Teams making the 2012 Playoffs and how far they will go -NHL Special Part 1
The 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season is coming to a close and with 9 to 10 games remaining on the schedule of each team or less, the competition to secure a playoff spot is heating up.
This year, there are a number of obvious teams, the usual ones and the ones that have definitely changed themselves around to make the playoffs after many years of standing outside and watching from the bleachers.
We will discuss each and every one that will definitely make the playoffs this year and where you could expect them to be as the postseason progresses.
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues is one of those teams that have had a dramatic change for the better. Having been out of the playoffs for the past two seasons now and ending the 2010-2011 one in a really bad position as one of the lowest ranked teams, Blues are now going
in on top of the Western Conference and most probably atop the league as well.
Closing in to be the first team to get 100 points and securing a playoff berth, St. Louis has made a huge mark with this breakthrough season and like last year, all due to some great goaltending.
Brian Elliott, St. Louis’ veteran goalie, went from being jobless to now being an All-Star ranked goaltender all in a seasons time, proving that nearly anything is possible in the NHL.
Now, fans will just have to see how far this All-Star goaltending will be able to take them as they make an entry in their first playoff in three seasons now in total.
One of the issues faced by the Blues is their lack of offensive power and the ability to successfully make a comeback once down in a match. St. Louis will definitely have to work on those departments if they are looking to make a run for the prize, which
certainly cannot be out of the question.
New York Rangers
Leading the Eastern Conference and being above the defending Stanley Cup champions, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers have proved their worth, but it did not come cheap.
Rangers signed on one of the top prospects in the 2011 offseason free agency market as Dallas Stars’ superstar declined to re-sign with his team and came on board to the New York club. With a whole lot of superstars on the line-up, fans can expect Rangers
to go deep into the playoffs.
One thing that has bothered their playoff prospects is the recent slump. Being one of the teams that barely lost, they have now begun losing games back-to-back to some lower ranked clubs which has brought their postseason planning under fire.
Winning has been a one point game for New York, but when they lose, it is a major disappointment coming when you least expect it. Rangers do not have to worry at all when it comes to playoff positioning but it can really depend on who they will be going
up against in the Eastern Conference series.
If the playoff were to start tomorrow, New York would be going up against Washington Capitals, which would be a good start for their side, but later on as the series progressed, facing a team like Pittsburgh Penguins or even Boston Bruins in the quarter
finals or even finals could have them under intense heat.
New York should really hope on going against Philadelphia Flyers in the later stages looking at their season record of having won all five of the meetings so far with one left in the month of April.
To be continued in part 2...
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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