This years Eastern Conference might hold some surprises. With several teams making big moves, some teams making no moves, it’s going to be interesting to see how this year shakes out. Here’s my top 3 picks for the Atlantic Division, and some extra predictions.

So let’s start at the top. Who’s finishing first in the Atlantic?

Boston. But not by much. Being a Boston fan at heart, it’s not hard to say that this Boston team is going to finish at the top of the East again. They lost a top 4 D-man in Boychuk to a last minute pre-season trade to NYI, much-needed by the Blue and Orange New Yorkers, and their top scorer last year, Iginla, headed to Colorado. Even with the absence of Iggy, the B’s have a solid offensive lineup. Add in a very solid blue line spearheaded by the jolly black and gold giant Zdeno Chara, and the 2014 Vezina trophy winner Tuukka Rask (two U’s, two K’s) they have what it takes to make a Cup run, provided everyone stays healthy, and Marchand and Lucic stop playing class-clown and start playing hockey.

Next? Tampa. Now, I know they finished 16 points behind the B’s last year. But if they play like they did after the Olympic break? Watch out. A healthy, non-broken legged Stamkos (25 goals in 37 games, over 1 PPG) is going to pepper the net, and if Big Ben Bishop (37-14-7 with a 2.23 GAA) can be solid between the pipes, they are going to turn some heads. To put those numbers into perspective, Sidney Crosby had .45 goals per game, and .85 points per game. Stammers put up .67 GPG and 1.08 PPG. Bishop ended with a 2.23 GAA and .920 SV%. That’s .20 higher GAA and .010% lower save percentage than Rask.)

The Habs will make a playoff appearance again in the 2014-2015 season, I believe, coming in 3rd in the East. Carey Price shouldered their team into the post season, playing like an absolute monster. With the blue line bombs coming from PK Subban, and the likes of Max Pacioretty, Gallagher, and Desharnais (a product of my Cincinnati Cyclones) they are a force to watch on the ice. I don’t think Price will maintain his play from last year, and with Dustin Tokarski as his backup if he goes down, they are going to finish with less than the 100 points they earned in the 13-14 season.

I think the rest of the Atlantic is going to be a proverbial cluster-fuck. You’ve got the Red Wings, whom I think will break their playoff appearance streak this year by bowing out before the post-season after barely making a wildcard spot last year. The Sabres and the Panthers are going to stay at the bottom of the Atlantic, but I think the Sens, Leafs, and Red Wings are going to be fighting for mediocrity in the middle of the pack. Watch for the Leafs to squeak into the playoffs, and the Sens and Wings to miss it by ~10-15 pts.

So there’s the Atlantic.

1. Boston 112 pts

2. Tampa Bay 108 pts

3. Montreal 98 pts

4. Toronto 89 pts

5. Ottawa 88 pts

6. Detroit 85 pts

7. Buffalo 73 pts

8. Florida 70pts