2010 NHL Northeast Division Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds | Sportsbookbuzz.com

2010 NHL Northeast Division Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

Welcome to the best and most complete 2010 NHL Northeast Division Season Preview available online. The teams that make up our 2010 NHL Northeast Season Preview are the are the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Northeast is the only division in the East that produced four playoff teams, and in 2010 they probably won’t be able to repeat it. Ottawa and Montreal both regressed to a point where the postseason will be very difficult to reach, and Toronto just isn’t there yet. Buffalo and Boston are the elite teams in the division.

2010 Boston Bruins Season Preview

The fact that Boston Bruins beat Buffalo in the postseason last year wasn’t the only reason they’re ranked higher this year. That has to do more with their new number one goaltender and their new rookie forward. Tuukka Rask takes over Tim Thomas as the teams number one net-minder, and that’s good news for Bruins fans. Rask was clearly the better goaltender last season, and a full season of the former first round pick between the pipes is worth a few extra wins. The team also drafted Tyler Seguin second overall (thanks Toronto!). Seguin could easily have been the first pick, and has all the tools to be an incredible talent in the NHL. As a rookie he’s already an improvement over most of the Bruins offense, and gives the team some young insurance should they lose Marc Savard to an extended period of time. Add in a defense led by Zdeno Chara and you have yourselves a division winner.

Boston Bruins Odds: -120 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS

Boston Bruins 2010 Season Preview – Boston Bruins 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Buffalo Sabres Season Preview

Even with a suspect offense, any team that features Ryan Miller in net will be at least second in the standings. The defending Vezina winner is the best goalie in the game and will carry a team to wins in games they have no business winning. And since Miller has progressively been getting better each year, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be able to do so in ‘10-‘11. Their defense, led by future super-star Tyler Myers, will be solid again. The only question mark is on offense, and that will ultimately be their downfall. Tim Connelly is a great talent, but he’s not consistently healthy to be counted on. Still, even without much scoring, they’re the second best team in the division.

Buffalo Sabres Odds: +500 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS

Buffalo Sabres 2010 Season Previews – Buffalo Sabres 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Montreal Canadiens Season Preview

The Montreal Canadiens biggest offseason move came when they traded playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis for prospects. This put Carey Price as the clear number one, a plan that can massively backfire if Price plays the way he has in years past. He’s got incredible talent, but questions about his work ethic and dedication linger, and those questions get bigger in the Montreal market after every bad game. There is talent elsewhere on the team, but the focus is 100% on Price. He does well and the team does well. He fails and Montreal’s season goes down the drain quickly.

Montreal Canadiens Odds: +450 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS

Montreal Canadiens 2010 Season Preview – Montreal Canadiens 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Ottawa Senators Season Preview

The biggest dropoff in the division goes to the Ottawa Senators. This team did very little to improve themselves in the offseason; they just got older. I’m not sold on the Sergei Gonchar signing. He’ll no doubt improve the power play, but he has become such a liability in his own end his puck-moving ability is almost not even worth it. Jason Spezza and Alex Kovalev are the focal points of their aging offense, and that’s not a good thing. They’ll miss Anton Volchankov and his shot-blocking abilities more than they’d like to admit. And I’m not sure Brian Elliot and Pascal Leclaire can lead the team to the postseason two years in a row. Things could get ugly in Ottawa.

Ottawa Senators Odds: +450 to win the Stanley Cup at BetUS

Ottawa Senators 2010 Season Preview – Ottawa Senators 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Toronto Maple Leafs Season Preview

The rebuilding continues in Toronto Maple Leafs . Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong were signed as free-agents and are better than the players they’re replacing. Still, the team is short on legit top-line players, with only Phil Kessell filling that requirement. Offense will be at a premium, meaning the defense and goaltending will have to be the strengths of the team. The Leafs decided to keep Tomas Kaberle instead of trading him, and he compliments a crowded blue-line that includes new captain and leader Dion Phaneuf. There’s no more Vesa Toskala in net (100% a good thing), and time will tell if Jonas Gustavsson is the real deal (although J.S. Giguere is a good insurance plan). The team is no-doubt better than last year, but I’m not sure they’re good enough for the postseason just yet.