1) If there was ANY doubt about which of the conferences was superior we were treated to a nice demonstration last evening that put an exclamation point on that. Two of the East's best teams (sans NJ) were in action against two of the top West teams. Fans were treated to exciting passionate hockey, and in both instances( Sj-6- Mtl 4, Ana-3- Ott-1) the West appeared to be the superior team.
2) This is of course a non scientific opinion, but when you're pitting best against best you can get a pretty good gauge of which conference is the better. Now, to be fair BOTH East teams were on the road, but if you add last night's admittedly snap shot observation to a season long worth of numbers that we crunched and you get a clear picture of where the dominance lies. Through last night in head to head competition the West is a staggering 76-43-12! To add to that figure only 2 teams out West have losing records against the East. Chicago, and ironically the aforementioned San Jose (Largely due to a very poor road trip through the competitive Atlantic division late last month) Meanwhile only 4 East clubs are over .500 against the West, with Pitt(8-1-1) by far the best East-vs West team.
3) The West seems to have become even stronger after the trade deadline with Colorado (Foote/Salei/Forsberg), Dallas (Richards) SJ (Campbell) acquiring big names, many from the East, to bolster their already strong lineups. We also have to mention the current NHL schedule where teams don't all play each other each season and in an unbalanced fashion (Some home, some away) makes it impossible to make a scientific/concrete statement , BUT the above numbers can NOT be ignored.
4) Although we're not privy to what FR2's Power rankings will show (For the record we don't edit contributors posts) we can't imagine that it won't be top-heavy with Western teams. Now does this mean that the Cup winner will be coming from the West? Well, as we mention all the time we wouldn't bet on any sporting event! However if we had to, we'd place our bets that the Cup stays in the Western Conference. This also unfortunately means that 1 or 2 teams that would easily be playoff teams in the East will be watching come April, AND 1-2 very good teams will be out in the first round out West! Regardless, its clear once again that in 2007-08 West Is Best!!
7 comments:
At long last it looks like other people are catching on. The west has been superior for several years now. Every night is a war. There are no easy games out here. We're on our way to sweeping the southeast when we go into washington and Atlanta next week. Seems we never have troble scoring when we go east.
We've talked a few times over the summer about this. Even then we couldn't figure why the west was so far better than the east. You would think the east would have the advantage of almost no travel. I mean some of those teams barely have to take a bus ride for half their games. We have to leave the time zone 5 times a week it seems!
I aint complaining. Lets go Sharks! We kicked butt last night! Cheech is on fire just at the right time
Now don't count your chickens too soon versus the Caps, Puff - just ask the Bruins how easy victories are in DC... We finally have a reliable goalie in the District and Ovechkin never makes it easy on anyone he goes up against - Dion Phaneuf WILL have his hands full on every shift... Moreover, the Caps are playing hard, hungry, and a little desperate... While I agree that the West is superior and that the Cup winner is certainly staying in your conference, do not salivate too much before entering the Verizon Center... As for the Thrash, they stink, so have fun in Georgia...
To my pampas Washington friend. We in Atlanta may have fallen on some rough times, but we will rise. In Ilya we trust!
Washington has been one of the better teams in the East since Boudreau took over - even with Kolzig in net. Once the Olie love fest stops and Huet is in there every night, the Caps will be quite good.
The Thrashers do stink though. And that's not changing till Waddell gets a pink slip (I'm betting this offseason)
1) Power: As some of our other posters have written; Don't expect to come down to the SE and swepp up easily. DC is looking reborn, and Atlanta on any given night can beat anyone
2) Jintzi! Great to hear from ya there buddy. Best to Theresa! Your Sharks are looking good! Your pick up at the deadline seems to have done the trick. We'll see if its enough to overcome that Anaheim juggernaught
3) Monk: As always love to have your input. LOL Great picture
4) DMG: You guys better hope Huet gets better fast then! Games are running out! We'd say your team has to win 10 of 15 down the stretch to even have a shot!
I think its great that teams like SJ and Anaheim are thriving. And the West really is kicking the crap out of the East. If the Wings hadnt started slumping, imagine how much more inflated that record would be.
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