NHL conference preview: Best bets in the West

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NHL conference preview: Best bets in the West

The new hockey season starts Thursday, so we thought it'd be a good idea to get the help of a hockey expert. Dustin Nielson, who covers the Edmonton Oilers, breaks down how the West will be won this season.

Last year?s lowest scoring team:

The Colorado Avalanche were a league worst putting the puck in the back of the net last year averaging just 2.32 goals per game. The Avs finished with a 36-45-1 over/under record, including 16-25 away from the Pepsi Center in Denver.

This year?s best under bet:

Thanks to a coaching change and a new style of play the Minnesota Wild are no longer a lock to be the best looking under bet in the Western Conference. Instead that title should be passed on to the Nashville Predators. The Preds struggled scoring last season and were unable to pick up any offensive help during the summer.

Nashville has a solid blue line and Finnish goaltender Pekka Rinne turned a lot of heads last year, so opposition totals should be low. A combination of lack of offense and good goaltending will lead to a number of under games for Nashville this year.

Last year?s highest-scoring team:

The Red Wings were far and away the most offensive team in the West scoring at a clip of 3.52 goals per game. The Wings were tops in the Conference finishing above the total 46 times. Losing perennial 35-goal scorer Marian Hossa could hurt Detroit offense this year.

This year?s best over bet:

The Chicago Blackhawks? young stars have another year of experience under their belt and the team added Hossa to the mix. Hossa will miss the first part of the season due to an injury but when he is healthy this team has the potential to put up four goals a game on a regular basis.

The Hawks let free agent goalie Nikolai Khabibulin walk away during the offseason. Cristobal Huet is good but he?s a steep down between the pipes. Huet has been known to allow soft goals which could mean a lot of 6-4 contests.

Most improved team:

Despite trading Chris Pronger, the Anaheim Ducks (+1700 to win the Cup) should be the most improved team in the Western Conference. Scott Niedermayer returns for another season on the backend and will be joined by Ryan Whitney for a full season along with youngster Luca Sbisa, who was a key part of the Pronger trade.

The Ducks offensive punch will pack a wallop in 2009-10. Second year forward Bobby Ryan will line up with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to form one of the best lines in the league. Former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu will provide some much-needed secondary playmaking centering a line with Joffrey Lupul and fellow Finn Teemu Selanne.

Jonas Hillier and Jean-Sebastien Giguere are both proven commodities in net. The club will be in good shape with whichever masked man wins the top job.

Team that will take the biggest step back this season:

Minnesota Wild new coach Todd Richards plans on changing the team?s style of play. The Wild have played a tight defensive game that involved little risk in the offensive zone for what seems like forever.

Richards plans on having his team play a more aggressive attacking style but it doesn?t have the personnel to be successful in the first year.

Best offseason acquisition:

The Calgary Flames have put together a fantastically talented trio of defensemen. The Flames managed to trade for and sign Jay Bouwmeester prior to the July 1 free agent frenzy, taking the most sought after commodity off the market. The Flames can now have an All-Star defenseman on the ice whenever they want with Bouwmeester joining Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr.

Pick to win conference:

They may not be able to win anything when it really matters but the San Jose Sharks (+875 to win the Cup) are money in the regular season.

The Sharks went out and picked up disgruntled sniper Dany Heatley from the Ottawa Senators just prior to the beginning of training camp. Heatley has the ability to score 55 goals playing with elite set up man Joe Thornton. Devon Setoguchi will continue to develop into one of the games most consistent finishers while Patrick Marleau has something to prove after having the captaincy taken away by head coach Todd McLellan.

The Sharks should have no problem dismantling their division and this will be the year it finally translates into postseason success.

