Who Can Win in 2007?
The 2007 NHL playoffs are going to be a toss up in the West, much like last year, with too many teams within a handful of points and while the East is less jumbled, it’s the four and five seeds that most need to be looked at.
Last year’s Stanley Cup Finals ended with two small market teams facing off and ratings hitting all time lows. As the first season back after an historic lockout and a slew of rules changes, the NHL playoff odds makers were as confused as anyone about just what was going on it the league.
This year, with a full year of changes under the belt and the league starting to acclimate to the position it put itself in, the Stanley Cup playoffs are back. And the NHL playoff odds are once again stacked in favor of the better teams. However, will it be the Sabres, Senators, Canucks sitting at the top of the rankings or will another 8 seed push their way to the finals like Edmonton did last year?
The NHL playoffs, in such a long format, are just as capable as any other sport of breaking down in a way that no one expects, but this year especially teams are closer than ever. The Ottawa Senators, themselves a four seed are ranked number one in many power rankings, including ESPN’s, thanks to a late season push that included 17 points in 10 games. The result is a team that could easily take out any opponent in the NHL.
But should NHL playoff odds watchers start second guessing the choices of the odds makers right from the start? Hardly. Even with the upsets by Edmonton and Anaheim last year, don’t forget the 1-4 seeds all won handily in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last year. More often than not, the Sabres, Senators, and other eastern powerhouses will stand up to the pressure and succeed.
Teams to look for in bottom half of the brackets though would definitely have to include the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the strongest 5 seeds in a good long time. And a Pacific Division with three teams over 100 points means there are at least two lower seeds that stand to make a solid run in San Jose and Dallas. Minnesota’s 100 point 7th seed is another wild card.
The Western Conference especially is going to be hard to gauge in the NHL playoff odds. It will be as up in the air as it was last year, although Calgary probably does not stand the greatest chance of an 8th seed upset like last year’s Oilers.
As with any year, the NHL playoffs are a time of excitement and mass guessing. The odds makers claim they are working with the numbers, but when the numbers are so close it’s more about the feel of the game, and this year the feel is such that any team could pull it off.
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