Atlantic Division Precision

[Icechipper]

Let's try to rank the league's most geographically dyslexic grouping:

 

1. Tampa Bay

2. Boston

3. Toronto

4. Montreal

5. Florida

6. Ottawa

7. Detroit

8. Buffalo

 

Your numerical take?

[Math]

Let's get a bit outside the borders for this one:

 

1. Florida

2. Toronto

3. Tampa Bay

4. Boston

5. Ottawa

6. Montréal

7. Detroit

8. Buffalo 

[Brewin Flames]

Tampa

Boston

Florida

Toronto

Ott

Detriot

Habs

Buff

 

I really think not having price will sink them...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Judging by these posts, I think it is fair to say that TB, Fla, Bos, and Tor are the consensus top half of the division.
I concur with that.

Bottom half?
Consensus also seems to say Buffalo will be THE bottom feeder...and I can't say I can dispute that either.

Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit will all jockey for not being as close to Buffalo and who can get closest to the top half.
So....I am in agreement, right down to the team orders, with @Brewin Flames :

1-- Tampa Bay (Hard to bet against the two time champs...especially when THEY believe they can three-peat)
2--Boston (I think having new blood in goal and some very hungry players with extra toughness brought in will really spur these guys)
3--Florida (They are a rising team, no doubt. If they stay healthy, they will be a pain in everyone's arse this season)
4--Toronto (Could possibly rate higher due to their high offensive potential, but I still think their lack of distinct defense is their Achilles Heel...and their goalies? Not sure...)

5--Ottawa (Gonna go on a limb here because I do like the Sens' spirit last year. Younger guys come in with a year more of experience and they DO have talent)
6--Detroit (Could be an almost mirror image of the Sens, except I believe Ottawa is further along the development curve)
7--Montreal (Poured everything into a run that came up empty last season, lost some key vets, others not returning or injured, and now, they have to rely once again on youth, not much different than Ottawa or Detroit...except those teams have had that youth movement going steadily and longer than the Habs have.)

8--Buffalo (Do I REALLY need to explain this one???)

[yave1964]

1) Panthers

2)Bolts

3_Laughs

4_Bruins

5)Senators

6)Les Habs

7) Wings

8)Brokenswords

[radoran]

1. Flo Rida

2. Tampa

3. Tronno

4. Bahstan

5. Habz

6. Dee troit

7. Ohtawa

8. Ploughshares

 

[pilldoc]

1. Bolts (until proven otherwise)

2. the other Fla. team not named the Bolts (have the pieces there... comes down to the movie title ..."what about Bob" in net....)

3. pro-rating the Laffs here.  They will score BUT ...will the Soupman be the answer in goal.  Agree with @TropicalFruitGirl26 D-fence will once again be their Achilles heel.

4. Chowdertown - see Laff, Tronno.  Carbon copy.  They will be able to score, lets see what Ullmark can do now that he has a decent defense in front of him and his out of the NHL version of purgatory.

5. Habs - no price = no playoffs.  Do you really trust Allen?  Nice young squad could be rally dangerous in another year or two.

6. Land of the Octopus and Wing Dings ---- Big Ned and the rest of the team might surprise some.  Will certainly be better than the last two teams.

7. Sens - young team + ???? goalie = no playoffs yet again, BUT they will improve.

==============================================================

8. NHL Purgatory - Buffa-BLOW.  Again as @TropicalFruitGirl26 mentioned do we really need to explain this one.  This is going to be one FUBAR SNAFU season for them. .... AGAIN.

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by pilldoc

[ruxpin]

1.  Panthers -- first team in history to have more points than people who attended the games?

 

2.  Lightning -- might be Toronto here depending upon how much the Bolts kind of relax until it matters.

 

3.  Les Impuissants -- the all foreplay all the time and can't get it done Maple Leafs will have another all bluster no muster season. Possibly good enough to slide into second.  Just enough to get their delusional fans all revved up only to be left panting, but unfulfilled as they watch random cars pass by from their lawn chair on the parade route.

