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It's ice time.

Atlantic Division (projected order of finish and records; points)

Pittsburgh Penguins (50-25-7; 107)

There’s always expected to be somewhat of a letdown after a championship, but the Penguins come into this season with essentially the same team that took home the Stanley Cup this past season.

The excellent core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and young Marc-Andre Fleury in net remains, as does much of the supporting cast that led Pittsburgh to the promised land last season.

It is highly doubtful that the Pens will go through the same miserable dry spell that they did last season, as they will be legitimate contenders for a repeat.

Philadelphia Flyers (46-28-8; 100)

One of the most consistent teams year after year, the Flyers have built themselves up to be the team that topples Pittsburgh in the Atlantic. Their solid defense now becomes elite with the addition of Chris Pronger, and the duo of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards will ensure that goal scoring will be no issue.

There is some concern in net, but Philly is too tough, experienced, and skilled not to be an Eastern Conference powerhouse. It’s been 11 years since the Flyers’ last Stanley Cup appearance, and it appears that now could be their time.

New Jersey Devils (44-29-9; 97)

Jacques Lemaire has returned behind the bench for New Jersey with the goal of playing traditional “Devils hockey” and reclaiming the glory that he had with the franchise in the '90s.

Their goaltending is the team’s biggest stronghold if Martin Brodeur stays healthy, but their offensive attack may need a shot of confidence after finishing ninth in the conference in goals last season. Zach Parise is one of the game’s brightest young stars, and as long as he continues to get better, it is never smart to sleep on such a consistently good team.

New York Rangers (42-31-9; 93)

Another summer of housecleaning leaves New York fans wondering what type of product will be on the ice come this fall. They rid themselves a few top goal scorers this offseason but brought in Marian Gaborik, who is a prolific goal scorer when healthy.

The Rangers will look from continued development from young defensemen and better seasons from their veteran blue-liners, not to mention another Vezina-like campaign from Henrik Lundqvist. With those, the Rangers should be able to grab a low playoff spot.

New York Islanders (28-44-10; 66)

The Isles are pinning a lot of their hopes on top overall pick John Tavares, but not even Garth Snow’s version of the Messiah will be enough to improve the Islanders very much. They only had 198 goals for last season (worst in the East), and their goaltending situation, regardless of health, will be muddled all season long.

They will have to get a lot better, not only to contend in what is probably the deepest division in hockey, but also to remain on Long Island, where their passionate fans will continue to support them.

Northeast Division (projected order of finish and records; points)

Boston Bruins (48-27-7; 103)

I believe that the Bruins’ hasty rise to the top of the conference was much more than a coincidence last season, as a number of veterans had career years and several young players came into their own.

They were second in the league in goals for and led the league in goals against; the latter many thanks to goalie Tim Thomas and probably the conference’s top defensive tandem in Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman.

Boston did happen to lose a lot of role players this offseason, but that shouldn’t be enough to hold the Bruins down this season.

Montreal Canadiens (43-31-8; 94)

Living up to sky-high expectations last season proved to be something that the Habs couldn’t handle, but last season’s nosedive that nearly cost them a playoff spot led to changes in both player personnel and coaching for this year.

Bob Gainey, now the coach, has cleaned house and revamped the roster in a big-time way. Their group of forwards will now be led by Michael Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, and Scott Gomez, and they added some toughness on defense as well. Goaltending may be a concern, but Montreal has enough to contend.

Buffalo Sabres (40-33-9; 89)

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