Midseason Picks And Observations

Well, at the beginning of the season my final four pick was Anaheim, San Jose, Montreal and Ottawa, with my Stanley Cup Finals being the Sharks vs Canadians. So far, that's not looking too bad. Usually at least one of my preseason final four picks turns out to be an absolute bust. Anyway, here's some more predictions and observations based on what I've seen so far this season.

Teams that will rise to make the playoffs (one from each conference)
1) Washington Capitals - I've been slappy for this team for about two months now. They're currently 3 points out of first in the easiest division to win. They're young, spirited, with a new coach, and Ovechkin is stepping up to lead his team every game it seems.

2) St. Louis Blues - They have the leadership and the talent to do it, plus a few games in hand. They are currently in 12th in the tight Western Conference, but only 3 points back from 8th. Look for them to take advantage of a March schedule with several home games and find their way in the top eight

Teams that will fall and miss the playoffs (one from each conference)
1) Carolina Hurricanes - Two reasons. First, this teams just gives up two many goals due to inconsistent goaltending and defense. Second, if the Caps are going to make it then Carolina likely won't so I'd be contradicting myself since it is very rare to find more than one team from the Southeast in the playoffs these days.

2) Vancouver Canucks - There already starting to slip, winning three of their last ten. There's just nothing special about this team anymore. It's the same core group of guys and they haven't been able to even get to the conference finals. I think the Canucks need to make a move and shake up the chemistry of their team.

My biggest surprise team so far
Definitely the Phoenix Coyotes.....after a terrible start they've stepped it up and have been playing great hockey lately (a win tonight in Detroit would validate it even more). Guys like Radim Vrbata, Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal have played career-high offensive seasons, and the addition of Ilya Bryzgalov has given them some security in goal

My biggest disappointment team so far
It was a close pick between Tampa Bay and Toronto, but I'll take Tampa on this one because they have more talent than the Leafs. Tampa's biggest problem is their lack of defense. They've played poor offensively this season because Lecavalier, St. Louis, Richards have gotten no support from the rest of the team. They also cannot find a consistent starting goaltender

Watch out for..........
1) Philadelphia Flyers - If anyone can catch Ottawa, it's them. They've done a complete 360 from last season, and their hottest player is a guy named Scott Hartnell!

2) Anaheim Ducks - Selanne's back, and they're still the defending Stanley Cup Champions. San Jose and Dallas should watch their back.

Nobody knows...............
.............the Boston Bruins have a decent hockey team
.............the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the playoff hunt
.............Marc Savard and Mike Richards are offensive beasts (what team do they play for?)
.............Montreal defensemen Andrei Markov and Mark Streit are in the top 10 in defense scoring
.............The New York Rangers have the worst statistical offense in hockey
.............Teams from Canada suck in overtime (Montreal, Calgary, Toronto with 8 OTL, 38 total for Canadian teams)
.............Rookies Niklas Backstrom (Washington) and Peter Mueller (Pheonix) should be getting more attention than Toews and Kane in Chicago because unlike the Hawks' rookies, these two are helping keep their teams in the playoff hunt
.............that the NHL exists