Phoenix +150 +1.5(-190) Over 5.5(+110)
Vancouver -170 -1.5(+165) Under 5.5 (-130)
No team in the NHL deserves more credit than the Phoenix Coyotes. The fact that they have clinched a playoff berth already, and are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, is a surprise to almost everyone. Head coach Dave Tippet will be named coach of the year, and GM Don Maloney should be named executive of the year. His deadline acquisitions of Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak have paid immediate dividends. Wolski has scored a point a game since being a Coyote, and Stempniak has scored 12 goals in twelve games since being acquired from Toronto. Phoenix has not played since they clinched a playoff berth with a win over over Colorado on Saturday night at home. As much as we respect and admire what the Coyotes have done, there could be a let down tonight in Vancouver against the Western Conference's best team at home. The Canucks have a 27-8-2 record at GM place and should be an angry team after losing 3 of 4 games recently. Head coach Alain Vigneault is worried about his teams recent stretch run of complacency and sent home defensemen, Shane O'Brien, for arriving five minutes before practice started. This may be the right opponent for the Canucks as they will not take Phoenix lightly at all.
The Pick: Vancouver -170
Very confident in the Canucks getting back on track tonight at home.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
AHL Coach loses it
Abbotsford Heat and former Calgary Flames head coach Jim Playfair loses his mind after disagreeing with a call from Referee Jamie Koharski in a AHL game over the weekend. Your thoughts below.
Dallas at Anaheim
Dallas +120 +1.5(-240) Over 5.5 (-120)
Anaheim -140 -1.5(+200) Under 5.5 (even)
Two pacific division rivals that are all but mathematically eliminated collide for the first time since Dec. 31st. Dallas holds a 3-1 series lead thus far and is wrapping up their three game California swing. The Stars were shut out by San Jose 3-0, and defeated Los Angeles 4-1 on Saturday, scoring all four goals on the Power Play. Dallas has not won back to back games since mid-February, but one bright spot has been the play of goalie Kari Lehtonen who will get the start tonight. He has won three straight games and stopped 29 of 30 shots against the Kings. However, due to skipping a team meeting last night, one of the Stars best forwards, Mike Ribeiro will be a healthy scratch tonight. Anaheim returns home after going 1-2 in Western Canada. The Ducks are struggling to score without star froward Ryan Getzlaf, who is still out with an ankle injury. One bright spot for Anaheim is their play at home. They have won four straight at the Honda Center and overall are 23-11-3. Interesting trend in this series; the total has gone over in six of the last seven games between the two teams in Anaheim.
SureShotPick: Difficult games to pick tonight, but the Over in this game looks like a safe bet.
Over 5.5 -(-120)
Anaheim -140 -1.5(+200) Under 5.5 (even)
Two pacific division rivals that are all but mathematically eliminated collide for the first time since Dec. 31st. Dallas holds a 3-1 series lead thus far and is wrapping up their three game California swing. The Stars were shut out by San Jose 3-0, and defeated Los Angeles 4-1 on Saturday, scoring all four goals on the Power Play. Dallas has not won back to back games since mid-February, but one bright spot has been the play of goalie Kari Lehtonen who will get the start tonight. He has won three straight games and stopped 29 of 30 shots against the Kings. However, due to skipping a team meeting last night, one of the Stars best forwards, Mike Ribeiro will be a healthy scratch tonight. Anaheim returns home after going 1-2 in Western Canada. The Ducks are struggling to score without star froward Ryan Getzlaf, who is still out with an ankle injury. One bright spot for Anaheim is their play at home. They have won four straight at the Honda Center and overall are 23-11-3. Interesting trend in this series; the total has gone over in six of the last seven games between the two teams in Anaheim.
SureShotPick: Difficult games to pick tonight, but the Over in this game looks like a safe bet.
Over 5.5 -(-120)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Once again the Flyers just don't get it
As the calender turns toward April, and the playoffs are approaching, one thing is always certain this time of year; The Flyers have goaltending issues. Such a surprise, I know. For a franchise that has one of the most loyal fan bases in the sport, they still forget to address the most important position in hockey. This issue has been a decade long crisis as I'm sure even the most loyal Philly fan has serious doubts that this team, the way it is currently structured, can win a round in the playoffs if they even qualify. While writing this they sit four points ahead of ninth place Atlanta.
During the off season, the Flyers decided to take a risk by signing the enigmatic, Ray Emery after he was bought out by Ottawa and vanished from the NHL for one year. He had a reputation as having a poor attitude and clashed with players and management. Although he reached the Stanley Cup finals with Ottawa in 2007, he had a terrible year in 2008, and the Senators tried vigorously to trade him, but not one single team was willing to take a risk on him due to the locker room distractions he caused in Ottawa.
To Emery's credit, this summer he said the right things, and had a better attitude going into training camp proving he deserved another chance. After a slow start, Emery posted decent numbers, 2.64 GAA, and a .905 save percentage. He also managed three shutouts, and 16 wins in 29 games.
Emery didn't get to prove himself for a full season with the Flyers as he was battling a hip injury and was declared out for the season on March 2nd. Ironically, it was one day before the NHL trade deadline. The decision for GM Paul Holmgren, was simple. Stick with backup Michael Leighton, who was picked up on waivers from Carolina, but showed flashes of being a number one goalie, or attempt to trade for a goalie such as Marty Turco, Martin Biron (again), Dwayne Roloson, or even Tomas Vokoun.
