Is this thing on?

*blows the dust off*

Hello motherpuckers! We are a little over two weeks away from training camps opening up, and with that, the season will not be far behind. Time to shake off the cobwebs of inactivity the off season has oh so generously placed upon on, and look towards the 2011-2012 regular season. Only way I know how to welcome in the season is with previews, predictions and breakdowns. So let's get to it. However, I would be remiss to start anything without mentioning the latest in an unfortunately growing list of former player leaving us all too soon. Wade Belak was found dead in a condo in Toronto today. I have heard conflicting reports of how he died, but common theme is suicide. He is the third player to found dead this year along with Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien. There seems to be a connection between "enforcers" and suicide/accidental death now that the league should certainly look into in some fashion before this becomes even more common.

now, on to the "fun" stuff....


NORTHEAST DIVISION:
last season's standings.

Boston 46-25-11
Montreal 44-30-8
Buffalo 43-29-10
Toronto 37-34-11
Ottawa 32-40-10

The Northeast Division is one of the toughest divisions in hockey. The three most recent Vezina trophy winners are in this division. Tim Thomas-Ryan Miller-Tim Thomas. That's a nice goaltending sandwich right there. Of course we also have Carey Price, who finally staked his claim as the legitimate #1 goaltender in Montreal. How good does that Halak trade look now? And the upstart James "Optimus Reim" Reimer who managed to displace both former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastian Giguere and Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson as the Maple Leafs starter and goalie of the future. Rounding out this goaltending pinwheel is Craig Anderson. He had a bit of a let down year last season, compared to 09-10, but started to bounce back after being traded to Ottawa. If you like goaltending, you'll love this division.

Boston Bruins: Last year's Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins will enter the season largely unchained. Nothing drastic in terms of roster moves this off season, which will either help or hinder them coming into this season. Gotta love the ambiguity of that statement. With a mostly identical roster, you bring back chemistry and familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt does it not? The Bruins have won the ultimate prize. While one is never enough, there is always the dreaded "cup hangover" to contend with next season. The Bruins certainly have the tools to compete for the cup again without a doubt, but they are their own biggest obstacle this year.

Montreal Canadiens: Free agent pick up of Erik Cole was a bit of a surprise, but a solid pick up to help bolster their offense. The biggest surprise was the extension given to Andrei Markov, who has had nothing but injuries the past few seasons. It seems like Montreal is banking on Markov overcoming the injury bug. Perhaps Pierre Gauthier is looking to beat the odds two years in a row with this signing. Will Peter Budaj be a better backup than Alex Auld? With the amount of games Carey Price plays in a season, it probably won't matter. In an already tight divisional race every year, it's quite possible the Habs will be even more competitive.

Buffalo Sabres: Apparently the Sabres new owner was like a kid in the candy store come July 1 this summer. Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and trading for Robyn Regehr mark the key off season moves for the now free spending Buffalo Sabres. Whether or not Ehrhoff and Leino will be worth their hefty pay will be a big question mark. Leino played his first full NHL season last year and appeared to be out of gas down the stretch. Ehrhoff had two good years in Vancouver and cashed in big time with a 10 year deal. While Buffalo is a solid team, they're not as good or deep as Vancouver. Will these moves come to get Buffalo over the hump, or will they be ones the Sabres ultimately lament? One move they will not regret is bringing in Robyn Regehr. He can act as the older mentor for Tyler Myers which he was lacking last season. Look for Myers to have a much more consistent year this year, which will also help Buffalo greatly.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Tim Connolly, John-Michael Liles, Matthew Lombardi (good news on his part, concussion symptom free) and Cody Franson are the newest players to don the blue Maple Leaf emblazoned sweater. Draft picks Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy look to be solid prospects to come up in the future. For now, this is going to be the Optimus Reim show. Will James Reimer be a flash in the pan, like so many goalies before him (even Brian Burke has called him out on this possibility), or will he be new coming of Felix Potvin? There is a very real possibility that the Maple Leafs will become more like their division counterparts in the respect that they will go only has far as their goalie(s) will allow. Tim Connolly will also need to stay healthy to be an effective pivot for Phil Kessel. Connolly hasn't played more than 75 games since 2002-2003, and has lost almost two full seasons due to concussions, so that will also be something to watch up in Toronto. Regardless of all that, the Maple Leafs will need to get off to a better start than previous seasons if they wish to have a shot at making the playoffs. Something they haven't done since before the lockout.

