ATS- PICKS N PLAYS

FREE WEEKLY PRO PLAYS

2010-11-29T17:11:00Z

Free Pick: Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators

Free Pick: North Carolina-Wilmington @ George Washington

Free Pick: St. Peter's @ Seton Hall

...

Today’s Free Pick

2010-11-29T17:09:00Z

Today’s Free Pick

GAME: Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators Nov 29, 2010 7:30PM
SPORT: National Hockey League Picks
PICK: Ottawa Senators
Offered at: -200 BetJamaica
REASON FOR PICK: Large underdogs always have a shot at cashing in the NHL, as its a league where any team can win on any given night. That said, when a 'good team' hosts a 'bad team,' unless a goalie absolutely stands on his head and/or there's some sort of other situational factor involved, more often than not, the home team will come away with the two points. In this case, while the price may seem steep, I feel it could easily be even higher. The Oilers certainly qualify as a 'bad' team, so far this season. They've got the fewest points in the Western Conference. They've allowed 88 goals already, by far the most the entire league. With their 5-0 loss at Phoenix on 11/23, they're now 4-16 their last 20 road games, dating back to last season. In my opinion, the Senators also qualify as a 'good' team, at least when they're playing here at Ottawa. I played on the Sens on Saturday. At the time I noted the following: "...they've still gone 5-3 at home over the last month and are above .500 here on the season. Keep in mind that they were 26-15 (26-11-4) here last season..." We can add an extra "W" to those stats now as the Sens came through with an impressive 3-0 victory. The Sens have been a team that's been able to take care of bad teams. With Saturday's win, they're now a profitable 6-1 (+5.4) against teams with a losing record. Given that they're a perfect 6-0 against the Oilers since 2006, the current price seems reasonable. Consider laying the wood.

Sports Betting Headlines

2010-11-29T17:04:00Z

Sports Betting Headlines »

Girls, Girls, Girls

Who's got the hotter cheerleaders - the 49ers or Cardinals? We thought the question needed to be...

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NCAAF RANKINGS / POLLS

2010-11-07T21:51:00Z

Rankings: Week 11

Bowl Subdivision Polls

AP Top 25

USA Today

Bowl Champ. Series

Yahoo! User Rankings

Launch Team Ranker

TCU moves to No. 3, Auburn No. 2 in AP poll

2010-11-07T21:47:00Z

TCU moves to No. 3, Auburn No. 2 in AP poll

By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer

NEW YORK (AP)—TCU’s impressive victory over the weekend not only lifted the Horned Frogs to No. 3 in The Associated Press poll, it caused Auburn to move up behind top-ranked Oregon and Boise State to fall two spots to No. 4.

The Horned Frogs won 47-7 at Utah on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten Mountain West Conference teams. With that thoroughly dominant performance, TCU drew so much support away from Boise State, it caused movement in the top four for the first time in three weeks.

Oregon received 49 first-place votes and 1,484 points, only three points less than last week. Auburn received the exact amount of first-place votes (two) and points as last week.

TCU received two first-place votes, same as last week, but jumped 41 points to 1,391. Boise State kept its seven first-place votes, but dropped 37 points to 1,366.

LSU is No. 5, up seven spots, and the highest ranked team with one loss after the Tigers beat Alabama 24-21 on Saturday. The Crimson Tide fell six spots to No. 11.

The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with seven teams in the Top 25.

No. 6 Wisconsin, Stanford, Ohio State, Nebraska and Michigan State rounded out the top 10.

No. 25 Central Florida (7-2) is ranked for the first time in school history. The Knights have been playing I-A football since 1996.

UCF is a spot behind Florida, which re-entered the rankings this week after falling out three weeks ago for the first time since the final poll of the 2004 season.

The Sunshine State’s other two traditional powers, Florida State and Miami, are unranked. Florida State was one of three teams to drop out after a loss this week, joining ACC rival North Carolina State and Baylor.

No. 23 Texas A&M (6-3) moved into the rankings for the first time since early in the 2007 season by beating Oklahoma 33-19.

Alabama is followed in the second 10 by Oklahoma State, Iowa, Arkansas and Utah at No. 15. The Utes dropped nine spots after being routed by TCU, a loss that snapped their 21-game home winning streak.

No. 16 Virginia Tech is the only Atlantic Coast Conference team in the poll. No. 17 Mississippi State, Arizona, Oklahoma and Missouri finish off the top 20.