Philadelphia decided to stick with what they had, and since has lost Leighton to a high ankle sprain and he is probably out for the season. Even if Leighton was healthy, is he really the answer in the playoffs? Now the Flyer goaltending carousel belongs to journeyman, Brian Boucher, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the Flyers TEN years ago. The undrafted, Johan Backlund was just called up this week to back up Boucher, and may make his first start in goal this weekend because the Flyers play back to back games.
Quite simply, you cannot win in the playoffs with shaky goaltending, thus in our opinion the Flyers may be the easiest out of all the potential playoff teams. Throughout the years, they have made poor management decisions between the pipes. Whether it was signing John Vanbiesbrouck, or Sean Burke, when they were past their prime. Or continuing to think that Roman Cechmanek was going to lead them to the promised land, they have failed to draft and develop a solid goaltender. Perhaps, they tried to acquire Tomas Vokoun, and the price was too high. The rumor, was that Florida wanted Jeff Carter, and in that case they were wise to not make that move. I know it's hindsight, but wouldn't either Biron or Roloson have been an upgrade?
Part of the reason that the Flyers are in this situation is that they have salary cap restrictions, as too much money is spent on players such as Pronger, Briere, Carter, Richards, and Gagne. They will have to unload one of those players to be able to sign a decent goalie in the offseason. This again goes back to managements inability to develop a young, inexpensive goalie of the future. One team that can sympathize with the Flyers are the Los Angeles Kings, who have had goaltending issues, probably since Kelly Hrudey, or even Rogie Vachon. Finally, the Kings addressed the issue by using high draft picks on goalies, and it has paid off with Jonathan Quick, and they also have a stud prospect in Jonathan Bernier.
Should Brian Boucher take the Flyers deep in the playoffs I promise to write about it and give him, and the Flyers credit for trusting him. We expect the Flyers fans to be rabid as usual, should they face Washington, or perhaps, Pittsburgh, in the first round. But how many of them actually think they have a legit chance this season, when year after year they have the same issue haunting them?
During the off season, the Flyers decided to take a risk by signing the enigmatic, Ray Emery after he was bought out by Ottawa and vanished from the NHL for one year. He had a reputation as having a poor attitude and clashed with players and management. Although he reached the Stanley Cup finals with Ottawa in 2007, he had a terrible year in 2008, and the Senators tried vigorously to trade him, but not one single team was willing to take a risk on him due to the locker room distractions he caused in Ottawa.
To Emery's credit, this summer he said the right things, and had a better attitude going into training camp proving he deserved another chance. After a slow start, Emery posted decent numbers, 2.64 GAA, and a .905 save percentage. He also managed three shutouts, and 16 wins in 29 games.
Emery didn't get to prove himself for a full season with the Flyers as he was battling a hip injury and was declared out for the season on March 2nd. Ironically, it was one day before the NHL trade deadline. The decision for GM Paul Holmgren, was simple. Stick with backup Michael Leighton, who was picked up on waivers from Carolina, but showed flashes of being a number one goalie, or attempt to trade for a goalie such as Marty Turco, Martin Biron (again), Dwayne Roloson, or even Tomas Vokoun.
Philadelphia decided to stick with what they had, and since has lost Leighton to a high ankle sprain and he is probably out for the season. Even if Leighton was healthy, is he really the answer in the playoffs? Now the Flyer goaltending carousel belongs to journeyman, Brian Boucher, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the Flyers TEN years ago. The undrafted, Johan Backlund was just called up this week to back up Boucher, and may make his first start in goal this weekend because the Flyers play back to back games.
Quite simply, you cannot win in the playoffs with shaky goaltending, thus in our opinion the Flyers may be the easiest out of all the potential playoff teams. Throughout the years, they have made poor management decisions between the pipes. Whether it was signing John Vanbiesbrouck, or Sean Burke, when they were past their prime. Or continuing to think that Roman Cechmanek was going to lead them to the promised land, they have failed to draft and develop a solid goaltender. Perhaps, they tried to acquire Tomas Vokoun, and the price was too high. The rumor, was that Florida wanted Jeff Carter, and in that case they were wise to not make that move. I know it's hindsight, but wouldn't either Biron or Roloson have been an upgrade?
Part of the reason that the Flyers are in this situation is that they have salary cap restrictions, as too much money is spent on players such as Pronger, Briere, Carter, Richards, and Gagne. They will have to unload one of those players to be able to sign a decent goalie in the offseason. This again goes back to managements inability to develop a young, inexpensive goalie of the future. One team that can sympathize with the Flyers are the Los Angeles Kings, who have had goaltending issues, probably since Kelly Hrudey, or even Rogie Vachon. Finally, the Kings addressed the issue by using high draft picks on goalies, and it has paid off with Jonathan Quick, and they also have a stud prospect in Jonathan Bernier.
Should Brian Boucher take the Flyers deep in the playoffs I promise to write about it and give him, and the Flyers credit for trusting him. We expect the Flyers fans to be rabid as usual, should they face Washington, or perhaps, Pittsburgh, in the first round. But how many of them actually think they have a legit chance this season, when year after year they have the same issue haunting them?
Columbus at Chicago
Columbus +255
at
Chicago -310
The Blackhawks look to avenge an 8-3 drubbing they took at the hands of Columbus Thursday night when the two teams meet again in Chicago. The Blue Jackets travel to Chicago coming off a 4-3 Overtime loss to the New York Islanders last night.
Thursday's game saw Columbus take command early and erupt for 4 goals in the 2nd period. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said "There was nothing to be excited about. Discount it and throw it in the garbage can." The Blackhawks will look to do just that. They own a 27-7-3 record at home and haven't played since their blowout loss on Thursday.