 

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Southeast Division Preview

Southeast Division Preview

Southeast Division Preview

Atlanta ? The Thrashers won 12 of their last 18 games to finish up last season in strong fashion. Although the playoffs still seem out of reach again this season, note that we should see continued improvement from this club as the team continues to adjust to coach John Anderson?s systems. Early last season it was evident that the Thrashers had more issues than expected in terms of the adjustment phase with their coach. However, they were a better team later in the season. If goalie Kari Lehtonen can stay healthier this season (he missed nearly half of last season), Atlanta could surprise a lot of prognosticators with a better than expected 2009-10 season.

Carolina ? Goalie Cam Ward is among the league?s top goaltenders. He enjoyed a big post-season performance last year, as did the Hurricanes as a team. It was a huge run in the second half of the season for the Canes. They carried that momentum in the playoffs and now, after a solid post-season, they can carry that same momentum forward to this season! The Canes have six key veterans who have contracts that expire at the end of this season. As a result, the 2010-11 season could definitely begin a rebuilding phase in Carolina. That?s why the Hurricanes decided to stand pat in the off-season and that?s why we expect a big push from the Canes this season as they aim to get the job done before the roster purge begins. Carolina is solid offensively and down the middle but the concern is their defense and how the Canes couldn?t stop the talented Penguins in the conference final. Having Ward between the pipes is a huge asset but, ultimately, the inability to stop other team?s high powered forwards is what could keep the Canes from reaching their destination once again.



Florida ? Eight seasons without making the playoffs. That?s currently the worst post-season drought in the league. The loss of defenseman Jay Bouwmeester won?t help matters for the Panthers. They just missed the playoffs last season and head coach Peter DeBoer did a great job with the talent on hand as the Panthers truly had their best season in years. However, the loss of Bouwmeester plus goalie Craig Anderson ? now in Colorado ? is significant. Although Tomas Vokoun is the starting netminder in Florida, he was plagued by bouts with inconsistency last season. Anderson filled in well when called up on but now Scott Clemmensen is the back-up. Florida isn?t loaded with a lot of big scorers and that creates a problem. They have to get goals by more of a ?score by committee? approach. Their lack of offensive ability also showed up in the shootouts where they won just 3 of 13 last season. If the Panthers young forwards really have a breakout season, this could the year Florida finally sneaks into the post-season. If not, then look for more frustration down in South Florida.

Tampa Bay ? The Lightning should be on the way up! Tampa Bay added Mattias Ohlund, Matt Walker, Kurtis Foster and David Hale to the defense. The future on the blueline also looks brighter with the Lightning drafting Victor Hedman. Offensively, Steven Stamkos had a strong second half last season and Vincent Lecavalier is certainly capable of bouncing back from a subpar season. Keep in mind that the defensemen listed above will also help out in the leadership department as well. We like the direction of this team under coach Rick Tocchet and we believe that the signing of left winger Alex Tanguay will also provide a boost to a very talented group up front. In between the pipes, if Mike Smith is healthy, the Lightning should absolutely end up returning to the post-season after missing out last spring.

Washington ? In certain respects, the Capitals were close, very close, to hoisting the Stanley Cup. Last season they took the Penguins to a 7th game before getting knocked out in the second round of the post-season. Yes, of course, that?s the same Pittsburgh team that eventually hoisted the Stanley Cup after knocking off the Red Wings in June. However, for all their explosive talent up front, there are still concerns on the blueline and back around their own cage in Washington. In terms of defense, the Capitals often make mistakes in crucial situations. The Caps defense lost a key leader with the departure of Donald Brashear. Offensively, they took a hit with the defections of Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Federov to the KHL. How much could this possibly impact Alex Ovechkin? Also, in between the pipes, can Jose Theodore rebound from his late season struggles? If not, just how fast can Simeon Varlamov gain the key experience he still needs. Just as an example, Varlamov was quite shaky at times in the Penguins series. So, as close as the Caps were to the Cup last season, losing to the eventual Champions, their goaltending and defense could go a long way toward whether or not they are able to take that next step. We feel there are too many questions marks going into the season to ?bank? on much improvement from Washington this season as they truly could regress if the goaltending situation does not get settled.