Nevada is No. 21 and No. 22 is South Carolina, which plays at Florida on Saturday for the SEC East championship.

TCU BEST NON BCS TEAM IN THE NATION?

2010-11-07T21:44:00Z

November 6, 2010

Tom Dienhart
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer

SALT LAKE CITY -- Sorry, Boise State, but this makes it official. TCU is the best non-Big Six team in the nation.

If there were any doubters, Saturday's emphatic 47-7 demolition of Utah sent a message loud and clear.

"I think everyone understands what kind of team Utah has, and for us to do it the way we did it today says a lot about what we've done as a program and what we do," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "We wanted to be peaking at the end of the year and I think we have an opportunity to do that."



Gary Patterson's Frogs showed they belong in the title game mix.

And then some. This Horned Frogs team may be the ultimate BCS-buster in that it is capable of becoming the first school from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play for the national title. After Saturday's display, it's easy to think TCU could play with any team in the nation.

"TCU thoroughly outplayed us, and it was not even close," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "The score was not indicative of how lopsided this game was. They were better at every phase of the game."

Wouldn't it be fun to see TCU play, say, Oregon for all the marbles on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz? The nation's best offense vs. the nation's best defense. Patterson's visor vs. Chip Kelly's visor.

The chances of it happening increased with Alabama's loss at LSU. The defeat eliminates the Crimson Tide from the BCS title-game picture, leaving No. 1 Oregon or No. 2 Auburn between TCU and a spot in the championship game.

"We'll see," Patterson said. "We'll see if we can win the next two games, and then we'll have a conversation."

TCU plays host to San Diego State next week, followed by an off week, then a season-ending trip to woeful New Mexico. Taking care of business won't be the issue for the Horned Frogs; they need help from others, and that may prove too difficult to overcome.

An Oregon loss would punch TCU's ticket to the title game, and the Ducks have potential hurdles remaining with a visit from Arizona and a game at Oregon State. But the Frogs' best hope rests with a loss by Auburn and its iffy defense. Alabama still can have a big impact on the chase if it can beat Auburn in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 26. If the Tigers pass that test, they will have a SEC title game matchup against either South Carolina or Florida.

If it doesn't land a trip to the national title game, TCU figures to get a nice consolation prize in a trip to the Rose Bowl. Under terms of the most recent BCS agreement, the first time the Rose Bowl loses a team to the national championship game (which would be the case if Oregon wins out) and a team from outside the Big Six conferences is an automatic qualifier, that team will play in the Rose Bowl.

Still, the Horned Frogs want so much more.

"This year, we scheduled Oregon State to get us ready for the conference, to give ourselves a national game as far as a measuring stick, and then Baylor," Patterson said. "So, we understood what we had to do."

Boise State is a near-lock to finish 12-0 and figures to secure an at-large BCS bowl bid. But the Broncos can forget about playing for the BCS title. The BCS standings reflected TCU's superiority last week, as the Frogs slipped past BSU to the No. 3 spot; Boise fell to No. 4.

When comparing the resumes, it's easy to see why TCU is judged to be the better team.

The Horned Frogs play in a better conference (Mountain West vs. WAC).

The Horned Frogs have three impressive wins (Oregon State, Baylor, Utah) compared to two for Boise State (Virginia Tech, Oregon State). Yes, the Broncos have a game remaining on the road against a ranked Nevada team, but that won't impress pollsters or the BCS computers enough to push past TCU.

TCU's total domination of the No. 5 BCS team was the closing argument.



	Andy Dalton and the Frogs were dominant on both sides of the ball.

"We were out-coached and out-played," Whittingham said. "Gary Patterson has something special there, and they are an exceptionally high-quality football team."

This game looked similar to last season's meeting in Fort Worth, when the Horned Frogs raced to a 35-7 second-quarter lead and never faltered en route to a 55-28 victory.

Saturday, three of TCU's scoring drives took one play and Utah didn't cross midfield until the fourth quarter. The only bad thing for TCU was a missed extra point in the first quarter.

TCU senior quarterback Andy Dalton was 21-of-26 for a career-high 355 yards and three touchdowns. The Horned Frogs finished with 558 yards.

It's too bad more of the nation couldn't witness TCU's muscle and might. This matchup between top-five teams was broadcast on CBS College Sports. Regardless, this result will reverberate coast to coast.

