NHL+-+Predicted+Final+Standings

At the end of the 82 game regular season, only the top 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs. The top 3 seeds must be composed of 3 teams, each from different divisions. Here I will explain my predictions on who will finish in the top 3 rankings in both the Eastern and Western conference and why.

[[image:http://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/images/standingsEastern.gif width="924" height="33"]]
As of February 5th, 2012, approximately 50 games into the NHL regular season, the Eastern conference seems to be a close race. With only about 30 regular season games remaining for each team to play, 11 points separate the 1st place New York Rangers from the 9th place Washington Capitals. As the playoffs are approaching, expect the Eastern conference to see some significant changes in its current standings, erasing some of its current unexpected performers such as the Florida Panthers with experienced teams like the Washington Capitals.

Currently the top 3 teams in the NHL Eastern Conference are:

 * 1) Atlantic Division - New York Rangers
 * 2) Northeast Division - Boston Bruins
 * 3) Southeast Division - Florida Panther

Here are my predictions for the top 3 teams of the NHL Eastern Conference for the end of the 2011-2012 regular season.

1) Northeast Division - Boston Bruins


The defending Stanley Cup Champion, Boston Bruins are one of the deepest teams in the entire NHL and I believe they will take over the 1st overall seed in the Eastern Conference by the end of the season. It is said that championships are won with great goaltending, and that was simply the case in the Bruin's Stanley cup run last year. As of right now, Tim Thomas is in the top 5 for each of the top goaltending categories in the NHL and this streak does not look like its coming to an end any time soon. Along with excellent goaltending, the Bruin's can also put the puck in the net. Players like Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Horton and many more, provide for the balanced scoring which has allowed the Bruins to score 176 goals this season, more than any other team in the entire league. I believe, with their continued ability to stop pucks and convert those saves into goals, the Bruins have a great chance in attaining the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this season.

2) Atlantic Division - New York Rangers
The Atlantic Division is probably the most competitive division in the entire NHL. Currently 4 out of the 5 teams in the Atlantic division take up the top 6 spots in the Eastern conference, with 9 points separating the 1st place rangers from the 6th place New Jersey Devils. TheRangers have not been a Stanley Cup contender, or evena President's Trophy contender in the past 15years however, after acquiring Brad Richards in the offseason last summer and Marian Gaborik in the season before, the Rangers expect to bring nothing less than a Stanley Cup to Madison Square Garden this year. With proven firepower, the Rangers also have Henrik "the King" Lundqvist at their backend. Currently holding the best save percentage in the NHL at .939 and the most shutouts at 6, Lundqvist seems to be playing some of the best hockey of his career. One of the keys to the Ranger's success this season, is their healthy squad. With injuries plaguing star player's such as Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburg Penguins, if the Rangers are able to remain healthy they should have a great chance to maintain the top seed in the Northeast Division. The only reason why I believe the Rangers will be unable to maintain the top seed in the eastern conference, is their lack of experienced players. Other than Brad Richards, none of the Rangers have excelled in the playoffs, whereas the Bruins are coming off a Stanley Cup victory and are expecting nothing less than a repeat this year.

3) Southeast Division - Washington Capitals
Currently, only one Southeast Division team, the Florida Panthers are in a playoff position right now. However, only 1 point separates the 3rd place Panthers from the 9th place Capitals. The Washington Capitals clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference last year, to be embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Lighting in the second round of the playoffs, losing the series 4-0. You'd think the Capitals would have worked harder than ever in the offseason to prepare for a Stanley Cup ring this year, however after a slow start to the season the Capitals find themselves in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. To their avail, only 1 point separates them from 3rd place Florida, a Panthers team that has surprised everyone with a quick start to the season. With 30 games remaining, I expect a potentially explosive Washington Capitals team, composed of: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Niklas Backstrom and Mike Greene to climb up the Eastern Conference ladder and easily surpass Tomas Fleischmann and his timid Panthers.

Mid way into the 2011-2012 NHL season, the top of the Western Conference is looks just like it has for the past few years. I expect the bottom 3 spots to be a race to the finish between teams like Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota and Los Angeles, however the top to remain relatively similar to how it is right now.

Currently the top 3 teams in the Western Conference are:

 * 1) Central Division - Detroit Red Wings
 * 2) Northwest Division - Vancouver Canucks
 * 3) Pacific Division - San Jose Sharks

Here are my predictions for the top 3 teams of the Western Conference for the end of the 2011-2012 season.



1) Central Division - Detroit Red Wings
For the past 15 years the Detroit Red Wings have always been a playoff and Stanley Cup contender. Even with a slow start to the season, the Red Wings, led by Pavel Datsyuk have stepped up their game and put Detroit right back at where it deserves to be: first of the Western Conference. If goaltender Jimmy Howard continues to perform as he has been for the rest of the season, I see not only the Western Conference number 1 seed in sight for the Red Wings but also a potential Presidents Trophy.

2) Northwest Division - Vancouver Canucks


After a heartbreaking loss in the Stanley Cup final last season, the Vancouver Canucks are still looking to be the team who brings the cup back to Canada. The Sedins are still making magic on the ice, however this year it seems as though Evgeni Malkin or Steven Stamkos are giving Daniel Sedin a run for his money for the Art Ross Trophy (most points scored by an individual player). Unfortunately, the Canucks have been plagued with injuries to key players such as Ryan Kesler and Sami Salo, and bad play by goaltender Roberto Luongo, which will most likely prevent them from attaining the top position in the West. However, that being said, I still see them having no troubles topping Minnesota and the rest of the Northwest Division.

3) Pacific Division - San Jose Sharks


The San Jose Sharks have been one of the most consistent regular season teams in the NHL for the past few years. They usually find themselves in either of the top 3 positions in the Western Conference, which is then followed by a disappointing playoff run. After trading both Danny Heatly and Devon Setoguchi to the Minnesota Wild for Martin Havlat in the offseason, the Sharks hoped that it would be enough to spark the team. Unfortunately, Havlat has been seen himself on the injured reserve for the majority of the season, having little effect to San Jose's success. With former all stars, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau having sub par performances this year, its up to NHL all star, Logan Couture to lead San Jose's final rush to maintain the 3rd seed in the Western Conference.

(all pictures attained from: www.google.com)