SureShotPick: Look for Chicago to take out frustrations and avenge their loss. Take the Blackhawks -310 and bet big.
Calgary at Washington 3pm
Calgary +220
Washington -260
The Calgary Flames make a rare visit to Washington this afternoon to face the NHL leading Washington Capitals. The Flames are coming off a 5-0 beat down from the Boston Bruins yesterday and a 3-2 loss at Nassau Coliseum Thursday night from the Islanders after leading through 2 periods. The Flames currently sit 6 points back of 8th place Colorado. With 7 games remaining, and poor play, the Flames playoff hopes might be over.
"We have to run the table now.' Flames captain Jarome Iginla said after the Boston game, 'Other teams have done it in the past, run the table at the end. We need to put together 5 or 6 wins, it's literally all game 7's for us now."
The Washington Capitals are on their way to their first President's Trophy in team history. The Caps are 6-1-3 in their last ten and a very impressive 27-4-4 at home this season. As SureShot has written about in their Eastern Conference Preview, we are not sure that the Capitals have enough defense or goaltending to win it all. Although the Capitals have been winning, their goaltending is far from set. Coach Bruce Boudreau seemed to be set on young netminder Semyon Varlamov to be the teams #1. However, Varlamov has lost 4 straight games while Jose Theodore has won 7 straight with a very solid 1.95 GAA in those starts.
Calgary has not won in Washington since March 13, 1999.
SureShotPick: Washington -260
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Eastern Conference Playoff Race
With the end of the regular season drawing near, HockeySureShot takes a look at the Eastern Conference Standings. We take a look to see who is up, who is down and who might just run out of time. The current Eastern Conference Standings as of March 18, 2010:
Eastern Conference:
1. The Washington Capitals have dominated the Eastern Conference all season. The Capitals lead 2nd place New Jersey by 16 points and all but officially clinched home ice for the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, those numbers could be a little misleading. No other team in Southeast Division is better than .500 and Atlanta who sits in 2nd place in the Southeast, sits 10th in the Eastern Conference. Washington holds a 16-3 record against the Southeast division.
Strengths: Offense. Washington leads the NHL in goals with 277. That is 47 more than the #2 ranked team. Washington has outscored their opponents 277-198, over 1 goal a game. Staggering statistics. Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in scoring and along with Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom, Mike Green and a slew of others, the Capitals are a fantasy hockey managers dream.
Weakness: As good as Washington has been, their defense and goaltending still raise questions. It appears that coach Bruce Boudreau will go with young netminder Semyon Varlamov for the stretch run and playoffs. That could change however and veteran Jose Theodore has been better as of late. Washington sits 16th in the NHL in goals against. Not a stat usually worth of a #1 overall team. Joe Corvo and Milan Jurcina were acquired at the trade deadline to strengthen the defense along with forwards Eric Belanger and Scott Walker, 2 defensively responsible forwards in hopes to bring down the goals against.
Prediction: The Capitals will win the Presidents Trophy and cruise in the first round of the playoffs. After that, all bets are off as the Caps still need to prove they have enough defense and goaltending to win the Stanley Cup.
2.The New Jersey Devils had another solid win last night at Prudential Center 5-2 over the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. That victory made it a season series sweep for the Devils over Pittsburgh and propelled them to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. The Devils now lead the very tough Atlantic Division by tiebreaker. The Devils once again have had a solid season with a defensive system orchestrated by coach Jacques Lemaire.
Strengths: Defense and Goaltending. Once again Martin Brodeur has had a very solid season and leads the NHL with 38 wins. A no name defense made up of Paul Martin (inj), Mark Fraser, Andy Greene, Mike Mottau, Colin White, Martin Skoula and Bryce Salvador have only given up 166 goals all season, #1 in the NHL.
Weaknesses: Scoring Depth. Zach Parise is having an outstanding season with 32 goals and Travis Zajac has 58 points. Add Jamie Lagenbrunner and Patrik Elias to the quartet of scorers but the Devils see a big drop off in production outside of these 4 players. Andy Greene has 30 assists but no Devils defensemen is really a threat to score.
Prediction: The Devils will grab home ice for the first round of the playoffs but will fall short of reaching the Atlantic Division title. In games where Pittsburgh does not play the Devils, the Penguins hold a 12 point edge. The Devils lack of scoring depth will hurt their chances of going deep into the playoffs.
3.The Buffalo Sabres have once again had a solid season. Ryan Miller has become a folk hero in the last month after carrying Team USA on his back during the Olympics. He has had some help as this is a very workman like team that plays hard for longtime coach Lindy Ruff. The Sabres have lost 3 straight games and have played 2 games on their current 5 game road trip. The Sabres look to get on track with upcoming games in Florida against the Lightning and Panthers.
Strenghts: Goaltending, balanced scoring and coaching are all areas that the Sabres are sufficient. Ryan Miller is second in Goals Against Average at 2.21 and first in Save Percentage at .929. The Sabres have 7 players with at least 13 goals and 3 more with 9 goals to lead a very balanced attack. Coach Lindy Ruff gets his team to play hard every night.
Weaknesses: Star Power. As balanced as the Sabres are, no one player they have is dominant as Vanek has lost some of his scoring touch from a few years back. The Sabres overall have a pretty solid team in all areas and are capable of beating anyone in the playoffs especially if Ryan Miller gets hot.
Prediction: The Sabres will hang onto to the Northeast Division and finish 3rd overall. They do have the capability to beat anyone in the playoffs and see them giving any 2nd round opponent a very hard time.
