page 18
sports
Puck prognostications
» continued from last page
the Oilers finally make the leap.
Edmonton Oilers
After three consecutive years of picking first
overall in the NHL entry draft, the Edmonton
Oilers finally showed some modest improvement in 2013-14. The Oilers were in the playoff conversation for much of the year, but faded
badly down the stretch and ended up towards
the bottom of the Western Conference. This
year, the Oilers will look to build on their limited success and make the leap into the realm of
true playoff contenders. Leading the charge on
offense will be their youth contingent of Taylor
Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle.
Defense remains an area of concern, but last
year’s addition ofJustin Schultz was a step in
the right direction. This may be the year that
Biggest strengths: Top-end offensive talent
Biggest weaknesses: Defense and goaltending
Projected Finish: 3rd in the Pacific Division
Vancouver Canucks
After making it to the Stanley Cup Final in
2011, it appears the window of opportunity is
closing for the Canucks. The Canucks have
lost 8 of their past 9 playoff games, leading the
franchise to fire coach Alain Vigneault and hire
John Tortorella to replace him. Tortorella will
bring a more hard-nosed style to the Canucks,
hoping to shed their reputation as a “soft” team.
Despite recent setbacks, the fact remains that
the Canucks have one of the most deep and tal-
ented rosters in the NHL. Canucks fans hope
the Sedins can return to an elite level of offensive production and that they can get a full
season out of a healthy Ryan Kesler. On the
back end, the Canucks boast perhaps the deepest defense corps in the NHL. After attempting to deal goaltending Roberto Luongo for
months, the Canucks finally shipped goaltender
Cory Schneider to the Devils instead. While
many fans would have preferred to keep Schneider for the long-term, Luongo remains an elite
NHL goaltender.
Biggest strengths: Defensive depth and goaltending
Biggest weaknesses: Lack of physical play
Projected finish: 2nd in the Pacific Division
Projected Standings
East
Metropolitan
Pittsburgh
NY Rangers
Washington
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
Carolina
Columbus
New Jersey
West
Atlantic
Boston
Ottawa
Detroit
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Montreal
Buffalo
Florida
You’re in law school, you were selected from
hundreds on candidates to be interviewed, you
made it this far, and you are already impressive. Acknowledge that you’re awesome, and
take that into the interview with you. After all
the tips and tricks in the world, a great first
impression hinges on one fundamental hook:
Confidence. Be confident in your skills, talents, resume, and general fantastic personality. The people across the table are already
confident that you have the potential to be a
future collea