Sports Illustrated’s NHL Preview predicts Penguins over Blackhawks in Stanley Cup Finals; Tim Thomas appears on Northeast regional cover
Posted: October 4, 2011 Filed under: Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated Cover, Weekly Issue | Tags: 2011-12 nhl preview, boston bruins, brad richards, chicago blackhawks, jonathan toews, pittsburgh penguins, sidney crosby concussion, stanley cup picks, tim thomas bruins Comments Off
Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas appears on a regional cover of this week’s Oct. 10, 2011, issue of Sports Illustrated — on newsstands tomorrow — that will be available in New England and Canada. It marks the Bruins’ 12th cover but their first since May 9, 1977 , when Gerry Cheevers and Brad Park appeared on it.
NHL PREVIEW: PENGUINS OVER BLACKHAWKS IN STANLEY CUP FINALS
The timetable of Sidney Crosby’s return is still up in the air, but Pittsburgh’s proven ability to win in a variety of ways — with either their offense or their defense — is a big reason why SI predicts the Penguins to defeat the Blackhawks in this year’s Stanley Cup finals. Predictions for the regular season are as follows (page 68).
|
EASTERN CONFERENCE |
WESTERN CONFERENCE |
||
| 1. Pittsburgh Penguins* | 9. Carolina Hurricanes | 1. Chicago Blackhawks* | 9. Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 2. Philadelphia Flyers | 10. New Jersey Devils | 2. Vancouver Canucks* | 10. Minnesota Wild |
| 3. Washington Capitals* | 11. Toronto Maple Leafs | 3. San Jose Sharks* | 11. Colorado Avalanche |
| 4. Boston Bruins* | 12. New York Islanders | 4. Los Angeles Kings | 12. Calgary Flames |
| 5. Tampa Bay Lightning | 13. Florida Panthers | 5. Detroit Red Wings | 13. Phoenix Coyotes |
| 6. Montreal Canadiens | 14. Ottawa Senators | 6. Nashville Predators | 14. Edmonton Oilers |
| 7. Buffalo Sabres | 15. Winnipeg Jets | 7. St. Louis Blues | 15. Dallas Stars |
| 8. New York Rangers | 8. Anaheim Ducks | ||
*Division winner; top eight teams in each conference make playoffs
On the Tablets: Fans can share their predictions for the 2011-12 NHL season on Twitter with the hashtag #SINHLPreview.
