1. San Jose Sharks (+250 to win) <\/strong> 2. Chicago Blackhawks (+300 to win) <\/strong> 3. Calgary Flames (+800 to win) <\/strong> 4. Detroit Red Wings (+250 to win) <\/strong> 5. Anaheim Ducks (+800 to win) <\/strong> 6. Vancouver Canucks (+900 to win) <\/strong> 7. St. Louis Blues (+1500 to win) <\/strong> 8. Los Angeles Kings (+3000 to win) <\/strong>
\nHey \u2013 don\u2019t mistake me for a Sharks backer. I fully expect them to flop again in the playoffs but there\u2019s no denying that the Sharks win like crazy in the regular season every year. Dany Heatley is the best winger Joe Thornton\u2019s ever had by a fair margin so it\u2019s possible both guys have career years. Still, until the Sharks prove they aren\u2019t chokers, they\u2019ll do nothing in April.<\/p>\n
\nThese are the guys to back at your sportsbook, not just to finish high in the regular-season standings, but also to make major waves in the West and possibly reach the Stanley Cup final. The Hawks are the deepest team in the conference. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane don\u2019t even play on the same line; Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg and many other support them and Marian Hossa will return from injury soon enough. Chicago has the best young blueline in hockey with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Cam Barker. The only question mark \u2013 and it\u2019s a big one \u2013 is goaltending.<\/p>\n
\nThanks to Vancouver\u2019s injury woes, things are looking up in Calgary. Jay Bouwmeester joins Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr to give the Flames some serious minutes eaters on defense. Calgary still may regret letting Mike Cammalleri walk \u2013 can Rene Bourque keep up his hot start? \u2013 but Jarome Iginla and the Flames are a legit playoff team.<\/p>\n
\nHmm. Grey-haired hockey brass still love the Wings\u2019 Stanley Cup odds this season because they \u201cdo it every year.\u201d But riddle me this: how can a Stanley Cup finalist lose four of its top six goal scorers (Hossa, Hudler, Samuelsson to free agency, Franzen to injury), replace them with nothing but Todd Bertuzzi and compete at the same level?<\/p>\n
\nDon\u2019t underestimate the Ducks. Bobby Ryan is starting slowly but I still think he\u2019ll form the NHL\u2019s best line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry by the time the season ends. The Ducks are strong up front but Scott Niedermayer needs help mentoring a young defense. Also, it would help Jonas Hiller or J.S. Giguere could win the starting goalie job outright.<\/p>\n
\nI liked Vancouver\u2019s hockey odds to win the Northwest division but Daniel Sedin\u2019s broken foot will have a ripple effect on the lineup for the next month or two. The key to the Canucks\u2019 breakout last season was finally icing two good scoring lines; losing Daniel cripples their depth, so teams can key on brother Henrik and the first line again. Roberto Luongo still hasn\u2019t shaken his funk, either.<\/p>\n
\nThere\u2019s no doubt the Blues\u2019 future is bright, but there\u2019s a slight chance they were ahead of schedule last season. They\u2019re loaded with budding scorers and have a great future top-two defense pair in Erik Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo, but the kids are still, well, kids. Temper your expectations.<\/p>\n
\nFor the record, my picking the Kings to make the playoffs has nothing to do with their hot start; I ranked them eighth a month ago. Think of them like we did the Blackhawks for the last couple of years; they\u2019ve stockpiled young talent and it\u2019s time for them to get rewarded. Drew Doughty could be an All-Star defenseman as early as this season and the Kings are surprisingly deep at forward. If the goaltending holds up. Look out.<\/p>\n