Well, readers, here's what you had to say about the SE Division – I've included Tom Awad's VUKOTA projections as a comparison:
| Team | Readers | Vukota |
| WSH | 111 | 99 |
| CAR | 89 | 94 |
| WPG | 89 | 84 |
| TAM | 88 | 88 |
| FLA | 89 | 83 |
Some thoughts:
Washington – this team wasn't quite as good as its 107 points might have indicated last season. So 111 points is actually a big leap, even if you believe that Washington's goaltending was legitimately below-average last year and that Vokoun is a huge upgrade. Roughly two teams finish with 111+ points each season, and that's because everything breaks the right way for them. VUKOTA is much more realistic about likely outcomes.
Winnipeg – like I told you guys, you're way too optimistic about this team. There's a reason you needed to put down five-year commitments for season tickets.
Tampa – I think both our readers and VUKOTA are way too conservative about this team. They dominate puck possession, but they play a little differently with the lead than other teams, and they ended up with a mediocre goal-differential, which drives a lot of VUKOTA.
Florida – I should go back and remove the Panthers voters from the results. The one-quarter of readers who thought Florida would post 100+ points…I’d love to wager with you. Leave your name in the comments, winner chooses the charity of his choice.
Carolina – it seems like everyone basically sees all of the teams other than Washington in this division as being on the playoff bubble. VUKOTA thinks the Hurricanes are a little better.
We'll see who turns out to be more accurate…
