New York Rangers - They have scuffed their toes a little going 4-5-1 in the last 10 games, but make no mistake about it this team is for real. Their only question going into the playoffs is does King Henrik (Lundqvist) have enough in the tank to take this team to the Cup?
Pittsburgh Penguins - This team is by far my favorite to come out of the East and depending on who they play against the West, they are one of the favorites to win the cup. They already have the top line in the NHL with Malkin centering Neal and Kunitz, now with a healthy Crosby who was recently voted the top player in the game in a player's poll is back and playing at the level he left off when he got hurt. The only teams in the East that can really slow the Pens down when they're playing on top of their game is New York, Boston (if Tim Thomas decides to pull his head out of his ass), and maybe and this is a big maybe, Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Flyers - This team is a huge dark horse. This team is wildely talented led by Claude Giroux but they have been incredibly inconsistent all year, largely due to their lack of defense and solid goaltending provided by Bryzgalov. With that said, Philly has elite talent, and Bryzgalov is on pace to play the golden amount of games for cup contending goalies (Between 55-65 games). If Bryzgalov gets hot they can knock off anybody, but their question is can they stay consistent for 4 playoff rounds?
Boston Bruins - A month ago I thought this was the best team in hockey, better than the Rangers, Canucks, and Red Wings. Within the last month Tuukka Rask has injured his groin, Tim Thomas game has "gone to shit" (A little Herb Brooks reference), they brought in Marty Turco who has just exposed how bad this team has played the last month. I don't know if it's just me but it definetly seems like Tim Thomas's game has been incredibly inconsistant since he skipped the White House ceremony. And yes the Bruins are banged up. The bottom line is however is this team looks like the Cup hangover that they started the season with has returned and I don't think this team has what it takes to win back-to-back championships. But then again they've proved me wrong.
Vancouver Canucks - Like the Rangers a month ago, this team looked like the top team in the West, they ended Detroit's record home win streak in dramatic fashion and were in cruise control for the top spot in the conference. But like the Rangers, they've struggled in their last 10 games and only able to manage 3 wins in that time span. For my money this team is my favorite still to come out of the West. They just have a calm yet confident swagger about them like the Penguins did in 2009 when they went back to the finals for the 2nd year in a row and beat Detroit.
St. Louis Blues - At the start of the season who would've thought the Blues would be leading the league in points and would be the 1st team to clinch a playoff berth? If you claim to have said this you are either a liar or the biggest Blues fan. If I am a GM in the Western Conference I would not want to play the Blues. Even though they lack a premier player like Ovechkin, Iginla, Datsyuk, Toews, ect. this team is dangerous. They are very talented, very physical, incredibly detail oriented, they have incredible goaltending, and Ken Hitchcock is by far the favorite to win the Jack Adams for best coach. The only teams that I could see giving the Blues trouble are Detroit and Vancouver because of their star power.
Detroit Red Wings - Let's face it, their recent slide is completely tied to their injury situation. Losing Datsyuk, Lidstrom, and Howard in a week hurt, and not to mention when they came back into the lineup this week guys like Franzen and Helm got hurt and they'll be out for a while. In my opinion this team is the "sleeping giant" (Pearl Harbor reference, what a terrible movie) in the entire NHL. The way this team can win when they are on is unmatched by anybody, and they've been doing it my entire life (20 years, 6 months, 18 days). Their Cup dreams like so many other teams reside in their goaltender's play in the playoffs. And the Wings will either sink or swim depending on Howard's health and his performance in the playoffs.
Nashville Predators - This team is the perfect playoff team, top 10 in offense, defense, power play, penalty kill. In the playoffs teams win on special teams and goaltending. This team has qualities in the 3 categories that match any other team in the NHL. The moves this team made at the deadline bringing in the other Kostitsyn, Gaustad, and Hal Gill solidify this team's roster. There's no holes in this line up, and their top-6 forwards, top-4 defensemen, and goalies are all healthy going into the playoffs. On top of that Alexander Radulov, for my money the top player not playing NHL hockey, may decide this week whether he is going to return to the NHL after a 4 year hiatus. Because of his contract situation with the Predators, if he comes back he doesn't have to pass through re-entry waivers, and he is fully elidigable for the playoffs (Marty Turco who signed with the Bruins after the trade deadline isn't elidgeable to play in the playoffs). Make no mistake about it, if the Pred's get Radulov they're adding a top-6 forward into their lineup.
So there's my list. If I were a betting man I would put my money with one of those 8 teams to win the cup. With that said though any team in the playoffs, especially out of the West, can beat any other team, no question about it.
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