NHL at the All-Star Break

With the NHL season resuming tonight, here's a refresher of the first half of the season and a preview for the second half.

Eastern Conference Team to Beat: New York Rangers (32-12-4 66 pts.)- The Rangers have the second best defense in the NHL and goalie Henrik Lundqvist is having a career year (.937 save %, 1.87 GAA) and the Rangers are playing their best hockey in years. Look for the Rangers to compete with Detroit for the President's Trophy.

Western Conference Team to Beat: Detroit Red Wings (33-16-1 67 pts.)- The veteran-led Red Wings are running through the Central Division right now. The Wings have 5 players who have over 30 points and their defense is ranked 6th in the NHL. The Wings look to be a complete team and a force to be reckoned with in the West.

Surprise Team: Florida Panthers (22-15-11, 55 pts.) In a division that includes Washington and Tampa Bay, no one saw the Panthers sneak up and end up in a tie for first place. Behind Kris Versteeg (19 goals, 24 assists), who is well on his way to a career year, the Panthers have been able to generate enough offense to ride pleasant surprise Jose Theodore (2.50 GAA) to atop the division. The Panthers have considerably cooled off from their hot streak, but they have enough talent to hold off a listless Capitals team. The Southeast Division is shaping to be one of the top races of the second half.

Most Disappointing: TIE: Washington Capitals (26-19-3, 55 pts.) and Anaheim Ducks (18-23-7, 43 pts.) Both of these teams had high expectations heading into this season. The Capitals blazed out of the gate at 7-0 and were living up to their lofty preseason expectations. But soon, they collapsed. Their stars weren't scoring, their defense was crumbling, Tomas Vokoun was letting in soft goals, and Coach Bruce Bodreau lost control of his team. The team has since fired Bodreau and under new coach Dale Hunter the Caps have played better but have not reached their full capabilities yet. We'll see if they can turn it around and regain control of the division.

The Anaheim Ducks are another team that was predicted to do very well this season and with reigning MVP Corey Perry and steadfast goaltender Jonas Hiller the Ducks were sitting pretty. However a lackluster performance from Hiller and the entire Ducks' defense has been their downfall. They went through a 32 game stretch where they won only 6 games, and still have not fully recovered from that disastrous slump.



MVP: Pavel Datsyuk, C, Red Wings- With 14 goals, 39 assists, and a +20 rating, all while leading the first place Red Wings. Datsyuk also doesn't take bad penalties (only 12 penalty minutes) and has 17 points on the power play. He is also 5th in faceoffs won and has 58 hits this season.

Vezina Trophy- Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers. Lundqvist is having an incredible year ranking third in GAA (1.87) and save percentage (.937). Lundqvist is also anchoring the New York Rangers and has carried the team to their current conference lead

NHL Realignment: What Does It Mean?

On December 6, 2011 NHL officials approved a new plan that completely changes the alignment of the league. The move of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg forced the NHL to look at realignment plans and instead of simply switching few teams around the league decided to go bold. Instead of 6 divisions within 2 conferences, there are now 4 distinct conferences. The conferences are split into geographical alignments, while still keeping traditional rivalries intact. The NHL also approved a schedule change, each team will play a home and home with every team in the league, giving fans across the NHL the chance to see every team at least once.

Here are the four, yet-to-be named conferences:

Conference A: (Pacific/Northwest teams)
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks

Conference B: (Midwest teams)

Chicago Blackhawks

Columbus Blue Jackets

Dallas Stars

Detroit Red Wings

Minnesota Wild

Nashville Predators

St. Louis Blues

Winnipeg Jets

Conference C: (Atlantic/Northeast teams)
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs






Conference D: (Mid-Atlantic teams)
Carolina Hurricanes
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals




The playoffs have also changed with the top 4 from each conference making the playoffs and then playing the first two rounds against each other. So, for example, let's say in Conference D the top 4 teams are the New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington. The first round will be New York versus Washington and Pittsburgh versus Philadelphia. The second round will be the winners of the first match ups and then the winners of each conference will enter into the NHL semifinals.

At first glance, I like the plan. At second glance, I love it. The new plan gives teams the chance to play across the country, which is great for the fans. It also benefits teams in the middle of the country such as Dallas, Detroit, and Columbus, who in years past have had to fly all over the country to meet conference play requirements. The new alignment also gives a better chance for the hard-nosed rivalries of old to either reignite or develop, another win for the fans.

Furthermore, this shows that the NHL is no longer the bungling league that lost an entire season in 2004. The league has taken adversity in stride, and has emerged as a league that can thrive long-term. Hopefully, this move helps raise the league's profile even more and will usher in an era in which the NHL is considered as a top sports league with the MLB, NFL, and NBA.

Playoff Picks and Award Winners

Here is the final installment of the 2011-12 NHL Preview with Playoff picks and Award Winners.

