13-14 cdptiak w nhl previewfiles.meetup.com/1307894/nhl_predicts_washington_post.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
D8'13-14 Cdptiak W NHL Preview
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWNStats guru Neil Greenberg's previewsand predictions for the realigned NHL in 2013-14:
EASTERNCONFERENCE
GETTY IMAGES
Atlantic DivisionBoston's offense couldsee an improvement overlast year (Jarome Iginlaand Loui Eriksson willreplace Tyler Seguin,JaromirJagr, RichPeverley and AndrewFerence) and willcomplement a defensecomprised of young blue-liners and netminderTuukka Rask, who has a.929 regular season savepercentage in each of thepast two years and is adark horse for the VezinaTrophy, awarded to theleague's best goalie.
Predicted finishTEAM
Bruins
Senators
Canadiens
Red Wings
Lightning
Maple Leafs
Sabres
Panthers
PTS
,97
96
95
93
92
88
86
80
WESTERNCONFERENCE
THE ASSOCIATED PR ESS
Central DivisionReigning Stanley Cup 'champion Chicago willface some stiffcompetition from St Louisfor divisional supremacy,but it will be hard to betagainst the only team inthe salary cap era tohave won the Cup twice.The Blackhawks are wellcoached by JoelQuenneville, have plentyof star power in their topsix (Jonathan Toews,Patrick Kane andPatrick Sharp) and arealways one of the toppuck-possession teamsin the NHL (more than 53percent of even-strengthshots in their favor overthe past three seasons).
Predicted finishTEAM
Blackhawks
Blues
Stars
Avalanche
Jets
Predators
Wild
PTS
97
96
92
88
88
87
83
iTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Metropolitan DivisionA divisional title forPittsburgh will be tougherthan it looks, especiallywith Marc-Andre Fleury,who had a .910 savepercentage on the roadlast year in net. Still, withCoach Dan Bylsma behindthe bench and forwardsSidney Crosby andEvgeni Malkin on the ice,this is still the team tobeat in the division and inthe East.
Predicted finishTEAM
Penguins
Rangers
Flyers
Capitals
Islanders
Hurricanes
Blue Jackets
Devils
PTS
98
97
94
94
91
91
90
89
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pacific DivisionIf there is a team that canunseat Chicago as Cupchamps, it is Los Angeles.Ignoring special-teamsplay and lead-protectingsituations, the Kings hadpossession of the puck57.3 percent of the timelast season, the highestpercentage in the league.Expect great goaltendingfrom Jonathan Quick anda bounce-back seasonfrom Anze Kopitar tofuel a Pacific Division titleand deep playoff run.
Predicted finishTEAM
Kings
Coyotes
Sharks
Oilers
Ducks
Canucks
Flames
PTS
95
91
91
91
90
89
83
Neil Greenberg, when he isn't watching the games, analyzesadvanced statistics in the NHL and prefers to be called a geekrather than a nerd. Follow him on Twitter: @ngreenberg.
2013-14 PLAYOFF FORMATRealignment brought a new playoff format to the NHL. Under thenew arrangement, the top three teams in each division qualify forthe playoffs, but determining the remaining postseason berthsgets a little more complicated. The remainingspots, which the NHLcalls wild-card teams, will go to the two next highest-placedfinishers in each conference, regardless of division.Seeding and matchups: In each conference, the division winnerwith the most points in the regular season will face the wild-cardteam with the least regular season points in the first round of theplayoffs, while the other division winner will play the wild-card teamwith the second fewest. The second- and third-place finishers ineach division face each other in the first round.
— Katie Carrera