The Final Score

Rangers: third in conference.

Islanders: 14th in conference, ahead of Toronto.

Stanley Cup Finals: Montreal over Detroit.

Rangers: sixth in conference (solid start doesn't last)
Islanders: 12th in conference (watch for the February fade)
Stanley Cup Finals: San Jose over Pittsburgh

Reading your NHL predictions is a little like reading George Bush's predictions for the economy or the War in Iraq: Meaningless!

Way to be a KTG (keyboard tough guy), anonymous!

You can put your name down, it's OK. Unless you are an Islanders employee....maybe we'll have to check the IP address

Rangers: 6th in Conference (a Lundqvist slump and a lack of offensive options cause the issue)

Islanders: 12th in conference (DP is too good for this team to finish last, but given the strength of the conference this is their ceiling).

Cup Finals: Detroit over Washington

Rangers: 2nd in conference.

Biron/Niittymaki is just an average goaltending tandem. They just happened to be a slightly above average Philly team that got hot last year during playoff run.

Devils have one of the worst 5 offenses in the league, and despite Brodeur's brilliance in net, they also got slower with Holik and Rolston added, in a mroe offensive and speed oriented NHL.

Islanders no competition there.

Penguins have their top two defensemen out until at least January. They are a legitimate threat to take the division, but so are the Rangers.

And the Southwest division leader, either the Caps or Hurricanes won't finish better then the Rangers.

But I see Montreal ahead of them.

It is comical though to see two writers who really aren't hockey guys to come up with predictions so matter-of-factly.

First off....

Baumbach....you are smoking crack if you think the Rangers will take 3rd in the conference. A playoff position sure...but in the 7 or 8 spot. And then King Henrik disappears in the playoffs.

And I am gonna take the opposite opinion of our learned historian about the Isles.
Isles will flounder the 1st half of the season.
After the All-Star Break, the Isles will make a run at the postseason as everyone gets healthy and the forwards will finally figure out what direction they are supposed to be skating under Gordon's Ludicrous Speed System.
Comeau emerges from the doghouse post All-Star Break to score 25 goals in 26 games after a mid-ice collision between Neilsen and Tambellini puts them on the IR for the rest of the season. (I said EVERYBODY gets healthy after the break....those two guys are NOBODY).
But the Isles are faced with a hole too deep and fall short of playoff position by 6 points and finish in 10th place.
And once again, this late season run rekindles the Audacity of Dope among the beleaguered fan base.

Pen's defeat the Wild (led by 25 goals from MAB--SHOTS!!) for the Cup.

Just my opinion.

Mike C?

These are the same two non-hockey reporters who correctly predicted in April that Nolan would be gone and then before the coaching "search" that Gordon would get the job. But you keep thinking hockey is some sort of closed club that only "real" fans like you can figure out. (Hint: It's not really).

505 -- im not putting "7 or 8" for the Rangers up top. Choose, man! Because you know in April we are going to look back at these and see who knew what way back when.

7th

So when the Rangers finish 2nd I would like you to mention in your blog how a "real hockey" fan was able to accurately predict the Eastern conference as opposed to casual hockey writers who only predict coaching changes after rumblings of a rift between Nolan and Snow had already started to be talked about.

I think you have to give Jim and Anthony props on the Islanders' coaching situation. Jim knows where I stood on that before I became really active here.

I don't understand why people want more Islanders coverage if they think the people who discuss the Islanders are idiots. Maybe this should be turned over to 505 and me.

I don't happen to think Jim and Anthony are idiots. Sometimes I think they are wrong. And sometimes I'm right about that. Sometimes I'm not.

Now, whether this gets me any love from Rieber ... who knows? :) And CN trusts a guy with a Big Ten degree, even if it's from Wisconsin.

Anon, sign your name.

Love, Brooks? I don't know about love...

But you and 505 and Nick always get the respect from this corner, for sure.

As for Mike C, join the TFS party, pal, but leave the tired "these guys don't know hockey" routine elsewhere. If we were sending bouquets to the Isles and Rangers, would that make us "hockey experts"?

We call 'em like we see 'em. Your two cents are always welcome here. But as Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain would say, check the record: we were all over the Isles coaching situation(s) way before the rest of the blogosphere.

If the Rangers do finish second, crow all you want. What's the fun of predicting something correctly if you don't crow?

Wow, 12 comments ahead of me? Actually leave the house for a few hours and look what happens.

Rangers will not be third, because they would have to win the division to get at least the 3-seed, and they are not better than Pittsburgh, and maybe/maybe-not vs. Philly or Devs.
PREDICTION: 6th in the East.
Islanders clearly need another book written about them, they might be more dysfunctional right now than during the Milbury years, when they were FAR more entertaining (at least off the ice).
This team is not making the playoffs, sorry. They simply won't score enough in this conference and have too many injury-prone goalies and defenders at the other end.
PREDICTION: 13th-15th in the East.

CUP PREDICTION: Hate to totally copy off someone else's paper, but agree with Rieber.
Pens will win it, over the Wings.

GO RIEBER !!