4. The Pittsburgh Penguins have had another terrific year led by Sidney Crosby. He has raised his game once again and is fighting Alex Ovechkin for the league lead in goals. If Pittsburgh didn't have to play the Devils, they would be 2nd in the Conference hands down. After another tough loss in New Jersey last night, the Penguins saw themselves move to 4th in the Conference. However the defending Stanley Cup Champions have plenty to be thankful for.
Strengths: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin are arguably the best 1, 2 punch in the game. Crosby has raised his game another notch and has reached the 40 goal mark faster than at any other time in his career. The Penguins have lots of depth in scoring led by the emergence of Jordan Stall. Marc-Andre Fluery is 1 of only 2 goalies in playoff contention in the Conference to win a Stanley Cup and that experience will be extremely valuable come playoff time. The defense is solid and can add a little scoring punch.
Weaknesses: Not many. The Penguins rely on Brooks Orpik for a physical game, however the one weakness Pittsburgh has is they don't like being hit. A team that hits and plays physical can knock Pittsburgh off their game and give them a better chance of winning.
Predicition: Now that their schedule is Devils free, look for the Penguins to finish 2nd in the Conference and once again go deep in the playoffs.
5.The Ottawa Senators were the hottest team in the playoffs before the Olympic Break, but since then have gone 1-5-1 and have dropped in the Eastern Conference standings. They acquired Andy Sutton at the deadline to bolster their toughness and defensive game but have yet to see rewards. The Senators offense has disappeared only scoring 9 goals in 7 games and scoring 1 or less goals in 6 of those 7 contests. Ottawa needs to turn it on soon or will find themselves backing into the playoffs or missing them outright.
Strengths: Balanced scoring. The Senators have 5 players with at least 16 goals and 33 points. Toughness: Anton Volchenkov, Andy Sutton, Chris Neil, Matt Carkner, and Jarkko Ruutu lead a group of tough and physical players.. Very good for the playoffs, it makes you think that the Senators are making up for their lack of toughness that kept them from winning the Cup back in the late 90's.
Weaknesses: Star players aren't playing like star players. Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson are having sub-par years by their standards and the fans standards. Alfredsson is on pace for his lowest point total since the 99-00 season where he had 59 points but only played 57 games.
Spezza's attitude has been questioned his entire career and this season is playing down to those expectations. Spezza has 16 goals and 22 assists and is a -9 for the season. By far his lowest output in his last 6 seasons. Inconsistency has also marred the season for the Senators. They were unbeatable before the break and now can't even score a goal.
Prediction: Look for Ottawa to continue on their slide. They will make the playoffs, but this team was playing way over their heads before the break. A 7th seed will likely be for Ottawa.
6.The Montreal Canadiens have come out after the break on a mission. Montreal has won 6 in a row and moved up to 6th in the Eastern Conference. Montreal made several moves during the offseason acquiring Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri. Tomas Plekanic has had a breakout year and leads the Canadiens in scoring.
Strengths: Balanced Scoring. The Canadiens have three 20 goal scorers and 8 players with at least 10 goals. Jaroslav Halak has gotten the nod as the #1 goalie and has won his last 6 starts.
Montreal is also peaking at the right time heading into the playoffs.
Weaknesses: Montreal is a small team and doesn't play very physically. The Canadiens can skate and move quickly but don't like getting hit and aren't a very playoff ready team.
Prediction: The Canadiens will grab the 5th seed in the playoffs but will likely have to play the Devils or Pittsburgh in the first round, 2 matchups HockeySureShot does not like for them.
7.The Philadelphia Flyers have had an interesting year. After getting off to a slow start, Head Coach John Stevens was fired and replaced by Stanley Cup winning coach Peter Laviollette. Laviollette has had success in his previous 2 stops and won the Cup with Carolina. The Flyers are a gritty, tough and talented group but always lack something heading into the playoffs and this year is no exception.
Strengths: Toughness, the Flyers always play physical with players like Daniel Carcillo. However some of their top forwards aren't afraid to rough it up either. The Flyers also have 7 players with at least 13 goals which make them very hard to defend. The Flyers have given up the 4th fewest amount of goals in the Conference and play a lot of low scoring games.
Weaknesses: Goaltending. Once again the Flyers have refused to address that issue. The Flyers elected not to re-sign Marty Biron in the offseason and brought in often troubled Ray Emery. Emery quickly got hurt and is now battling a career threatening injury. Micheal Leighton had played well enough but the Flyers have lost him to injury leaving them to third string goalie Brian Boucher who is 4-12 on the season with a below average .899 save percentage. The Flyers refused to pay up at the trade deadline for a goalie and that issue will haunt them another season.
Prediction: The Flyers will make the playoffs in the 7th or 8th seed and be out very quick. They have the worst goaltending in the league right now and that will hurt them again.
8.The Boston Bruins sit tenuously in the 8th and final playoff spot currently in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins haven't met expectations after a successful season in 2008-2009. The Bruins have failed to score goals and are hanging on by a thread to keep their playoff hopes alive. Their best offensive weapon Marc Savard was taken out on a questionable hit by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke last weekend to hurt their offense even more. However, there is hope.
Strengths: Defense and goaltending. Tuukka Rask has emerged as a solid goaltender and is competing for the #1 job as he leads the NHL in GAA at 2.09 and 2nd in Sv PCT at .928. The Bruins as a team are lead by Zdeno Chara and are 3rd in the East in Goals Against. Solid defense can take them a long way.
Weaknesses: Offense. The Bruins have scored an NHL low 174 goals. With Savard out, that makes their ability to score even less. Frankly, the Bruins don't have enough firepower to win in the playoffs and have lived on their defense.
