NHL Eastern Confrence

It might still feel like winter, but with the Olympics nearing their end, the final six weeks of the NHL 2009-2010 season and the most stressful time of year is just around the corner: spring hockey.

In the Eastern Conference, no team will enter their final month-and-a-half without plenty of drama on their own. Although the Capitals lead the conference by a whopping 13 points, they're still going to be fighting hard for the best record in the league and the Presidents' Cup.

Below them, four teams separated by just a mere two points are battling for division titles on the line, with the Sens and Sabres battling for the Northeast and the Devils and Pens going after the Atlantic crown.

Then we come to the huge mix of teams vying for a the last three playoff spots, with six teams within five points (Philadelphia with 67 to Atlanta with 62) fighting for the last postseason berths. After a four point drop-off below them, the slumping Panthers and Isles and red-hot Hurricanes are trying to pull themselves up within reach of the eighth seed, and they are then finally followed by last-place Toronto.

However, these groups of teams are not set in stone, and everyone still has 20 or more matches left to play in their attempt to find their way into [insert ambition here], whether that be the regular season title, a division championship, or just a ticket to play games past Apr. 10.

However, right now, it's the playoffs that really matter. In this article, will analyze and assess a percentage for each team in the Eastern Conference regarding their chances to find their way into the top eight and, hopefully, into post-April.

Note: Teams are ordered by their current place in the standings, not my projected playoff seed for them.

1. Washington Capitals (90 pts)

The Capitals are in the playoffs, period. With only 20 games left to go and a 26-point cushion on the playoffs, all the Caps have to do is win just a few more games and they've secured a spot. What's bigger in the minds of Washington is not only a conference title but the regular season champion award, the Presidents Cup.

Playoff Likelihood: 98%

Projected Seed: First

2. New Jersey Devils (77 pts)

Despite trailing the Caps by 13 points and sporting a mere one point lead on the top spot in the division, the Devils have a well-balanced team that shouldn't have to worry much about missing the postseason. They probably will only have to win about eight of their remaining 21 games to stumble in.

Playoff Likelihood: 86%

Projected Seed: Fourth

3. Ottawa Senators (76 pts)

Like the Penguins, the Senators are in a tight race for the division crown but looking pretty safe in terms of the playoffs at the moment. They have only four games remaining against top-seven teams in the Eastern Conference, and have already built themselves up with a 12-point gap between them and the current cut-off line.

Playoff Likelihood: 82%

Projected Seed: Third

4. Pittsburgh Penguins (76 pts)

The Penguins are fairly safe in terms of making the postseason. They have a 12-point lead on eighth place and have plenty of pressure experience to increase that. The only competitor for Pittsburgh right now is the New Jersey Devils in their race for the division title.

Playoff Likelihood: 87%

Projected Seed: Second

5. Buffalo Sabres (75 pts)

The Sabres were off their game heading into the Olympic Break, having won just three of their last 13 games, but, for the moment, Buffalo is definitely more focused on a top-three seed than a playoff berth. They have a packed schedule upcoming in March (16 games on the agenda), but should be safe to make it past Apr. 11.

Playoff Likelihood: 77%

Projected Seed: Fifth

6. Philadelphia Flyers (67 pts)

The Flyers are in the sixth seed for now. But are not even close to securing a playoff berth yet, despite their recent four-game streak.

With an eight-point difference between them and fifth-place Buffalo, the Flyers can't forget simply making the postseason like all five of the teams ahead of them. Philadelphia will start the spring on several interesting notes, with a three-game road trip followed by a four-game homestand followed by a four-game away stretch, but they will definitely have to win at least 10 or 11 of their last 21 games to limp past the end of the regular season.

On a higher note, however, it seems likely with their set of players that the postseason is looking more and more like a reality this season.

Playoff Likelihood: 59%

Projected Seed: Sixth

7. Boston Bruins (65 pts)

In nearly the same situation as the Flyers above, the Bruins remain in the playoff picture for now but are only a win ahead of teams not in the Conference's top eight.

The Bruins will start back in March with 22 games remaining on the schedule, and with four division games and a five-game road streak looming in their first two weeks following the NHL's return from the Olympic Break. However, even though most of us know inside that the 2010 Boston Bruins are not the same team as last year, I still can't see them missing out on the first round.

Playoff Likelihood: 57%

Projected Seed: Seventh

8. Montreal Canadiens (64 pts)

The Canadiens are in the upper half looking down for the moment, but they've been so inconsistent, it's hard to tell where Montreal's going to be next. While goaltender Jaroslav Halak's success with Slovakia at the Olympics may give the team a lighter atmosphere upon his return, the Habs are far from securing a playoff spot after missing it last year.

The Canadiens will also get a harsh return, as their four-game road trip starts off with a division battle with Boston before heading to the Pacific Division for three brutal games. While the Canadiens are still in decent shape on the standings, someone other than Plekanec, Cammaleri, and Gomez (their only players above 40 points) needs to step up and lead this team into the playoffs like they deserve it.

Playoff Likelihood: 43%

Projected Finish: 10th

9. Tampa Bay Lightning (63 pts)

The Lightning have several players to fill in the soon-to-be-open top line spots that currently belong to Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, but with Alex Tanguay and Ryan Malone also aging, Tampa's a tale of two extremes. It's uncertain how that will play into this spring's results, however.

The Bolts still have multiple games remaining in March against some of the East's top teams, with three more against Washington and two apiece with Buffalo and Pittsburgh. They're in a tie for the final playoff spot at the moment, but their play heading down the stretch is not only unpredictable but very important. 

Playoff Likelihood: 49%

Projected Finish: Eighth

10. New York Rangers (63 pts)

One thing is certain right now in New York; the Rangers first five games back will give them a good taste of where they are right now in the conference, with matches against Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Washington, Buffalo, and New Jersey all starting off March for the Blueshirts.

Also, with Marian Gaborik looking shaken in the Olympics, the team might have to rely on newcomer Olli Jokinen, who played well for Finland, to take hold of the Rangers' attack. With Lundqvist in net, miracles can always happen, but the odds seem to be starting to be slightly stacked against the Rangers.

Playoff Likelihood: 46%

Projected Finish: Ninth

11. Atlanta Thrashers (62 pts)

While I and many others are likely pronouncing Atlanta "dead" after they dealt Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils for a large group of picks, prospects, and players that make it seem like the Thrashers are looking towards the future, there are a few things going for Atlanta.

First of all, they'll return to the ice with nine of their first 11 games this spring at home. Secondly, they'll only play two teams that are in the Eastern Conference top five in March. However, they probably will want to have a cushion on the playoff cut-off line going into April, with all five of their regular season games in this month against either Washington, New Jersey, or Pittsburgh.

It's also an issue with your top scorer in Nic Antropov. While he does have 50 points and there are 12 Thrashers with at least 20 points, Atlanta should begin looking for at least a decent group to replace the scoring of Kovalchuk alone if they want to make a run for it this season.

