NHL Eastern Conference Predictions

Are you interested in hearing predictions on who will win the Eastern Conference in the NHL for this 2009-2010 season? You have come to the right place. We are the number one NHL prediction website, including NHL Eastern Conference predictions.

Many NHL hockey fans are unaware that you can place bets over the internet on NHL games, as well as special future bets such as who will win the Eastern Conference. These NHL betting sites list odds for each and every NHL team on winning the Eastern Conference and allow you to bet on them. You can sign up for an account at their site, deposit money through various safe methods, and place wagers on who you think will win the Eastern Conference.

If you are new to the whole betting on the future Eastern Conference champions in the NHL you may be a bit confused about how the odds are listed on the sportsbooks. The online sports betting sites may use a couple different formats, but they all mean the same thing. For example, the odds on the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Eastern Conference may be listed as 50 to 1, 50/1, 51.00 or +5000. This means that a $10 bet on the Leafs to win the East would pay out $500 profit ($10 x 50) or $510 in total. Below we have our NHL Eastern Conference Predictions listed for the 2010/2011 NHL season, as well as the betting odds to go along with them.

Our 2010/2011 NHL Eastern Conference Predictions:

Article and Odds Updated October 5th, 2010

Washington Capitals (+180) – The Capitals don’t pay particularly well to win the East but they are easily the most talented team in the conference. Alex Ovechkin is widely considered the most dynamic player in the league and tallied 50 goals a year ago to go with 59 assists. Nicklas Backstrom will be there to help him out after a 68 assist campaign last year. On defense, Mike Green provides the offense after putting up 76 points a year ago. There are two big questions with the Caps again though. In net, they will rely heavily on goalies 22 years of age and under in Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. The other major question is whether all of this talent can come together and make a run to the Cup. They have disappointed two years in a row and need to exorcise those demons this year. I expect them to be in the mix right until the end this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins (+275) – The Pens hoisted the Cup two seasons ago and look like they will be a force year in and year out. Last year ended with a disappointing second round exit to the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Penguins had logged a lot of time on the ice, having gone to the Stanley Cup final the previous two seasons, and looked burned out. This year they should be a little fresher in a fairly wide open eastern Conference and return all of their big stars. Captain Sidney Crosby returns on the heels of a 51 goal campaign that tied Tampa’s Steven Stamkos for the league lead. Evgeni Malkin is also back after recording 77 points in 67 games in 2009. The biggest loss on the team was that of long time power play leader Sergei Gonchar from the defense. The Pens quickly reloaded at the position though bringing in Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek to give the team younger legs and more flexibility at the position. They have done it before and seem poised to do it again in 2010-11.

Boston Bruins (+900) – The Bruins are a bit of a longer shot but have a chance to make a nice run in the East. They return all of the key players from last year’s playoff team and have added some firepower on top of it. A full season in net for Tuuka Rask should pay dividends, after he led the NHL with a .931 save percentage and 1.97 goals against average in 2009. The usual cast of veterans returns this season with Zdeno Chara leading the D and Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard up front. Health will be the key for the latter two players if Boston is to make a surprise run to the cup. They have bolstered the forward position by bringing Nathan Horton in from Florida who needed a change of scenery. They also drafted highly touted forward Tyler Seguin with the 2nd overall pick, acquired from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade. The team has the goaltending and veteran leadership to make a deep run and reward the riskier bettor in a big way.