The 2006-07 NHL season is upon us. It’s going to be packed with loads of hard hitting action and tight games. We are three games into the season and there have already been some great games. Today, I’m going to run down some of the standings and provide my NHL playoff selections.

In the Northeast division, the Buffalo Sabres are my selection to win this division. They have jumped out to a 3-0 record behind tough play. The Sabres have scored 3 more goals that they have allowed so far this season. They could run away with the Northeast.

All the teams in the Atlantic division have played just two games. The New York Rangers are on top with a 2-0 record. I don’t think it will stay that way for long. The N.J. Devils should challenge for this division and I think they will come out on top. Right now the Devils are 1-1, but the goaltending has been great.

The Southeast division is up for grabs. The Hurricanes are 0-2 so far, but the real story is the 12 goals they’ve allowed in just two games. This could be a developing problem. It’s early and the Hurricanes have plenty of time to get it into gear.

The Detroit Red Wings should contend for the Central division this season. They are 1-1, but they’ve only allowed 3 goals. As the season progresses, their offense should get on track. The Chicago Blackhawks have their offense humming early—12 goals in 2 games. However, their defense is lacking. They’ve allowed 11 goals already. They need to score 5-6 goals a game to win and that’s not good.

The Pacific could end up being a very competitive division. The Ducks, Stars and Sharks are each 2-0 in this young season. They have all played good defense. In fact, scanning the league shows that this division is allowing the fewest goals so far. Could it be an all out fight until the end this season in the Pacific?

The Northwest is another division I think is up for grabs. You have to respect Edmonton and figure they will be scratching to get back into the playoffs again this season. I would single out the Colorado Avalanche as the one team in this division with no real shot at winning it or being in the playoffs for that matter.