Round 1 NHL Playoff Predictions

This is going to be a quick post stating my first round NHL playoff predictions.  The run to the Stanley Cup begins tomorrow so it’s an exciting time of year for hockey fans everywhere.  I’m not sure if you remember, but last year I went 8 for 8 in the first round of the playoffs, which included upsets such as Anaheim over the Sharks and the Hurricanes over the Devils.  This year I hope to do the same, but my first round predictions don’t include as many big upsets.  Check them out below:

Eastern Conference Predictions

(1) Washington Capitals -650
(8) Montreal Canadiens +425

Winner: Washington Capitals in 5.

(2) New Jersey Devils -235
(7) Philadelphia Flyers +195

Winner: New Jersey Devils in 6.

(3) Buffalo Sabres -170
(6) Boston Bruins +150

Winner: Boston Bruins in 6.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins -280
(5) Ottawa Senators +240

Winner: Pittsburgh Penguins in 6.

Western Conference Predictions

(1) San Jose Sharks -450
(8) Colorado Avalanche +325

Winner: San Jose Sharks in 4.

(2) Chicago Blackhawks -450
(7) Nashville Predators +325

Winner: Chicago Blackhawks in 6.

(3) Vancouver Canucks -245
(6) Los Angeles Kings +205

Winner: Vancouver Canucks in 5.

(4) Phoenix Coyotes +165
(5) Detroit Red Wings -190

Winner: Detroit Red Wings in 7.

If you like hockey betting then I would suggest signing up at Bookmaker.com.  They will have NHL playoff first round odds for every series so you can place as many bets as you’d like!

Teams Cannot Afford to Fall Behind in New NHL

It is still very early in the NHL regular season, but teams that are falling behind now are quickly putting themselves out of playoff contention.  With the parody in the league these days and the extra overtime/shootout points teams that fall behind early in the season really put themselves up against the wall in terms of coming from behind and grabbing a playoff spot.  I saw it last year with my Ottawa Senators.  The Sens started off slow and then they were fighting a losing battle all year long.  Even a huge three week span to start March where the Sens earned 18 of a possible 22 points didn’t event put the Senators within a reasonable striking distance of a playoff birth.  I’m writing this article because I keep hearing fans of teams low in the standings talking about how their team has a legitimate shot at the playoffs.  It’s getting to that time of year where teams are already finding themselves out of the hunt.

Take the Toronto Maple Leafs for example.  Leaf fans are the worst.  Most of them probably still think their team is going to win the Stanley Cup this year.  The will say things like, “we are just 7 points out of the playoffs.  That’s just four wins.”  But the truth is that’s four wins for the Leafs, four losses for the 8th place team, three losses for the ninth, tenth and eleventh place teams, and two losses for the 12th placed team.  That equals out to 19 games having to go as planned, and a lot of the time that’s just not possible because these teams that have to lose will likely be playing each other.  Not to mention that these losses have to be in regulation.  The extra point makes it even more difficult for teams to come from behind to make playoffs because even when teams ahead of them are losing they will still be receiving a single point many of these times.

Let’s look at this logically.  I think even fans making these outrageous NHL predictions in favour of their favourite team can agree that a playoff team needs 90 points at an absolute minimum.  The average of the two 8th placed teams last season was 92 so we will use that number to make our following calculations.  The Maple Leafs currently have 25 points in 29 games.  This means that they need to earn, at an absolute minimum, 67 points in their remaining 53 games.  That is an average of 1.265 points per game.  So far this season, only the top 6 teams in the league have a point % greater than 1.265.  To put it into perspective at an absolute minimum, the Leafs would have to win about 31 of their last 53 games, lose 17 in regulation and lose 5 in OT/SO.  Does anyone really think the Maple Leafs can be a top 6 NHL team for the last two-thirds of the season?  I certainly don’t.

Once a team falls behind in this new NHL where the teams are all very equal and many games award the loser a point it is very difficult to make up any ground.  The games at this time of year are extremely important, so if your team is starting to fall off the pace, I advise you to treat every game like it’s the playoffs and watch it intently.