Prediction: The Bruins will fight to the last day to keep themselves in the playoffs. However HockeySureShot thinks they might fall short unless the teams behind them stay cold as well. The Bruins will probably be the 8th seed.
9.The New York Rangers have had a very inconsistent season seeing them win 7 in a row at one point early in the year and not being able to find themselves since. John Tortorella's act is wearing thin in New York and if the Rangers fail to make the playoffs, fans will wonder if Glen Sather will sack the head coach or if the Dolan's will finally make a change at the GM spot. Very important stretch for the Rangers.
Strengths: Henrik Lundqvist and Marion Gaborik have been the star players they are paid to be. Without these 2 players, the Rangers would be among the bottom in the East. John Tortorella's attitude is questioned but he is a good coach. The Rangers are better off with him.
Weaknesses: Depth, besides Gaborik and Lundqvist, the Rangers are a very thin team. Vinny Prospal has had a very good season but you'll find the 3rd leading scorer is Ryan Callahan. Callahan is a hard working winger but his -11 is glaring on a team that needs him to be better all around. The Rangers defense is average at best. Marc Staal has had a nice season and he continues to develop into a solid defensemen.
Prediction: The Rangers will fall short of the playoffs. The Rangers did not have a good effort in what was a very important game for them home against Montreal Tuesday night. Big decisions with the front office will have to be made as this team continues to overspend in free agency with little results.
10.The Atlanta Thrashers continue to fall on hard times. Ilya Kovalchuk left GM Don Waddell no choice but to trade the talented Russian winger to the highest bidder. Waddell is in a tough spot but has some talent. Evander Kane has had a solid rookie season, Zach Bogosian, Rich Peverley and Tobias Enstrom have continued to develop. If the Thrashers can land a high profile free agent, the team may be able to take another stride forward next season.
Strengths: Balanced scoring and blue line production. Off season pickups Maxim Afinogenov and Nik Antropov have played very well this season and made for a scary trio when Kovalchuck was here. Young players mentioned above will help this team improve.
Weaknesses: Team defense. Atlanta has given up 224 goals this season, 2nd worst in the Eastnern Conference. Johan Hedberg has been solid but the Thrashers give up 33.2 shots a game which is 2nd worst in the NHL.
Prediction: The Thrashers will fall short of the playoffs once again. Don Waddell might have seen his time run out in Atlanta as this offseason will be the most important in the teams history
11.The Tampa Bay Lightning have improved from their 2nd worst finish in 2009 large in part to the emergence of Steven Stamkos. The 2nd year player can now be considered one of the games best with 42 goals and 38 assists. The Lightning have talent with Marty St.Louis and Vinny Lecavalier. The addition of rookie Victor Hedman, selected 2nd overall in the NHL draft, will have this team improving over the next few seasons.
Strengths: Offense. Tampa Bay has 3 top notch point producers mentioned above. Add gritty forward Ryan Malone, and the Lightning top line can play against anyone in the league.
Weaknesses: Depth, after those 4 forwards, the Lightning lack any real secondary scoring. Alex Tanguay was brought in during the offseason to address the issue and has only 9 goals and 34 points on the season. Tampa's total goal output is 12th in the East. Tampa has given up 28 more goals then they have scored.
Prediction: Tampa has faltered lately going 2-7-1 in their last 10 games and will miss the playoffs again.
12.The New York Islanders still have an outside shot to make the playoffs as they are getting hot again at the right time. Islander fans can either view that as a positive or negative. Most fans would hate to see the Isles come in 9th, just miss the playoffs and miss out on another top 5 pick. The young Islanders have several impressive wins this season including a recent 5-2 smacking of the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver. The Isles are loaded with young talent on their forward lines and that group propelled them to a 10-3-2 run in January. The Islanders did a complete 180 until their recent 4 game point streak.
Strengths: The Isles outwork most opponents on most nights. They have a group of young forwards that can all produce. The Islanders have 8 players with 10 or more goals, not bad for a rebuilding team. Matt Moulson leads the way with 26 goals, while John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and others give their fans something to look forward to for a long time. Dwayne Roloson has had a very good season; solidifying a position that the Isles haven't had solidified in a long time.
Weaknesses: Defense wasn't a strength to begin with and injuries and trades have depleted it even more. Andy Sutton was traded to Ottawa and Brenden Witt is down at Bridgeport, allowing a defense filled with inexperience and lack of size rule the blue line at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders have given up the 3rd most goals in the Eastern Conference. Rookies Dylan Reese and Dustin Kohn have done a decent job at filling in and giving Roloson a chance to see the puck.
Prediction: It might be too little to late for the Islanders. However with several impressive victories this season and the start of a 2nd winning streak, the Isles have a lot to look forward for in the future. The Rick Dipietro situation needs to come to an end sooner than later. The Islanders players and fans can't go into another season where Dipietro's health is in question. If the Isles can add 2 defensemen during the offseason, they will be a playoff team next year.
Carolina, Florida and Toronto are all at least 8 points out of a playoff spot and it will be a tough challenge to make the playoffs at the very least.
