years IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, but it’s the one they got after the Russians defeated the Czech’s in overtime last night.  Now the rematch of last years wild final is set to take place tonight at 9:00pm EST.  We all remember how last year turned out with the Canadians heading into the 3rd period up 3-0 before allowing 3 quick goals to start the period and 2 more later to lose the game 5-3.  This year revenge is in order.

It looks like Scott Wedgewood will be getting the nod in net for the Canadians, which I believe is a good decision, not only because he has been the better goaltender so far in the tournament, but also because Visentin was the one who allowed the 5 goals last year to the Russians and putting him back in the same situation could prove costly.  Wedgewood has been great, but so has Russian goaltender Vasilevski who stopped 38 of 39 shots against the Czech’s last night.

Sports Interaction currently has the spread in the game at 2.5 goals with Canada as the favourites, while Bodog has the spread at 2.  This may be because SportsInteraction.com is primarily a Canadian sportsbook, but this makes it a great place to wager on Russia.  If you do sign up at SportsInteraction.com be sure to leave the Sports Interaction refer a friend code empty in order to receive the 100% up to $125 bonus.

The moneyline at Sports Interaction is -500 for Team Canada and +300 for Russia.  I don’t think the two squads are as far apart in quality as these lines suggest, but I do expect Team Canada to pull this one out.  Therefore I like the +2.5 puckline bet at Sports Interaction on Russia with odds of -130.  Vasilevski should be able to keep the Canadians to a reasonable number of goals and the Russian snipers should provide a little bit of offense in order to keep the game close.

Expect Team Canada to wear down the Russian defense with the strong forechecking game that Canada has become known for in this tournament and employed for a great deal of success over recent years.  The winner of this game will surely go into the Finals on Thursday with the label of favourite, so this is a huge game for both teams.  The loss last year should be enough to keep Canada from getting complacent this time around if they are able to build a lead.

Visit SportsInteraction.com to bet on this Canada vs Russia semi-final!

 

Teemu Selanne Season Prediction – Any Left In The Tank?

Teemu just announced that he will be rejoining the Ducks this season and Ducks fans everywhere must be letting out a huge sigh of relief.  Take away the Ducks top 4 forwards and they are a poor team.  Reduce that amount to 3 high end guys, including their 2nd leading scorer from the season and a guy who scored a goal per game through 6 games of the playoffs and they aren’t looking too great.  With Selanne the Ducks once again have a shot at making the playoffs, although they need many more pieces if they want to go far.  That being said the Ducks need the Selanne circa last season, not a slower ‘Finnish Flash’ who isn’t at 100% after knee surgery.

But if Teemu says he’s ready to play, you better believe he’s ready to play.  Putting up 80 points in 73 games at 41 years old is unheard of.  In fact Gordie Howe and Johnny Bucyk, with Howe being the only to finish in the top 10 in scoring (Selanne was 8th even after missing 7 games).  In the playoffs he kept up to speed scoring 6 goals and adding an assist in 6 games.  Not to mention how many late game-tying goals he scored in the final stretch when Anaheim was gunning for a playoff spot.

If the Ducks can get anything close to the Selanne of last year they will be laughing.  Personally I don’t know why a player would retire after one of the best seasons of their career.  Obviously he still has gas left in the tank and the ability to help his team.  He might as well pad his stats and cement his place as one of the top NHL players in the history of the game.

I expect Selanne to start up right where he left off last season, scoring goals and amazing fans.  Not to mention those fans will be in his home town of Helsinki because the Ducks open their season off there (that might have helped push him in the right direction towards returning to the team).

If Selanne can stay healthy I predict similar numbers to last year.  Something along the lines of 29 goals and 45 assists I would expect, with at least half of those goals being on the powerplay.  I still don’t plan on placing a division winners bet on Anaheim to take the Pacific this season, but if  Selanne’s return will likely make many online sports bettors at least take a second glance at the Ducks Stanley Cup betting lines various online sportsbooks will be offering.