Playoff Likelihood: 40%

Projected Finish: 12th

12. Florida Panthers (58 pts)

The Panthers are in a tough spot. They have four teams still in-between them and eighth place and a six-point deficit to overcome, but the Panthers also don't want to give up this early. They have a tight but not overly-challenging schedule heading into March, but this team doesn't quite seem poised to make a postseason push in 2010.

Playoff Likelihood: 33%

Projected Finish: 13th

13. New York Islanders (58 pts)

With just 20 games to overcome a deficit that's growing deeper and deeper (partially because of a 2-8 slump for the Isles before the Olympic break), New York is probably not where they want to be. They're also going to be up against the cream of the crop from the West this March, with games versus Chicago, St. Louis, Vancouver, Anaheim, Los Angeles, and Calgary looming.

Also, their young core centered on Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo, and John Travares doesn't seem ready for any more pressure than they already have, and a shaky situation at goaltender just adds to the Isles risks of challenging for a playoff berth.

Playoff Likelihood: 30%

Projected Finish: 14th

14. Carolina Hurricanes (55 pts)

The Hurricanes are going to have to have a miraculous spring, but the playoffs are still possible. They have experience in this situation and a roster that's very similar to the one that went to the Conference Finals in 2009, but, still, most of the odds are stacked against them.

For a [much] longer summary of the Canes' situation in terms of making the playoffs, follow this link .

Playoff Likelihood: 24%

Projected Finish: 11th

15. Toronto Maple Leafs (49 pts)

Mathematically, the Leafs aren't dead. However, there's a key word there: "mathematically." Even if Toronto wins every game from now on, they will still only end up with 91 points. See what I mean?

Playoff Likelihood: 4%

Projected Finish: 15th

Early Playoff Predictions

Quarter-Finals

(1) Washington over (8) Tampa Bay in four games

(2) Pittsburgh over (7) Boston in six games

(6) Philadelphia over (3) Ottawa in seven games

(4) New Jersey over (5) Buffalo in six games

Semifinals

(1) Washington over (6) Philadelphia in five games

(2) Pittsburgh over (4) New Jersey in seven games

Conference Finals

(1) Washington over (2) Pittsburgh in six games

Washington Capitals win Eastern Conference

Mark Jones is currently Bleacher Report's featured columnist for the Carolina Hurricanes. In his 19 months so far with the site, he has written over 160 articles and received over 110,000 total reads.

Visit his profile to read more.

After such a dreadful October and November, the Carolina Hurricanes have come out quite a bit stronger in December.

Last week contained a brutal four-game road trip, where the Hurricanes got to have a nice tour of the arenas of many of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, as they went to Pittsburgh on Monday before eventually also visiting New Jersey, Washington, and Ottawa.

In those four games, the 'Canes picked up three points, winning a tight 3-2 game against the Penguins and also earning an additional tally in a 4-3 overtime loss to Washington.

Despite only picking up three points, it was a very successful road trip for Carolina, which (not counting empty net goals) was only outscored 12-10 against some of the NHL's best. The Hurricanes also got Cam Ward back from a six-week injury due to a thigh laceration.

However, after Ward's two opening debuts both ended in hard-fought losses, what does Paul Maurice do? Of course, he benches Ward in favor of Manny Legace, who plays decently but still can't pull out a win for the Canes against the Senators.

In addition to the inopportune and completely unreasonable benching of Ward, the Hurricanes also lost Eric Cole, Sergei Samsonov, and Chad LaRose for minor-to-moderate injuries late in the week. Just as things begin to get better for Carolina, injuries strike again, just like it's been all year.

Hopefully, though, a quieter, easier week for the Hurricanes leading into the holidays will help slow things down and continue to slowly but steadily right the Hurricanes' ship.

Carolina Hurricanes Weekly Preview: Dec. 14 to Dec. 20

Carolina will get several days off early this week before returning home on Wednesday to face the Dallas Stars, who defeated the Hurricanes by a 2-0 score less than a month ago at American Airlines Center, with Marty Turco shutting out the Canes for the fourth time this season.

Samsonov is listed is questionable for the matchup against the Stars, and the status of the productive, speedy forward will be a key factor for the Hurricanes, who have not had much success historically against Dallas and have struggled against Turco as well many times in recent years.

The Hurricanes then will have a back-to-back against the division rival Florida Panthers on Friday and Saturday, with the first game down in Florida before returning to Raleigh the next day.

The Hurricanes defeated the Panthers at the RBC Center in mid-October for their first win of the year, 7-2, but were then shut out down in Florida at the beginning of November, 3-0. The Panthers scored three crushing third-period goals in the second game, and Tomas Vokoun also completed his second shutout in a row at the time.

After that, the Canes are idle until they face the collapsing New York Rangers on the Monday of Christmas Week, which will start a very important four-game homestand for Carolina.

Roster and Injury Update

As I mentioned earlier, Samsonov is day-to-day for the Hurricanes, while Cole, who has already broken his leg earlier in the year, and LaRose, who has just one goal on the season, are out with slightly more significant injuries and will probably be out until Christmas.

Tim Gleason and Niclas Wallin also did not practice this weekend. Wallin has been out for two weeks because of several issues, while Gleason was cut by the stick of Alexander Ovechkin last Friday against the Caps and, despite receiving 30 stitches in the gash along his right cheek, is not expected to miss any playing time.

The questionability of all of these is yet another major problem for the Hurricanes' management, which has just not been able to find suitable replacements for the many open roster spots this season.

Michael Ryan has been out for most of season for Carolina with a concussion. Although he is improving, his contributions even when healthy have always been minimal.

Former backup goaltender Michael Leighton is on re-entry waivers and also playing down at the AHL level, as Legace, signed to fill in for Ward in November, has now taken his job as backup.

Struggling and aging defenseman Aaron Ward has also been placed on waivers, as the former Stanley Cup-winning Hurricane is at minus-15 and has just six points in 31 games for Carolina after being acquired from Boston during the offseason in exchange for inconsistent Patrick Eaves. According to ESPN, several teams are interested in Ward at the moment, although he clears waivers tomorrow at noon. The Flyers, Blue Jackets, and Hawks are all in the market for Ward at the moment.

Finally, it appears miserable team captain Rod Brind'Amour may finally be finishing off his NHL career. Brind'Amour has been a healthy scratch for the Hurricanes several times this December already, and his near-league-worst statistics are drawing concerns of him continuing to play at the NHL level.

Anyhow, with all the waiver wire players and injuries that have and still continue to plague the Hurricanes roster into a skeleton group, it's no wonder they're nine points into 30th place in the NHL at the moment.

I'm sitting here right now in my dorm room with a severe case of insomnia. It's almost one in the morning over here on the east coast, but I just can't sleep, so I figured I'd give three guys a shoutout. Three guys who, I feel, really deserve it, and I've had a really bad case of writers block for the past couple of days, so let's hope this article makes up for the others.

