Western Conference Predictions

27 Sep 2008 by Craig in Western Conference

The West has been the power conference for a lot of years now and that shouldn’t change this year. The schedule is more balanced this season, and we will see a lot more East vs. West match ups this year. I feel there is going to be some changes this year, a lot of the regular contenders in the conference, but there may be as many as three new playoff teams this year. The balanced schedule will allow some teams to get out of there division and play weaker competition.

1 – Detroit Red Wings – They won the conference last year, and went on to win the Stanley Cup. They went out and added Marian Hossa to go along with Datsyuk and Zetterberg. They boast the best top four d -men in hockey led by Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski. The Wings may score the most goals and allow the fewest in the NHL this season. Without major injury, it may be inevitable that the Red Wings will finish 1st in the West. Detroit will win hockey games with a balanced attack on offense and defense.

2 – Calgary Flames - Calgary will take advantage of the balanced schedule and beat up on weaker opponents. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has to be back to be being a Vezina nominee. Jerome Iginla will once again lead the team, but he got some help with Mike Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi. The Flames have a strong and very physical defense with all stars Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Reghir leading the way. If they get great goaltending, avoid injuries and get secondary scoring Calgary will be near the top of the Western Conference.

3 – Dallas Stars - Defense is the name of the game in Dallas, they will be a tough team to play day in and day out. This team looks like it will get under your skin with pests Steve Ott and Shawn Avery both on the team. Marty Turco is an all world goalie and will be confident after the playoff run from last year. Richards, Modano, Ribeiro and Morrow will lead the team up front. The key with Dallas will be whether or not they will score enough goals, if they get contributions from the whole team they will have a great season.

4 – San Jose Sharks – Every year San Jose look like a top team in the NHL, and every year they disappoint. They made a coaching change and will still have Nabokov in net, but I just don’t know what to think. Up front there going to need a bounce back year from Patrik Marleau and they need to get a great year from Joe Thornton. They finally added a puck moving D -man in Dan Boyle and will look to him to improve there power play. The Sharks are a good team and should be compete for there division title.

5 – Chicago Blackhawks – Its been along time since Chicago fans had a playoff team and I think this is the year. Chicago is a young and exciting team that will be an excellent team to watch this year. Jonathon Toews and Patrik Kane will be the young leaders on offense and are easily more then point a game players. They need a healthy Havlat and good goaltending from Christabel Huet to contend in the West. Chicago added Brian Campbell to stabilize the defense, look for the Hawks to have one of the best power plays in the NHL.

6 – Anaheim Ducks – Well I’m not sure Anaheim is getting any better, but I think they are still good enough to earn a spot in the playoffs. They have a veteran defense with Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, when healthy they are still top tear d – man in the NHL. Anaheim is not good enough to overcome major injuries anymore, so young forwards Perry and Gezlaf will have to stay healthy. J.S. Giguere will have to have a Vezina type year and if he does the Ducks will have a good season.

7 – Edmonton Oilers - It seems like a common thing this year, but the Oilers are young and fast and will look to score a lot of goals this year. Young players Gagner, Cogliano will combine with Hemsky, Horcoff and newly acquired Erik Cole to create a great offense. Sheldon Souray is healthy on defense and will lead the team on the power play. To make the playoffs the Oilers will need good goaltending from Mathieu Garon, and solid team defense. Edmonton will score goals, if they play some defense they will make the playoffs.

8 – Phoenix Coyotes - Wayne Gretzky’s team will be ready to make a run this year. Shane Doan has a center now in Olli Jokinen and they will be a solid top line. Young players Mueller and Turris should add secondary offense and help the team be more balance. They have an experienced defense core and a good goalie in Bryzgalov. Phoenix will have to play hard every night and compete for every win in the West. The Coyotes need to make the playoffs year to get some fans in Phoenix to watch the game, and I hope they do.

Only eight teams can make the playoffs and I have left out a couple of playoff teams from last year. Columbus and the Luongo lead Vancouver team should fight for a spot, but come up short. Perennial playoff team the Minnesota Wild did nothing to improve there team and don’t look like they are good enough to get in. I’m not sure about Colorado, but I do know that Peter Budaj isn’t good enough to lead this team. Well for St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings fans out there I think you are in for another long season. There are some new teams in the fray this year and I think that will continue over the next few seasons. The West will be highly competitive this year and fun to watch. Some good first round playoff matches could be something to look for at seasons end, example Calgary vs. Edmonton, I can’t wait.