If nothing else fans around the NHL are thankful that they get to watch the skill and finesse of the Finish Flash for at least one more season.  I for one am much more likely to stop at the channel at a Ducks game now that he has confirmed his return.

 

2011 NHL Draft Predictions

The Stanley Cup has been won the by the Boston Bruins and teams are already looking towards next season.  First on the docket for setting up a solid team for the future is the 2011 NHL entry draft, which is being held in Minnesota this season.  The consensus number one selection seems to be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but the next several picks are up in the air and anything can happen at an NHL entry draft as we have seen in the past.  Here are my predictions for the top 10 picks of the draft.

1. Edmonton Oilers –> Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Nugent-Hopkins seems to be the consensus number 1 for this draft.  He is not considered the most NHL ready, but his skill and vision have him pegged as having the most potential to be a superstar in the league.  The offensive upside is there, but he will have to put on a bit more weight and muscle before he should be ready to really contribute and compete in the NHL.  The Oilers are one of the few teams in the league that may have room for him on the top 2 lines right away with Gagner or Horcoff possibly moving to the wing.  But only expect him to play if he is receiving at least 15 minutes a game.

2. Colorado Avalanche –> Gabriel Landeskog

The most NHL ready player in the draft will step right into the Avalanche lineup and help a very weak left wing corps where Cody McLeod is the top LW.  The forwards in Colorado are very poor and picking Landeskog is the easiest way for the Avs to move past the poor trade that sent Stewart and Shattenkirk to St. Louis for Eric Johnson and Jay McClement.  Landeskog is a fierce competitor who will likely become the captain of this team in the near future.

3. Florida Panthers –> Jonathan Huberdeau

It’s between Huberdeau and Larsson for the Panthers and I think not making the playoffs with Bouwmeester then losing him for nothing will leave a sour taste in their mouth, which should cause the Panthers to steer clear of another highly touted defenseman.  The Panthers need a player who can fill the stands and help them score goals and Huberdeau should be that player in a year or two.  He needs to put on some weight, like Nugent-Hopkins, but he has the offensive upside and the vision to get the Panthers fans out of their seats.

4. New Jersey Devils –> Adam Larsson

The Devils should be a force next year, but when you look at their defense the talent is lacking.  The Devils have a solid top two lines, however they were not able to score many goals last season (finishing last in the league by quite a margin).  The top d-man on the team only scored 23 points and in the speedy NHL today offense often starts from the back.  Larsson is poised with a strong break out pass that should help the Devils right away.

5. New York Islanders –> Dougie Hamilton

The Islanders are very poor defensively and Hamilton is the perfect shut down d-man that should bring toughness and grit to their lineup.  The Islanders have to build their team and a solid defender that can log a lot of minutes and be on the plus side of even strength hockey is exactly what they need.

6. Ottawa Senators –> Sean Couturier

The Senators are very dry up the middle after elite center Jason Spezza.  Mike Fisher must be replaced and if you look at their depth chart at the moment you will not be impressed with the names you see.  Couturier has dropped off from battling for the number one ranking earlier in the season, but he is a big body that is able to make plays and protect the puck.  He needs to work on his skating in order to make an impact in the NHL.

7. Winnipeg Jets –> Ryan Strome

The Jets are in need of some additional skill in the middle of the ice.  They have solid wingers, but these players need a playmaking center to get them the puck.  I’m not saying Strome will make the team out of camp, but he has a legitimate chance and should go to the Jets this draft.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets –> Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy is a smaller defenseman, but his offensive upside is huge and he possesses a wicked shot that should score him plenty of goals in the NHL, especially on the powerplay.  The Blue Jackets will jump to add an offensive d-man to their fairly unskilled backend.

9. Boston Bruins –> Mika Zibanejad

This player has been playing with men in the Swedish Elite League and he has not looked like a boy among men.  He should transform into a solid NHL power forward and this fits in perfectly with the Boston Bruins style of play.

