Atlantic Standings Predictions Thread

[Satanphonehome]

It’s kind of a pointless thread.

Boston has made the playoffs 8 straight years, Toronto the same. Stanley Cup champion Florida 5 and Tampa 7.
Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa and Detroit have combined for one non-COVID appearance in the past 7 years.

It’s been the way it is for so long that the rosters don’t even really matter to most fans. They just can’t really imagine the division being any other way.

Personally, I think all 4 bottom teams got better and all 4 top teams are worse, but predicting anything other than the status quo just seems like a mistake until a change actually happens.

i hope it does. The division really needs it.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

Boston isn't a very good team.

Unlikely they finish ahead of Florida though

The Leafs have been on a downward spiral for the last three seasons. They are not a very good team either.

Unlike Toronto, the Bruins are an experienced team who can handle adversity and they know how to win.

 

[jonlin]

Call me crazy, but I`m actually thinking Montreal will fight for the wildcard. If Laine and Dach are healthy, they suddenly have 2 scoringlines. Boston and Tampa are getting worse.

Florida
Toronto
Boston
Tampa
Montreal
Buffalo
Ottawa
Detroit

 

[VanillaCoke]

1. Tampa Bay
2. Bruins
3. Panthers
4. Toronto
5. Buffalo
6. Red Wings
7. Sens
8. Habs

 

[dgibb10]

Hey so nothing changes from last year?

I don't see it. For me Tampa is the first to fall. Guentzel might replace the scoring of Stamkos but Mc Donaugh is getting old, he's no Sergachev out there. I see guys like Glendenning, Girgensons, Ylonen, Eyssimont in the bottom 6 that's not a complete team....An off year from Vasilevsky and the Bolts could be grounded.

Bruins aren't better to me. Lindholm is a nice two way centre. But losing De Brusk takes away scoring on a team that struggled to score in the playoffs. Zadorov could very well lay an egg, with the big money in his pocket now. Korpisalo doesn't give you the secondary goaltending that Ullmark did. 100th anniversary Marchand can fall down easy and get the calls, might be enough for a playoff appearance but the Bruins seem to be going into a reactionary position after being outmuscled by the Panthers.

Panthers will have a hangover, but should be good enough to stay near the top.. Unless bad Bob reappears. Defense doesn't look good though. Can they sustain any injuries? Can the Boqvists replace key players lost?

Leafs collapse and do nothing again. Oh wait new captain, the guy who laid an egg in game 7 against Boston. PP should be good again. What's the over/under on Chris Tanev games this year? Is Ekman-Larsson after years of disappointment going to be a disappointment again. In Woll and Stolarz they trust?

Detroit, Buffalo and Montreal all get better from being bad for so long, and having good prospects mature. Who has the best coach of the 3? That's a tough one. But one, maybe two of these teams are going to rise this year into the playoffs.

I feel like Ottawa is a theater. Just like the politicians, you change them out, but nothing ever changes. Could be the breaking point for Brady.

Vasy wasn't good last year and tampa still made the playoffs

 

[Silky Johnson]

When has he had the opportunity to do so and is there a rule disallowing it?

There may as well be.

But his previous post implied he already had. That's what I was responding to.

 

[Sting]

Call me crazy, but I`m actually thinking Montreal will fight for the wildcard. If Laine and Dach are healthy, they suddenly have 2 scoringlines. Boston and Tampa are getting worse.

Florida
Toronto
Boston
Tampa
Montreal
Buffalo
Ottawa
Detroit

Their forwards look like a group of players pulling off a surprise playoff birth.

Then you look at their D and Goaltending and you realize there really isn't much of a chance of that happening imo.

 

[TimeZone]

The Leafs have been on a downward spiral for the last three seasons. They are not a very good team either.

Unlike Toronto, the Bruins are an experienced team who can handle adversity and they know how to win.

The Bruins took a big step back themselves last season, and for a team who "knows how to win" they've won just one playoff round in the past 3 years.

Both are middle of the pack, mediocre teams.

 

[Crow]

Call me crazy, but I`m actually thinking Montreal will fight for the wildcard. If Laine and Dach are healthy, they suddenly have 2 scoringlines. Boston and Tampa are getting worse.

Florida
Toronto
Boston
Tampa
Montreal
Buffalo
Ottawa
Detroit

I don’t think it’s that crazy given that you said “if the are healthy”. The problem is the likelihood of that happening.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

The Bruins took a big step back themselves last season, and for a team who "knows how to win" they've won just one playoff round in the past 3 years.

Both are middle of the pack, mediocre teams.

"Both are middle of the pack, mediocre teams."

Agreed. By knowing how to win, I meant regular season...as in two President's Trophies wins for Boston in the last 5 seasons.

The Leafs have never won a President's Trophy. Such experience is beyond them. They lack that level of competitiveness.

 

[BFLO]

I could see it the metro is mid. Carolina regressed badly, the only real locks are Rangers and Devils IMO

I could easily see metro not getting either wild card. NYI, WSH, OTT, DET, BUF, Pitt, Philly are all in that mushy 84-94 point range. Could also flip the other way and metro takes both wc.

I have a hard time seeing CAR not make the top 3 even with a downgraded roster. Something like:
NYR 110
NJ 110
CAR 95

NYI and WSH were very medicore last year. NYI had the same number of wins as the Sabres, they just knew how to get to overtime and lose there much better than the Sabres. WSH had 1 more win than the Sabres.