Eastern Conference:
| GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | PP% | PK% | Home | Away | L10 | |||
| 1 |  | 70 | 47 | 14 | 9 | 103 | 277 | 198 | 26.2 | 78.7 | 26-8 | 21-15 | 6-2-2 | |
| 2 |  | 69 | 42 | 24 | 3 | 87 | 188 | 166 | 18.3 | 81.6 | 24-10 | 18-17 | 6-4-0 | |
| 3 |  | 68 | 36 | 22 | 10 | 82 | 186 | 174 | 16.7 | 85.9 | 21-15 | 15-17 | 4-4-2 | |
| 4 |  | 70 | 41 | 24 | 5 | 87 | 219 | 202 | 17.3 | 83.5 | 21-13 | 20-16 | 5-2-3 | |
| 5 |  | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 79 | 187 | 201 | 15.5 | 84.3 | 23-14 | 14-19 | 3-6-1 | |
| 6 |  | 71 | 36 | 29 | 6 | 78 | 194 | 195 | 23.5 | 83.4 | 18-17 | 18-18 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 |  | 69 | 36 | 28 | 5 | 77 | 206 | 189 | 23.1 | 81.5 | 21-14 | 15-19 | 5-3-2 | |
| 8 |  | 69 | 31 | 26 | 12 | 74 | 174 | 177 | 17.9 | 85.6 | 14-19 | 17-19 | 5-4-1 | |
9 |  | 70 | 31 | 30 | 9 | 71 | 182 | 191 | 18.5 | 83.5 | 15-22 | 16-17 | 5-3-2 | |
| 10 |  | 69 | 29 | 29 | 11 | 69 | 204 | 224 | 16.5 | 80.2 | 16-18 | 13-22 | 3-5-2 | |
| 11 |  | 69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 68 | 183 | 211 | 18.7 | 80.3 | 18-16 | 10-25 | 2-7-1 | |
| 12 |  | 70 | 29 | 32 | 9 | 67 | 185 | 216 | 16.0 | 76.2 | 19-16 | 10-25 | 5-4-1 | |
| 13 |  | 68 | 28 | 30 | 10 | 66 | 177 | 200 | 15.2 | 78.6 | 14-19 | 14-21 | 4-5-1 | |
| 14 |  | 69 | 28 | 33 | 8 | 64 | 191 | 216 | 17.8 | 80.9 | 18-17 | 10-24 | 6-3-1 | |
| 15 |  | 70 | 24 | 34 | 12 | 60 | 187 | 235 | 15.3 | 72.6 | 14-19 | 10-27 | 5-4-1 | |
1. The Washington Capitals have dominated the Eastern Conference all season. The Capitals lead 2nd place New Jersey by 16 points and all but officially clinched home ice for the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, those numbers could be a little misleading. No other team in Southeast Division is better than .500 and Atlanta who sits in 2nd place in the Southeast, sits 10th in the Eastern Conference. Washington holds a 16-3 record against the Southeast division.
Strengths: Offense. Washington leads the NHL in goals with 277. That is 47 more than the #2 ranked team. Washington has outscored their opponents 277-198, over 1 goal a game. Staggering statistics. Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in scoring and along with Alex Semin, Nick Backstrom, Mike Green and a slew of others, the Capitals are a fantasy hockey managers dream.
Weakness: As good as Washington has been, their defense and goaltending still raise questions. It appears that coach Bruce Boudreau will go with young netminder Semyon Varlamov for the stretch run and playoffs. That could change however and veteran Jose Theodore has been better as of late. Washington sits 16th in the NHL in goals against. Not a stat usually worth of a #1 overall team. Joe Corvo and Milan Jurcina were acquired at the trade deadline to strengthen the defense along with forwards Eric Belanger and Scott Walker, 2 defensively responsible forwards in hopes to bring down the goals against.
Prediction: The Capitals will win the Presidents Trophy and cruise in the first round of the playoffs. After that, all bets are off as the Caps still need to prove they have enough defense and goaltending to win the Stanley Cup.
2.The New Jersey Devils had another solid win last night at Prudential Center 5-2 over the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. That victory made it a season series sweep for the Devils over Pittsburgh and propelled them to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. The Devils now lead the very tough Atlantic Division by tiebreaker. The Devils once again have had a solid season with a defensive system orchestrated by coach Jacques Lemaire.
Strengths: Defense and Goaltending. Once again Martin Brodeur has had a very solid season and leads the NHL with 38 wins. A no name defense made up of Paul Martin (inj), Mark Fraser, Andy Greene, Mike Mottau, Colin White, Martin Skoula and Bryce Salvador have only given up 166 goals all season, #1 in the NHL.
Weaknesses: Scoring Depth. Zach Parise is having an outstanding season with 32 goals and Travis Zajac has 58 points. Add Jamie Lagenbrunner and Patrik Elias to the quartet of scorers but the Devils see a big drop off in production outside of these 4 players. Andy Greene has 30 assists but no Devils defensemen is really a threat to score.
Prediction: The Devils will grab home ice for the first round of the playoffs but will fall short of reaching the Atlantic Division title. In games where Pittsburgh does not play the Devils, the Penguins hold a 12 point edge. The Devils lack of scoring depth will hurt their chances of going deep into the playoffs.
3.The Buffalo Sabres have once again had a solid season. Ryan Miller has become a folk hero in the last month after carrying Team USA on his back during the Olympics. He has had some help as this is a very workman like team that plays hard for longtime coach Lindy Ruff. The Sabres have lost 3 straight games and have played 2 games on their current 5 game road trip. The Sabres look to get on track with upcoming games in Florida against the Lightning and Panthers.
Strenghts: Goaltending, balanced scoring and coaching are all areas that the Sabres are sufficient. Ryan Miller is second in Goals Against Average at 2.21 and first in Save Percentage at .929. The Sabres have 7 players with at least 13 goals and 3 more with 9 goals to lead a very balanced attack. Coach Lindy Ruff gets his team to play hard every night.