10. Minnesota Wild –> Nathan Beulieu

Beulieu will be the best player left in the draft at the 10th position and you can expect the Wild to scoop him up here.  Nathan is a strong puck moving defensemen that will be an elite powerplay quarterback, but he will need a few years to make the jump.  The Wild have a fairly strong team so they will not need to push anybody into the lineup right away.

The draft should be interesting and there should be some odds up soon.  If I see betting odds up as to which player will go first overall I will post them on this article.

But for now it’s back to watching Wimbledon for me.  I placed a bet on Roger Federer to take the Championships this year and he looked very good in his opening match today.  I’m getting more into tennis betting and if this interests you I suggest you check out my other website, www.OnlineTennisBetting.com!

Boston Bruins Will Win Stanley Cup Final

The Boston Bruins will win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals over the favourite Vancouver Canucks.  Thats a bold statement considering the Canucks are -230 favourites to win the series, while a $100 bet on the Bruins would win $210 for a payout of $310.  I feel that the Bruins have as good, if not a better chance than the Canucks to win this series.  There are a variety of reasons, each of which will be explained in this article.

Sedin’s Shutdown

The Sedin’s only managed to score a combined 19 points in their first 13 games, while they put up 18 in their last 5.  This may seem like they are heating up, which should be a bad thing for the Bruins, but if you look closer you will see that the reason the Sedin’s were able to dominate the Sharks is because the Sharks do not possess any elite shutdown defensemen (Dan Boyle is an elite d-man, but he is known more for his offensive abilities).  When you look at the Chicago series the Sedin’s had to contend with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and David Bolland, who successfully shut them down.  In the Nashville series Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are two elite defensemen who did the job.  I expect Chara and Bergeron to be able to slow down the Sedin’s and if they can keep them to under around 0.8 points per game that is in the Bruins favour.

Kesler Injury

Reports indicate that Kesler may be nursing a groin injury that he suffered in game 5 against the Sharks.  He is expected to play, but will he be able to be the force that he has been throughout these playoffs.  Will he be able to stop the hot David Krejci and Nathan Horton top line for the Bruins.  Kesler is a huge part of this Canucks team and if the Sedin’s get shut down the team counts on him for a lot of offense.  We will see how his groin holds up and if he is able to go 100%.

Tim Thomas vs Roberto Luongo

I give the edge to Thomas.  Neither goaltender has been to this stage before, and neither has looked tremendous getting here this year.  Sure, both have had good games, but each have had bad games and let in some bad goals.  I don’t expect the goaltenders to really decide this series, but if I was going to choose one that has the ability to steal games if need be it would be Thomas.

These three reason are why the Bruins will have a good chance at defeating the Canucks in this years Stanley Cup finals.  I’ve already done my hockey betting on this series at 5Dimes, which offers reduced odds for the series (means I make an extra $0.10 on the dollar).  It should be interesting and I’m excited for this to get started tonight.

NHL First Round Playoff Predictions 2010-11

The Stanley Cup Playoffs start tonight so I cannot wait any longer to get my 2010-11 predictions up for the first round.  Last season I went 6 for 8, missing the Habs and Flyers in the first round, but hitting every other series (I was even further off because those two ended up meeting in the Conference Finals).  In 2008-09 I went 8 for 8 in the first round, so over the past two season I’m currently 14/16 in first round series, which is a fairly decent statistic.  Let’s get onto it.  Check out the first round NHL playoff predictions below:

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers

The Caps were still able to finish the regular season in first place in the East after a very poor start to season where they lost 8 straight games in December, which everyone saw on the Road to the Winter Classic documentary.  Since then the Caps have turned it around and really put in place a new style and team identity.  The team scored more than 1.2 fewer goals per game this year and actually finished the season with fewer than average goals per game.  This means they improved their defense if they were still able to finish atop the East so expect a much more well rounded team in this years playoffs.  The loss of Ryan Callahan will really hurt the Rangers and I expect this to be an easy win for the Caps.