The Boston Bruins have had their struggles as of late but are looking like their starting to turn it around and make their push to the top of the Eastern Conference. While the top forward lines have been producing decently, like they are supposed to, it's been the fourth line that has really stepped their game up when called upon.

The Bruins' fourth line this year consists of Steve Begin, Shawn Thornton, and Byron Bitz. This line has the perfect combination of veteran leadership and youth talent. To really know why these three guys have been so vital to the Bruins success, you have to get to know them first.

Shawn Thornton has never really been known as a goal scorer in this league. If anything, he would probably be classified as an enforcer, although he has more intangibles then most other enforcers in the NHL.

Thornton was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997 but never actually played for them. He stayed down in their AHL affiliate until moving on the the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played one year for them. He won his first Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

He signed with the Bruins during the 2007 offseason and had a pretty good sized impact for the Bruins right from the start. While his impact wasn't on the scoreboard, it was felt by the opposing team. Thornton hits pretty much anything he sees which in turn causes turnovers in the offensive zone leading to Bruins goals.

The second piece of this line is Steve Begin. Begin is another veteran who has been in the league since 1996. He played for the Calgary Flames for his first few years in the league but really broke out when he moved to the Montreal Canadiens. Begin only averaged about six goals a year while in Montreal but was really known for his strong forechecking and his hustle.

The Bruins signed him in the offseason, and he has continued where he left off in Montreal. Begin has been quite the surprise on offense this year as he is second on the Bruins in assists with six. Still, his best quality has been his ability to put pressure on the opposing team, forcing untimely turnovers usually leading to Bruins scoring chances.

The final piece to this line is the young Byron Bitz. Of the three guys, he is the offensive threat. Now that doesn't mean that he is putting up 20 goals a year. Bitz is in just his second full season in the league but he is getting comparisons to another current Bruin, Milan Lucic. Bitz is able to combine his skill with his checking.

Now that you know these guys, you have some idea of why they have such an impact for the Bruins. This is why it comes to no surprise that Claude Julien usually begins and ends with these guys out on the ice.

By beginning the game with the fourth line, the Bruins are able to set a tone quick and early. They are able to put the pressure on the opposing team right from the drop of the puck and get the rest of the team energized.

When it comes to the end of the game, usually if the Bruins are leading these three guys are the ones who are out on the ice. There great forechecking constantly forces the other team to have to circle back and try to start another rush taking even more precious time off the clock.

So just remember the next time you are checking out the boxscore don't just look at who scored and who had assists. There's more to a hockey game than just that and this line is a perfect example of it.  

Written  By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

The end result, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, was not the desired outcome for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That said, with everyone in Leafland watching, Phil Kessel performed admirably Tuesday night in his debut as a Leaf.

When Kessel was signed as a free agent by Leafs GM Brian Burke, there were plenty of fans that were ready to start the Stanley Cup parade route and just as many that were ready to show up on Burke’s doorstep to kick his door in.

Tuesday night, Kessel’s on-ice performance went a long way in proving his worth. He led the Leafs with 10 shots on goal (a career high), led the team with 23:50 of ice time, survived a massive hit from T-Bay's Mathias Ohlund, played a solid two-way game, and seemingly made his linemates better.

Sure, the end result was a 2-1 loss, but it was the intangibles that Leaf fans should be focusing on. Kessel’s speed was very evident and his compete level was off the charts. Clearly, Kessel came to play and has served notice to the other 29 NHL teams that Toronto will no longer be a “gimmie” on their schedule.

Many writers have been questioning whether or not Kessel would be able to handle the pressure of playing in Toronto. Let us not forget that this is a 23-year-old kid who went through testicular cancer and a serious shoulder injury already in his short NHL career, playing in Toronto? No worries, pardon the pun, but this kid plays "balls out!"

Besides Kessel, the Leafs can take a ton of positives out of their game against Tampa. They were able to muster up 41 shots on T-Bay's Antero Niittymaki (who played excellent), Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson made 30 saves and was exceptional between the pipes, and the Leafs were able to keep the NHL’s hottest player (Steven Stamkos) off the scoresheet.

Did they play a perfect game? No, but given the Leafs improved play of late, you have to believe the Leafs are not as bad as they appear to be on paper and may very well be able to turn this season around.

Underrated defenseman Ian White scored a power play goal and registered four shots on net, Lee Stempniak had six shots and defenseman Mike Komisarek stayed out of the penalty box- which is something short of a miracle.

Despite the loss, it was a great night for the Leafs. Gustavsson looks better with every game played and, with Kessel in the lineup, the Leafs are sure to play with a lot more confidence and passion, something that was missing early on in the season.

Up next for the Leafs? The Leafs visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, followed by an Original Six matchup against the struggling Detroit Red Wings at Home on Saturday night, both of which are winnable games.

The Phil Kessel era has arrived and, so far, "It's all good..."

Until next time,

Peace!

The trade deadline is months away, but some franchises might be inclined to start dealing sooner rather than later. Injuries are making a significant impact on every NHL roster already this year, and the way the schedule is arranged because of the Olympics, a slide early in the season could be devastating in April and May.

Just look at some of the players who will miss significant time already this year:

Vancouver : Daniel Sedin (four to six weeks) and Sami Salo (three to five)

Detroit : Johan Franzen (four months)

Columbus : Jan Hejda (four to six weeks)

Edmonton : Sheldon Souray (TBD - concussion)

Boston : Marc Savard (four to six weeks) and Milan Lucic (four to six weeks)

Pittsburgh : Sergei Gonchar (four to six weeks)

Nashville : Jason Arnott (two weeks)

Carolina : Erik Cole (four to six weeks)

Chicago : Adam Burish (four months), Ben Eager (TBD - concission)

Montreal : Andrei Markov (three to four months), Ryan O'Byrne (eight weeks)

St. Louis : Alexander Steen (eight weeks)

This isn't even a complete list. There are some players, like Marian Hossa and Phil Kessel, that haven't even laced up their skates yet this season because of pre-existing injuries.

And there are other teams, like Minnesota, that have dealt with nagging injuries to studs like Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora, but have avoided putting them on IR...so far.

The 2009-10 season has many teams loading their October and November schedules with important conference games. Losing points in these games could be the difference between making the playoffs and being a four seed; the sense of urgency must be paramount.

Some of the teams on this list could survive their missing players. Chicago's offense hasn't missed a beat in the absence of Hossa, Burish, and Eager. But their goaltending situation is a train wreck, which might make them players in the trade market.

If a team like Pittsburgh, who lost their best defender in Gonchar for six weeks on Tuesday, feels they need another stud on their blue-line, they might be forced to be active in the trade market early, as well.

Teams that might not feel competitive could become premature sellers if a hungry market develops, figuring that players with expiring contracts that fill a need could become rentals another organization might overpay to acquire.