Ottawa Senators: Ahh the redheaded stepchild of the Northeast Division. They really are the Edmonton of the Eastern Conference...but without all that 1980's glory. After a great run to the cup finals against the Ducks, the Senators have consistently gotten worse and worse. This team is completely dependent on their top line for essentially all their offense. Couple that with a goalie who has an injury report longer than my arm, and you have a recipe for disaster. Drafting Mika Zibanejad goes towards bringing depth and youth down the middle, but that's assuming the young Swede will be able to crack the line up immediately. I'm not so sure that will happen, and so once again, if anything happens to Spezza or Alfredsson, the Sens could be in serious trouble...unless Craig Anderson pulls some of Avalanche magic and carries this team on his back like he did in 09-10 for Colorado.


Predictions: I want to say Boston will win their division again, but I think Buffalo has made some much needed additions to take the top spot. A healthier Atlantic Division will make it a tall order for the other teams in the east to make the playoffs, but once again it is possible for over half of this division to make the playoffs. I'm going to call it like this though.

Buffalo
Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa

Yes, I might be predicting it a possibility that Toronto actually ends the dry spell of playoff appearances. That said, don't plan the parade yet, Leafs Nation. It's a long hard road to get there, and they have to play much better out of the gate to make it plausible. Otherwise, it's the Habs in the third spot and taking one of the 6th-8th spots in the East.


Other divisions to follow shortly, so keep your pants on. Also, new season, new reminders. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

It's preview time.

No pontificating (I just wanted to say that) about the end of the regular season. You know it's over, and you know it was awesome. The playoffs are here and it's time to get down to business. So without further adieu (bi-lingual up in the mo-pucker) here is the Eastern Conference matches and my "expert" analysis and predictions.

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers
Regular Season results, Rangers win series 3-1 (Caps 2-1-1)

The Rangers once again needed the last day of the season to clinch a playoff spot, and they needed help from the Tampa Bay Lightning to do it. The Caps on the other hand, have once again finished on the top of the heap, and while they failed to capture the President's Trophy for two years in a row, but till have the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers will be out to prove that they deserve to be in, and the Caps are looking to finally get passed the first round and show they're for real.

Caps: The Caps have improved defensively and that was their biggest downfall the last few years in the playoffs. Their run-and-gun offense was fine in the regular season, but when the playoffs start and teams buckle down, it's not always enough to play fast and loose. What remains to be seen is whether or not Mike Greene will be back in the line up after dealing with his head injury. He will certainly help the Caps power play which finished the season at 17.5%. The biggest question will be whether or not the Caps young goaltenders will be able to rise to the occasion and get them over the hump. All three goaltenders who have played for the Caps this season have been rather solid between the pipes, but only Varlamov has any kind of playoff track record. Neuvirth seems to be the Caps choice heading into the first round, so it will be interesting to see if he's the key to the Caps success or not.

Rangers: Rangers might have just made the playoffs on the last day, but the last few games have been some really inspired hockey with gutsy wins over division leaders Boson and Philadelphia. The Alanta shutout was a cause for alarm, but they bounced back and won when their backs were against the wall. They have lost one of their emotional leaders in Ryan Callahan to a broken leg, courtesy of Zdeno Chara. The return of captain Chris Drury seemed to be a morale boost. The play of Henrik Lundqvist has once again been stellar, as he is the NHL shutout leader this season, with 11. King Henrik, has been known to let in a softy in his day, so it should be interesting to see which version of him shows up come playoff time.

Breakdown: This series should be rather intense. The Rangers have a chip on their shoulder, but the Caps have something to prove of their own. Rangers and Caps have met in the playoffs before so there could be some bad blood brewing, if it hasn't started already. With the new commitment to better team defense, expect the Caps to put on a better display than they did last year against the Habs. Goaltending will be the key to this series. The Rangers actually put up more goals this season than the Capitals (233 to 224), so they aren't afraid to go toe-to-toe in an offensive battle. Their biggest problem is that they tend to score in bunches, so if the well runs dry against a team like the caps they could be in trouble. Will either goaltender be able to steal a game, possibly the series, for their respective clubs? Whoever can win the battle between the pipes will win the series. I think the regular season struggles of the Caps have made them a stronger team for the playoffs.