Eastern Conference Seeds:
1. Washington Capitals
2. Boston Bruins
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Buffalo Sabres
6. Tampa Bay Lighning
7. New York Rangers
8. Montreal Canadiens

Quarterfinals
 (1) Washington over (8) Montreal
The reloaded Capitals will easily roll over an exhausted Montreal in 4 games.
 (2) Boston over (7) New York
 The defending champion Bruins get their repeat quest started right and dispose of the Rangers in 5 games
 (6) Tampa Bay over (3) Philadelphia
 The upstart Lightning's high power offense will overwhelm the Flyers in 7 games.
 (4) Pittsburgh over (5) Buffalo
 The Penguins will over power the Sabres in 5 games.

Semifinals
(1) Washington over (6) Tampa Bay
The Capitals are a different team this year and they will prove it by running by division rival Tampa Bay in 6 games.
(4) Pittsburgh over (2) Boston
The Penguins, led by their stars, will beat the defending champion Bruins in an epic series that goes all 7.

Eastern Conference Finals
(1) Washington versus (4) Pittsburgh
In the matchup we all want to see, Ovechkin and the Capitals take on Crosby and the Penguins. Both stars will put on a display and this series will go down as one of the greatest in recent memory. Capitals in 7.


Western Conference Seeds:
1. San Jose Sharks
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. Los Angeles Kings
5. Nashville Predators
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Chicago Blackhawks
8. Calgary Flames

Quarterfinals
(1) Sharks over (8) Flames
The Sharks offense is too powerful for the Flames to handle. The Sharks extinguish the flames in 4
(2) Canucks over (7) Blackhawks
The Sedin twins and the rest of the Vancouver squad are hungry to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals and the Blackhawks will be no match for them. Canucks in 4.
(3) Red Wings over (6) Ducks
The Red Wings will benefit from a deeper team and the Ducks long regular season will hinder them in the later games. Red Wings in 7.
(4) Kings over (5) Predators
The Kings are the dark horse of the entire conference and have exceptionally high potential. The Predators will not be able to keep up. Kings in 5.

Semifinals
(4) Kings over (1) Sharks
The Sharks make their trademark playoff swoon and the Kings enter the series on fire. Kings in 6.
(2) Canucks over (3) Red Wings
Vancouver bests the Red Wings in the most entertaining matchup in the conference. Canucks in 7.

Western Conference Finals:
(2) Canucks versus (4) Kings
The reigning Western Conference champions are pitted against the upstart Kings. The series is high powered  with a lot of scoring, but eventually the Canucks superior talent wins out. Canucks in 7.

Stanley Cup Finals
Washington Capitals versus Vancouver Canucks
In a battle of East Coast versus West Coast, the Capitals and Canucks will look to remedy disappointments from years past. Both teams boast offensive stars (Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom for the Capitals against the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler for Vancouver) and a strong defense, but the Capitals have been revamped solely for the long grind of the playoffs and their off-season moves will pay off. Capitals in 6.

Award Watch
MVP: Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals. The Capitals captain is expected to embrace an even more central role in the Capitals offense and with a stronger team behind him, expect Ovechkin to have a career year.

Veniza (top goaltender): Johnathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings. Quick posted great numbers last year (2.24 GAA, .918 save %) and is still young, only 25, and has nowhere to go but up.

Norris (top defenseman): Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks. Keith leads a stout defense that only allowed 2.68 goals per game last season and he is just entering into the prime of his career.

Selke (top defensive forward): Pavel Datsyuk, C, Detroit Red Wings. Datsyuk has won the award three times and looks to capture the trophy for a fourth time. Datsyuk is always clutch in late game situations and his defense has saved the Red Wings on more than a few occasions.

Coach: Dan Bylsma, Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins coach must guide the Penguins through the first month or so without star Sidney Crosby. The Penguins division is one of the toughest in the league so the task will not be easy, but Bylsma will prove up that he is up to the challenge.

Western Conference Preview

Here's the Western Conference portion of the NHL preview. Look for playoff picks and awards tomorrow.

Central: Detroit Red Wings
Following a 2010-11 season that saw the Wings post 104 points and win the Central Division. With talent returning at all positions, including centers Henrik Zetterburg (80 points) and Pavel Datsyuk (59 points, +11 rating). The defense will be once again anchored by Nicklas Lidstrom (46 assists, 23:28 ice time per game). Lidstrom is also a dangerous weapon on the power play assisting on 32 man up goals last season. The biggest concern for the Red Wings will be goaltender Jimmy Howard (2.79 GAA, .908 save %) who must stop more shots if the Red Wings want to win this high octane division. The 2009-10 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are once again dangerous as are the Nashville Predators, who are led by goaltender Pekka Rinne, (2.12 GAA, .930 save %). The Blue Jackets and Blues are both loaded with young talent and could make a surprise run to the playoffs, but the strength at the top of the division will prove to much to handle over the long 82 game season.