The ripple effect throughout the NHL could be intriguing as the next few weeks evolve.

As the injuries continue to attack rosters all over the NHL, player movement could become an important factor in the playoff races this year. We'll soon see which organizations feel comfortable with their depth and which feel they need to bolster their lineup to avoid losing costly points during a key player's absence.

This could become a fun season on the trade market for NHL fans everywhere.

New York Ranger Ales Kotalik was the hero yesterday around the NHL, his third period power play goal was the one that found the net and snapped a late tie against Anaheim. It should be mentioned that New York is 4-0 now excluding one loss in the season opener against Pittsburgh.

In Vancouver, a shootout was needed to finish the game in absence of Daniel Sedin. The Canucks were still able to score three regulation goals to keep their offensive attack up to standards. Ribeiro, Richards and Benn scored for the Stars while Kesler, Burrows and Mitchell scored for Vancouver.

Both my picks took the game last night, increasing my total to 12-5.

Tonight’s Games

Colorado (2-1-1) v Boston (2-2-0)

The Bruins managed to squeak a win against the Islanders on Saturday, but they needed overtime to do it. That has me concerned, especially when playing a very streaky Avalanche bunch.

The smart money points to Boston being a favorite by far, but I’m reluctant to jump to that conclusion. After considering, I have to go with the Bruins, but I’m not comfortable about it.

Los Angeles (3-1-0) v New York Islanders (0-0-3)

The Islanders are still looking for their first regulation win and this is my underdog pick of the night. Tavares and company will find a way to steal one eventually and I think that they will do it tonight. Look out, because I think the Kings are going to pepper the Islanders with shots 2:1.

Toronto (0-3-1) v New York Rangers (4-1-0)

The Rangers are just a team that looks unstoppable right now. It’s hard to go against them, but this is another game that I feel the underdog has the advantage. The Rangers played an overtime and shootout last night against the Anaheim Ducks, a very physical team.

Now they walk into Francis Beauchemin, Mike Komisarek, Garnet Exelby, Tomas Kaberle, Like Schenn, Mike Van Ryn and more. I think the game last night and the extreme physical play from Toronto will slow the Rangers down.

New Jersey (2-2-0) v Washington (2-2-1)

Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom. Never bet against the best player in the league (sorry to all your Crosby/Malkin lovers, he is just better. Period).

Pittsburgh (4-1-0) v Ottawa (3-1-0)

Very tough call. Pittsburgh has been getting wins, so has Ottawa. Ottawa hasn’t looked like a team that is very fluid in their style of play, and Pittsburgh looks like they’ve drank about 14 bottles of whiskey before each game. Both teams have my confidence. I’ll throw this to Pittsburgh, only because they have that big Stanley-whatsit-called.

Florida (1-3-0) v Tampa Bay (1-1-2)

It seems every year I’m a sucker for the Lightning. They have more talent collectively then the entire western conference. Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos, Hedman, Ohlund, and whatever else it just makes you scratch your head and wonder how this bunch isn’t producing numbers that are similar to the Rangers ranking.

I can’t bet against them, but this is another pick I’m not comfortable with. Tampa Bay in regulation.

Edmonton (2-1-1) v Nashville (2-1-0)

An overrated Oilers bunch versus a surprising Nashville group. I’ll take Edmonton, but only because I’m Canadian.

Calgary (4-1-0) v Chicago (2-1-1)

This is where my personal conflict becomes an issue here. I love Chicago. I’m a sucker for them, and I loved them before it was cool to love them. Calgary has tremendous talent and the best defensive units bar none in the entire NHL (even if they’re not playing like it yet).

Calgary has my vote here, but I don’t want to watch this game.

Phoenix (2-2-0) v San Jose (3-2-0)

Heatley get’s another hat trick. Not really, but San Jose walks away with two in regulation. 

My Picks record to date: 12-5 (70.58%)

Oct. 9 record: 1-1 (50%)

Oct. 10 record: 9-4 (69.2%)

Oct. 11 record: 2-0 (100%)

Since no one else managed to rally a review (I was hoping someone else would, so I wouldn't have to), I guess I will take a crack at it.

This is by far the worst review of a game I had to do for my Montreal Canadiens that I can remember.

In short, the Canadiens must have missed their flight from Calgary to Vancouver because the bunch of people on the ice on Wednesday night was not our Canadiens.

Out-shot, out-played and out-scored. The final tally was 7-1 for Vancouver. Who was our lone gone scorer? Andrei Kostitsyn.

Vancouver was obviously looking to make a message to the league. After starting off 0-3, they wanted to dominate a game, and it just so happens that the Canadiens were first in line to receive this pummeling from a more dedicated Canucks team.

The Canadiens are now 2-2, looking to close their road trip on Saturday against Edmonton before opening at home against Colorado and the surprising Craig Anderson.

So far, all the wins can be accredited to the grit, determination and play of Carey Price. There is no way, if a goalie of a less caliber was in nets, that the Canadiens would have walked away with wins in Toronto and Buffalo if it were not for him.

Vancouver jumped into the game with a huge start, scoring three quick goals in the first period, out-shooting the Canadiens 14-4.

The only glimmer of hope was when Kostitsyn (whose brother finally reported to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs...reportedly on the promise he will be traded eventually by doing so) scored early in the second period.

The score by the end of the second period was 5-1, despite the Canadiens peppering Roberto Luongo with 14 shots.

As for Price, he played surprisingly well, having regretted one or two lone goals at the most.

To quote Dave Stubbs, "every defenseman on his team owes him an apology for having hung him out to dry in front of family and friends before he was mercifully lifted for Jaro Halak when the Canucks made it 7-1."

I think that says it best, our defensive corps did not come to this game eager to help out the net minder. It shows how one key defenseman (Andrei Markov) can make a difference in a lineup.

The penalty killers went 2-of-5, allowing three goals, while the power play went 1-of-6.

Price seemed emotional after the loss. On Thursday, it was reported he punched a hole into the drywall in Vancouver, showing his anger at the situation.

"I was pretty excited for that one," Carey Price said after the game, "It's coming home, you know? It wasn't the way I wanted it to go, but hopefully I'll have a lot more opportunities to play in this building again."

Hopefully next time, his defensemen will be there as well.

As every hockey fan shuffles into their basement, grabs out whatever memrobilia they can find about their favorite team as training camp looms, everyone can only agree on two things; Dany Heatley pissed off just about everyone and this off-season has been defined simply by one word; "transactions".

So many moves have been made, some teams played the stag game and did nothing, others pretty much wiped the slate clean and went in another direction completely.

A lot of predictions have been made from Atlanta to Washington, almost always never in agreement. Let's take a look at how each team in the east sizes up, and then a prediction on when the smoke settles, where everyone will stand. Keep in mind, this prediction will be most probably 0% accurate, as are almost all predictions before a season starts.

