Predict the Atlantic Standings

[VivaLasVegas]

My Atlantic Standings prediction stays the same but after Pittaburgh picked up Karlsson I think that moves the needle enough to get them a wildcard spot, so only 4 Atlantic playoff teams

1. Toronto
2. Tampa
3. Buffalo
4. Boston

No playoffs:
5. Florida
6. Detroit
7. Ottawa (don't care about the dumb f***ing Wings/Sens fan wars by two insecure bin-dipping fans on both sides. We're simply both not contenders, and by partaking in that nonsense you're just embarrassing yourself)
8. Montreal

Florida's D will get worse, and they're just as dependent on goaltending as Buffalo. I just have more faith in Buffalo not to have the absolute worst goaltending in the league again (they missed the playoffs by one point in spite of that) than I trust Florida to not have bottom-third goaltending, which has frankly plagued them for years now aside from one approximately 12 game stretch from 1R Game 5 through 3R game 3 this past spring). If their goaltending holds though then of course they can easily make the playoffs.

LOL, Buffalo over a team that just got to the SCF.

 

[The90]

I am going to start this post by explaining my bias.

I hate the leafs. When they fly I root for gravity. When they drive I root for oncoming traffic. Their playoff failures have given me nearly as much joy as my children.

I hold no ill will for the Panthers.

I watched every minute of that series and it was clear to me and generally backed up statistically that the better team of skaters were the leafs.

Anything resembling goaltending parity and the leafs easily win the series.

Considering Bob's inability to play like that with any kind of regularity I would say it's clear you got lucky.

You should be happy. Last years playoffs performance is likely as close to "value" as you will ever get with that ridiculous contract.

Panthers fans are going to hate reading that, but Goaltending in hockey is the most dominant position in professional sports. There’s a goalie every year that proves that. Just so happened last year it was Bob. Good on him / the panthers. Likely not repeatable. They’re a bubble team again this year that will hope Bob gets hot again.

 

[wintersej]

Why have pages of Panthers vs Sens when you can argue about Wings vs Habs?

 

[wetcoast]

These charts are terrible, I cant really respond to anyone who uses them. Same garbage says Mike Reilly is good. Said Keith Yandle was solid. We will see how the year plays out.

Idk how anyone uses Jfresh as gospel in 2023 tbh. Or these cards in general.

The cards are entertainment only.

Bruins
Panthers
Leafs
Lightening
Sens
Sabres
Wings
Habs

I just don't see the Bruins at #1 when everything went so right for them last year and sure they have that great back end and a decent forward group but man Bergeron and Kreji don't have replacements.

Buffalo has too much talent and hunger to finish 6th as well.

As for Detroit/Ottawa......

 

[Panthaz89]

LOL, Buffalo over a team that just got to the SCF.

Not that I think the Panthers aren't going to be good but making the SCF doesn't really mean anything next season...Canadiens were beating Vegas to make the SCF just 3 years ago then went to the bottom of the standings next year.

 

[Random Comment]

Leafs

Lightning

Florida
Sens
Boston
Sabres





Wings






Habs

 

[Pavels Dog]

It's only embarrassing because Detroit has a much more bleak future, and they really aren't going to be in the same league once the major Ottawa prospects develop.

Name a "major Ottawa prospect"?

 

[Silky Johnson]

Name a "major Ottawa prospect"?

I think he means young Ottawa roster players rather than prospects.

Young roster players are even better than prospects as closer to being fully developed.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

Not that I think the Panthers aren't going to be good but making the SCF doesn't really mean anything next season...Canadiens were beating Vegas to make the SCF just 3 years ago then went to the bottom of the standings next year.

Injuries.

The Habs set back-to-back NHL records in man-games-lost.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I think he means young Ottawa roster players rather than prospects.

Young roster players are even better than prospects as closer to being fully developed.

U23 players on Ottawa's roster: 3
U23 players on Detroit's roster: 2

What a massive difference. And before you say "but Grieg..", Detroit obviously has multiple prospects about the enter the team, whether from day 1 or at some point during the season.

 

[Coffee]

This looks right to me. I agree that this IS the year the Bruins drop out of the playoffs.

I don’t buy it.

How many years have we heard this?

 

[WaW]

LOL, Buffalo over a team that just got to the SCF.

Buffalo finished one point behind Florida, while Buffalo literally had the worst goaltending in the league.

Florida has struggled in the goaltending department for about 4 years, and it took Bobrovsky finally playing out of his mind for once, for about a 4 week stretch from the middle of round 1 until the middle of round 3, in order to get there.

What's more likely, Buffalo having top 31 goaltending (literally just not league worst), or Florida getting top 20 goaltending, which seems to be a real problem for them year to year? Then factor in Florida's defense getting...let's call it "more questionable", and it's not hard to see how I get there.

Teams have made the cup finals and then missed the playoffs the following year before on several occasions, it isn't all that unheard of.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

U23 players on Ottawa's roster: 3
U23 players on Detroit's roster: 2

What a massive difference. And before you say "but Grieg..", Detroit obviously has multiple prospects about the enter the team, whether from day 1 or at some point during the season.

Detroit’s future looks bleak relative to Ottawa’s. They just have a much better mix of young players and prospects on paper, and I don’t see how someone could attempt to argue otherwise.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Detroit’s future looks bleak relative to Ottawa’s. They just have a much better mix of young players and prospects on paper, and I don’t see how someone could attempt to argue otherwise.

