Eastern Conference Regular Season Predictions

My Eastern Conference Predictions. Be sure to comment and look forward to tomorrows on the Western Conference.

Eastern Conference

1 Washington Capitals With their offense it's hard to question why they would not be favorite but with adding the veteran experience they have lacked in the past couple years. Signing Veteran goalie Marty Turco should help the club with their goalie issues. Trading their Star Alex Ovechkin for a proven winner in Sidney Crosby look
for the Capitals to make a strong push this year.

2 Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh being in the cup finals 2 of the past 3 seasons fell a little short last year. They did however solidify their offense. With the acquisition of Alex Ovechkin and Iyla Kovalchuk and Centre Evgeni Malkin this team has a top line that will scare any opposing goalie. They should be a lock for Atlantic division champs

3 Boston Bruins The Bruins dress a team that looks quite similar to last seasons team. They did however go out and sign a bunch of unnecessary players however they still have a young solid core which was very impressive last season.

4 New Jersey Devils Expect the defending Atlantic division champs to battle it out for tops in the division again but get edged out barely by the Pens. New Jersey's has a veteran core but added star Jeff Carter and highly regarded youngster James van Riemsdyk. This should be good enough for 4th place.

5 Montreal Canadiens After being in the final 4 the Canadiens have something to prove. The Little "big" 3 in Gionta, Gomez and Cammalleri proved to be quite a force during the playoffs. If they can make that happen throughout the regular season and Carey Price returns to his Calder Trophy worthy rookie season Montreal can be a team to look out for.

6 Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers are the reinging Eastern Conference Champs and they have a lot to prove in saying that. They made a questionable move in trading accuqiring Veterans Patrick Elias and Brian Rolston. Though they did get Zach Parise also. This who team depends on the goaltending.

7 Tampa Bay Lightning With new Management in Tampa the Lightning look to be on the right track. In the offseason they added Russia Sniper Alexander Frolov and AllStar goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Tampa seems to be on the right track to getting back to their 2004 Stanley Cup winning Form

8 Buffalo Sabres The Sabres get the last playoff spot in the east. Buffalo won the Northeast divison last season however they drop off a bit this year. This is because they failed to make any significant signings in free agency and the team relies on goaltender Ryan Miller to keep them in most games. They could move up higher in the standings depending on how their offense pans out.

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9 New York Rangers Rangers get the nod of being the team on the outside looking in for a second straight year. Like Buffalo, New York depends on King Henrik to keep them in a lot of games. The only difference is that New York is really a one man show. After Marian Gaborik they do not have much fire power.

10 Ottawa Senators Ottawa has a bit of an older team and is not going in the right direction. Their main problem is their defense and goaltending. Will Pascal Leclaire regain his form which showed him as
one of the most promising young goalies or will he be a bust?

11 Carolina Hurricanes The Canes are not looking so promising this upcoming season. They chose not to dip into the Free Agent pool and stick with the same team as last year. If healthy Eric Staal and Cam Ward can win games for this club however it won't be enough to get them into the playoffs. Better luck next year.

12 Toronto Maple Leafs The Maple leafs are a young organization that is on the upswing. Adding Kris Versteeg is sure to help the teams offense but really after Sniper Phil Kessel the offense gets thin. Will Nazem Kadri be a rookie superstar? Will Toronto's Defense improve from last years horrendous year? Toronto will have to wait a couple more years before they see playoffs.

13 New York Islanders The young Islander team is not much improved from last year. They are inexperienced and will be a
bottom feeder again. They have a very promising young core and talented prospects. Long Island will have to deal with another
year of nobody coming to watch their games.

14 Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are going one step forward and 2 steps back. The team is on the downfall with David
Booth as the teams only superstar. (If you can call him that) They have no depth and a slim pickings from the prospect pool. Look for Erik Gudbranson to be one of the teams few Bright spots.

15 Atlanta Thrashers Atlanta is in full out rebuild mode. With the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk the team is looking dreadful for many
years to come. One the bring side acquiring Dustin Byfuglien
and Akim Aliu, Anthony Stewart shouldn't be lonely as the only Black player on the Thrashers organization.