2011-12 NHL predictions

by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor

With the Flyers set to open up their 2011-12 season tomorrow night in Boston, it's time to start throwing things to the wall and see what sticks, a.k.a. my yearly unscientific and mostly-incorrect predictions.

There's a lot of hype surrounding the Orange and Black -- as it is just about every season for some reason or another -- but what you'll find here will be opinions unvarnished by popular sentiment or the organizational PR machine.

This year's Flyers are essentially no different than those in years past. The names have changed but the song remains the same. They have a goaltender, yes, but he has to prove himself in a better and more intense market than Phoenix.

The contract situation and salary-cap concerns will play out like a chess match once again, with the front office holding on for dear life like they're playing checkers. Blair Betts has already been a casualty, and his checking skill, penalty-killing acumen and face-off prowess heads to Montreal to make room for some of the youngsters who may or may not pan out.

Philly didn't exactly distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack inside the Atlantic, but they've said that the goal is not for the Cup this year...then again, they've been gambling on the East as a crap shoot since 1997 so expectations can be heaped on at the drop of a hat.

That said, here's my picks for the NHL this year:

* - indicates playoff team

ATLANTIC
(2)Pittsburgh*
(4)NY Rangers*
(7)Philadelphia*
New Jersey
NY Islanders

NORTHEAST
(3)Boston*
(5)Montreal*
(8)Buffalo*
Toronto
Ottawa

SOUTHEAST
(1)Washington*
(6)Tampa Bay*
Carolina
Winnipeg
Florida

CENTRAL
(1)Detroit*
(4)Chicago*
(7)Nashville*
(8)St. Louis
Columbus

NORTHWEST
(2)Vancouver*
(6)Calgary*
Edmonton
Minnesota
Colorado

PACIFIC
(3)San Jose*
(5)Los Angeles*
Dallas
Anaheim
Phoenix

EAST First Round
Washington def. Buffalo
Pittsburgh def. Philadelphia
Boston def. Tampa Bay
NY Rangers def. Montreal

WEST First Round
Detroit def. St. Louis
Vancouver def. Nashville
Calgary def. San Jose
Chicago def, Los Angeles

EAST Second Round
Washington def. NY Rangers
Pittsburgh def. Boston

WEST Second Round
Detroit def. Calgary
Chicago def. Vancouver

EAST Finals
Pittsburgh def. Washington

WEST Finals
Chicago def. Detroit

Stanley Cup Final
Chicago def. Pittsburgh