"They smoked us in every phase," Utah defensive end Christian Cox said. "It is disheartening and frustrating."

TCU entered the game ranked first in the nation in total defense (217.3 ypg) and scoring defense (8.7 ppg), and it lived up to those numbers. The Frogs allowed 199 total yards to a Utah team that entered the game ranked 21st in total offense (449.6 ypg) and third in scoring offense (45.3 ppg).

TCU now has allowed 23 points in its past six games. The loss snapped Utah's 21-game home winning streak, and the 40-point margin is tied for the fourth-largest home defeat in Utes history.

"We flat-out got beat," Utah center Zane Taylor said. "They are a great team."

Utah, whose BCS bowl dreams have morphed into the cold, hard reality of a likely trip to the Las Vegas Bowl, shouldn't feel too bad. The Utes just happened to be the unfortunate souls standing on the sideline opposite this TCU buzz saw.

If it's any consolation, Utah won't have to deal with TCU again, as the Utes move to the Pac-10 next season. Utah won't see a defense like this next season in its new conference. But it makes you wonder: Shouldn't TCU be the school joining the Pac-10?

It's too bad TCU has to continue to toil in the Mountain West, a conference the Horned Frogs have outgrown. TCU looks, smells and plays like a major-conference team because that's what the Horned Frogs are. They are a Big Six team masquerading as a non-Big Six team.

There have been recent reports of the Big East wooing TCU, but that seems like a bad fit. TCU deserves better company and could compete in any conference in the nation - yes, even the SEC. In fact, this edition of the Horned Frogs would be the best team in the SEC East. With the right breaks, TCU may get a chance to prove it's the best in the nation.

"The bottom line is they've put themselves on a different plateau, but they have to finish the season," Patterson said of his players. "We only can control what we can control, but I thought we made a statement today."

Tom Dienhart is a national senior writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dienhart@yahoo-inc.com, and you can click here to follow him on Twitter.

Westwood not playing on US Tour in 2011

2010-10-07T15:28:00Z

Westwood not playing on US Tour in 2011

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP)—Lee Westwood says he will not take up PGA Tour membership next year, only coming to America for the majors, World Golf Championships and occasional tournaments around them.

The 37-year-old Englishman said Wednesday that he will put his family first in 2011, remaining based in Europe despite a chance to compete for the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.

“Why would you take up membership in the States when you’ve been the most successful player in the world this year?” Westwood said. “When you’ve come in second in two major championships, you must be doing something right. Why not stick to the same schedule?”

U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, the Europe’s hero in the Ryder Cup, took his U.S. card for the second half of the season and says he will play the PGA Tour next year as a member, though not as much as some other Europeans.

Westwood has a chance to end Woods’ 278-week run atop the world ranking by finishing in a three-way tie for second or better at the Dunhill Links Championship, which starts Thursday on three coastline courses with St. Andrews as the host course.

Westwood, a runner-up at the Masters and British Open, could become only the third player to reach No. 1 without having won a major. The others were Fred Couples, who won the Masters a month after reaching No. 1, and David Duval, who was No. 1 in 1999 and captured the British Open two years later.

“I don’t want to get into a situation where I have to play events in America just to make up 15 needed for tour membership,” he said. “The FedEx Cup sits right in the middle of the kids’ summer holidays, and I like going on holiday with them for a couple of weeks.”

Westwood says he has been asked by American officials to join their tour, but after another successful Ryder Cup for Europe, he turned his focus to personal goals.

“As of Monday evening in Wales I became an individual again, and I do what’s right for Lee Westwood now,” he said.

Westwood could reach No. 1 in the world on Nov. 1 if he finishes inside the top 20 at the Dunhill Links Championship and the Portugal Masters next week.

Then comes the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, featuring Westwood, Woods and Phil Mickelson. Even though Westwood is poised to move to No. 1, the question is how long he stays there.

The longest Woods has vacated the No. 1 ranking was 26 weeks in 2004 and 2005 to Vijay Singh.

Choosing to play more in Europe than America in 2011 will make it more difficult for Westwood to remain No. 1 because for most weeks of the year the PGA Tour events carry more ranking points.

The Dunhill Links has a strength-of-field comparable to the AT&T National— 48 points to the winner—with eight other members of the European Ryder Cup team taking part. That includes McDowell, McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington, Ross Fisher, Peter Hanson, Edoardo Molinari and captain Colin Montgomerie.

