from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,

With only 48 games to decide which 16 of 30 teams make the postseason, streaks – both winning and losing – will be magnified. A slow start because you added two new forwards to your top six and they didn’t mesh immediately, or a five-game losing skid because your most important players are just not in game shape, will be deadly.

“I think the team that is prepared to play strictly to their style, to their complete game,” Carlyle said, when asked what kind of team will have the advantage.

We give you, then, the Boston Bruins.

They have exactly two vacancies on their roster – hot-shot rookie defenceman Dougie Hamilton is pencilled in for one, while the job on the third line is there to lose for Chris Bourque (son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque) – and a total of three personnel changes.

The third change is definitely a positive. Fourth-year goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has already proved he can play (and play well)in the NHL and spent the recent lockout in the Czech Republic, takes over for perennial dressing-room disruption Tim Thomas.

more (Kings and Avalanche mentioned too)...