 

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NHL conference preview: Flyers new beasts of the East

NHL conference preview: Flyers new beasts of the East

NHL conference preview: Flyers new beasts of the East


The new hockey season starts Thursday, so we thought it'd be a good idea to get the help of a hockey expert. Dustin Nielson, who covers the Edmonton Oilers, says there is a new beast in the East this season.

Last year?s lowest scoring team

The New York Islanders were dead last in the goals for in the Eastern Conference last year averaging just 2.42 goals per game, slightly less than the Rangers. Despite not scoring often, the Islanders were still 45-34-3 on the over/under.

This year?s best under bet

The Florida Panthers will be a team to follow closely on the under this season. Last season, the Panthers finished under the total 43 times including a record of 14-24-2 over/under on home ice. In the offseason, the Panthers lost power-play quarterback Jay Bouwmeester to the Calgary Flame,s which is not good for a team that ranked 24th with the man advantage. They also added Scott Clemensen to back up Tomas Vokoun, which means there will fewer weak nights between the Panthers? pipes. Honourable mention to the Devils with Jacques Lemaire back behind the bench and a healthy Martin Brodeur.

Last year?s highest-scoring team

The Boston Bruins averaged 3.52 goals per game last season which was good enough for tops in the Eastern Conference. Last week, they traded Phil Kessel, who scored 36 times last year, to the Leafs so they will have to find those goals elsewhere in the lineup.

This year?s best over bet

Nothing against the Washington Capitals but I have to go with the Thrashers being the best over bet simply because of their inability to keep the puck out of their own net. The Thrashers allowed 280 goals last season and have done nothing to address the problem during the past four months. Watch for the Thrashers to lose a lot of 4-2 and 5-3 games this season.

Most improved team

The Senators may have been forced to trade Dany Heatley but overall, they look a lot better than last year. In exchange for Heatley, the Senators picked up two top-six forwards in Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. The free-agent signing of Alex Kovalev gives the Senators the best depth they?ve had offensively in a long time. After missing the majority of last season with an injury, Pascal Leclaire is healthy and ready to give the Senators the best goaltending they?ve had since Patrick Lalime.

Team that will take the biggest step back this season

The New Jersey Devils, unlike several other teams below them in the standings, did very little to improve over the offseason. The Devils lost key forwards Brian Gionta and John Madden to unrestricted free agency and simply did not replace them. The loss of Gionta will hurt because they have never been a team that scored a lot of goals in the first place. With the Sabres, Senators, Lightning, Canadiens and Leafs all improving, the Devils will be in a fight for one of the final two or three playoffs spots in the Eastern Conference.

Best offseason acquisition

The Philadelphia Flyers have had two major problems over the past couple of seasons: Crosby and Malkin. Philly found the best possible solution to the problem by acquiring Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks. The addition of Pronger gives the Flyers one of the top five defences in the NHL, which should have the elite forwards in the Eastern Conference thinking twice about heading to the front of the net in Philly. The Flyers paid a pretty price to get their hands on Pronger but if he leads them to a Stanley Cup, it will be worth it.

Pick to win conference

There isn?t much not to like about a Flyers team that spent the summer addressing their weaknesses. On top of the addition of Pronger, the Flyers also revamped their goaltending by rescuing Ray Emery from Russia and giving Brian Boucher a chance to prove he still belongs in the NHL. Emery and Boucher will basically be charged with the task to not lose games rather than win them on their own.

Up front the Flyers have one of the best one-two punches in the league in Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Youngsters Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk are both expected to be big time offensive forwards and should contribute this season. Grit and toughness shouldn?t be a problem up front either as players like Scott Hartnell, Daniel Carcillo and newly signed Ian Laperriere can look after their fellow forwards.

The Capitals and Penguins are both highly skilled, the Bruins are solid at both ends of the ice but the Flyers are the most complete team in the Eastern Conference and have a great shot finishing at the top.