NHL 2012 Eastern Conference Playoffs – Fresh Favorites

With the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins bowing out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, the chase for the Stanley Cup, and who will represent the Eastern Conference, is very much up for grabs.

Many pundits had the ‘Pens and Bruins 1-2 so now what? With the East void of the usual powerhouse clubs, the question du jour is: Which team in the East is the favorite to battle for hockey’s Holy Grail in June?

New Eastern Conference Favorites: Flyers & Rangers

With Pittsburgh and defending Cup Champion Boston hitting the golf course, we see Philadelphia and New York as the new favorites in the East. The Flyers outplayed the high scoring Penguins while the Rangers needed seven games to polish off the pesky Ottawa Senators.

Make no mistake, the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals are solid opponents, we just feel the Rangers and Flyers are better top to bottom. Based on better goaltending – a slight edge goes to the Broadway Blueshirts as the new chalk in the Eastern Conference.

NHL Eastern Conference Championship Match-Up Prediction

We like the Rangers to battle the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Final with New York going to the Cup Final. Our top ranked online sportsbooks are chalked full of playoff puck betting options.

That includes futures wagering on the Conference Champions, game day punting, as well as LIVE in game betting. Open a personal betting account, in a matter of seconds, to get in on the action!