Mikko Koivu is a 70+ Point Center

Mikko Koivu is the younger brother of Saku Koivu and currently the top player on the struggling Minnesota Wild.  Me and a buddy were arguing recently about whether Koivu is a keeper in our hockey pool.  I say he is a definite keeper because he will get between 70 and 80 points for the next several season, while my buddy says he is only a 60 point guy.

Koivu has been improving ever since he entered the NHL leading up to his 67 point performance last season over 79 games.  This season he already has 16 points in 17 games, which means he is on pace for 77 points.  Not to mention he has been doing this on a struggling Minnesota Wild team that is 5th worst in the league in goals per game.  The Wild are starting to pick up their game and perform closer to their potential, which is battling for the final playoff spot in the West.  When the team gets going, you can expet Koivu to at least match his current production if not increase it.

Mikko plays in all situations for the Wild and averages around 19 minutes a game, which is a very good amount for a forward in the NHL.  He is on the first powerplay unit and will be played in all key situations when the team needs goals.  Koivu was recently named the captain of the team and so far he has handled this responsibility extremely well and his production and the teams improvement are both proof of this.

I consider Mikko one of the top 10 centers in the game and I’m sure he will be a force for Finland at the Olympics this winter.  Finland doesn’t have great odds when it comes to winter olympics betting, but they definitely have a shot with Koivu leading them.  You can bet on Finland or any other team at BetCRIS.  Just make sure you use a BetCRIS bonus code when signing up in order to receive the best initial deposit bonus available.

NHL 2008-2009 Standings Using 3-Point System

I’m a big believer in the NHL switching over to a 3-point system that awards 3 points for regulation wins, 2 points for overtime/shootout wins, 1 point for overtime/shootout losses and nothing for regulation losses.

I feel that the current system of awarding 2 points some games and 3 points others is completely ridiculous because it encourages regulation ties and makes it difficult for teams to gain any ground in the standings during the playoff races.

I’m going to be adding a detailed article outline why I think the NHL should make the switch to the 3-point system in the near future.  In the mean time I have done some research and analyzed how the standings would have looked last year had the 3-point system been used:

Eastern Conference

Standings Using Current System vs Standings Using 3-Point System

	Team	GP	Wins	OT Wins	OT Losses	Losses	Points
1	Boston	82	46	7	10	19	162
2	Washington	82	40	10	8	24	148
3	New Jersey	82	37	14	4	27	143
4	Philadelphia	82	34	10	11	27	133
5	Carolina	82	35	10	7	30	132
6	Pittsburgh	82	33	12	9	28	132
7	Florida	82	34	7	11	30	127
8	New York Rangers	82	30	13	9	30	125
9	Montreal	82	30	11	11	30	123
10	Buffalo	82	31	10	9	32	122
11	Ottawa	82	29	7	11	35	112
12	Toronto	82	24	10	13	35	105
13	Atlanta	82	24	11	6	41	100
14	Tampa Bay	82	19	5	18	40	85
15	New York Islanders	82	20	6	9	47	81

As you can see using the 3-point system would have made some significant changes in the Eastern Conference.  Most notably, the Florida Panthers would have finished seventh with 127 points, passing the New York Rangers and pushing the Montreal Canadiens out of the playoffs.  The Habs played 22 overtime/shootout games in 08-09 and this played a major role in allowing them to sneak into the 8th playoff spot in the East.  Another change would be the Penguins falling from 4th to 6th position.  This would have meant that the Penguins play the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs, which could have caused the entire Stanley Cup run to play out differently.  Most people would agree at the Panthers deserved to be in the playoffs and likely would have put up more of a fight than the Canadiens.

Western Conference

Standings Using Current System vs Standings Using 3-Point System

		GP	Wins	OT Wins	OT Losses	Losses	Points
1	San Jose	82	44	9	11	18	161
2	Detroit	82	42	9	10	21	154
3	Calgary	82	40	6	6	30	138
4	Chicago	82	36	10	12	24	140
5	Vancouver	82	37	8	10	27	137
6	St. Louis	82	31	10	10	31	123
7	Columbus	82	31	10	10	31	123
8	Minnesota	82	33	7	9	33	122
9	Anaheim	82	30	12	7	33	121
10	Nashville	82	28	12	8	34	116
11	Edmonton	82	31	7	9	35	116
12	Phoenix	82	32	4	7	39	111
13	Dallas	82	25	11	11	35	108
14	Los Angeles	82	26	8	11	37	105
15	Colorado	82	20	12	5	45	89

