Katie Strang takes a look at the Eastern and Western Conference teams.
- Now we will see what the Islanders are really made of, because they head west this week to take on some of the biggest, baddest competition in the league. Though the Isles currently lead the Metropolitan Division with a 6-2-2 record, they head on a five-game road trip beginning Thursday that features stops in Colorado, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. Will be interesting to see how things stand when they return.
- How will Boston fare without Chara? The team has already seen its blue line diminished -- namely by Boychuk’s being traded to Long Island, but playing without their most imposing defender will be their biggest challenge yet. Look for Claude Julien to lean heavily on guys like Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid, as well as youngsters Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug.
- Tough trip: Reeling from a fight-filled loss to their Pacific Division foe from San Jose, the Anaheim Ducks embark on a four-game road trip starting this week and it promises to be a daunting task. After seeing their seven-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Sharks, Anaheim must now go through some of the league’s toughest competition with stops in Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and Colorado.
- Flames on rise: Not many people would expect the Calgary Flames to be among the top three teams in the Pacific Division, yet there they are just two points behind the Kings and three behind the Ducks. The Flames have two games against the high-flying Montreal Canadiens in the next week, which should serves as a good litmus test to determine just whether this Calgary team is for real.
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