Fearless NHL predictions for 2010-11

2010-10-07T15:25:00Z

Fearless NHL predictions for 2010-11

It’s going to be a banner season for Alex Ovechkin (notes) and the Washington Capitals, at least according to five resident hockey experts at Yahoo! Sports.

Yahoo!’s hockey staff is picking the Capitals to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and predicts that Ovechkin will be the driving force behind Washington’s success. Ovechkin received the most support to claim the Art Ross Trophy and the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer and top goal-scorer, respectively, while the explosive Capitals star tied with his arch-rival, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (notes), for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

“Alex Ovechkin has never won anything?” Cotsonika said. “That will change soon.”

Washington received three Stanley Cup votes, while Pittsburgh and the ever-improving Los Angeles Kings each received one. Kings center Anze Kopitar (notes) was the only player not named Crosby or Ovechkin to receive an MVP vote.

“The Kings’ time is now and they have a talented goaltending duo that can get them there,” said Leahy, who likes Los Angeles’ net options of starter Jonathan Quick (notes), backup Erik Ersberg (notes) and promising prospect Jonathan Bernier (notes).

Washington's Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin will be jumping for joy this season, according to our predictions. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Washington also received the most support to capture the Eastern Conference title in the regular season, while the San Jose Sharks were a runaway to win the West after being named on four of five ballots.

“Three conference championships in a row, yet the Sharks find a way to come up short one final time before a roster overhaul,” said McKeon, who was a Sharks beat reporter for nearly 20 years before joining Yahoo! Sports.

Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin (notes), the reigning NHL MVP and last season’s leading scorer, received two votes to repeat as the Art Ross Trophy winner (compared to three votes for Ovechkin), while New York Rangers sniper Marian Gaborik (notes) prevented an Ovechkin sweep in the voting for top goal-scorer.

“He’s in prime position to follow up strong on 112 points,” said Cotsonika of Sedin, pointing out that Henrik’s twin brother and linemate, Daniel, missed nearly 20 games last season.

Drew Doughty (notes), the Kings’ 20-year-old defenseman who’s entering his third NHL season, was the biggest surprise of the survey, taking all five votes for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best blue liner. Forget Zdeno Chara (notes), Nicklas Lidstrom (notes), Duncan Keith (notes), Shea Weber (notes) and Chris Pronger (notes) – Doughty is the new favorite flavor. Now, all he has to do is deliver on those high expectations.

“We saw it last season and 2010-11 is when Doughty takes his game to the next level,” Leahy said.

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (notes), a revelation last year in both the NHL and at the Olympics for Team USA, was tabbed to repeat as the Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best netminder, beating out Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo (notes) and Boston Bruins youngster Tuukka Rask (notes).

“Miller will single-handedly carry the Sabres to a division title,” said McKeon, noting that Miller faces a tough task after Buffalo lost top defensemen Henrik Tallinder (notes) and Toni Lydman to free agency in the summer.

Taylor Hall (notes), drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers last June, was picked to claim the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, ahead of teammate Jordan Eberle (notes), Canucks center Cody Hodgson (notes) and Montreal Canadiens defenseman PK Subban (notes), who joined the Habs during their playoff run last spring and became an immediate fan favorite.

Top 10 Stanley Cup contenders

2010-10-07T15:22:00Z

Top 10 Stanley Cup contenders

By Nicholas J. Cotsonika,

One point. One point won on the final day of the regular season. One point won in a shootout on the final day of the regular season. The Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs by the thinnest of margins in 2009-10 and then went all the way to the Stanley Cup final, coming within two victories of a championship.

The effect is still being felt around the NHL and has become a not-so-subtle theme as the 2010-11 season opens. Thanks to the salary cap and parity, the league is as unpredictable as ever and hockey people of all stripes have been pointing to the Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens as evidence of it. The Habs were the East’s eighth seed in last season’s playoffs. They upset the Washington Capitals, the Presidents’ Trophy winners as the top regular-season team, and then the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defending Cup champs, before falling in the conference final to the Flyers, the East’s seventh seed.

Michael Leighton's Flyers squeaked into the playoffs last spring, but made it all the way to the final before falling to Patrick Kane's Blackhawks. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

“Once you’re in there – Philly proved that if you get hot, or even Montreal – things can happen,” said goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (notes), whose New York Rangers were on the wrong end of the Flyers’ 2-1 shootout victory on April 11 and missed the playoffs by one point. “You just need to come in with good confidence and get things going for you.”

