Categories
NHL

2011/2012 NHL Pacific Division Gambling + Handicapping Preview

Cappers Picks in house NHL betting expert Ray Monohan weighs in with his 2011 NHL predictions. Which Pacific division team will lift Lord Stanley in June? Ray our NHL expert weighs in, and the picks are again across the board.

NHL Betting – Pacific Division Preview

After falling short of heightened expectations a year ago, the Los Angeles Kings made a couple of key offseason moves that should put them in contention to compete with the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific division crown this season.

BUY RAYS SEASON NHL PASS OR DAILY NHL PLAYS NOW CLICK HERE!

Both teams retooled in the offseason and feel they have strong enough rosters to contend for a Stanley Cup this year, and with the rest of the division apparently content to battle for the playoff spots in the Western Conference, it will likely end up as a two-team race for first place in the Pacific.

On The Rise: Los Angeles Kings

With so much young talent, there was a lot of pressure on the Kings to do big things in the 2010-11 season. But following a seventh place finish and early playoff exit, general manager Dean Lombardi decided to add even more skill up front, and it should pay off.

In addition to trading for former Philadelphia Flyers’ captain Mike Richards, Lombardi added winger Simon Gagne, another skilled offensive playmaker. Signing defenseman Drew Doughty to a long-term deal was a major priority that Lombardi was also able to take care of, and with two capable young goaltenders in Jon Quick and Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles is set to contend for the next couple of years.

Center Anze Kopitar could break out with the presence of Richards in the lineup, and if he can stay healthy the Kings will rank among the most complete teams in the NHL.

On The Decline: Phoenix Coyotes

On the heels of consecutive playoff appearances, it appears as though the Coyotes are destined to fall in the Western Conference standings this season, which really hurts not only in terms of this year, but in regards to the future of the franchise in the desert. Phoenix couldn’t afford to keep their most valuable player in Ilya Bryzgalov, and also lost a number of key depth players including Eric Belanger, Vernon Fiddler, and Lee Stempniak.

Veteran defenseman Ed Jovanovski also exited over the summer, and the Coyotes didn’t do enough to properly address their losses. [ad-4437448]

Phoenix brought in Michael Smith and Curtis McElhinney to fill the hole left by Bryzgalov’s departure, and it is a fair assessment to project those moves won’t come close to making up for the loss of one of the top netminders in the NHL.

Projected Winner: Los Angeles Kings

The Sharks changed their approach with an attempt to shore things up in their own end by trading for Brent Burns, and also added Martin Havlat up front while parting ways with wingers Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.

While it may work out for them in the long run in terms of competing in the playoffs, they will not have as much firepower during the regular season and that will hurt them in their battle with Los Angeles for division supremacy. The Kings added enough firepower to an already talented team to think that they should be able to finally live up to the lofty expectations that were placed on them a year ago, and they should be able to claim top spot in the Pacific.

NHL SUBSCRIPTIONS- *#1 NHL Capper* – Razor’s 2011/12 NHL Season Subscription

The No.1 NHL Capper in 2011! Finished +2533 Units last year. (1500 units ahead of #2) Back ready for more this year! Get every single selection released by Razor Ray the #1 OVERALL NHL handicapper. Grab all of Ray’s 2011/2012 NHL plays! That is every side, every total and every top play through the end of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012! One LOW Price $449.95! Buying plays one at a time will cost $24.95. Stick with us all season – look at the savings! Hop on board the $ train NOW!

BUY RAYS SEASON NHL PASS OR DAILY NHL PLAYS NOW CLICK HERE!

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"