Reviews

Atlanta Thrashers 

Most people begin their assessment of the Thrashers by speaking about the Kovalchuk, situation. Will Kovalchuk sign an extension for whatever the GM Don Waddell throws his way or will he go the way of Hossa, going to the most predictable Stanely Cup Champion so that he can finally have some post-season success? That whole debacle aside, one of the key factors in Atlanta is Kari Lehtonen. The Goalie was sined in 2002 with the second overall pick, and was predicted to be a stellar NHL-calibre goalie in the ranks of Marty Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. That clearly hasn't happened, in fact this goalie has rarely played over 50 games (only once) and his injuries are the only consistent thing about him. The rest of the team bears the broad title of 'mediocre' and Kovalchuk lacks the supporting cast needed for a playoff-bound team. Even if Lehtonen plays the way everyone predicted he would, the only corner stone in this franchise is ready to jump ship after a short season. 

Boston Bruins 

My goodness this team was a surpise last season. In 2007-2008 the Boston Bruins finished with a grand finale of 94 points, good enough for 8th place to squeek into the playoffs. It took the Canadiens 7 games to beat them, despite the fact that they where heavily favored but it gave the Bruins a shot to show the NHL what was in store for next season. This team underwent changes that flew under the radar for quite some time. During the last season they shot up to a conference-best 116 points, one point shy of a league best just losing out on the Presidents Trophy for best regular season standings. They didn't make it past the second round, losing out in the 7th game to the surprising Carolina Hurricanes. Huge role players like David Krejci and Milan Lucic stepped up big for the Bruins, cornered by the tower that is called Zdeno Chara. And a surprise goaltender like Tim Thomas didn't hurt either. The only downside is cap space is tight, and Phil Kessel still hasn't been inked with the Bruins. Kessel was their top goal scorer last season, and while plenty of depth is available on the roster losing him will make the Bruins slightly more exploitable in the upcoming season.

Buffalo Sabres 

Buffalo had one of those off-seasons that can only be called perplexing. A team that doesn't make the playoffs typically makes some changes to their lineup to improve from their faults from the previous seasons. Buffalo was not one of those teams. Clearly, the Sabres are banking on Tim Connolly and Ryan Miller staying healthy for the season . When Miller is healthy, it seems that he can be in the top 5 talent of the NHL goaltending gene-pool. His health is paramount to the Sabres success. With the loss of Briere and Drury some time back, the Sabres have never really filled the gap that those two corner stones left when  they departed. That is where the bulk of weight rests on Tim Connolly's shoulders; proven to be a point per game player but somewhat injury ridden during the past two seasons. Personally, I expect this team's performance this season to remain stagnant, unless some players play beyond their potential for an extended period of time. 

Carolina Hurricanes 

Surprise surprise, this team is nothing but a bag of surprises. Playing past the first round last season against the Devils and Marty Brodeur last season was probably one of the biggest upsets in the playoffs. Some called it fluke, citing that bare last second goal against Brodeur in the first round. But the Hurricanes proved their strength by toppling the heavily favored Bruins in the second round over seven games. A series that people expected the Bruins to sweep as they did the Canadiens turned out to be a small preview of the determination and strength of this underrated team. The only reason I feel that Pittsburgh swept them in the conference finals was simply the Hurricanes had nothing left in the tank. Two grueling game 7's against statistically better teams took it's toll on the better players and their run came to an end. Cam Ward was able to dismiss rumors that his performance to a cup run a few years back was simply conjecture, and he is trying and able to gain a place as an elite NHL goaltender. Eric Stall proved why he was on the cover of NHL 08. If he can play the way he did in the playoffs for the entire season, it will prove to be a healthy return for the Hurricanes. Even if they just edge into the post-season, this team will prove to be a tough nut to crack. 

Florida Panthers 

I'm going to call this team "just what where you thinking?". How do you lose Boumeester, Luongo and Jokinen for relatively nothing over such a short period of time? This team has pretty much nothing to speak about. No franchise players and nothing breaking out in terms of depth. I don't expect much from them and quite frankly, I don't know if anyone on the roster does either. This group is relatively young with an average age of just under 28, this team still needs serious work in order to become a contender and getting into the post-season. I wouldn't put them much higher then 12th.

Montreal Canadiens 

If you can name one aspect of this team that stayed the same you'd be shocking me. The core of players, the coaching, the owners, rumors of ousting the current president Pierre Boivin even the goaltending and condition coaches have been shuffled. Nothing of this team whose performance was just ranked under 'crap' right above 'looking forward to playing golf' has stayed the same this season. An eye-popping $100 million was spent this off season on inking names from the far corners of the universe; Mike Cammalleri, Travis Moen, Brian Gionta, Jaroslav Spacek, Paul Mara and Hal Gill all don the Canadiens Jersey for the first time. Say goodbye to local heros Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu, alongside Matthieu Schneider, Francis Boullion, Mike Komisarek, Alex Tanguay and so many others I don't even want to list them. Where will this team rank shouldn't be predicted, it should be determined through a good game of 'pin the tail on the donkey'. This team pretty much relies on its young goaltender Carey Price, who was pretty upset with himself last season waiving the post-season goodbye a la Patrick Roy style in the game 4 sweep that the Bruins handed the Canadiens. No less during their centennial season. When they finished 1st in the conference a season before that. The stings kept rolling for Montreal this past season and no one knows where they will land. All I can say is I would hate to be GM Bob Gainey if this team starts off poorly come ten games into the season. 

New Jersey Devils 

Let me introduce two old friends, trap this is New Jersey. New Jersey, this is the trap. The return of Jacques Lemaire's defensive-styled play won't be welcomed to much in New Jersey. Oft considered the most boring hockey to watch, you can't argue with the success Lemaire has had in the past with the trap. Lemaire returns to see old faces like Marty Brodeur but has some new superstars like Zach Parise. The question, what do you get when you mix Lemaire, the trap and pretty much 0 time devoted to offense with a 45-goal scorer like Zach Parise? 

New York Islanders 

Instead of writing a lengthy review, can I just sum it up and say John Tavares and everyone moves on as pretty much every Islanders fan did this off season? That's all they pretty much did except for stack up on goaltenders. This kid may be good, but he can't make a team successful over the regular season to make the post-season himself. No one can do that, Sidney Crosby couldn't do that himself without a decent supporting crowd. More moves needed on the offensive and defensive unit, stop stacking goaltenders.

New York Rangers 

Hello Marian Gaborik. This guy is a top sniper in the NHL. Who cares if his legs are made of glass and his torso composed of play-dough. Sure they made great progress by freeing up cap space by sending Gomez to Montreal, but who fills that role of a number one center? Cap space is comparable to to the economy; everything says its starting to look up but the entire nation is still broke. No money for a first line center to support Gaborik means a key ingredient is missing, but the post-season is pretty much locked for the Rangers. See below for where they will fall.