But to those for whom the playoffs is the only measure of success, it’s a warning. The playoffs don’t start for six months. Dominate in the regular season and lose your edge in April or May, and it could be all for naught in a flash.

“Look, Philadelphia goes to playoffs,” said Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (notes). “It was last game, and they beat Rangers, and they go to playoffs, and they were in the Stanley Cup final. You never know what is going to happen. It doesn’t matter how good you play in the season. The playoffs, it’s much different hockey and much different situation.”

No wonder the Capitals had T-shirts printed for training camp: “Stay angry … believe in yourselves.” The best teams can find it difficult to stay focused throughout the 82-game warm-up. But for all the unpredictability, parity should go only so far in the end. The cream will rise, and the top 10 Stanley Cup contenders – identified and categorized below – need to find deeper meaning in the regular season as they jockey for playoff positioning so they can be ready for anything come spring.

“I wish playoffs started right away,” said Capitals defenseman Mike Green (notes). “But it’s always good. It takes almost 82 games to prepare yourself as a team to get ready for the playoffs. It’ll be a long haul, but we’ll be prepared.”

Overdue to break through:

San Jose Sharks

No team has been more of a tease than the Sharks. The past six regular seasons, they have posted between 99 and 117 points, but they have never made it to the Stanley Cup final. We know about the talent of Patrick Marleau (notes), Joe Thornton (notes) and Dany Heatley (notes). The Sharks need more development from their next wave of forwards, starting with Joe Pavelski (notes), Devin Setoguchi (notes) and Ryane Clowe (notes). They need to fill the void left by the retirement of future Hall of Fame defenseman Rob Blake (notes) with contributions from youngsters Marc-Edouard Vlasic (notes) and Jason Demers (notes). And they need to find their man in goal after the departure of Evgeni Nabokov (notes). They nabbed Antti Niemi (notes), whose Chicago Blackhawks swept them in the Eastern Conference final and went on to win the Cup last season. But Niemi has played all of 42 NHL regular-seasons games, while the other new net arrival, Antero Niittymaki (notes), has played all of two NHL playoff games.

Vancouver Canucks

Will a ‘C’ change lead to a sea change for the Canucks, who have posted more than 100 points five times in the past seven regular seasons but never escaped the second round of the playoffs? Roberto Luongo (notes) relinquished the captaincy and, freed of that burden, the theory is that he can get back to doing what goaltenders do: stop the puck. But for all the handwringing about Luongo and the devaluing of goaltending in recent years, Luongo was never the real problem and remains one of the best men to have in net. The problem was that the Canucks didn’t have enough defense to go with their offensive stars – led by twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin (notes) – and now we’ll find out if the additions of checking center Manny Malhotra (notes) and defensemen Dan Hamhuis (notes) and Keith Ballard (notes) can make the difference.

Due to break through:

Washington Capitals

After raising their regular-season point totals from 70 to 94 to 108, after going from out of the playoffs to the first round to the second round, the Capitals thought it was their time in 2009-10. “Coming in after the ’08-09 season, I think they felt like they made another step forward, ‘Let’s go for the big one. We’re ready for the big one,’ ” said winger Mike Knuble (notes), who joined the Caps last season. “And maybe that wasn’t necessarily the case.” The Capitals posted a league-high 121 points last season, but took a step backward in the playoffs with a first-round loss. They had no reason to mess with the roster, which returns virtually intact. But they need to break in goaltenders Semyon Varlamov (notes) and Michal Neuvirth (notes) – two 22-year-olds who combine for 54 games of regular-season experience – and develop a killer instinct. “Every series we was in playoffs, we played seven games,” Ovechkin said. “We have to make it shorter. We have to cut it off right away.”

Los Angeles Kings

Do the Kings belong among the elite yet? They’re being included in that company now, but they still have to prove it. They jumped from 79 points in 2008-09 to 101 points last season and made the playoffs for the first time in eight years, bowing out in the first round. The pressure is on Anze Kopitar (notes) to live up to his new billing as a top centerman, and it’s on Drew Doughty (notes) to live up to the hype as a favorite for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. Jonathan Bernier (notes) must take some of the burden off goaltender Jonathan Quick (notes), who played 72 games last season. And the Kings, who failed to land free agent sniper Ilya Kovalchuk (notes), need Dustin Brown (notes), Wayne Simmonds (notes) and Justin Williams (notes) to grow offensively.

