LA KINGS OUTSIDER 2.0

My 2010-11 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings With the season starting tomorrow; it's prediction time...   EASTERN CONFERENCE The Capitals and Devils are head and shoulders above the rest.  The Penguins added some nice pieces to their blueline but forcing Sidney Crosby to spend another season playing with Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz on his wings should be against league policy.  If Philly can acquire a proven goaltender like Tim Thomas or Tomas Vokoun; they should be recognized as legit contenders as well.

No Player's Facing More Pressure Than Nabokov In San Jose WESTERN CONFERENCE Here's how I predicted the West at the start of the year .  I only got five out of the eight playoff teams.  And only got one matchup. Here's ESPN's 'experts' picks. TSN's experts chime in too. (1) San Jose Sharks v. (8) Colorado Avalanche Yes, the Sharks could find themselves upset again in the first-round but I think they take care of business this year.  The Avs are a good young team with surprising depth but San Jose is too loaded at every position.  The Sharks advantage in high-end talent will come up big in the end.  San Jose may struggle a bit but their talent will win out over the feisty Avs.  SHARKS IN SEVEN . (2) Chicago Blackhawks v. (7) Nashville Predators I've never believed in the Preds even when they had Peter Forsberg a few seasons ago.  I'm not going to start now.  I respect what Barry Trotz does every year getting his Preds into the postseason...

Ovechkin & The Caps should have their way vs. the Habs EASTERN CONFERENCE Here's how I thought things would shake at before the season started. I predicted six out of the eight playoff teams in the East.  Unfortunately, none of them in their correct seeds.  Although, I did predict a Flyers/Devils first-round matchup. ( 1) Washington Capitals v. (8) Montreal Canadians The Caps are on a mission.  Washington's wide-open style actually works to Montreal's advantage but Halak will have to steal this series.  Ovechkin and Co. will be too much for the Habs.  CAPITALS IN FIVE . (2) New Jersey Devils v. (7) Philadelphia Flyers There's something to be said about a team earning their playoff birth on the last day of the regular season in a shootout.  The Flyers may have a bit of momentum on their side going into this series.  Both team's have a great group of forwards but the Flyers defense is superior with Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timmonen.  The ...

My Heart Wants America; My Brain Says It'll Look Alot Like 2002 Unlike the women's bracket; there's actually a competition taking place on the men's side.  The NHL-ice surface may give a slight advantage to the Canadians and Americans. There is so much offensive firepower from teams #1-#7 that staying off the penalty kill will be important for every team.  Imagine a Kovalchuk-Malkin-Ovechkin-Datsyuk-Gonchar Power Play....WHOA! Eight of the twelve countries have NHL starting goaltenders.  Any of them are capable of stealing a game.  Once the tournament reaches the quarterfinals and becomes single-elimination; their could be some huge upsets. And without further adieu; my predictions for Men's Ice Hockey at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. GOLD: CANADA - No country can match Canada's depth at every position.  With the games in Vancouver; too much is on the line for this team to fail. SILVER: RUSSIA - The trio of Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk should b...