Weaknesses: Star Power. As balanced as the Sabres are, no one player they have is dominant as Vanek has lost some of his scoring touch from a few years back. The Sabres overall have a pretty solid team in all areas and are capable of beating anyone in the playoffs especially if Ryan Miller gets hot.
Prediction: The Sabres will hang onto to the Northeast Division and finish 3rd overall. They do have the capability to beat anyone in the playoffs and see them giving any 2nd round opponent a very hard time.
4. The Pittsburgh Penguins have had another terrific year led by Sidney Crosby. He has raised his game once again and is fighting Alex Ovechkin for the league lead in goals. If Pittsburgh didn't have to play the Devils, they would be 2nd in the Conference hands down. After another tough loss in New Jersey last night, the Penguins saw themselves move to 4th in the Conference. However the defending Stanley Cup Champions have plenty to be thankful for.
Strengths: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin are arguably the best 1, 2 punch in the game. Crosby has raised his game another notch and has reached the 40 goal mark faster than at any other time in his career. The Penguins have lots of depth in scoring led by the emergence of Jordan Stall. Marc-Andre Fluery is 1 of only 2 goalies in playoff contention in the Conference to win a Stanley Cup and that experience will be extremely valuable come playoff time. The defense is solid and can add a little scoring punch.
Weaknesses: Not many. The Penguins rely on Brooks Orpik for a physical game, however the one weakness Pittsburgh has is they don't like being hit. A team that hits and plays physical can knock Pittsburgh off their game and give them a better chance of winning.
Predicition: Now that their schedule is Devils free, look for the Penguins to finish 2nd in the Conference and once again go deep in the playoffs.
5.The Ottawa Senators were the hottest team in the playoffs before the Olympic Break, but since then have gone 1-5-1 and have dropped in the Eastern Conference standings. They acquired Andy Sutton at the deadline to bolster their toughness and defensive game but have yet to see rewards. The Senators offense has disappeared only scoring 9 goals in 7 games and scoring 1 or less goals in 6 of those 7 contests. Ottawa needs to turn it on soon or will find themselves backing into the playoffs or missing them outright.
Strengths: Balanced scoring. The Senators have 5 players with at least 16 goals and 33 points. Toughness: Anton Volchenkov, Andy Sutton, Chris Neil, Matt Carkner, and Jarkko Ruutu lead a group of tough and physical players.. Very good for the playoffs, it makes you think that the Senators are making up for their lack of toughness that kept them from winning the Cup back in the late 90's.
Weaknesses: Star players aren't playing like star players. Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson are having sub-par years by their standards and the fans standards. Alfredsson is on pace for his lowest point total since the 99-00 season where he had 59 points but only played 57 games.
Spezza's attitude has been questioned his entire career and this season is playing down to those expectations. Spezza has 16 goals and 22 assists and is a -9 for the season. By far his lowest output in his last 6 seasons. Inconsistency has also marred the season for the Senators. They were unbeatable before the break and now can't even score a goal.
Prediction: Look for Ottawa to continue on their slide. They will make the playoffs, but this team was playing way over their heads before the break. A 7th seed will likely be for Ottawa.
6.The Montreal Canadiens have come out after the break on a mission. Montreal has won 6 in a row and moved up to 6th in the Eastern Conference. Montreal made several moves during the offseason acquiring Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri. Tomas Plekanic has had a breakout year and leads the Canadiens in scoring.
Strengths: Balanced Scoring. The Canadiens have three 20 goal scorers and 8 players with at least 10 goals. Jaroslav Halak has gotten the nod as the #1 goalie and has won his last 6 starts.
Montreal is also peaking at the right time heading into the playoffs.
Weaknesses: Montreal is a small team and doesn't play very physically. The Canadiens can skate and move quickly but don't like getting hit and aren't a very playoff ready team.
Prediction: The Canadiens will grab the 5th seed in the playoffs but will likely have to play the Devils or Pittsburgh in the first round, 2 matchups HockeySureShot does not like for them.
7.The Philadelphia Flyers have had an interesting year. After getting off to a slow start, Head Coach John Stevens was fired and replaced by Stanley Cup winning coach Peter Laviollette. Laviollette has had success in his previous 2 stops and won the Cup with Carolina. The Flyers are a gritty, tough and talented group but always lack something heading into the playoffs and this year is no exception.
Strengths: Toughness, the Flyers always play physical with players like Daniel Carcillo. However some of their top forwards aren't afraid to rough it up either. The Flyers also have 7 players with at least 13 goals which make them very hard to defend. The Flyers have given up the 4th fewest amount of goals in the Conference and play a lot of low scoring games.
Weaknesses: Goaltending. Once again the Flyers have refused to address that issue. The Flyers elected not to re-sign Marty Biron in the offseason and brought in often troubled Ray Emery. Emery quickly got hurt and is now battling a career threatening injury. Micheal Leighton had played well enough but the Flyers have lost him to injury leaving them to third string goalie Brian Boucher who is 4-12 on the season with a below average .899 save percentage. The Flyers refused to pay up at the trade deadline for a goalie and that issue will haunt them another season.
Prediction: The Flyers will make the playoffs in the 7th or 8th seed and be out very quick. They have the worst goaltending in the league right now and that will hurt them again.
8.The Boston Bruins sit tenuously in the 8th and final playoff spot currently in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins haven't met expectations after a successful season in 2008-2009. The Bruins have failed to score goals and are hanging on by a thread to keep their playoff hopes alive. Their best offensive weapon Marc Savard was taken out on a questionable hit by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke last weekend to hurt their offense even more. However, there is hope.