Looking for more:

Detroit Red Wings

They have made the playoffs 19 straight seasons and have won four of the past 13 Stanley Cups, and they are as deep as ever, especially up front. By bringing back Jiri Hudler (notes) and signing Mike Modano (notes), the Wings gave themselves three legit scoring lines and two potent power play units, while strengthening the fourth line by default. “The Red Wings, they always seem to be a strong team year after year,” said Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman. “They haven’t really lost anybody from last year. They’ve added a few pieces, so I expect them to be a test for us.” The biggest question – other than staying healthy, which the Wings didn’t last season – is whether Jimmy Howard (notes), the runner-up for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2009-10, can avoid the sophomore slump common among goaltenders.

Pittsburgh Penguins

For the first time in the Sidney Crosby (notes) era, the Penguins took a step backward in the playoffs. The defending Cup champs lost to the Habs in Round 2, and they won’t blame it on the heroics of Jaroslav Halak (notes). “While we think we played well enough to win – and you can talk about a hot goaltender or anything can happen in Game 7 – we don’t feel like we got to our ‘A’ game and played that with a relentless tenacity and played it night in and night out,” said coach Dan Bylsma. “That’s something we feel we left on the table. I know a lot of our players feel that way.” Sergei Gonchar (notes) is gone, but the Penguins believe they have enough offense with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin (notes) & Co., so they bolstered the blue line with Paul Martin (notes) and Zbynek Michalek (notes). Cutting the goals against during the regular season would be good preparation for the playoffs.

On the rebound:

Chicago Blackhawks

Are the Blackhawks favorites? Or are they underdogs? On one hand, they are the defending Stanley Cup champions, and winger Troy Brouwer (notes) said: “Our biggest concern is that we know we’re a good team. We don’t want to get overconfident. We don’t want to go into the season thinking that it’s going to be easy again because we all know how big of a battle it was last year.” But on the other hand, they lost 10 regulars from their championship team thanks to a salary-cap crunch, and while their core is intact, they need the new players to find and fill their roles as well as the old guys did. The ’Hawks could be looking to last year’s Flyers and Habs as inspiration as much as anyone. “Our No. 1 goal is to get back to the playoffs,” said captain Jonathan Toews (notes). “As you see, it doesn’t matter where you finish No. 1 through 8. As long as you make the playoffs, you’ve got a chance.”

Boston Bruins

After one of the biggest playoff chokes in NHL history – blowing a 3-0 series lead, then blowing a 3-0 lead in Game 7 to the Flyers in the second round – the Bruins need to catch their breath before they can redeem themselves. David Krejci (notes) (broken wrist) is back, but Marc Savard (notes) (concussion) and Marco Sturm (notes) (knee) are not yet ready. In the meantime, the Bruins must incorporate winger Nathan Horton (notes), who has put up solid numbers in the NHL, and rookie Tyler Seguin (notes), who has the potential to immediately contribute. The Bruins have the roster to make a Cup run, but they need to heal their wounds – both physical and mental.

Wild cards:

New Jersey Devils

Are the Devils adjusting to the times? Or are they just losing their identity? They haven’t been past the second round of the playoffs since 2003, when they won their third Cup in nine years and were known for their suffocating neutral-zone trap, and they have gone through coach after coach. Now they have yet another new coach in John MacLean, who intends to open up the offense with weapons like Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias (notes) and Zach Parise (notes). Especially considering the way the Devils went all-in on Kovalchuk – who cost them $100 million over 15 years in the end, plus a $3-million fine and two high draft picks after an arbitrator ruled their original 17-year, $102 million deal circumvented the salary cap – this seems to be a boom-or-bust gamble.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Cinderella story of the shootout-to-the-Cup-final Flyers is a little bit misleading. The truth is that the Flyers never should have put themselves in that position. They were much better than your typical squeak-into-the-playoffs club. (Would the Rangers have gone to the final had they won that shootout instead? No.) The Flyers return with a deep, talented, veteran group. But there are still questions: How will the Flyers respond in their first full season under coach Peter Laviolette? Will goaltender Michael Leighton (notes) play his best, which was good enough to make the final; his worst, which has been bad enough to send him to the minors; or somewhere in between? The Flyers must perform during the regular season like they did in the playoffs …

Or not.

“Philly showed you just have to get in there,” Knuble said. “It doesn’t have to be pretty. Just get in.”