Prediction: Washington Capitals in 5

Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabres

The Flyers dropped off big time at the end of the season winning only 9 of their final 25 games.  The Sabres on the other hand won 9 of their last 12 and have the best record in the league since  Pegula purchased the team (16-4-4).  I expect each teams momentum to continue forward and having the better goaltender in net should give the Sabres an added edge in this series.  Expect Vanek to score several goals as well.

Prediction: Buffalo Sabres in 6

Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens

The Bruins have the second best goal differential in the league and the best goaltender in Tim Thomas.  They are very deep up front and can count on Zdeno Chara to be a force from the back end.  Kaberle has also been a good addition to the team, while Chris Kelly is a very underrated player that was a great pick up for Chiarelli.  The Bruins outclass the Habs in every area of the game and their size should be a factor and something that the Habs cannot handle.

Prediction: Boston Bruins in 4

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning

The Pens will be without Crosby for at least game 1 and very possibly the entire series.  The Penguins have proven they can win without Crosby and Malkin this year, which came as a surprise to many people and is a huge testament to Bylsma as the coach.  The Lightning have two of the top forwards in the league in Stamkos and St. Louis, while Lecavalier and Gagne are no slouches either.  The goaltending battle will be tight with Fleury and Roloson each having a lot of experience and the ability to steal games.  This series may just come down to experience and I think the Penguins are deep enough to win this series even if Crosby is not able to return.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins in 7

Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks

Anyone who says the Canucks aren’t a little bit worried about playing the Blackhawks are lying to themselves.  The ‘Hawks ousted the ‘Nucks in the last two playoffs and although they backed in to the playoffs with the help of the Minnesota Wild the Blackhawks are one of the few teams capable of beating the Canucks this season.  Vancouver was by far the best team in the regular season, but this doesn’t always translate into the playoffs, especially when the other team is in the head of your goaltender.  I expect Schneider to play in this series by the end, but the Blackhawks experience and mental game will win this one.

Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks in 7

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings

This should be the easiest series of all for any team.  The Kings lost their top player, Kopitar, late in the season and although Justin Williams is set to return to the lineup, the key piece that Kopitar is will be sorely missed.  The Sharks have been a dominant team since they dropped to 11th in the standings at the midway point of the season.  Expect them to roll over the Kings in this one.

Prediction: San Jose Sharks in 4

Detroit Red Wings vs Phoenix Coyotes

The Red Wings will start this series rematch without Henrik Zetterberg, but the Detroit team is deep enough that this should not be a huge problem.  The Red Wings are likely scratching either Jiri Hudler or Mike Modano for the first game of the series even with Hank out.  The Coyotes put up a great battle last season, but this years Detroit team should be more well rested and ready to go.  Datsyuk is healthy and Lidstrom & Rafalski are playing some of the best hockey of their long careers.

Prediction: Detroit Red Wings in 6

Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators

The Ducks somehow jumped from almost out of the playoffs to having home ice advantage.  This is the hardest to call series in the first round.  The Ducks have a dominant top line and Selanne is playing great, but the Preds are extremely deep and play a hardnosed style of game that is very hard to find holes in.  The series will come down to whether Perry/Getzlaf/Ryan/Selanne can score enough goals to make up for the Ducks lack of depth in comparison to the Predators.  Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are two top dmen and they should be able to at least slow down the powerful Ducks top line and this should be enough to tilt favour towards the Preds in this one.

Prediction: Nashville Predators in 7

Leave your picks in the comments below and explain why you are choosing who you are.  I put a $10 parlay down on these predictions at Bookmaker.com and the potential payout is $1067!  Let’s hope I go 8 for 8 again.

Check out Bookmaker.com for all the odds.