Ottawa Senators 

Every time I talk about the Senators to someone I'm oft called profanities I'd rather not repeat. I don't care what you say, if Heatley stays then this team marches to the Playoffs. Kovalev may be inconsistent but if you couple him with any of the big three in Ottawa (Spezza, Alfredsson or Heatley) and it's just not fair anymore. Chemistry is down, but it will go up. A few good games (and there will be many) will mean these 4 will light up the opposition more then anyone will predict. Even if Heatley and his 50 goals a season walks, Kovalev will put up a little more then half of that with the supporting crowd here. Only question mark is in nets and if Pascal Leclaire is ready, and healthy enough to be a star.

Philadelphia Flyers 

Welcome back, Ray Emery. Have you left your ill-temper in Russia and find your heart yet? Obviously Emery is a key here, but not as important as people may think. The blue line has been bolstered with the inking of Chris Pronger, who will surely help out Emery from time to time. Emery has something to prove, and his cockiness and ego will be bruised beyond repair if he can't find his form that led the Senators to the Cup Finals way back when. I think he will return to form, perhaps not an elite level but with the supporting cast on this team perhaps an elite level Goaltender isn't needed. 

Pittsburgh Penguins 

I've never hopped on the Crosby bandwagon. I still stand by my firm statement that Ovechkin trumps Crosby from the day of the entry draft and I point to the entry of Malkin as the turning point for this teams rise and claim to fame. Will this team be able to repeat? I don't think so. Big holes have been created on the blue line, with only Jay McKee coming in to try and close them but I fear it just won't be enough. Nothing else really ground breaking here, Bill Guerin signed on again but Petr Sykora is gone, as well as his production and leadership. He was a sniper and even at his age, he knows how to shoot. This team didn't fall apart by any standards, but they've peaked and they know it as well.

Tampa Bay Lightning 

Every off season this team gets me going. I always said this team is star-studded but the chemistry just falls. Goaltending has always been an issue here, but the supporting cast of Lecavalier, Tanguay, St Louis, Stamkos and now Victor Hedman make this team highly volatile and dangerous at least on paper. I have to say this is the end of the bottom-feeding for them. I see them in the post-season and I see them there strong. Disagree with me if you must, but can you imagine if this team gets another top-3 pick? I think they've hit rock bottom and are going to crawl up from here on in. 

Toronto Maple Leafs 

You know I read a prediction earlier today that pegged the leafs at 8th. I just don't see that, Burke knows how to manage a team better than anybody in the NHL. He came in and saw something he didn't like. A team that got pushed around and was lit up too often for his taste. So he did what he thought best; make this team the one that does the pushing. With the additions of Komisarek, Beauchemin and Colton Orr, he did just that. This team is one of the bigger muscle teams in the NHL. Burke relatively ignored offense, which is needed as well. Burke is relying on the fact that rebuilding a team doesn't take one year and he is right. He fixed the defensive corps so Toronto doesn't get manhandled this year, soon it will be time for offense. Just not yet. 

Washington Capitals 

Alexander Ovechkin. Period. The most clucth player in the NHL today, and apparently made of steel as well. We know offense isn't exactly a red flag, but how do defense and goaltending stack up here? You have the emerging Semyon Varlamov, who is giving every announcer a run for his money, up and coming and looking to plant his feet in Washington. Then you have Jose Theodore, the one Vezina winning goaltender looking to remake his image and credibility in the NHL. Both have something to prove and want to establish themselves (in Theodores case, once again) so you can assume that Goaltending will only rarely breakdown on this team. Besides, with Ovechkin putting up over 50 goals how many saves does a goaltender need to put up?

And finally, dear readers my absolutely 0 guarantee at how the regular season will end.

1 Washington Capitals

2 Boston Bruins

3 Pittsburgh Penguins

4 Tampa Bay Lightning

5 New York Rangers

6 Philadelphia Flyers

7 Montreal Canadiens

8 Ottawa Senators or Carolina Hurricanes (to close to call)

Hope you enjoyed the read, I'm sure some of you have a thing or two to say to me about the above critique, so feel free to use the comments and I'll be sure to reply.

Today, I will explain where I feel NHL teams will finish in the Eastern Conference at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 NHL regular season. I will be basing my positioning of each team on offseason management changes and player movement via trades and free agency. We'll start from the basement of the conference and work our way up to which teams you should be keeping an eye on. So pull up a seat, get your favorite beverage, and throw in your comments.

15: New York Islanders

Well, I guess one positive you can take if you are an Islanders fan is that your team just drafted a player who looks to explode onto the NHL scene much like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin did when they were drafted.

Forward John Tavares was part of a lot of hype in excitement on Long Island and for good reason. Tavares broke several records while playing in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) including most goals scored during the regular season by a 16-year-old in the 06-07 season (a record previously held by Wayne Gretzky) with 72 goals scored. Looking at what else they did to add to their weak offensive attack during the offseason and you can't help but scratch your head at what General Manager Garth Snow was doing during free agency.

I guess instead of worrying about who he wants to score his goals this year, he can instead try and figure out how he is going to split equal playing time between three capable No. 1 goalies.

14: Atlanta Thrashers

Adding Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina can only help this struggling franchise. Despite perhaps having the biggest kept secret in the NHL in Ilya Kovalchuk (who has 557 points in 545 career games over his seven seasons with the Thrashers), the Thrashers look no closer to someday actually returning to the playoffs, let alone win a postseason game.

Many will argue that General Manager Don Waddell has been trying desperately to make his franchise better this offseason, but will it really help? Goaltender Kari Lehtonen just went under the microscope to repair a herniated disk in his back. Rumors are that he will be ready to go by training camp, but can one really put all their faith in that when he is injured as often as he is?

If Atlanta fails to do some damage in the Eastern Conference, Thrasher fans better start to prepare themselves for Ilya to be traded by this season's trade deadline as Waddell will be continuing to acquire assets for the future. He's finally started to do just that this offseason. Unfortunately, you can't repair a franchise that is this poorly assembled in one summer.

13: Tampa Bay Lightning

The playoffs definitely seem out of reach this season, but after General Manager Brian Lawton stockpiled his franchise with offense last offseason, this season he has taken the opposite approach in hopes of being a more balanced team.

During the 2009 NHL entry draft, Lawton selected defensemen Victor Hedman second overall who possesses excellent size, explosive skating and has great puck sense and ice vision. Many experts have deemed him the next Nicklas Lidstrom; definitely a great player to build your team around.

The Lightning also signed defensemen Mattias Ohlund and Matt Walker on the first day of free agency and later added former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster to help bolster the back end. Also added in the offseason were wingers Stephane Veilleux and Todd Fedoruk and goaltender Antero Niittymaki. While adding players that you feel will help you succeed is great, Tampa Bay proved last season by doing the same thing that it is tough to build team chemistry with such a large roster turn around.

Unfortunately for Lightning fans, it looks like a mirror image to the start of last season. Bolts fans could be in for another long and frustrating year.

