Hockey Pool Expert

Until proven otherwise, the Bruins are the champs.  As such, there’s a serious case to be made for filling up your fantasy roster with Bruins.

Up front, there is an embarrassment of variety to choose from.  If the B’s play 25 games, there will be many players with ~20 points.  Remember: HockeyPoolExpert.com picked Krejci as our Eastern Conference Center last year and that turned out extremely well.

The Bruins lack a convincing #2 scoring defenceman, so even Bruins fans might consider taking a Kris Letang or Kimmo Timonen to round out your defensive picks.

In net, the normal uncertainty (“will Thomas and Rask split starts?”) is moot due to a Rask injury.  Given new backup Marty Turco’s very rusty play, count on Thomas playing every game.

Choosing Bruins is as safe a bet as this year’s playoffs have to offer!

A playoff pool roster filled with Buffalo Sabres has about as much chance of winning your pool as a team filled with puppies & unicorns.

Despite several good players on the team, Buffalo is not ready for a playoff run.  Of course, goalie Ryan Miller might just earn 16 straight shutouts (he’s that good), but most poolies will place their bets on players from other teams.

Oilers fans saw this coming 9 months ago and like it just fine: another 10th place finish for the Flames.

Though it is still possible for the Flames to enter the post-season this year, it is more likely that by the middle of next week they’ll be officially eliminated.  So, the #’s below can likely be disregarded.

Avoid Calgary players when making your picks.  Even if they scratch into 8th it’ll be a short post-season.

Here’s the recipe:

• 4 clear scoring stars up front
• 2-3 proven scoring defensemen
• 3 excellent 2-way forwards (Hossa-Toews-Sharp)
• Recent Cup-winning experience
• Complete inconsistency in net, throwing the whole equation into random territory

How will their post-season end up?  It’s a tricky guess.  They could very plausibly win 16 games or get swept in the opening round.  That’s what happens when your team can’t stop others from scoring.

Chicago is not a safe bet this year, despite being so close to an ideal fantasy squad.

Colorado may or may not make the playoffs this year.  Regardless, the smart money says, “stay away from the Avs.”

They’re not quite ready for the big stage.

Here’s a HockeyPoolExpert.com prediction: Dallas has Cinderella potential.

They are built like a truck, have excellent depth, and can beat teams in several styles.

Picking long-shots is usually a good way to look foolish later on, but throwing the dice on Dallas feels like a okay bet this year.  Of course, that assumes they make it into the playoffs…

Instructions for Wings fans:

1. Find your picklist from 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011
2. Erase “Brian Rafalski”
3. Write “Ian White”

Any questions?

Florida is a score-by-committee team that few predict to win many games this post-season.

With full congratulations to Dale Tallon and the turn-around underway in this organization, this is not the year to stock up on Panthers.  Too bad, as Brian Campbell is having a heck of a season again proving his critics wrong.

The biggest problem with the LA Kings from a playoff pool perspective is the # of games they’re likely to play.  Assuming that they even make the first round, almost no-one will be betting that they’ll upset St. Louis or Vancouver.

Unless you like long odds, avoid players from the Kings this season.

Nashville is in good shape for a playoff run, but the team is completely lopsided from a fantasy hockey perspective.

In Shea Weber & Ryan Suter, they have two top choices for defensemen.  In Pekka Rinne, they have a top-flight goaltender capable of winning games by himself.

However, the forward group lacks individual prowess after Martin Erat.  There are plenty of excellent players in the bunch, just no-one you’d pick to score 25 points down the stretch.