Using the 3-point system, the Minnesota Wild would have squeaked into the 8th place spot and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks would have missed the playoffs but 1 point.  If that’s not a good race then I don’t know what is.  Sixth through ninth in the West has only a 2 point difference in the West.  This was a 4 point difference using the current system and it’s much more difficult to make up points the way points are currently allotted.  So there goes the argument that the playoff races would be less exciting with the 3-point system.  Both Nashville and Edmonton would have been in it right to the end as well with 116 points a piece.  The only other change the 3-point system would have made is Calgary and Vancouver switching places (but they would both have likely still lost to Havlat and the ‘Hawks anyways ).

As you can see the 3-point system isn’t going to drastically change the standings.  However, it is the fairer way to award points and the slight differences would have been huge for both Florida and Minnesota who really each deserved to be in the playoffs based on their records.  Minnesota played in 3 less overtime games than the Ducks and Florida played in 4 fewer OT games than the Habs.  The current NHL point system is supposedly rewarding competition, but in reality it is rewarding mediocrity.  The teams that play for a tie are rewarded, while the teams that play for the win are penalized.

That’s it for now.  I’ll have another post on this topic within the few days outlining why the NHL should switch to the 3-point system.

NHL Regular Season Predictions – 09/10

East

The Contenders

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

I see no reason why the Penguins won’t follow up on last year’s Stanley Cup win with another very good regular season. Crosby and Malkin will be as good as ever, if not better. As well, though Fleury has taken a fair bit of criticism in the past, I think that the Cup win really cemented some of the confidence that he’s been building, and I’d expect an excellent campaign out of him. The Penguin’s defense, led by Sergei Gonchar and Brooks Orpik, isn’t exceptionally good, but it’ll get the job done. Crosby and Malkin are too competitive to be complacent after their Cup win, and they’ll help the team avoid the typical ‘Cup hangover’.

2. Washington Capitals

The Capitals are full of young talent that’s only getting better, and they will seriously challenge the Penguins for the Eastern Conference Title this year. Expect another amazing year from Ovechkin, and if his supporting cast steps up and Varlamov proves to be a solid NHL netminder, this team has a good shot at the Cup. Certainly, big years are needed and expected from Mike Green and Alexander Semin, and that should give the Capitals one of the most explosive offenses in the league.

3. Boston Bruins

The best defensive team in the league last year, the Bruins should excel at the defensive end again this year. As well, though Tim Thomas may regress slightly from his Vezina form of last year, he still figures to be one of the NHL’s best goalies. The Bruins won’t score a ton of goals, but the forward corps, led by Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and David Krejci, will be good enough for the stingy Bruins to stay among the league’s elite teams.

4. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers, full of good young talent including Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, should be among the East’s best teams. However, they’ll be caught behind the Penguins in the Atlantic and will thus have to settle for 4^th in the East. Chris Pronger will shore up a solid defense and provide leadership, pushing the Flyers into the mix for the East Crown. However, the Flyers will be relying on Ray Emery in net, and that’s always a risky proposition. Until they solidify their goaltending situation, the Flyers will have difficulties matching up with the beasts of the East – Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington.

The Pretenders

5. New Jersey Devils

I was torn over what to do with the Devils. Every year they are expected to crumble in the face of off-season losses, yet they always manage to contend in the Eastern Conference, though playoff success has eluded them for the past few years. Without some major changes, the end is nearing for this Devils team, as successful as it has been for the past decade. Nonetheless, they’ll play excellent defensive hockey in front of Brodeur this year, and they’ll manage to make the playoffs, though they won’t be putting pressure on the East’s elite.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes, after last year’s surprising run to the Eastern Finals, will be good again this year. Led by Eric Staal and backed by Cam Ward, expect the ‘Canes to put together a solid, if unspectacular, season. Unfortunately, they’re simply not quite as good as the Penguins, Bruins and Capitals, and they’re going to have a hard time duplicating last year’s playoff success.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

