We’re less than a month away from the 2018-19 NHL season, and players are hitting the ice with teammates to start forming chemistry. All over the league training camps are getting underway, and rookies are starting to make their marks with their new franchises. The excitement for the upcoming season is starting to bubble up to the surface, and even the smallest NHL news has fans in a frenzy.
Recently, Bovada released their over/under numbers for each team’s point totals and there are some interesting results. Though these aren’t to be taken exactly as predictions for the upcoming season—since betting odds also take into account popularity trends and other factors—fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning should still be extremely satisfied to see their club at the very top with an over/under of 107.5 points. The Lightning are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders once again in 2018-19, and have brought back nearly their entire roster.
We ran a poll asking the PHR community to decide who will win the Atlantic Division, and the Lightning came out on top with nearly 37% of the vote. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished in second place, but the big surprise was the Detroit Red Wings in third with 15% of all voters. While our readers have more confidence in the Red Wings than the odds makers, we’ve seen stranger things in the past.
Next we asked the PHR community to vote on the Pacific Division, and while things were a little more evenly distributed the San Jose Sharks were still the clear favorite. With more than 26% of the vote, the Sharks came out ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (16%), Vegas Golden Knights (14%) and Calgary Flames (13%). The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks haven’t done enough to inspire much confidence, earning just a handful of votes each. One has to wonder if the Sharks would have had an even bigger lead had the poll happened after their recent acquisition of Erik Karlsson.
Finally, we polled the PHR community on what they think will happen in the Metropolitan Division. This group has given us the last three Stanley Cup winners, but has star players throughout. Our readership obviously believes in a Cup hangover, as the Pittsburgh Penguins easily topped the defending champion Washington Capitals with nearly a 10% gap. Third place went to the Philadelphia Flyers who will hope adding another top forward and allowing their young players to take another step forward can push them to the top, while the Columbus Blue Jackets came in fourth despite their continued regular season success.
While the Atlantic had some contending options, the Central Division which we’ll tackle today have two powerhouses that are likely on a collision course in the playoffs once again. The Winnipeg Jets (106.5 over/under) and Nashville Predators (105.5) are two of the very best teams in the league and can ice a dangerous lineup from top to bottom. They are the easy favorites for the division crown, but the upstart Colorado Avalanche and revamped St. Louis Blues have their eyes on an underdog story. That’s not to mention the top-heavy Dallas Stars, consistent Minnesota Wild or playoff tested Chicago Blackhawks, who could all surprise with excellent seasons in 2018-19.
Who do you think will come out on top of the Central Division? Can the Predators win a second Presidents Trophy in a row, or will the Jets topple them for the Western Conference regular season crown? Is Nathan MacKinnon ready to carry the load for the Avalanche once again? Do Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have one last outstanding season in them? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out in the comments!
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I’m not surprised Winnipeg is winning the poll, but I’m shocked the Blues are that close to the Predators. The Blues have bigger questions than the Preds. The Jets & Preds are two of the top teams in the Western Conference & the league. They will probably be neck & neck this season. The Blues strengthen themselves down the middle, but their goaltending is a major concern. Allen has had his struggles, not mention has back issues right now, & Hutton isn’t around to bail him out anymore. The Preds & Jets have better goaltending & are deeper.
Well our defense is strong and better Reilly is two way plus with a better offense less pressure on him we were bad at clearing the puck and second chances. He lost a lot of games with no offensive support. We are deep in offense and defense I would watch out considering predators have some questions after a suspension and Winnipeg still improving. Remember the blues hot start last year well the team improved.