Eastern Conference Review

New York Rangers- Who would have known that one of the greatest trade acquisitions of the Sather era would have been Sean Avery? When this guy is in the line up, they win. He's a free agent at the end up the year, might as well lock him up now. Scary how much he means to the team.

Philadelphia Flyers-- Unless Marty Biron is facing The Devils he's a Vezina Trophy candidate. They have hit a rough patch as of late and they need Hatcher and Gagne in the lineup in order to stay on top of the Atlantic. But for the first time in a long time, don't worry about the goaltending in Philly.

New York Islanders-- Soaring past everybody's expectations on the wings of Mike Comrie. Not sure how far they can go with the lack of depth but it isn't a long shot to say this is a playoff team. Would help the team immensely if Satan could put together a career year. Can't do it on their own? Right?

Pittsburgh Penguins-- Probably the most disappointing team in the East thus far. Didn't lose any major pieces from last year and had some decent acquisitions. Malkin and Crosby are doing their parts, but everybody else seems to be watching and admiring. Whitney, Malone, Recchi, and Roberts need to wake up.

New Jersey Devils-- Devil fans must start praying that Colin White is as important to the team as they are hoping. Seeing a once proud defense corps without Paul Martin, Brian Rafalski, Colin White, Richard Matvichuk, and Brad Lukowich is scary. All were there a year ago in the playoffs. Defense needs to get healthy and offense needs to start putting the puck in the net.

Ottawa Senators- -What a freakishly good team. I don't see any holes and when Gerber starts to falter we can all wait for Emery to save the day. Actually they should look to dump the salary of either goaltender so signing Redden won't be such a long shot.

Montreal Canadians-- Shockingly one of the more potent offensive line ups even with Sheldon Souray leaving via free agency. Koivu is looking healthy, Huet is looking solid, and Kovalev is looking competent. I'm not sold yet, but all the pieces are falling into place.

Toronto Mapleleafs- -The Leafs are very inconsistent this year even with Mats Sundin on pace for his best offensive season since he was in Quebec. You would think having McCabe back would stabilize their lineup, but on some nights he is the other team's best player. Thank God for that slap shot. And good lord do they give up a lot of goals.

Boston Bruins- -Not a bad start for the Bruins but I can't believe them keeping this up. The Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox are all awesome. One Boston team has to suck. Just one. On a more relative note, how awesome has Savard been? One of the most underrated players in the league.

Buffalo Sabres- -Oh boy. Things do not look good. I thought Derek Roy and Tim Connolly were doing a nice job of replacing Drury and Briere but with Timmy going down with another injury things look grim for the franchise. It's going to be a long season for Miller.

Carolina Hurricanes- -How did this team miss the playoffs last year? Leading the league in goals they are an offensive juggernaut. Losing Erik Cole could hurt the team though (can this guy ever stay healthy?). Mercifully they won't sign Anson Carter to fill the void once again. Only .500 against teams in their own division, keep an eye on that.

Tampa Bay Lightening- -Usual story for the Bolts. Insane on offense, insanely bad on defense. I am predicting now that one of the big three gets traded in order to get a franchise dman. My money is on St. Louis. Yes he's the oldest, but he's also the cheapest making him the easiest to move. Anytime Jay Pandolfo and John Madden combine for 8 points against your club, it's time for a change.

Atlanta Thrashers-- Good news? Marian Hossa has finally stopped playing like Marcel. Bad news? The team still isn't very good. They have a bad case of Tampa Bay Syndrome. Unbelievable offensive weapons with less than stellar defense and goaltending. Something's got to give.

Florida Panthers- -After a slow start Tomas Vokoun is getting his game back to just under elite goaltending status. So to sum it up? Jokinen is still awesome and The Panthers have a goalie to stand on his head. And they still aren't winning.

Washington Capitals- -I imagined Washington finally making some noise this year with some respectable off season acquisitions. Nylander has fit in nicely but rookie Backstrom has been invisible and the sniper Semin can't get healthy. Looks like another high pick for the Caps.