Brian Burke has his fingerprints all over this team, and the resulting ‘Bay Street Bullies’ are an odd team. Though they lack star power up front, they still managed to finish 10^th in the NHL in scoring last year, and Phil Kessel will only make this forward unit better. The worst defensive team in the league last year, they figure to be far better in 09/10 with the additions of Beauchemin and Komisarek, in particular. Goaltending will make or break this team – Vesa Toskala was awful last year, and if he’s in better form this year, backed up by Jonas Gustavsson, then the Leafs should have some success. I think the tandem will be respectable, and the Leafs should squeak into the playoffs. However, this is still a mediocre hockey team that has a long way to go before any Cup parades should be planned.

8. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs look rather different from the team swept out of the first round by the Bruins last year. Though they’ll miss Kovalev, Mike Cammalleri will be a more-than-adequate, if less flashy, replacement. Scott Gomez is a risky acquisition, and I would be very surprised if he lived up to his rather large contract. Offense wasn’t an issue last year though, and it won’t be this year. Komisarek will be missed, and aside from Andre Markov, the team’s defense will not be its strongest point. Carey Price should be solid, which will reinforce the team’s weak defense. The Habs are flawed, but they should make the playoffs, though a deep run is not in the cards.

9. Ottawa Senators

The Sens are a difficult team to figure out. Losing Dany Heatley will hurt, but Bryan Murray, considering the circumstances, did net a decent return in exchange for the disgruntled star. Jonathan Cheechoo was a throw-in in the deal; It is Milan Michalek who the Sens really wanted, and rightfully so. Young and skilled, Michalek should be a big asset to the team for years to come. The Sens’ offense should be far more balanced than it has in the past decade, making it for more difficult on opposing teams to shut them down. If Pascal Leclaire is the solid goalie the Sens have long been looking for, then expect the Senators to be back in the playoffs this year. Though I have them barely missing the playoffs, they could easily finish as high as 5^th in the conference.

10. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres did little this offseason, and will in all likelihood miss the playoffs like they did last year. There’s a shortage of talent up front here, even if first line centre Tim Connolly is healthy. Thomas Vanek will have to be brilliant offensively to keep the team afloat. Ryan Miller should be solid in net, as always. Losing Jaroslav Spacek to the Canadiens, though, will hurt the weak Sabres’ D. The Sabres will be in playoff contention, but will probably end up watching the playoff dance.

11. New York Rangers

The Rangers will be solid this year, but without a healthy Marian Gaborik this team is short on skill, and will probably miss the playoffs. When healthy, Gaborik is one of the game’s premier scorers. However, staying healthy has been a huge issue for the star, and I would be very surprised to see him play more than 70 games. The Rangers were awful last year offensively, and that doesn’t figure to change this year, even if they play aggressive John Tortorella-style hockey. Henrik Lundqvist will be good, as always, but even he can only do so much.

12. Florida Panthers

After almost squeaking into the playoffs last year, the Panthers seem due to disappoint this year. Despite the best efforts of sophomore coach Peter DeBoer, I just don’t see enough talent on this roster for them to stay ahead of the teams above and earn a playoff spot. They won’t be awful like the teams below them, but the playoffs are a stretch, barring significant improvement from players such as Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss, both of whom were once though to be premier prospects but have failed to live up to expectations.

The Hopeless

13. Tampa Bay Lightning

Some are predicting a playoff berth is in order for the Lightning this year, but I don’t see it happening. Bringing in Ohlund from Vancouver was a good move, and Victor Hedman should be able to step in and be a capable player from the start, which will bolster their blueline. They’ve got plenty of talent up front in Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and the emerging Steven Stamkos. Nonetheless, I’m not sold on Mike Smith as a solid NHL number one goalie, and I lack faith in the abilities of Rich Tocchet. I’d be surprised if the Lightning put it all together like many predict they will. I expect that they’ll be a mess and end up near the East’s basement again.

14. New York Islanders

I have no idea what GM Garth Snow is doing with this team. Backing up Rick DiPietro with one of either Martin Biron or Dwayne Roloson might not have been a bad idea, but bringing both in is a rather strange move. Tavares will bolster a weak Isles’ offense, but he won’t be enough. Goals will be at a premium in Long Island this year. There’s little to be excited about defensively, too. On the whole, this simply isn’t a particularly talented roster, and the Isles have a long way to go before they can even think about the playoffs.

