Three weeks and one calender month into the 2010-2011 NHL season, we’ve already begun to be able to pick out the surprises and disappointments of the year. Teams like Buffalo and New Jersey, two top-ranked teams from the Eastern Conference last season, have both struggled to get going and posted a combined 0-8-2 home record, while franchises such as Montreal, Boston, and Tampa Bay have burst onto the stage with a combined 20-7-2 record. Meanwhile, in the West, Nashville, Edmonton, and Dallas started out strongly but have faltered lately, while, on the other hand, youthful squads such as St. Louis, Colorado, and Los Angeles have already begun to prove their legitimacy. But how does the NHL look from a divisional standpoint? Which five-team groups have been the toughest to play in so far, while which divisions have struggled despite their

During the 2009-10 NHL playoffs Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak led the Habs to two impressive upset series wins over the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. With Halak demonstrating the ability to win the big games it was thought that the debate over whether the Canadiens should keep Halak or Carey Price was over with the verdict being that Halak was in and Price would be shipped out. In a move that shocked many Canadiens fans and hockey experts en mass, the Canadiens chose to move their playoff hero to the St. Louis Blues in favor of keeping the inconsistent, oft-distracted, hard-luck Price in the organization. Given Price’s struggles, inability to make the big saves in the big games, troubles with the media and concerns over his off-ice activities it seemed as if keeping Halak over Price was a no-brainer.

With the NHL pre-season behind us it’s almost time to start the regular season where all 30 NHL teams will drop the puck in anger for the first time. There was plenty of movement this summer, which should help change the landscape of the NHL standings in a big way from where the teams finished in 2009-10. Sure, the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils are bound to be amongst the NHL’s elite teams, it’s in the bottom ranks that we will see the most change. Off-season improvements from teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins should equate to big changes in the Eastern Conference, while Western Conference teams such as the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes should help determine the playoff

Given the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs started the 2009-10 season off with no wins in their first eight games it has to be a huge load off the players’ shoulders that they were able to pull off a victory against the hated Montreal Canadiens last night by a score of 3-2. As big as the win was for the Leafs it’s only one game, but there were a lot of positives that could be taken out of game one, including a tremendous performance from veteran goaltender J.S. Giguere and the continued offense from high-flying winger Phil Kessel, who continued his pre-season success, scoring the Leafs second goal of the game at 08:57 of the first period. Kessel, who was a threat all game long, registered a total of five shots and was able to find the open space

With the regular season just a few days away from commencing there are still a lot of roster decisions to be made. That said, for the most part, the top three lines on most NHL rosters are all but set, which makes it all the easier to make some solid predictions for the upcoming 2010-11 season. The following is a look at the Eastern Conference teams and where I see these teams finishing. Washington Capitals: Prediction- 1st In the Eastern Conference. After an excellent regular season which saw the Capitals earn the Presidents Trophy and set all kinds of franchise records along the way, the Caps fell victim to Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak’s superb goaltending in the first round of the playoffs. Consdering just how poorly the Capitals season ended,  you just got to believe that the Capitals will come back with a

With the 2010-11 season now just a few weeks away, many Toronto Maple Leaf fans have already circled several key match-ups as can’t miss games. For Leaf fans, games against their historic original six rivals— Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks—instantly provides a spark to any game, regardless of where any of those teams are positioned in the standings. Of those five foes, the Maple Leafs will play the Canadiens and Bruins a total of six times each, the Rangers a total of four times—including three games in October, with the Blackhawks and Red Wings playing the Maple Leafs just once each. Outside of the original six match-ups, the Leafs have plenty of other key games and rivalries for Leaf fans to look forward to. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at