Bottom Line: Caps in 6. that's if they can get playoff caliber goaltending from Neuvirth...or whoever starts for them. If goaltending fails them again, Rangers in 7


#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres
Regular Season results, 2-2 (Philly 2-1-1, Buffalo 2-2)

Stop me if you heard this before, but Philadelphia needed a solid last game effort to clinch a spot, and they have goaltending issues. Only difference now is that last year they were fighting for the final playoff spot, and this year they were fighting for the Atlantic Division title and #2 seed. Goaltenders for Philadelphia have been healthy this season as opposed to the trauma unit they had in goal last year, but their anointed starter has been pulled twice in his last few starts once again raising the question of who will be in the pipes come Game 1. Buffalo, has been...well Buffalo. Seemingly flying under the radar, but playing well enough to make it in.

Philadelphia Flyers: As stated above, the Flyers are once against in the midst of some goaltending issues, but that's par for couse at this point. Honestly, if this happened to any other team, it wouldn't be a big deal, but Philly's been having goaltending issues since Hextall's 2nd go round in the orange and black. It's up there with death and taxes as things you can count on in life. The recalling of Michael Leighton from the Phantoms only adds to the goaltending situation. Are the Flyers showing no faith in rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, or are the Flyers simply looking to add some insurance in case something should happen to either him or Boucher?
Offensively the Flyers are arguably one of the deepest teams in the playoffs. 7 players with 20 goals or more, two of which are over 30 goals on the season. They also have two players who just missed the 20 goal plateau, which means they could've had 9 players with 20 or more goals. Defensively, the Flyers have a terrific crop of 6 D-men, although the absence of Chris Pronger, courtesy of a broken hand, has been detrimental to the team. All aspects of their game has been suffering without his veteran leadership on the ice. Waiver pickup Nick Boynton is day-to-day with neck issues, so look for the 6th man to be Danny Syvret, until Pronger or Boynton is healthy enough to come back in the line up. Obviously the Flyers are hoping for Pronger's return first and foremost to help with their mediocre power play and PK.

Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo enters the playoffs on a decent streak of 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, securing the 7th seed. Thomas Vanek has been one of the hottest players down the stretch, and their leading scorer for the season. The acquisition of Brad Boyes has also sent a message that the Sabres are out to win, and they want to win quickly. Previous ownership of the team was notoriously frugal, and the new owner has come in with a message to the team that he wants to win, and he's willing to spend to do it.
Defensively one has to look at Tyler Meyers, rookie phenom who had one of the worst sophomore slumps in the first half of the season. He has since been on a tear and managed to finish even in plus-minus, after being a minus for the majority of the time leading up to the midway point of the season. Jhonas Enroth has also been a pleasant surprise for Buffalo this season. It used to be the Sabres only had a chance to win with Miller between the pipes, as Patrick Lalime has been terrible during his tenure in Buffalo. To give you an idea of his "success" in Sabres blue, in the past 3 seasons with the sabres, he has been a combined 9-26-5, including 0-5-o this season. Those are numbers that instill confidence in your back up. Enroth on the other hand is 9-2-2 this year, already equalling Lalime's wins over 3 seasons. If something should happen to Miller, Enroth appears to have the skills to step in and get some wins for the Sabres. At the end of the day though, this is still Ryan Miller's team, and he will need to be brillant to stifle the Philadelphia attack.

Breakdown: Philly limped into the playoffs this year, but they did that last year too. Will they capture lightning in a bottle twice, or will the lackluster 20 game stretch be too much for them? The long layoff should help, and hopefully they will use that time to rest up and nurse any nagging injuries before the series with Buffalo. Their regular season match ups have been exciting games, and the playoff atmosphere should only add to that. Will the man they call Bob say "nyet" to the Sabres and bring the Flyers one step closer to the Cup, or will they need to call on their expirienced backups? The Flyers have the physical edge, but Buffalo can punish you for being careless with the puck. If the Flyers can control the flow of the game their forecheck will wear down Buffalo. They will need to play smart and limit the term overs, something that has been a bit of an issue as of late. If they can do that, they can win.