Lol ok

 

[Lshap]

Why have pages of Panthers vs Sens when you can argue about Wings vs Habs?

Lol... good point. Only problem is there's not much to argue about while Habs management and (most) fans are still in rebuilding mode. Montreal will improve, but not a single person in their camp is pulling for the playoffs.

But if you want an argument, I'm happy to declare Montreal's bagels beat the shit out of New York's.

 

[The90]

Injuries.

The Habs set back-to-back NHL records in man-games-lost.

Also were not very good to begin with and a sub .500 team that wouldn’t have made the playoffs if not for Covid…

 

[The90]

Lol... good point. Only problem is there's not much to argue about while Habs management and (most) fans are still in rebuilding mode. Montreal will improve, but not a single person in their camp is pulling for the playoffs.

But if you want an argument, I'm happy to declare Montreal's bagels beat the shit out of New York's.

The great bagel debate of 2023 lol

 

[FinlandPanther]

I am going to start this post by explaining my bias.

I hate the leafs. When they fly I root for gravity. When they drive I root for oncoming traffic. Their playoff failures have given me nearly as much joy as my children.

I hold no ill will for the Panthers.

I watched every minute of that series and it was clear to me and generally backed up statistically that the better team of skaters were the leafs.

Anything resembling goaltending parity and the leafs easily win the series.

Considering Bob's inability to play like that with any kind of regularity I would say it's clear you got lucky.

You should be happy. Last years playoffs performance is likely as close to "value" as you will ever get with that ridiculous contract.

Yeah I guess the leafs got unlucky for 4 Ls. What a garbage post Lmao. Leafs are so overrated. Their team is soft and always kept to the outside. That’s why their core of losers never get anything done. They never want it enough

 

[Rob Brown]

Because it evened up the concussion Bunting layed on Tbays number two Dman putting him out for the series? Elbow smash to the head.

What a horrible take.

 

[NHLInjuryViz]

Injuries.

The Habs set back-to-back NHL records in man-games-lost.

Slapping my usual big asterisk on this

 

[The90]

I dunno, I see most people's predictions having the Panthers in the top 5 of the division, which is one of the best in the league. It's not like people are putting them at the bottom - most still have them in a playoff spot.

Just a wildcard spot, hoping Bob gets hot again. It’s not that they’re not good, it’s that they’re just ‘good’… unless Bob gets hot. They’re losing their shit over being told that for some reason.

 

[The90]

Yeah I guess the leafs got unlucky for 4 Ls. What a garbage post Lmao. Leafs are so overrated. Their team is soft and always kept to the outside. That’s why their core of losers never get anything done. They never want it enough

The leafs were lucky for at least 2/4 wins against Tampa this year. They played better in 2022 and lost vs this year winning and not playing as well. It shouldn’t be this hard to recognize it’s possible to not play well and win, just the same as it is to do the opposite

 

[wintersej]

Lol... good point. Only problem is there's not much to argue about while Habs management and (most) fans are still in rebuilding mode. Montreal will improve, but not a single person in their camp is pulling for the playoffs.

But if you want an argument, I'm happy to declare Montreal's bagels beat the shit out of New York's.

You will find not a disparaging word from this corner on Montreal bagels.

 

[LeafGrief]

Lightning
Panthers
Bruins
Leafs
Sabres
Senators
Wings
Habs

I think it's crazy how people sleep on the Lightning, they're still every bit the elite team that made 3 straight finals runs. That fatigue played a role last year and while I'll buy the argument that they've lost some depth, they're deeper than my Leafs and stronger in net and on the blue line. Best team in the division IMO, losing Killorn doesn't mean squat compared to the Bruins losing Bergeron.

I think the Panthers put their team together in the playoffs and will have a strong year again. The Bruins are going to suffer without their captain and #1C, but they can lose a ton of ground and still easily make the playoffs. That team has incredibly strong culture and they'll be just fine.

As for my Leafs, I think we take a step back this year. Bertuzzi is a good add, but this team only goes where Matthews and Marner take it, and I think that running it back yet again will have them seeing the writing on the wall. This core doesn't work when the going gets tough. Our goaltending is highly suspect and our defense is utterly mediocre. This is the Leafs of course, we might rattle off 110 points, but good teams have bad years and I think this is going to be ours.

Sabres/Sens/Wings are all much improved and will be very scrappy for playoff spots. Habs are probably very bad again.

I figure I get 3/8 right on this list.

 

[wintersej]

Panthers fans are going to hate reading that, but Goaltending in hockey is the most dominant position in professional sports. There’s a goalie every year that proves that. Just so happened last year it was Bob. Good on him / the panthers. Likely not repeatable. They’re a bubble team again this year that will hope Bob gets hot again.

Every year there is a team in at least the final 4 if not the Final that falls under the “if things go right, they could do it” umbrella. It does feel like there are more of those teams and fewer prohibitive favorites in the East this year. Even Tampa is in the former category now. Carolina, New Jersey and maybe Toronto are the most complete teams, but the East seems pretty wide open since those teams have had troubles getting over the hump in the spring. And there will be teams that miss the playoffs this year that could have gone on a run if they made it.