15. Atlanta Thrashers

The Thrashers have never won a playoff game. Don’t expect that to change this year. It’ll be a messy, messy year in Atlanta, and look for Ilya Kovalchuk’s imprending free agency to overshadow whatever the Thrashers are doing on the ice. That might not be a bad thing, though, as the Thrashers will be brutal this year. Former Leafs Pavel Kubina and Nik Antropov are solid additions, and underrated Bryan Little should have another good year. Kovalchuk should produce huge numbers, as he’s playing for a new contract, and he’ll be an explosive offensive force, as always. Nonetheless, there’s a lack of depth on the roster, and a big hole in net. Kari Lehtonen simply hasn’t proven himself to be a particularly good goaltender, and I’d be surprised if he suddenly put it together this year. He’s got a young defense in front of him, too, and that means that a lot of pucks are going to end up in Atlanta’s net. Expect another bad year for the Thrashers, on and off the ice.

West

The Contenders

1. Detroit Red Wings

The Wings will miss Hossa and Hudler, but this team is still far too talented to slip much. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are two of the league’s best offensive players, they still have Lidstrom and Rafalski on the blueline, and Osgood will be strong in the crease. The Wings’ core is one of the best in the league, and there’s no reason to think that they won’t be once again competing for the President’s Trophy.

2. San Jose Sharks

Heatley and Thornton will be phenomenal together. Heatley should be a 50 goal scorer again, and Thornton should get back to scoring 100+ points. Though perhaps not the best leader, Patrick Marleau will still provide lots of secondary scoring, and the Sharks will be an offensive powerhouse. The ageless Rob Blake and Dan Boyle lead a capable Sharks defensive corps, and Evgeni Nabokov should be solid in net. The Sharks are no strangers to regular season success, but the playoffs are a different story. Questions about tenacity and leadership will continue to plague the team, but they’ll post a solid regular season record, though it remains to be seen whether the team can win when it counts.

3. Vancouver Canucks

The Flames will challenge the Canucks for the Northwest Division lead, but I expect the ‘Nucks to pull it out. Captain Roberto Luongo should bounce back from the shelling he took in Vancouver’s season-ending loss to the Blackhawks in the 2^nd round last year. In front of him is a solid if unspectacular defense, only made better by the addition of Mathieu Schneider. Up front they lack the star power of other contenders, but the Sedin twins lead a solid contingent of forwards that will get the job done. The Canucks are one of the West’s best teams, but I think that they still need to add one elite player to put them over the top.

4. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are young and extremely talented. Adding Hossa to an already excellent offense makes them one of the league’s best offensive teams, and they’ll score a ton of goals. The team’s defense is also among the league’s best, led by criminally underrated Duncan Keith, who has Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker with him on the blueline. The only question mark facing the ‘Hawks is in the crease. Is Cristobal Huet good enough to be Chicago’s unquestioned number one goalie? I don’t think so. Expect the Hawks to be extremely good, but the lack of a proven goaltender prevents the team from being a favourite to win the Cup.

5. Calgary Flames

Led by one of hockey’s best, Jarome Iginla, the Flames figure to be among the West’s best teams. The loss of Mike Cammalleri will hurt on offense, but the team does have enough scoring to get by. Olli Jokinen needs to step up and get back to being a point-per-game player for the Flames to really be a threat. Adding Jay Bouwmeester gives the Flames one of the league’s best defenses, and that can only help Kiprusoff. The Flames will be extremely stingy. All this adds up to an excellent season, and I think the Flames will also make noise in the playoffs this year.

The Pretenders

6. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks took an excellent San Jose squad out of the playoff picture last year, and their tough style of play will once again lead to success this year. Getzlaf, Perry and Teemu Selanne lead a solid offense. The loss of Chris Pronger leaves a big hole on the Ducks blueline, but the addition of Ryan Whitney will certainly help fill that hole, and the team will still be good defensively.The goaltending situation is a little dicey in Anaheim – who will be the team’s #1, Jonas Hiller or Jean-Sebastian Giguere? Hiller was the better goalie last year, and was excellent in the playoffs. I’d expect the two to split the load until one or the other asserts himself as the clearcut number one, at which point the other will probably be traded, as there’s always a market for good goalies.

