NHL 2010-2011 Northeast Division season preview
As the NHL prepares to get underway for the 2010-2011 season the Eastern Conference's Northeast division has to initially seem like one of the most wide open races. There was only 12 points separating the division winners, the Buffalo Sabres, and the fourth
place Montreal Canadiens as the Northeast was the only division in the NHL to send four of its five teams to the play-offs. To make things even more interesting it wasn't the division leading Sabres who made it to the conference final, but those fourth-place
Canadiens who managed to upset both the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals and the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres once again will depend on franchise goalie Ryan Miller. In fact, very rarely does the fate of a team rest squarely in the hands of a single player the way it does with Miller and the Sabres. If he remains healthy and plays the way he is capable
then all bets are off the table and there's no telling what the Sabres could do. Fans in Buffalo will be hoping that Tomas Vanek can bounce back and add a bit of an offensive balance to the team. Vanek has two 40-goal seasons under his belt but was held to
a disappointing 28 last season.
Ottawa Senators
The Sens will begin the season with high expectations as they put in an impressive performance against the Penguins in the play-offs last season, but they have made no significant offensive acquisitions in the off-season and lost defenceman Anton Volchenkov
to free agency. They'll be expecting Pascale Leclaire to steer clear of injury and emerge as their true number one goalie. What might hold the Sens back is the fact that some of their key ingredients, namely Daniel Alfredsson, Alex Kovalev, and free agent
signing Sergei Gonchar are a little long in the tooth.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins could see themselves leapfrog a few teams in the standings and have a big season, especially if number two overall draft pick Tyler Seguin can make the team and emerge quickly as the superstar they expect he will become. The team is a good
mix of youth and experience, as well as size and skill, and this could be the year that goaltender Tuukka Rask seizes the starting role in goal and makes a real impact in the NHL.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens were the surprise of the Eastern Conference last season as they managed to turn their eighth place finish into a trip to the conference final, largely due to the outstanding performance of goaltender Jaroslav Halak. The Canadiens return
looking much the same as they finished last season except in goal where Halak has been traded to the St. Louis Blues and where Carey Price has been handed the reigns as the team's number one. The fate of the Canadiens will rest in the hands of the young goaltender
– should he slip into mediocrity as he did much of last season look for the Canadiens to nosedive to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, if he does emerge as the Canadiens goalie for the future then the Habs could be surprise contenders once again.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the one team in the division you can be sure won't be selling play-off tickets next April as they continue to rebuild. The team has improved and finished last season strongly and will improve on their 29th overall finish, but
they are simply not of the same class as the rest of the NHL.
What to expect
The Northeast will likely not place four of its five teams in the playoffs again this season. Boston should be a sure bet to make the playoffs. The Sens, Sabres, and Canadiens are all riding on key factors that will make or break their season. Price will
buckle under the pressure and get booed out of Montreal. Miller will win the Vezina and the Sabres will make the playoffs. Alfredsson just won't have the legs any more and Spezza won't be able to absorb the pressure. In: Bruins and Sabres. Out: Leafs, Habs,
and Sens.
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