1. Red Wings
2. Predators
3. Blackhawks
4. Blues
5. Blue Jackets

Northwest: Vancouver Canucks
Although they fell in in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins, the Canucks are ready to make another deep run in the Western Conference. Behind twin brothers Henrik (75 assists) and Daniel Sedin (41 goals, 104 points) and veteran goaltender Robert Luongo (2.11 GAA, .928 save %), the Canucks are looking good in a weak Northwest Division. The Calgary Flames look to put some heat on the Canucks with perennial All-Star Jarome Iginla (43 goals, 86 points) leading an offense that scored 2.94 goals per game last season (7th in the NHL). The Wild and Avalanche are still a season or two away from seriously competing and the Oilers are even further away from a division crown.

1. Canucks
2. Flames
3. Wild
4. Avalanche
5. Oilers

Pacific: San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are loaded on offense with MVP candidate Patrick Marleau (73 points, 37 goals) leading the Sharks balanced offense (Five players with 60 plus points). Antti Niemi is the Sharks goaltender and he looks to build off the success of his 2010-11 campaign (2.38 GAA, .920 save %). Close behind are the Los Angles Kings. The Kings are ready to return to the top of the division, with rising stars Dustin Brown (28 goals) and Anze Kopitar (73 points) leading the offense and breakout star Johnathan Quick (2.24 GAA, .918 save %) in net, the Kings could ascend to the top of the Pacific Division. Anaheim returns reigning MVP Corey Perry (98 points, 50 goals) along with an arsenal of offensive firepower which includes Teemu Selanne (80 points) and Ryan Getzlaf (57 assists). The Ducks also have tough guy George Parros to protect their stars (171 penalty minutes) and goaltender Jonas Hiller (2.56 GAA, .924 save %) to anchor the back line. The Phoenix Coyotes have to place their hopes on right wing Shane Doan (60 points) if they want to challenge the top of the division. The Stars will have to hope that Loui Eriksson (73 points) can match his scoring output from last season to mask their defensive shortcomings.

1. Sharks
2. Kings
3. Ducks
4. Coyotes
5. Stars

Eastern Conference Preview

The 2011 NHL Season starts tomorrow night and we're going to kick things off here at Danger Zone Sports with a little preview. The Western Conference preview is up tomorrow, and the preseason awards will be up Friday. Look for MLB analysis and NFL breakdowns in the days to come

Southeast Division: Washington Capitals
It's hard to bet against the Capitals who have added veteran experience on the back end with defensemen Roman Hamerlik (18 years in the NHL) and goaltender Tomas Vokoun (13 years) to go along with rising stars Mike Green (25 years old, 24 points) and John Carlson (21 years old, 37 points). The revamped defense plus the potent offense of Alex Ovechkin (85 points), Alexander Semin (54 points), and Nicklas Backstrom (65 points) equals another division title for Coach Bruce Bodreau's squad. Expect the Lightning to be strong again with young star Steven Stamkos returning (91 points) and solid veteran Martin St. Louis (99 points) but the Capitals experience will prove to much to overcome. The Hurricanes look to return to the playoffs and the new look Winnipeg Jets look to return glory to Western Canada. The Florida Panthers will be stuck in the basement yet again.

1. Capitals
2. Lightning
3. Jets
4. Hurricanes
5. Panthers


Atlantic Division: Philadelphia Flyers
With Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby not yet full strength and Evengi Malkin coming off a serious knee injury the reigning Atlantic Division champion Flyers look to repeat behind Danny Briere (68 points) and an offense that averaged 3.1 goals per game(3rd in the NHL). The only question mark for the Flyers will be at goaltender, the Flyers were undone in the playoffs last year due to ineffective goalie play.
The Penguins will have to rely on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to weather the storm before a full return from Crosby and Malkin. The Rangers and Devils will battle it out for third in the conference's strongest division, the Islanders can hope to ride young gun Johnathan Tavares to a playoff berth, but it's highly unlikely.

1. Flyers
2. Penguins
3. Rangers
4. Devils
5. Islanders

Northeast Division: Boston Bruins

You can't expect the Bruins to slow down after their Stanley Cup title last year, and goaltender Tim Thomas (2.00 GAA, .938 save %) does not plan on it either. The Bruins will be challenged by the Buffalo Sabres, who are led by goaltender Ryan Miller (2.59 GAA, .916 %) and left wing Thomas Vanek (73 points). Montreal will rely on goaltender Carey Price to carry both the team and the fan's high expectations. Toronto and Ottawa both are in need of an overhaul and will not contend this season.

1. Bruins
2.Sabres
3. Canadiens
4. Senators
5. Maple Leafs