7. Minnesota Wild

This isn’t the most talented roster in the world, but the Wild play a damn good team game and will most likely sneak into the playoffs in a tight race. Havlat will give the team a boost on offense, though the team still won’t score a ton of goals. Nonetheless, their solid defense and goaltending will keep them in most games, which means that the offense doesn’t have to be spectacular. They won’t be competing for the West title, but a playoff appearance is likely.

8. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings, after a long, long stretch of terrible hockey, appear poised to finally begin contending again. The addition of solid veterans like playoff hero Rob Scuderi and ‘Captain Canada’ Ryan Smyth will strengthen a roster filled with young talent. Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov and Dustin Brown will lead an explosive Kings offense. Questions remain about the team’s overall defensive ability, and the team is relying on Jonathan Bernier to emerge as a bonafide NHL #1 goalie. I think it should all come together for the Kings, and they should find themselves playing playoff hockey for the first time in six seasons.

9. St. Louis Blues

After a surprising playoff appearance last year, the Blues will compete for a playoff spot again this year. I think they’ll miss out, but it’ll be tight. The offense should be good, led by Paul Kariya, Brad Boyes and Patrik Berglund. Defense and goaltending should also be decent, buoyed by the return of Erik Johnson. Chris Mason has to be as good as he was last year to keep the Blues in the race out west. Ultimately, I think they’ll just fall short of the playoffs, but it will be close.

10. Edmonton Oilers

Pat Quinn is back in the NHL, and he’s leading an Oilers team that hasn’t made the playoffs since their Finals appearance in 05/06. Fans are hungry in Edmonton, but I think the playoff drought will continue for another year. The offense is young and deep, but there’s a lack of first line talent. Defense is a bit of a weakness, though Khabibulin will be solid in net. Unfortunately for the Oilers, I just don’t see room for them in the playoffs.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets

Steve Mason’s amazing rookie season led the Blue Jackets to their first ever playoff berth last year, but I’m not sure that they’ll be in the playoff dance again this year. Rick Nash is in Columbus long term, and he’ll lead a capable offense again this year. The defense isn’t great, but as long as Mason is strong in net again, the Blue Jackets will be decent. Still, though, I don’t see the Blue Jackets growing playoff beards again this year.

12. Dallas Stars

The Stars have slowly slipped out of the West’s elite, and they missed the playoffs last year. I see that slide continuing this season, and I don’t think the Stars will be competing for a playoff spot. The team still has talent up front in Brendan Morrow, Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro. The defense is unproven and looks weak, though, which means that Marty Turco will have to be at his best as a lot of rubber comes his way.

13. Nashville Predators

Nashville will boast an excellent defense this year, led by Shea Weber, but the rest of the team looks shaky. The offense will be relying on aging veterans such as Jason Arnott and Steve Sullivan, and scoring goals won’t be easy for this team. Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis will be between the pipes for Nashville, and though Rinne wasn’t bad last year for the Preds, I’m not sure that he’ll be good enough to keep the team in contention for a playoff spot this year.

The Hopeless

14. Colorado Avalanche

After a long stretch of success under captain Joe Sakic, things finally gave last year, and the Avs are now rebuilding. They have some good young players that provide hope for the future, but this season will be a rough one in Denver. Throughout the lineup there’s a shortage of skill, and the Avs simply won’t be able to compete most nights. Goaltending is also a major issue – Peter Budaj has been able to get the job done the past few years, but he’s no Patrick Roy. It’ll be a long year for the Avalanche and their fans, and there’s little hope for the near future.

15. Phoenix Coyotes

The Coyotes are a mess, on and off the ice. They’re without a coach after Wayne Gretzky’s departure, fans in Phoenix don’t seem to care about the team, as they figure that it’s only a matter of time before the Coyotes end up in Hamilton. Of course, though, the only man who has expressed interest in buying the team, Jim Balsillie, is considered a villain among NHL owners and the NHL is hellbent on ensuring that he doesn’t end up owning the team. On the ice the situation isn’t much better. After captain Shane Doan, the Coyotes are extremely thin up front, and also weak on defense. Ilja Bryzgalov provides some stability in goal, and should still post good numbers this year, though he won’t be rewarded with many wins. This is going to be an ugly year for the Coyotes, though there may not be many people in the Jobing.com Arena to watch the Coyotes lose.