12: Florida Panthers

Last season, the Florida Panthers missed the postseason despite finishing with the exact same record as the No. 8 seed Montreal Canadiens. While they were that close to making the playoffs last season, don't look for them to get that close again.

This is a franchise who has missed the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons now and during that time, last season was the closest they've been to returning. The Panthers lost a franchise defenseman in Jay Bouwmeester and if Florida's management wants to pass off Jordan Leopold as a legitimate replacement, they are doing a disservice to not only themselves, but the fans in south Florida.

While Florida seems to have a good young crop of forwards, they lack a true superstar up front and after losing their best player in Bouwmeester and not replacing him with someone of equal talent, this roster has gotten worse, not better. Fans in South Florida have been growing more and more impatient over the years, and who can really blame them?

11: Toronto Maple Leafs

While Toronto hasn't been in the playoffs since the 03-04 season, Leaf Nation should be happy that they finally have a general manager whose track record can give them hope that they will be able to not only return to the playoffs, but actually cause some damage when they finally do return.

In Brian Burke's first offseason as general manager of the Leafs, he was able to add strength and toughness to the blueline by signing Mike Komisarek. With Komisarek and the addition of defensemen Francois Beauchemin, Toronto now has two defensemen who can man the point on the power play, something they've always lacked.

Burke also added toughness up front with the signing of enforcer Colton Orr, but as Orr was the only free agent forward addition, you have to wonder how deep Toronto's scoring will be beyond their first line. That's not to say that the Leafs don't have the ability to score goals, as they ranked in the top third in goals scored last season.

Toronto's success just might fall on the shoulders of highly touted Swedish netminder Jonas Gustavsson, a player that Burke personally courted to Toronto. If he can live up to expectations, Toronto just might surprise many this coming season. In a stacked Eastern Conference though, Leaf fans shouldn't get too optimistic. With a couple more seasons with Burke at the helm, this team just might be onto something.

10: Ottawa Senators

This is a team that possesses a lot of offensive potential, but unfortunately for the fans of Ottawa, their arguable best player requested a trade only to change his mind at the last moment once he didn't want to play in Edmonton.

What effect Dany Heatley will have on his team remains to be seen. It might not have an effect, but it could be disastrous. The prediction of the Senators at the 10th spot in the East is assuming that latter. I don't see how Heatley won't have a negative effect to the chemistry of a team that has been the story of NHL news throughout this summer. If for some reason, Heatley and the team can move past the circus that he created in July, they could make the playoffs.

With the brutally talented line of Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, the Senators have a top line that can be rarely matched by any other team in the NHL. With the offseason addition of sniper Alex Kovalev, he can provide even more secondary scoring to a team that has no problem scoring goals. At last season's trade deadline, the Sens acquired goaltender Pascal Leclaire from the Columbus Blue Jackets, someone who was a No. 1 goalie before he got injured.

With Ottawa fixing the goaltending problem that they've had ever since the Ray Emery days, and adding even more scoring to one of the league's top offenses, Ottawa just might surprise this season. Unfortunately, I see all of the Heatley drama causing too many problems, which really is a shame when they have a team that has tons of talent.

9: New York Rangers

The New York Rangers lost Scott Gomez, Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev, their top three goal scorers last season. To offset this, general manager Glen Sather signed one of the top free agents available this offseason in Marian Gaborik. At $37.5 million total over five years ($7.5 million per season), many fans in Minnesota see this as paying too much for Gaborik since he has a career of nagging groin problems. If he is able to stay healthy though, Gaborik could really light up the lamp this season as he is one of the top offensive threats in the entire NHL.

However, despite the possible top line of Gaborik, Chris Drury and free agent addition Ales Kotalik, the Rangers don't look to have the offensive depth that they had last season which might prove to be disastrous as they ranked 28th in scoring last season. The Rangers have the talent, but also have a lot of question marks.

8: Buffalo Sabres

A lot of fans of the NHL have already written off the Sabres this season because of their lack activity during this offseason but I'm not sure why. Before goaltender Ryan Miller was injured last season, the Sabres were one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Also injured last season was first-line center Tim Connolly who missed 34 games with back and rib injuries. Also injured for 18 games during the season was top defenseman and team captain Craig Rivet.

With a healthy roster, there is no reason to think that the Sabres won't be able to return to the playoffs. The Sabres have one of the league's best forwards in Thomas Vanek who can light up the lamp with the best of them. His line-mates Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville are no slouches either. When healthy, Connolly is capable of being a point-per-game player. Pominville, at only 26-years-old, is capable of putting up respectable numbers as well.

With a first line that can score with the best of them and one of the best goalies in the league, look for the Sabres to cause some noise this coming season.

7: Montreal Canadiens

It's amazing to see such a complete turn around of a roster is just one year. At the start of last season, the Canadiens had Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Mike Komisarek who have since departed Montreal. During the summer in response to those departures, General Manager Bob Gainey has added forwards Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, and Travis Moen, defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill and former Florida Panthers Head Coach Jacques Martin.

While some might argue that such a large turn around would mess with team chemistry, it's hard to see how this team won't be able to succeed with this much talent. If there's one area that Montreal isn't stacked in, it's in net.

Back in the spring of 2008, Cristobal Huet was traded by Montreal to Washington in favor of Carey Price taking over the starting job. Since that time, Price has continually crumbled under the pressure of playing in Montreal. A lot of criticism has been thrown his way, but if Price can play up to his talent level, Montreal could be a top team in the East this year.

With so many new factors this season, it's tough to rank Montreal any higher. This is a team though that is as talented as anyone in the NHL and it should be no surprise to anyone if they make a run during the playoffs.

6: New Jersey Devils

With Jacques Lemaire now leading the way in New Jersey, there has been a lot of negative reaction from fans of the Devils thinking that he is going to hold back impact players such as Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston because of his defensive coaching style. One of the biggest myths surrounding Lemaire is that he holds back players. It couldn't be any further from the truth. Just ask Brian Rolston.

When Rolston was informed earlier this summer that Lemaire would be his coach again, Rolston had this to say, "I am extremely happy that Jacques will be coaching me once again. I truly believe he is one of the best hockey coaches in the game.”

Lemaire's history in the NHL should speak for himself. He is one of the best coaches when it comes to working with and meshing young players and veterans and helping each player maximize their potential. With a roster as talented as New Jersey's, fans should welcome Lemaire back to New Jersey with open arms. Losing Brian Gionta and John Madden hurts, but the addition of Lemaire as coach should help.

5: Carolina Hurricanes

As the postseason started in April, seemingly no one gave the Hurricanes a chance both against the third-ranked New Jersey Devils and the first-ranked Boston Bruins despite having one of the best offenses in the league.

Carolina also has the benefit of having some of the best team chemistry in the league because they always seemingly keep their lineup intact year after year. Head coach Paul Maurice is considered one of the top head coaches in the league and that is certainly tough to argue since the Hurricanes went 33-19-5 after he joined the club after General Manager Jim Rutherford fired Peter Laviolette.