 

4.  On se souvient des habitants -- Am I more bullish on the Habs than others here, or am I even more pessimistic about the Bruins than others?  I think depending upon Price's health that they'll do enough to finish ahead of the Bares.

 

5.  Bruins -- I don't think they're the same team.  They may still have enough, but I think Hall long term hurts them.

 

6.  Senators -- Detroit could finish above them depending upon how long Tkachuk sits out and how long they pretend Murray is still a goalie.

 

7.  Red Wings  Are they lucky or unlucky that they're in the same league as Buffsolow?

 

8.  Buffalo Pain in the Necks -- there's really nothing to say here. Pathetic ownership.  It's hard to imagine a more poorly run team. And this with the knowledge that the Ottawa Senators exist.

 

[Icechipper]

Buffalo

Addition by captain subtraction?

 

Sabres: Miracle or mirage?

 

Spotlight on Drake Caggiula

# 91 Get this kid better sweater #. Pride of Pinkerton (Ont.) potted 1st puck of season on a blazing breakaway to cap a 5-1 rout of Tampa Bay Oct. 25. Played college hockey at University of North Dakota.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

On 10/26/2021 at 4:35 AM, Icechipper said:

Buffalo

Addition by captain subtraction?

 

Sabres: Miracle or mirage?

 

Spotlight on Drake Caggiula

# 91 Get this kid better sweater #. Pride of Pinkerton (Ont.) potted 1st puck of season on a blazing breakaway to cap a 5-1 rout of Tampa Bay Oct. 25. Played college hockey at University of North Dakota.

 

I had Buffalo sitting at the very bottom (they may still find their way there yet!), but right now, Montreal really is looking far and away the worst team in the division.

Not so sure that Buffalo is addition by subtraction with Eichel, but, as many teams have done in the past, when you are short a superstar player, anyone with any sort of pride in them, simply goes above and beyond what everyone expects of them, and the results are often positive.

That's what I think is going on with the Sabres. Guys playing over their heads, others playing up to what their potential should be, and others, perhaps on borrowed NHL ice time.
Either way, it is working for the Sabres, but in the end, I think the stiff competition of the division and reality overall will catch up to these guys.

That isn't to say Buffalo doesn't have a future, because they do. 
They've had talent for YEARS....it's just that right now still isn't their time, and management HAS had a tendency to take a good thing going, and somehow, screw it up.

That is the perception anyways and I'm afraid that will stay that way until this team can prove otherwise once and for all.

[Icechipper]

And Montreal just cleaned house... 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

28 minutes ago, Icechipper said:

And Montreal just cleaned house... 

 

Sure took them long enough...

[Icechipper]

Watching Bruins vs. Detroit. When did Detroit become tough guy team? Foligno throwing lumber and Marchant yapping and slugging. Scrappy. Former Wild center Huala just scored 1-0 on rush

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

5 hours ago, Icechipper said:

Watching Bruins vs. Detroit. When did Detroit become tough guy team? Foligno throwing lumber and Marchant yapping and slugging. Scrappy. Former Wild center Huala just scored 1-0 on rush

 

I don't know about "tough guy team", but with Steve Yzerman building things over there, he certainly isn't going to build a butter soft team if he expects to replicate what he did in Tampa Bay.

I believe while the Wings aren't a 'bully' type team, they at least have guys that aren't gonna stand getting pushed around.
Bertuzzi, Larkin, Erne, DeKeyser, Namestnikov....and probably a couple others I am missing that Wings fans know more about.

None of those guys are your typical 'goons', but they aren't shy about hitting, getting in scrums, or at the very least, agitate and push back on teams trying to intimidate them.

Obviously the Wings have a ton of work to do, but the fact that Detroit hung onto 4th place up until that whoopin today by the Bruins, shows Yzerman has those boys on the right track in all facets.
Seriously..I expected the Bruins to have grabbed 4th and challenge for more than that a long time ago. But there is Detroit, mucking things up and sitting squarely between the top three teams and Boston.

I just wonder....will the Wings' confidence be shaken after Boston took them down hard? Another test for Detroit's GM and the players he is putting faith in for sure.