Individual Awards

Hart – Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

This is Ovechkin’s trophy to lose. Though Malkin and Crosby are serious competition for the award, the fact that they both play for a loaded Penguins squad will always hurt their chances for the Hart. Though the Capitals are a deeper team than they’ve been in the past, there is still little doubt that they are Ovechkin’s team. I expect 60 goals and 60 assists from him this season, and that will be enough for Ovechkin to hold on to the Hart for another year.

Vezina – Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

Though Brodeur is 37, I think he still has at least one more elite season left in him. Given that New Jersey lost several key players this offseason, Brodeur will be more important to the team than ever. Brodeur will keep the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern conference’s upper echelon, and he’ll take home a 5^th Vezina for his efforts.

Norris – Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

Though he’ll face stiff competition from Mike Green, Duncan Keith and Zdeno Chara, Lidstrom is still the most complete defenseman in the league. Green will be an offensive force with the Capitals, but isn’t solid enough in his own zone to win the Norris. Keith will continue to improve after a breakout season last year, but still isn’t quite as good as Lidstrom. Chara will continue to lead a very stingy Bruins team, but I don’t expect the Bruins to be as good as they were last year, and that will affect his standing with voters. Though Lidstrom, like Brodeur, is nearing the end of an illustrious career, he’s still the NHL’s best blueliner, and he’ll take home his 7^th Norris trophy this year as a result.

Selke – Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers

Richards is an amazingly complete player. He plays hard at both ends of the ice and makes life difficult for opposing forwards. Though not as flashy as Pavel Datsyuk, Richards’ solid defensive play should go over well with Selke voters.

Calder – John Tavares, New York Islanders

Though Tavares won’t be an instant superstar in the mold of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, I do expect a very solid rookie season from him. He’ll get lots of ice time on a bad Islanders team, and I’d expect him to pot 30 goals to go with 40 helpers, which should be more than enough to make him the NHL’s top rookie.

Jack Adams -  Pat Quinn, Edmonton Oilers

Though I don’t have the Oilers making the playoffs in a tough Western conference, I do think that Pat Quinn will improve this young team. Expect the Oilers to be a much better offensive team under Quinn. After finishing last season 18^th in goals scored, the Oilers should be in the top third of the league this year, though defensive play will still be a weakness.

NHL Playoff 2009 Round 2 Predictions

ROUND 2 Predictions

Boston(1) vs. Carolina(6)

A maybe too well rested Boston squad faces off against Carolina, a team who should most probably be weary after knocking off the Devils in what I thought was a bit more than a slight upset. There are only two main hypotheses that come to mind in this case. Boston will take some time to get back into the rhythm of things while Carolina will struggle to keep up the pace as the series lengthens. On that fact alone, I’d have to give the series to Boston, but seeing as how it’s the eastern conference leading Bruins up against the Canes, I can’t see this going any farther than 5 games.

Prediction: Boston in 5

Washington(2) vs. Pittsburgh(4)

As much as I enjoyed the Washington comeback in the previous round, I doubt that run will continue into the second round. Pittsburgh simply won’t provide the Capitals with the same comeback opportunities that a weak Rangers team did in round one. The only way I could see the Capitals making it to the next round is with outstanding backing by Varlamov to counter a strong Penguins offense, which seems unlikely as they go further into the playoffs considering his lack of experience.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6

Detroit(2) vs. Anaheim(8)

I’m not saying that Anaheim’s victory in the first round was anything less than what it was, but I’m sure San Jose would have found a way to lose against any team they played. This seemed like a fairly straight-forward prediction in Detroit. Between the play-off experience and steady goaltending Detroit should be able to pull through without too many problems. That being said, I do expect a Detroit hick-up sometime this series. It just seems to happen almost every year. So with that and Hiller possibly stealing a game or two, I expect this series to make it to 6 games.