Strengths: Defense and goaltending. Tuukka Rask has emerged as a solid goaltender and is competing for the #1 job as he leads the NHL in GAA at 2.09 and 2nd in Sv PCT at .928. The Bruins as a team are lead by Zdeno Chara and are 3rd in the East in Goals Against. Solid defense can take them a long way.
Weaknesses: Offense. The Bruins have scored an NHL low 174 goals. With Savard out, that makes their ability to score even less. Frankly, the Bruins don't have enough firepower to win in the playoffs and have lived on their defense.
Prediction: The Bruins will fight to the last day to keep themselves in the playoffs. However HockeySureShot thinks they might fall short unless the teams behind them stay cold as well. The Bruins will probably be the 8th seed.
9.The New York Rangers have had a very inconsistent season seeing them win 7 in a row at one point early in the year and not being able to find themselves since. John Tortorella's act is wearing thin in New York and if the Rangers fail to make the playoffs, fans will wonder if Glen Sather will sack the head coach or if the Dolan's will finally make a change at the GM spot. Very important stretch for the Rangers.
Strengths: Henrik Lundqvist and Marion Gaborik have been the star players they are paid to be. Without these 2 players, the Rangers would be among the bottom in the East. John Tortorella's attitude is questioned but he is a good coach. The Rangers are better off with him.
Weaknesses: Depth, besides Gaborik and Lundqvist, the Rangers are a very thin team. Vinny Prospal has had a very good season but you'll find the 3rd leading scorer is Ryan Callahan. Callahan is a hard working winger but his -11 is glaring on a team that needs him to be better all around. The Rangers defense is average at best. Marc Staal has had a nice season and he continues to develop into a solid defensemen.
Prediction: The Rangers will fall short of the playoffs. The Rangers did not have a good effort in what was a very important game for them home against Montreal Tuesday night. Big decisions with the front office will have to be made as this team continues to overspend in free agency with little results.
10.The Atlanta Thrashers continue to fall on hard times. Ilya Kovalchuk left GM Don Waddell no choice but to trade the talented Russian winger to the highest bidder. Waddell is in a tough spot but has some talent. Evander Kane has had a solid rookie season, Zach Bogosian, Rich Peverley and Tobias Enstrom have continued to develop. If the Thrashers can land a high profile free agent, the team may be able to take another stride forward next season.
Strengths: Balanced scoring and blue line production. Off season pickups Maxim Afinogenov and Nik Antropov have played very well this season and made for a scary trio when Kovalchuck was here. Young players mentioned above will help this team improve.
Weaknesses: Team defense. Atlanta has given up 224 goals this season, 2nd worst in the Eastnern Conference. Johan Hedberg has been solid but the Thrashers give up 33.2 shots a game which is 2nd worst in the NHL.
Prediction: The Thrashers will fall short of the playoffs once again. Don Waddell might have seen his time run out in Atlanta as this offseason will be the most important in the teams history
11.The Tampa Bay Lightning have improved from their 2nd worst finish in 2009 large in part to the emergence of Steven Stamkos. The 2nd year player can now be considered one of the games best with 42 goals and 38 assists. The Lightning have talent with Marty St.Louis and Vinny Lecavalier. The addition of rookie Victor Hedman, selected 2nd overall in the NHL draft, will have this team improving over the next few seasons.
Strengths: Offense. Tampa Bay has 3 top notch point producers mentioned above. Add gritty forward Ryan Malone, and the Lightning top line can play against anyone in the league.
Weaknesses: Depth, after those 4 forwards, the Lightning lack any real secondary scoring. Alex Tanguay was brought in during the offseason to address the issue and has only 9 goals and 34 points on the season. Tampa's total goal output is 12th in the East. Tampa has given up 28 more goals then they have scored.
Prediction: Tampa has faltered lately going 2-7-1 in their last 10 games and will miss the playoffs again.
12.The New York Islanders still have an outside shot to make the playoffs as they are getting hot again at the right time. Islander fans can either view that as a positive or negative. Most fans would hate to see the Isles come in 9th, just miss the playoffs and miss out on another top 5 pick. The young Islanders have several impressive wins this season including a recent 5-2 smacking of the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver. The Isles are loaded with young talent on their forward lines and that group propelled them to a 10-3-2 run in January. The Islanders did a complete 180 until their recent 4 game point streak.
Strengths: The Isles outwork most opponents on most nights. They have a group of young forwards that can all produce. The Islanders have 8 players with 10 or more goals, not bad for a rebuilding team. Matt Moulson leads the way with 26 goals, while John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and others give their fans something to look forward to for a long time. Dwayne Roloson has had a very good season; solidifying a position that the Isles haven't had solidified in a long time.
Weaknesses: Defense wasn't a strength to begin with and injuries and trades have depleted it even more. Andy Sutton was traded to Ottawa and Brenden Witt is down at Bridgeport, allowing a defense filled with inexperience and lack of size rule the blue line at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders have given up the 3rd most goals in the Eastern Conference. Rookies Dylan Reese and Dustin Kohn have done a decent job at filling in and giving Roloson a chance to see the puck.
Prediction: It might be too little to late for the Islanders. However with several impressive victories this season and the start of a 2nd winning streak, the Isles have a lot to look forward for in the future. The Rick Dipietro situation needs to come to an end sooner than later. The Islanders players and fans can't go into another season where Dipietro's health is in question. If the Isles can add 2 defensemen during the offseason, they will be a playoff team next year.
Carolina, Florida and Toronto are all at least 8 points out of a playoff spot and it will be a tough challenge to make the playoffs at the very least.
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