Will the Capitals win the President's Trophy in 2011-12? Will the Canucks once again be kings of the Western Conference? Are the Devils and Leafs going to have more points than the Stars and Coyotes? Will the Senators suck just a bit more than Colorado for the highest percentage of lottery balls in the 2012 Draft?
These are the questions playing on our minds after seeing the point total over/under projections for the 2011-12 NHL regular season, courtesy of Bodog:
2011-12 Regular Season Point Totals
| Washington Capitals 107.5 | Nashville Predators 91.5 |
| Vancouver Canucks 106.5 | Calgary Flames 90.5 |
| Detroit Red Wings 104.5 | New Jersey Devils 90.5 |
| San Jose Sharks 103.5 | Toronto Maple Leafs 89.5 |
| Boston Bruins 102.5 | Dallas Stars 87.5 |
| Chicago Blackhawks 102.5 | Phoenix Coyotes 87.5 |
| Los Angeles Kings 102.5 | Columbus Blue Jackets 85.5 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins 100.5 | Winnipeg Jets 85.5 |
| Buffalo Sabres 98.5 | Carolina Hurricanes 83.5 |
| Philadelphia Flyers 98.5 | Florida Panthers 83.5 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning 98.5 | Minnesota Wild 82.5 |
| Anaheim Ducks 95.5 | New York Islanders 81.5 |
| New York Rangers 94.5 | Edmonton Oilers 77.5 |
| Montreal Canadiens 92.5 | Colorado Avalanche 75.5 |
| St. Louis Blues 92.5 | Ottawa Senators 74.5 |
Keeping in mind these numbers are established in order to encourage wagering and aren't exactly point projections, a few thoughts:
• The Southeast Division numbers are interesting, in that the Jets are predicted to finish higher than the Hurricanes and the Panthers. Some have tagged the Jets for a space in the conference basement next to Ottawa. If there was one bet we'd make here, it's the Hurricanes and the over. They've been over 90 points in three of the last four seasons.
• Speaking of taking the over … are we just too blinded by the youthful exuberance of the Edmonton Oilers to lay off the over at 77.5 points?
• As far as unders go, the Blues might be just a shade under 92.5 points in the Central; the Flyers are still a work in progress at 98.5 points; and frustrating as it is for those fans and that franchise, is anyone betting over 87.5 points on the Coyotes' goaltending, even with that 'ole Dave Tippett magic?
Any numbers stand out for you?