Prediction: Detroit in 6

Vancouver(3) vs. Chicago(4)

Hmmm…So here’s the tough decision. Do I go with a tough, emotional Canucks team who have a strong defensive presence centered around arguably, the best goaltender currently in the game, or do I go with a young, up and coming Hawks team with a lot of talent, who is quickly making a name for themselves this playoff season. For me this comes down directly between Chicago’s pipes. Will we see the “Bulin Wall”? I don’t think we will and that’s why I ultimately have to go with Vancouver. Either way, I think this is bound to be an exciting series which will most likely flip-flop in terms of wins.

Prediction: Vancouver in 7

Round One Recap

San Jose Vs. Anaheim

The best player in this series was no doubt Hiller, followed closely by Getzlaf.  The sharks have been favored for years to advance far into the stanley cup playoffs, nothing change this year.  After being out scored, out hit, and out goaltendended again in the playoffs Thorton and Marleau’s leadership abilities have come into question.  Their are even rumours swirling that Marleau and\or Thorton are on the out’s from San Jose.  Enough about San Jose, lets talk bout the winners.  The top line from the Ducks featuring Ryan, Getzlaf, and Perry played amazing, arguably one of the best in the first series.  Niedermayer led the way on defence, and Pronger had a great series.  We must not forget about hte efforts of Beauchemain, and Wisneski.  I Called San Jose in this series, but this is the last time I bank on San Jose

Detroit Vs. Columbus

Best player in the series was Osgood, showing why hes one of the best playoff goalies of our generation.  There isnt much to write about this series.  No one took Columbus as a threat and the Wings just mowed over the Blue Jackets.  I called this series correctly, but then again who didn’t.

Vancover Vs. St-Louis

Best player in this series was Luongo.  Once again no surprises here, even though the Blues were the hottest team going into the playoffs, Vancover was superior on paper, and that translated nicely onto the ice.  A physical series that didn’t last very long.  I called this series correctly.

Chicago Vs. Calgary

By far the best series in the west, with the best player being Seabrook.  Seabrook is now the highest scoring defensemen in the playoffs played a good shut-down role alongside Keith and really gave it to Igilna, who was mediocore, at best in this series.  This series has intense physical battles, Byfuglien, Burrish played their roles perfectly.  Byfuglien was a force all series even scoring goals, and being a good finess player (See his play in the last game where he circled Leopold).  Toews played great in his frist series, but Kane, Jokinen, and Cammaleri weren’t anything amazing but nevertheless fun to watch.  I took Chicago in this series.

Boston Vs. Montreal

Its hard to pick a best player in this Series I will give the award to Kessel, Savard, Chara, and Ryder.  It’s hard to say anything positive about this series Montreal centenial season was plagued with downs, and this series was another one of those downs.  Boston played a physical game and this took its toll on the Habs and threw them off their game. Like everyone else I took Boston in this series

Washington Vs. Rangers

Varlemov was probably the best player in this series, but facing a low scoring Rangers offence can make any goalie look good.  The star players from the Capitals didnt play particularily good, but luckily neither did the Ranger’s.  I tookl the Rangers to win this series for one reason.  I didnt think a team backstopped by Theodore could win a series, and I was technically right, but I know now to not overestimate the ranger.  Lundquist could steal a game or two b ut not 4.

New Jersey Vs. Carolina

You have to say Stall was the best player in this series.  What an end to game 7, kudos to the Canes for not quitting.  I expected alot more from the Devils after a terrific season without Brodeur, but I guess even Brodeur couldnt prevent Gleason from making that amazing play to keep the puck alive in the final minutes of game 7.  I took New Jersey in this series, but I would still do the same pick, and don’t regret it.

Pittsburg Vs. Philidelpia

The best players in this series was Crosby and Malkin.  Another tough chapter in the battle of Pensylvania once again the Pens come out as victors.  I would have liked to see more of Gonchar in this series, not just Gonchar, but also all of the Pittsburg defense squad wasent too engaged in the series.  The Flyers put up a good fight but their highest paid player in Briere wasn’t anywhere to be found.  Also, nice to see Giroux stand up and show how good of a player he actually is. I called Pittsburg to win this series.

Round Two Predictions to come