Why The New Jersey Devils WILL Make the Playoffs

The Devils are on a remarkable 20-2-2 run, which begs the question: Can they keep this up and make history by making the playoffs?  They have 17 games remaining and are currently sitting 8 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  They are in 12th, which means there are teams in front of them who are also battling for that final spot.  Actually, there are really 4 teams fighting for the final two spots in the East.  They are as follows:

New York Rangers 74 points with 14 games remaining
Buffalo Sabres 72 points with 17 games remaining
Carolina Hurricanes 71 points with 16 games remaining
Toronto Maple Leafs 67 points with 16 games remaining

Then you have the Atlanta Thrashers, but you can basically dismiss them because they have been playing so poorly of late that they really stand no chance.  But now you also have to add a fifth team.  That being the New Jersey Devils:

New Jersey Devils 64 points with 17 games remaining

24 games ago the Devils were 27 points out of the playoffs.  Now after going 20-2-2 the team finds themselves only 8 points back.  If they were to make the playoffs they would make history as the team that came from the furthest amount of points back from the playoffs to turn their season around and make the postseason.  This record would likely never be broken.

What Do They Have To Do?

Let’s take a look at the two teams they are chasing.  If you use each contending teams point percentage to this point in the season and assume that they will continue at this pace we can figure out how many points the Devils may need to pass these teams.

The New York Rangers earn an average of (74/68 = 1.088) points per game they play, which means they will finish the season with ~89 points.
The Sabres have more games in hand and will finish the season with ~91 points.

This means the Rangers will be more likely to be caught and if these two teams maintain their current winning percentages the Devils will need 89 points to make the playoffs (because the Devils would own the tie breaker having won more games in regulation or overtime).

Therefore, in their final 17 games if the Devils go something like (12-4-1) they will achieve this 89 point objective.  But to be more certain of making the playoffs (any of the four teams ahead of them could also get hot and push up the magic number to gain playoff entry) the Devils may need to go around (13-2-2) for 92 points.  This is a very difficult pace to maintain, but looking at their schedule the Devils play 5 very winnable games, which could put them right in the thick of things.  The Devils play the struggling Thrashers and Senators twice, and the not struggling, but still very beatable Islanders once.  If they can come out of these 5 games with 10 points (very possible considering their current streak along with each of these teams abilities) the Devils will likely only be around 4 points out of 8th position.  From then on they will hold more of their fate because they have a game against the Sabres remaining and a game against the Rangers in their 81st game of the season, which could very well determine their playoff fate.

I’m a believer….are you?

**In other betting news, namely horse racing you will be able to place Grand National bets very soon on the upcoming April 9th race (coincidentally the same day the Rangers vs Devils matchup takes place).  Kentucky Derby betting will also start to heat up soon for the May 7th race.

Daniel Sedin for the Art Ross

With about 20 games left in the regular season the Art Ross hunt is on.  At the moment it looks like Daniel Sedin or Steven Stamkos should be able to take down the prize at the end of the season.  At the time of this post Daniel is leading the league with 79 points, while Stamkos is just one behind at 78.  Stamkos also has two games in hand, which actually has him if you expect him to keep his pace for the remainder of the season.  Third and fourth positions are held by Martin St. Louis and Henrik Sedin, not coincidentally line mates of the top two contenders.  Then there is a large drop off to find Zetterberg with 69 points.  The fact that Stamkos will get points on a lot of the same goals as St. Louis and the same goes for the Sedin twins, it will be very difficult for them to catch up, so this should be two horse race down the stretch.

My money is on Daniel and here is why:

Why Daniel Will Win

• Daniel and Stamkos have both slowed down and each have only 6 points in their last 8 games.  That being said Daniel is a much more consistent producer and has never had a stretch of two games without a point this season.   He is on one of these two game stretches at the moment.
• Henrik won it last year and being the good twin that he is, will go out of his way to ensure his brother wins the Art Ross this year.  This includes passing up on scoring opportunities if Daniel has not touched the puck on the play.  I watched a Canucks game a few days ago and it was already evident that Henrik was doing more than he should have been to get his brother the puck.  This could be a detriment, but I think Henrik has the skill necessary to help his brother get points more often than not.
• Stamkos is almost a lock for the Maurice Richard.  He doesn’t need both…enough said.  It’s been three years since someone (Ovechkin) won both the Maurice and Art Ross.
• It would make for a great story.  Who doesn’t like a great story.  One twin wins it one year, then the other follows suit the next.  The Sedins do everything together, why not have matching Art Ross trophies as well.