Bottom Line: Flyers in 7. Ryan Miller will steal some games, but the Flyers should be able to prevail

#3 Boston Bruins vs #6 Montreal Canadiens
Regular Season results Montreal wins 4-2 (boston 2-3-1)

Boston Bruins: The "big bad" Bruins have certainly lived up to their name this year. Towards the top of the lead in fighting majors, and if there is a stat for this, they have to be up there in breaking opponents bones. Well at least Chara is anyway. Their abilities to be excellent loan sharks notwithstanding, the play of Timmy Thomas has to be noted. While most people out there were willing to write him off after last season (myself included) he has stormed back and not only silenced even the harshest of critics, he did so while setting a new record in save percentage of .938%. As long as Tim Thomas is between the pipes, the Bruins will have a chance to win every game they play.

Montreal Canadiens: In one of the most bizarre moves of last year's off season, the Habs traded the rights of Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues for a 6-pack and half a pizza. After their run to the Eastern Conference finals, defeating both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in playoff series for the ages, they essentially say "thanks for that, now don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya," although it probably sounded way more pompous in French. The Habs decided to stick with Carey Price and he has rewarded them with his best season as a professional, with each stat being a career high for him. The Canadiens will need more of this kind of play out of him if they have any kind of hope to beat the Bruins

Breakdown: This is like a prize fight where it's speed versus power. There is no way the Habs can compete with the Bruins in a physical series, but the Bruins cannot compete with the speed of the Habs. Whoever can control their aspect of the game will be victorious. There is already a long standing history between these two Original Six teams, and this regular season has only added to it. The Pachioretty incident will certainly be talked about again, and the Habs should use that to their advantage, but looking at their first meeting with the B's after that, they simply came out flat. The Canadiens will need to skate and move the puck quickly to keep Boston reeling. Conversely, the Bruins will need to bang on the Habs every chance they get. You often hear players say from the bench "no easy plays, boys" and the mantra should hold true for Boston. Finish every check and make the Habs pay a price every time they touch the puck, and they will success. Both goalies will need to bring their best efforts to give their teams a chance to win. You have two Vezina caliber goaltenders going head to head in one of the most storied rivalries in the NHL, and this should be an exciting series to watch.

Bottom Line: Boston in 5/6. The Habs will need to find a way to respond to the physical game of the Bruins if they have a chance. Plus, Tim Thomas has been a beast all season, and I don't that changing any time soon.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
Regular Season results, series split 2-2

This is the series the league will be pushing the most in the first round. Will Crosby be back in time to play in this series? What will Steven Stamkos be like in the post season? These are two teams with players who know what it takes to win the cup, and who want to win. Who will want it more?

Pittsburgh Penguins: When Crosby was on nearly a two point-per-game pace, the play of Marc-Andre Fleury was suspect at best. Then when both Malkin and Crosby were lost for the season, the man they call Flower came up huge for them. Jordan Staal finally returned to the line up after his broken hand injury and has been this team's number one center in the absence of the team's top two guys. Credit to Dan Bylsma for turning this team into a more defensive minded team amidst the loss of their two most offensively dynamic players. It is working well for them, as everyone was expecting them to fall off the face of the earth without Crosby and Malkin.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Steve Yzerman and Guy Boucher have turned Tampa Bay into what they should've been for years, a playoff team. Steven Stamkos was on pace for 50 in 50, and while he fell off his torrid offensive pace, he still managed to finish the season with 45 goals and 91 points. Line mate Martin St. Louis turned in his second best season in terms of points, and set a new personal record for assists. In terms of Center-Winger combinations they are 2nd only to the Sedins in terms of points, but not by much. Vincent Lecavalier looks like he's finding his game again scoring more goals this season than last season, despite playing in 17 fewer games. He's a long way from his career years, but he knows what it takes to win, so look for him to step his game up in the playoffs. The big question in Tampa is goaltending. Expect Dwayne Roloson to start. At 41, you have to wonder if he has it in him to sustain a long playoff run, but he seems to be ageless between the pipes.