Goal Diff:
Sabres +2
NYI -17
WSH -37

 

[Strangle]

I didn't say that but I don't think the disparity between the top 4 and bottom 4 is that great anymore. Detroit in particular keeps graduating good prospects. And their best ones are young and still improving...with any kind of goaltending last year they were a playoff team. I don't know what to make of any of those 3 teams because they need significant improvements in goaltending. Buffalo would have been on the cusp of the playoffs if Eric Comrie had never played a game for them. Montreal is totally unpredictable. I don't think they have enough talent yet, and they have alot of salary tied up in Gallagher and Anderson without results. Goaltending is a big question mark there.

I think Tampa is going to miss...Toronto and Boston have some star power, but I can't predict injuries...Boston has a good locker room, and a winning tradition, so I think they are safe. Toronto I am not as sure about...we'll see what the Matthews era brings.

You’re outta pocket, bro

 

[TimeZone]

"Both are middle of the pack, mediocre teams."

Agreed. By knowing how to win, I meant regular season...as in two President's Trophies wins for Boston in the last 5 seasons.

The Leafs have never won a President's Trophy. Such experience is beyond them. They lack that level of competitiveness.

That team is long gone.

The Bruins had an extremely hot start to the season but really fell off towards the end.

It's a coin flip who finishes ahead in the standings, wouldn't put much faith into either team winning the division, they'll battle it out for 2,3 possibly even wildcard spots.

 

[Panthaz89]

Their forwards look like a group of players pulling off a surprise playoff birth.

Then you look at their D and Goaltending and you realize there really isn't much of a chance of that happening imo.

Even at forward they are probably the worst in the division.

 

[Craig Button]

The Bruins took a big step back themselves last season, and for a team who "knows how to win" they've won just one playoff round in the past 3 years.

Both are middle of the pack, mediocre teams.

They’re both not middle of the pack mediocre teams.

 

[Essenege]

It’s kind of a pointless thread.

Boston has made the playoffs 8 straight years, Toronto the same. Stanley Cup champion Florida 5 and Tampa 7.
Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa and Detroit have combined for one non-COVID appearance in the past 7 years.

It’s been the way it is for so long that the rosters don’t even really matter to most fans. They just can’t really imagine the division being any other way.

Personally, I think all 4 bottom teams got better and all 4 top teams are worse, but predicting anything other than the status quo just seems like a mistake until a change actually happens.

i hope it does. The division really needs it.

The only correct take. I wouldn’t bet individually on any of the top 4 team to be outside the top 4 but I’d bet for sure that one of them will be.

 

[Knies iT]

What I do know for certain is that Ottawa will play in precisely 0 playoff games.

 

[Fatass]

Toronto
Florida
Boston
Tampa
Ottawa
Detroit
Montreal
Buffalo

 

[Sting]

What I do know for certain is that Ottawa will play in precisely 0 playoff games.

I think if you're a betting man, you probably take the Leafs choking in round 1 again. At least the Sens have an off-chance of sneaking into a WC spot if everything goes right!

 

[TheNewEra]

I think if you're a betting man, you probably take the Leafs choking in round 1 again. At least the Sens have an off-chance of sneaking into a WC spot if everything goes right!

the sens have a better chance at winning a playoff series then the leafs

 

[dire wolf]

My only prediction is that the Atlantic standings will be much more compressed this year than the last few years. The bottom 4 have all improved, and at least some of the top 4 have arguably gotten a little worse. This will be even more pronounced in the '25-'26 season.

Last year, the spread from #1 (FLA at 110 pts) to #8 (MTL at 76 pts) was 34 points. In each of the two years before that, it was 67 points.

If you add up the standings points of the top-4 teams vs. the bottom-4 teams each of the last 3 years, the differential between the two groups is shrinking: the differential was 177 points 3 years ago, 111 points 2 years ago, and 90 points last year. I think that trend will continue.

Similarly, if you add up goal differential for the top-4 and the bottom-4 and compare them, the differential between the two groups is also shrinking: 522 goals 3 years ago, 359 goals 2 years ago, and 247 goals last year.

Put another way, the goal differential for the top 4 teams has decreased from a +245 to a +174, while the bottom 4 has improved from a -277 to a -73. The points total for the top 4 teams has decreased from 454 to 419, while the bottom 4 has improved from 277 to 329.

 

[Knies iT]

I think if you're a betting man, you probably take the Leafs choking in round 1 again. At least the Sens have an off-chance of sneaking into a WC spot if everything goes right!

I welcome chirps from playoff teams. Doesn’t quite hit the same from a basement dweller that can’t qualify.

I encourage hopes and dreams though.

 

[Sting]

I welcome chirps from playoff teams. Doesn’t quite hit the same from a basement dweller that can’t qualify.

I encourage hopes and dreams though.

It's a fair comment but 1 series win since 2004 doesn't give the Leafs much chirping power here

 

[WetcoastOrca]

It’s a pretty boring Division in the regular season with 4 have and 4 have not teams. And it’s been that way for a few years now. So the only real question is the placing of those 4 top teams. While the bottom four are improving I don’t think they are at the level of the top four for at least another year.
But while the regular season is pretty boring the playoffs are a whole lot of fun.

 

[TimeZone]

They’re both not middle of the pack mediocre teams.

Oh, okay well now I'm convinced otherwise.