**Take Daniel on your nightly FanDuel NHL fantasy teams down the stretch.  Henrik picked it up in the last few games last year and I expect the same from Daniel.

In all honesty Crosby should have won this award hands down.  He was having a tremendous season and he didn’t even have a sidekick like each of these stellar players have in Henrik and St Louis.  But alas a concussion has taken him out of a good portion of the season and we might not even see him back this year.  This gets me to my next point.

How Players Can Sustain a Full NHL Season

Staying healthy for a full NHL season is tough and if you want to win a scoring championship it is almost a must to play every single game during the year.  One way players stay healthy is by sticking to a hockey meal plan that is built according to the sport and meant to allow them to perform at the highest level every night.  Protein is a key ingredient in the diets of professional hockey players and one supplement that is key is Whey Protein for hockey players constantly replenishing muscles.  Every top NHL player puts their health at a premium.  It’s not easy playing NHL games 3 times a week.

NHL Playoff Predictions at the Two Thirds Mark

The NHL season is approximately 2/3′s of the way finished.  The two-thirds mark is actually about 54.5 games and looking at the standings today most teams are right around that number – some over some under, but close enough.  In this post I’m going to be giving my predictions of where teams will finish in their conference at the end of the regular season.  I’ll give a little snippit about my reasoning, but this is mostly just to put down my predictions.  Do with them what you will.

Eastern Conference

1. Philadelphia Flyers
2. Washington Capitals
3. Boston Bruins
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Montreal Canadiens
7. Buffalo Sabres
   
8. Carolina Hurricanes
9. New York Rangers
10. Atlanta Thrashers
11. New Jersey Devils
12. Toronto Maple Leafs
13. Florida Panthers
14. New York Islanders
15. Ottawa Senators

What you might notice in this conference is how I have the Washington Capitals passing the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the Southeast Division.  The Caps are underachieving and I think the Lightning are overachieving at the moment.  The Capitals are a good team who should get a lot of wins down the stretch.

Another thing you may notice is the Buffalo Sabres finishing in 7th and making the playoffs.  This would have been absurd to think at the 1/3 mark, but they have been playing great and have a good enough team to pass the Rangers, Hurricanes and Thrashers down the stretch.  This left the Rangers and Thrashers out of the playoffs.

Finally, the Ottawa Senators will come last in the East and most likely last in the league.  The team will sell hard at the deadline and sputter down the stretch, but this will at least guarantee them a top 2 overall pick in the draft.

Western Conference

1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. Nashville Predators
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Minnesota Wild
8. Los Angeles Kings
9. Dallas Stars
10. Phoenix Coyotes
11. Colorado Avalanche
12. Calgary Flames
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
14. St. Louis Blues
15. Edmonton Oilers

The West is way more jam packed at the moment which allowed me to really do a lot with my predictions.  The first division winners shouldn’t be much of a surprise, with the only move being San Jose catching Dallas for the Pacific division championship.

Now let’s move into the surpises.  The Blackhawks are currently in 11th and I have them finishing in 4th.  The team is simply too good not to make the playoffs and the spread between 4th and 11th at the moment is only 6 points.  I expect the Blackhawks to start playing some playoff style hockey and to move up the standings.  They were the Cup favourites at the beginning of the season!

After that I see the Preds continuing to play streaky hockey and the wins they string together will be enough to get them into 5th spot.  After that the Ducks will move up from 7th to 6th and the Wild and Kings will take the playoff spots away from the Stars, Flames and Coyotes to secure the last two spots.  I’m a Havlat fan so that may be biased, but I truly believe they have a good enough team, especially with Zidlicky coming back and Backstrom playing grade A hockey.  The Kings will not allow themselves to miss playoffs and will squeek into 8th in order to give the ‘Nucks a tough first round matchup.  The only other small surprise is the Avs getting up to 11th with the help of Forsberg.  The spread from 4th to 12th will still be only around 6 points come playoff time, so the West will go right down to the wire!

