2018-19 NHL Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2018-19 NHL Season.

Eastern Conference
- Atlantic Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (114 points)
2. Toronto Maple Leafs (110 points)
3. Boston Bruins (108 points)
4. Florida Panthers (100 points) (Wild Card)
5. Buffalo Sabres (87 points)
6. Montreal Canadiens (76 points)
7. Detroit Red Wings (72 points)
8. Ottawa Senators (67 points)

This division is going to be really fun if you're talking about the top teams here because any of the top three teams I have are all capable of doing it. The Tampa Bay Lightning are my pick to win this top heavy division. Their forward crops are loaded with the likes of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point. Their defense is among the best in the league with Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman, and Mikael Sergachev. Andre Vasilevskiy is among one the best goalies in the game right now. The Toronto Maple Leafs are an up and coming team in this league. Free agent acquisition John Tavares joins Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner to form a formidable offense. Jake Gardiner and Morgan Reilly lead the defensive crops, which aren't great as a whole. Frederik Andersen has been inconsistent in net but has to be consistent this year if the Leafs are to do any damage in the playoffs. The Boston Bruins are loaded and this team is only going to get better. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak lead the way on offense. Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, and captian Zdeno Chara lead the way on defense. The Florida Panthers are going to be one of the more improved teams from last season. Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trochek, and Jonathan Huberdeau lead the way offensively. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle lead the way defensively. Roberto Luongo is getting up there in age but he's serviceable in net. The Buffalo Sabres are going to be improved from a year ago as well. Jack Eichel I expect to have a big year offensively as well as Sam Reinhart and new acquisition Jeff Skinner (who may be trade bait again if things don't go well). Rasmus Dahlin will make an immediate impact as a rookie on defense paired with Rasmus Ristolainen. Carter Hutton will be their man in net and he's solid. The Montreal Canadiens are a team entering a rebuild. On offense, gone are Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty, still there is Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher, and new arrivals are Tomas Tatar and Max Domi. Shea Weber and Jeff Petry are their top pairing on defense and neither them are the players they once were. Carey Price also isn't the same guy as he used to be either. The Detroit Red Wings are another team in a rebuild. Gone is Henrik Zetterberg and still around is the likes of Gustav Nyquist, Dylan Larkin, and Anthony Mantha on offense. Their defense isn't that terrible though with the likes of Mike Green, Danny DeKeyser, and Nik Kronwall. Jimmy Howard is a goalie that's past it's prime and hasn't been good in a long time. The Ottawa Senators are perhaps the worst team in the sport this season. Forwards like Mark Stone and Matt Duchene will be traded and other forwards like Colin White need to have big years to make themselves pieces for the Sens to keep long term. Their defense is awful after the trading of Erik Karlsson and their best two defenseman are Cody Ceci and Thomas Chabot. Craig Andersson is still a solid goalie and will keep them in some games and don't rule him out as trade bait either.

- Metropolitan Division
1. Philadelphia Flyers (110 points)
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (108 points)
3. Washington Capitals (107 points)
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (102 points) (Wild Card)
5. New Jersey Devils (90 points)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (88 points)
7. New York Rangers (75 points)
8. New York Islanders (74 points)

This division has five or six teams that will be solid depending on whether things break right. The Philadelphia Flyers are my surprise pick to win this division over the two franchises that won the last three Stanley Cups. Their offense is awesome led by Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, and new acquisition James van Riemsdyk. The defense is up and coming as a whole led by Shayne Gostisbehere. Brian Elliot will be their starter in net. The Pittsburgh Penguins are still a very good team in this league. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel lead the way on this loaded offense. Their defense is solid let by Kris Letang and Justin Schultz. Matt Murray is one of the better goalies in the game right now. The reigning Washington Capitals are a team I think will take a bit of a step back this season with some key offseason losses and a new coach. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznestov, and TJ Oshie lead the way offensively. John Carlson leads the way on defense along with Matt Niskannans Dmitry Orlov. Braden Holtby is one of the better goalies in the league. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a fascinating team this season with their star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who's been amazing as a member of the Jackets and best forward Artemi Panarin in contract years. Along with Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson lead the way offensively. Seth Jones is out to start the season with a torn MCL on defense and now Zach Werenski and David Savard have to carry the load on that end. The New Jersey Devils are primed to take a step back this season after making the playoffs a season ago. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall leads the way on offense to go with Kyle Palmieri and Nico Hischier. The defense isn't that good outside of Sami Vatanen. Cory Schneider had an injury plagued season a year ago and I expect him to be better. The Carolina Hurricanes are a team that made some major changes this summer. Bill Peters is out and Rod Brind'Amour is in as head coach. Their forward crop features the likes of Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Teuvo Teravinen and gone on offense are Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm. Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan were their big additions on defense to go with Justin Falk and they traded Noah Hanafin to get Hamilton. Scott Darling and Petr Mrazek are their options in net. The New York Rangers are team enduring a rebuild. Their offense will put up points with the likes of Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad and the development of youngsters like Filip Chytl and Lias Andersson (when he gets recalled). Their defense is among the worst in the league and their best defenseman maybe Brady Skjei. Henrik Lundqvist has had a phenomenal career, but his best days are behind him. The New York Islanders are also enduring a rebuild. Gone is franchise star John Tavares who took his talents to Toronto. Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and reigning Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal have to carry the offense. The defense is not good at all and their best defensemen in Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk are both past their primes. Their goaltending situation isn't great and their starter is Thomas Greiss.