With one of the top centers in the league in Eric Staal, one of the top goalies (even though many underrate him) in the league in Cam Ward, the Hurricanes are a formidable opponent for anyone. As tough as they were throughout the playoffs, Pittsburgh's explosive offense had no problem dispatching the 'Canes in a quick four-game sweep, in large part to the Hurricanes defensemen not being able to handle Pittsburgh's talent.

With the Hurricanes not losing anyone in the offseason and being able to bolster their below-average blueline with towering defenseman Andrew Alberts, look for the Hurricanes to be just as good if not better than last year's team. With a full season of Head Coach Paul Maurice behind the bench, the Hurricanes just might be able to knock off the Washington Capitals for the Southeast Division crown.

4: Philadelphia Flyers

With the fifth-ranked offense last season, Philadelphia had no problem scoring goals. Their blueline was considered a promising one and the addition of Chris Pronger is the perfect addition to turn the Flyers defense into one of the best defensive corps in the Eastern Conference if not the NHL.

Adding Ray Emery could pay off big time, if he can return to the Stanley Cup form he had when he led the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in the spring of 2007. Because of the abundance of centers that Philadelphia has going into the season with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Ian Laperriere, there have been rumors of moving Briere to right wing at the start of training camp. If this happens, Head Coach John Stevens will have many options of mixing and matching his top two lines—two lines that are very deep and can be considered one of the best two line scoring combinations in the NHL.

Overall, Philadelphia looks like it can be a very dangerous team this season, one that I can definitely see making a run to the Stanley Cup Finals this season.

3: Pittsburgh Penguins

The defending Stanley Cup Champions obviously don't have much to prove since they are the champs, but because they are the defending champions, I felt that it was only right to predict that they'd win the Atlantic division.

While I feel that they still have a good team, losing defensemen Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill will certainly hurt. If one thing can be learned from last season though, Head Coach Dan Bylsma is for real.

With two of the games top stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins can never be taken lightly as they can bury the puck at any given time. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury silenced many critics this summer as he led his team to a Stanley Cup victory after many had criticized that he would never be able to win a Stanley Cup, all during a postseason where he had many tremendous saves.

Overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team to beat this season, until they are eliminated from the playoffs. No team is as dangerous and can score quicker than the Pens.

2: Boston Bruins

Boston shocked everyone last season as they dominated everyone during the regular season in route to the top seed in the Eastern Conference only a year after barely squeaking into the playoffs.

Playing a perfect version of transition hockey, Boston finished second to only Detroit in goals scored and finished first in goals against. Bringing back basically the same squad from last year, Head Coach Claude Julien will look to duplicate last seasons success by applying the same tactics this season.

Leading that charge will be Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas. Thomas had a 36-11-7 record last season in 54 games played. He had five shutouts with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .993 save percentage. Thomas played equally as well in the playoffs and his team was one overtime goal away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

All that Boston needs to do to get to where they were last season is to continue playing the way that they were this season while staying healthy. If they can do so, look for Boston to be a consistent threat once again in the 09-10 season.

1: Washington Capitals

With the most dangerous player in the NHL in Alexander Ovechkin and a great supporting cast, the Washington Capitals look to advance further than they did last season.

With the emergence of Semyon Varlamov during the playoffs, the Capitals might have found a long-term solution in net. With him and Jose Theodore in net, you have two capable goalies to share the duties to make it easier on each other. That could certainly bode well if the Caps hope to make a deep playoff run.

Although Washington lost Sergei Federov and Viktor Kozlov to Russia's KHL, they looked to offset those losses by obtaining forwards Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison.

On defense, Mike Green is coming off of a 73-point season which is just insane. Aside from Green though, Washington's defense isn't all that deep and even Green isn't the best "defensive" defensemen on the team. If Washington is to falter this season, it's going to be because of their lack of talent on defense.

Maybe Ovechkin and company can help hide Washington's weak defense by just burying the puck. Going into this season, the Caps remind me an awful lot of 06-07 Buffalo Sabres; a team that can score as often as anyone, but is purely built on offense, something that you cannot solely rely on in today's NHL.

I think that during the regular season, the Caps will run through the Eastern Conference, but come playoff time, it will be much more difficult to win once the competition is more on level with them. Look for Washington to come out firing on all cylinders this season. The question remains though, can they do more than just score goals?

Game 4 is the most crucial game in a best-of-seven series. Tonight, two teams will attempt to tie their respective series' while the other two will be looking for a stranglehold with a win.

Both Eastern Conference games on Wednesday night were decided in overtime. Kris Letang scored to bring the Penguins back in their series against the Capitals, while Jussi Jokinen potted the game-winner to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead over the Bruins.

Chris' record after Day 23: 31-24.

Eastern Conference

Washington (2) @ Pittsburgh (4)—WSH leads 2-1

Superstar Alex Ovechkin made it clear that the Capitals did not play their best game of the playoffs. Accordingly, the end result didn't lie.

After taking the early lead off a lucky bounce, the Caps had to score late to send the game to overtime. Defenseman Kris Letang threw the puck at the net and it found its way behind postseason sensation Simeon Varlamov.

Even though Washington still has a 2-1 advantage in the series, they might be in trouble. Alexander Semin didn't dress for the morning skate, leading to speculation that he won't be in the lineup for tonight's meeting.

Ovechkin quickly countered, stating that Semin will play tonight. Whether or not he'll be 100 percent will be the question.

If the Penguins can generate momentum to start the game, they should be able to tie the series a two games apiece. Marc-Andre Fleury played much better in Game 3 and will look to keep improving his play as this series goes on.

Washington needs to step up in the effort department. They know that they can't rely on Varlamov to lead them to victory. It will require a full team effort, and they should bring up their level of intensity in Game 4.

Game 4 Winner: Washington

Boston (1) @ Carolina (6)—CAR leads 2-1

Jokinen's goal in Game 3 didn't only give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead against Boston—it gave them their first series lead.

Carolina might be taking some by surprise, but those who have been watching their play thus far in the postseason know they have been the hardest working team in the playoffs.

The Hurricanes have been earning their bounces and making the most of their opportunities

Boston now has to win three of its next four to advance after winning the first five games of the playoffs. Tim Thomas played spectacular in Game 3 and will require more defensive support

If a goalie can make the first save, the least a D-man can do is clear the rebound.

That being said, Boston's offense needs to wake up. After being shutout in Game 2, they were just as lackluster in the third meeting. Marc Savard and Phil Kessel—among others—have to go back to playing in high traffic areas.

It's sad to say that, with the other three playoff matchups going on right now, this might be the most underrated matchup of the postseason.

If anybody has an opportunity—even during the Washington/Pittsburgh intermissions—check out this game and see for yourself.

Game 4 Winner: Boston