This race will make for some great hockey betting online.  If NHL betting interests you make sure to check out a variety of sports betting sites in order to find the one that is best for you.  Look for things such as bonuses, deposit options, customer service, but above all else use a bookie that is trusted.

NHL Eastern Conference Division Winner Predictions

I find NHL futures predictions take the most skill to make because there is much less luck involved when the outcome is decided over a long period of time, in this case an 82 game series.  In this post I decided to incorporate the division winner odds I found at Bodog.com in order to make more sports betting predictions against the odds.  Luckily for me the team I thought would win the first two divisions happened to be the underdog anyways.  If you want to learn more about sports betting odds, click the link for a great site with tons of info.

Northeast Division

The Northeast division is in my opinion the tightest, most well rounded division in the NHL.  There are no great teams and if you take out the Maple Leafs there are no horrible teams.  This year I expect the Maple Leafs to do much better, which should increase the toughness of the Northeast Division.  Last year Buffalo came out of nowhere to win the division and this year they are the second most likeliest win according to oddsmakers.  In my opinion only Boston, Buffalo and Ottawa have any shot at taking home this division title.  Here are the odds:

Boston Bruins EV
Buffalo Sabres +275
Ottawa Senators +400
Montreal Canadiens +500
Toronto Maple Leafs +1500

With these odds I’m taking the Ottawa Senators any day.  The Sens should once again improve on a solid outting last year and compete throughout the season for the Northeast division title.  It will come down to the last few games between the top three teams, but I think Ottawa should have the depth to win the Northeast this year.

Atlantic Division

The Atlantic is another tough division to call with the Devils, Penguins and Flyers all be strong contenders within the division.  The Penguins and Flyers each have the talent and potential to win the division, but neither team has really strung together an entire 82 game season with consistency.  The Devils on the other hand seem to always overachieve when it comes to the regular season.  With the addition of Kovalchuk the Devils should be able to repeat as Atlantic division champs.  Here are the odds:

Pittsburgh Penguins -125
New Jersey Devils +175
Philadelphia Flyers +350
New York Rangers +1500
New York Islanders +2500

Southeast Division

The worst division in the NHL, now somehow contains the best regular season team in hockey.  The Washington Capitals have a star studded line-up that won the Presidents trophy last year and should be able to repeat as both the regular season league champ and easily the Southeast division champion.  The Tampa Bay Lightning are the only team in the division with an outside chance of taking the crown from the Caps and that’s only because we are currently unsure of how all of their offseason moves with translate onto the ice.  No matter what the odds you have to go with the Capitals because they will win this division 95% of the time!

Washington Capitals -400
Tampa Bay Lightning +700
Carolina Hurricanes +1200
Atlanta Thrashers +1500
Florida Panthers +2000

Western Conference Round 2

My predictions went 5 for 8, I lost out on Washington, La, and Buffalo. This round I’m saying Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburg, and Philly.

Detroit Vs. San Jose
Detroit owned the season series 3-1 this year, and has really picked it up at the end of the Phoenix series. With Datsyuk and Lidstrom each getting two goals in the deciding game 7, combine that with Zetterberg leading the series in goals with 6, which is second overall in the playoffs to former teammate Mikeal Samuelsson. This is problematic for the Sharks as their top line of Heatley, Marleau, and Thorton have no goals in the Colorado series. The Sharks best players need to be their best players if they want any chance against Detroit. In the end I think Detroit takes this, all their best players are clicking right now, and Howard is beginning to look more and more like a legitimate number one goalie.

Chicago Vs. Vancouver
This series was a great series last year, with Chicago coming out on top you know the Canucks wanted a chance at revenge. In anticipation for this series Joel Quenville moved Byfuglien from defense back onto forward to cause more havoc in front of Luongo just like last year. Both teams have improved this year, notably Vancouver with the year the Sedins had, and the emergence of Burrows. Overall I think Chicago takes this one, they have the advantage in physical play, and Luongo hasn’t been the best of recently while Niemi posted two shutouts last round.

Next Page »