Western Conference
- Central Division
1. Nashville Predators (112 points)
2. Winnipeg Jets (111 points)
3. St. Louis Blues (105 points)
4. Colorado Avalanche (102 points) (Wild Card)
5. Minnesota Wild (100 points) (Wild Card)
6. Dallas Stars (95 points)
7. Chicago Blackhawks (77 points)

This division has a chance to have five playoff teams and that's what I have here. The Nashville Predators won the Presidents Trophy a season ago and I think they can win that again. Their offense is awesome led by Filip Forsberg, Viktor Avridsson, and Ryan Johansen. Their defense is among the leagues best led by captain Roman Josi, PK Subban, and Ryan Ellis. Reigning Vezina trophy winner Pekka Rinne will certainly be in the mix for the award again although he's had some rough playoff games in goal. The Winnipeg Jets are going to be a great team again this season after making thesecond round a year ago. Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor lead a loaded offense. Their defense is solid too led by Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba. Connor Hellebuyck is one of the up and coming goalies in the league. The St. Louis Blues are poised to have a bounce back season after missing out on the playoffs a season ago. Their offense is going to be great led by Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Steen, Brayden Schenn, and new trade acquisition Ryan O'Reilly. Their defense is still very good led by Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko. Jake Allen has been dealing with back issues in the preseason, but he should be ok to go and he's a solid goalie. The Colorado Avalanche are a team that's looking to build on last seasons success. Their offense is great led by Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog. Their defense is up and coming led by Tyson Barrie, Erik Johnson, and Samuel Girard. Semyon Varlamov is solid in net when he's healthy. The Minnesota Wild have been a playoff team the past six seasons and I expect them to make it a seventh straight seasons. Their offense is good led by Eric Staal, Mikael Granlund, and the injury plagued Zach Parise. The defense is one of the more underrated ones in the league led by Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba, and Jared Spurgeon. Devan Dubnyk is an underrated goalie in this league and could be a dark horse Vezina candidate. The Dallas Stars I expect to be an improved team under new coach Jim Montgomery. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov. Their defense isn't great, but John Klingberg will out up his points and Miro Heiskanen is a likely breakout candidate in the league. Ben Bishop is still a solid goalie in this league. The Chicago Blackhawks are a team that's looking to bounce back from a disastrous season from a year ago, but I don't think there a contender anymore with the aging roster they have and all the other teams passing them by. Jonathan Toews is not the same ugh anymore although Patrick Kane still will rack up points on offense. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are not the defensemen they used to be. Corey Crawford has been dealing with concussion issues in preseason, but should be ready to go in goal.

- Pacific Division
1. San Jose Sharks (110 points)
2. Anaheim Ducks (107 points)
3. Vegas Golden Knights (104 points)
4. Los Angeles Kings (94 points)
5. Edmonton Oilers (89 points)
6. Calgary Flames (85 points)
7. Arizona Coyotes (75 points)
8. Vancouver Canucks (72 points)