Breakdown: The Penguins are perennial favorites for the division title and conference lead. This year was no different, and they challenged right up until the end for the division. Tampa Bay was leading their division for awhile, but lost it to the Caps. With both teams having a mix of veterans who know what you need to do to hold the cup over your head, as well as young hungry players, it will simply come down to who wants it more. Dwayne Roloson carried the Oilers to the Cup finals in '06, and if not for his injury, it's quite possible they would've won. Can Rollie the ageless goalie do the same for Tampa Bay? The Lightning are a team that can score, but they can also give up as many as they put in. Roloson will have to be his old self and be prepared to steal this series.

Bottom Line: Pens in 7. This should be a back and forth series, but it just seems like the Pens will find a way to pull this one out. Roloson will have to steal a few games in order for the Lightning to be victorious. Tampa has given up the most goals this season, and I don't see that changing in the playoffs.




So there you have it, the east in a nutshell. Yeah i picked all the top seeds, but honestly these series can all go either way. The only series I really see being "easy" to predict is Boston/Montreal. I will be back tomorrow, or Tuesday, with the Western Conference previews. Those should be fun matchups.

deadline is almost here

no waxing philosophically to start. the deadline is just around the corner and there are some teams that absolutely have to do something, so let's talk about them.

LA Kings: This team appears to be over the hump and fighting to hold on to a playoff spot, but at the same time challenging for the division lead. They are four points back of Phoenix for the division lead (yeah you read that right) and only 3 points ahead of 8th in the conference. A few games in either direction can either make or break this team. Marco Sturm was claimed off waivers today, giving LA even more cap space. They need a top line winger to play with Kopitar and add depth to their scoring. Rumors are saying possibly Hemsky from Edmonton but who knows what Lombardi is thinking. I think that's part of the problem, as no one seems to know what anyone is thinking. The Kings have a good crop of younger players and a respectable veteran presence, but it's not enough to go deep in the playoffs, especially in the West.

Washington Capitals: I love the fact that for once a team with goaltending issues being discussed ISN'T the Philadelphia Flyers, although they do have some of their own. Hell, it wouldn't be a season if they didn't. Having said that, McPhee needs to do something to sure up the goaltending. The Caps need to choose between Neuvirth and Varlamov and then go for a possible trade. With Giguere injured, I don't see Voukun as a bad choice, albeit an expensive one. The Caps can still move Semin, and with his $6mil+ cap hit, it would be a wash in terms of money. Both players are set to become free agents at the end of the season, so it't a win win. The Caps could always use the space freed up by Semin to potentially re-sign Voukun too, thus giving their young goaltenders a chance to develop with one of the better goalies in the game today. McPhee has repeatedly stated that he's comfortable with the goaltending as it is in Washington, but given the decrease in offensive production coupled with some lopsided losses as well as injuries, you have to wonder if the Capitals are in for another early playoff exit.

Buffalo Sabres: Thanks to the new owner's green light to spend, it'll be interesting to see how fast the Sabres can spend. More importantly however, it's important that they spend to win. You also have to wonder if they will have to give up draft picks and prospects right now to get a return. The Tylers are far too good to trade for the short term, but out of any team in the east that has a chance to make it right now, I believe the Sabres have the best shot, with two games in hand of Carolina and only two points back. I'm looking for them to be busy, or at least in the running right up until 3pm monday, but how successful they are remains to be seen.

New York Rangers: If the Brad Richards rumors are true, Glen Sather has to be busy to get him in under the cap. The Rangers have needed a true number one center for awhile, but the addition of Marian Gaborik has only made it more imperative. The goaltending combination of Lundqvist/Biron is more than enough to get them through, providing they can play solid defense and get solid leads. The young crop of defensemen for the Rangers looks to be good for years, but right now they're still a little green, and will need all the help they can get from both their forwards scoring goals and their goalies stealing games. If Lundqvist has shown us anything in his tenure with the league, it's his ability to do just that. Well that and give up the odd angle goal now and again.


OK, that's all for now. I'm still here, just hard to focus on all these trades. Maybe after the deadline I will have a winners and losers run down or something. We'll see. In the meantime, just keep your eyes peeled on your favorite hockey news sources.