With well over half the regular season games under the Bruins collective belt, it seems it’s only a matter of time before Canadiens fall by the wayside, despite a valiant first half effort. Already the frontrunners in the Northeast Division, Buffalo, Toronto and Ottawa all sit over 10 points back in the standings. Though Montreal is well within striking distance at the moment, further statistical analysis implies their record is indicative of good fortune more so than staying power. Looking around the league at the upper echelon of talented teams, goal differential appears to be a de facto dividing line between contenders and pretenders thus far in 2010-2011.The Flyers, Penguins, Bruins, Canucks and very nearly Red Wings all sit at the 30 threshold or better. Among legitimate division hopefuls, the Tampa Bay Lighting are the only squad in the NHL to sit in stark contrast to this trend, double digits deep in the red as they battle it out with the Washington Capitals atop the Southeast. Still, it could be argued that the 5 aforementioned leaders in goal differential are the top 5 teams in the league at this point, and missing among the short list is a Northeast divisional opponent.Though the Canadiens have compiled an admirable effort to date, Montreal simply lacks the offensive firepower to sustain their current level of play. Roughly averaging just 2.5 goals per game to 2.4 goals against, those ranks currently sit at 27^th in the league and 4^th in the league, respectively. The play of Cary Price should hold up to an extent, but as his GAA rises closer to his (very admirable, mind you) career average, as is logically inevitable, the team lacks the scorers to keep wins coming. Read more…

Northeast Division Finish:

1. Boston Bruins Call it home cookin’, optimistic, whatever what-have-you, but we honestly believe Horton will come into his own and add a little sizzle to last year’s fairly stagnant offensive scheme, not to mention continued dominance on the defensive end.
2. Buffalo Sabres The Bruins boast arguably the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, but the Sabres still have G Ryan Miller, best in the league until proven otherwise, which will keep them competitive until season’s end.
3. Ottawa Senators – Undoubtedly the most proven offensive squad in the division, unmatched in terms of top to bottom firepower, the Sens will certainly make the Northeast a 3 team race.
4. Toronto Maple Leaves Toronto has some nice pieces, but overall the Leafs can’t compete with the division’s top 3 teams over the course of a full season.
5. Montreal Canadiens Cary Price is nice in net, but letting G Jaroslav Halak slip away to the St. Louis Blues may be a move the Habs live to regret.

Stanley Cup: Read more…