This division has so many intriguing teams for completely different reasons. The San Jose Sharks are the team to beat in this division with the addition of Erik Karlsson on defense to go with Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Their offense is great too led by Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, and Evander Kane. Martin Jones is one of the more underrated goalies in the league. The Anaheim Ducks are another very good team in this league. The offense will miss Corey Perry as he'll miss five months due to knee surgery, but Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Adam Henrique are among the guys that will carry the load. The defense is great led by Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm. John Gibson is another underrated goalie in this league. The Vegas Golden Knights had a dream season in their inaugural year and a step back seems like a possibility. Their offense will be better with the additions of Max Pacioretty and Paul Stasny and that could offset regression from guys like William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. Their defense is solid too with guys like Nate Schmidt (who's suspended the first twenty games due to violating the leagues drug policy), Colin Miller, and Shea Theodore. Marc-Andre Fleury is aging, but he's still a reliable guy in goal. The Los Angeles Kings are a team that has an aging core, but should be competitive. Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Tiffoli, and new addition Ilya Kovalchuk will lead the way on offense. The defense is still solid with Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, and Alec Martinez leading the way. Jonathan Quick is still solid in net. The Edmonton Oilers look to bounce back on a disastrous season from a year ago. Connor McDavid is the best player in the sport and he leads their offense along with Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jesse Puljujarvi. Their defense is suspect at best with the likes of Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, and Darnell Nurse. Cam Talbot didn't have a good year last year in net and he has to be better if the Oilers are to be relevant this season. The Calgary Flames look to rebound from a disappointing season from a year ago under new coach Bill Peters. Elias Lindholm joins an offense already featuring Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monohan, and Matthew Tkachuk. Mark Giordano and trade acquisition Noah Hanafin lead the way of defense. Mike Smith is not the same goalie he once was but is capable of stealing games. The Arizona Coyotes are a team that's still in somewhat of a rebuild. Alex Galchenyuk joins Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan on the offensive front. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski lead the way on defense. Antti Raanta finished the season strong last season, but will he build on that? The Vancouver Canucks are a team that tried to put themselves in a position to improve but I'm not convinced that the results will show it. Jay Beagle and Loui Eriksson were added on offense to go with Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. Their defense is still suspect with the likes of Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev, and Michael Del Zotto. Their goalie tandem is Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson.

2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Quarterfinal
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (WC2) Florida Panthers: This would be a fun first round between these two in-state rivals. The Panthers are a fun team, but the Bolts are just flat out better in all phases.
Prediction: Lightning in five games.

(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs (A3) Boston Bruins: These two rivals meet again for the second straight year. I love the Bruins to pull this upset off despite all the improvements expected from the Leafs this season.
Prediction: Bruins in six games.

(M1) Philadelphia Flyers vs (WC1) Columbus Blue Jackets: Should be a fun series between two teams that don't usually advance past the first round. I really like the Flyers and their depth to get passed the Jackets.
Prediction: Flyers in six games.

(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (M3) Washington Capitals: The best rivalry in the sport meets again in postseason play for the fourth straight season. The Caps got the better of the Pens last season, but not this time. Pens take it.
Prediction: Penguins in six games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (WC2) Minnesota Wild: This is a fun division rival. The Preds are just flat out better in all areas although Devan Dubnyk is capable of keeping the Wild in the games.
Prediction: Predators in four games.

(C2) Winnipeg Jets vs (C3) St. Louis Blues: This should be a fun series with talent all around on both teams. The Jets are the better team and with the better goalie in Connor Hellebuyck so I like them to advance.
Prediction: Jets in six games.

(P1) San Jose Sharks vs (WC1) Colorado Avalanche: This is a fun series with a lot of talent too. The Sharks are better on defense and in goal and that's the difference here.
Prediction: Sharks in five games.

(P2) Anaheim Ducks vs (P3) Vegas Golden Knights: This is another great series within this division. This is probably the toughest one to pick in the Quarterfinals, but I like the Golden Knights with their experience to get the series win.
Prediction: Golden Knights in six games.

- Semifinal
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (A3) Boston Bruins: Such a fun series between these contenders as they'd face off for a second straight year. I like the Bolts again, but this time in a classic series.
Prediction: Lightning in seven games.

(M1) Philadelphia Flyers vs (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins: This is going to be some series as these teams face off for the second straight season. This was a tough call, but I really like this Flyers team to break through and get to the Conference Final for the first time since 2010.
Prediction: Flyers in seven games.

(C1) Nashville Predators vs (C2) Winnipeg Jets: Another fun series rematch from last season. This time around, I like the up and coming Jets led by Hellebuyck in goal and that loaded offense to break through yet again.
Prediction: Jets in six games.

(P1) San Jose Sharks vs (P3) Vegas Golden Knights: Rematch of a Semfinal from a season ago here too. This time around, give me the Sharks, who are the better team this season.
Prediction: Sharks in six games.

- Conference Final
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (M1) Philadelphia Flyers: This should be a fun conference finals between these two great East teams. The difference in this series is the Lightning's big game experience as they'll advance to their second Cup Final in five seasons.
Prediction: Lightning in six games.

(C2) Winnipeg Jets vs (P1) San Jose Sharks: Phenomenal series between these two great West contenders. This is as even as it could be, but the Sharks depth on defense will be the difference maker here as they go to their second Final in four seasons.
Prediction: Sharks in six games.

- Stanley Cup Final
(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (P1) San Jose Sharks: What a great final we have here! Both teams are great in all capacities this season and this series has "classic" written all over it.
Prediction: Sharks in seven games.