NHL Picks (Today's Free Predictions, Tips, Parlays)

2019 Winnipeg Jets Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/30/2019

The Central Division was very tight last year, with three teams within one point of each other. Winnipeg was tied with the eventual Stanley Cup champions, St. Louis, just a point behind Nashville. It was a battle right up until the end of the season. And it promises to be tight again. The question, though, is if Winnipeg can be right in the middle of that battle again.

2019 NHL Central Division Expert Predictions with Betting Odds and Picks
by Doc's Sports - 9/27/2019

Since the league went ahead with the realignment of the league's divisions, the Central Division has produced some of the most parity-driven seasons over the course of the last eight seasons. Since the 2012-13 season, this division has seen five different teams stake their claim as division champions, with only the Chicago and Nashville winning it on multiple occasions.

2019 Vegas Golden Knights Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2019

By any normal measure, last year was a remarkable second season for an expansion team. The Vegas Golden Knights finished third in their division and made it to the seventh game of their playoff series. The fact that that would happen less than two years after the team played their first game is amazing. But it is far less amazing for a team that had a first year like Vegas did. After you make the Stanley Cup finals, last year was a full-on disappointment.

2019 Anaheim Ducks Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2019

The Anaheim Ducks are not very good right now. Not very good at all. And we just aren't used to that. After missing the playoffs last year, the Ducks are in real danger of missing the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001. Stability is what we expect from this team. But they seem to be lost. Randy Carlyle's second stint as head coach of this team ended midseason last year.

2019 Colorado Avalanche Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2019

As a Calgary Flames fan, I know all too well what kind of potential this team has this year. They struggled early on, but rounded into form late, and then absolutely demolished the Flames, who were tops in the West in the regular season, in Round 1. It was ugly. And there is still much room for growth. They have plenty of young talent still to come, and Cale Makar, the young defenseman, will be with the team all year and shined after joining the team in the playoffs last year.

2019 San Jose Sharks Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2019

There was a lot working against the San Jose Sharks last year. Their goaltending was a long way from great, and defender Erik Karlsson, who they paid handsomely to acquire, played only 53 regular-season games. Offensive depth made up for other shortcomings, though, and the team still tallied 101 points. And in the playoffs, things got special.

2019 Edmonton Oilers Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/27/2019

No matter where you grew up, there is that place not too far away from there that you don't like. You know, the rival city. The one where everyone is in-bred, and the libraries don't need books because no one can read. You just plain hate those guys and everything about them. Being born and raised in Calgary, that city for me is Edmonton.

2019 NHL Pacific Division Expert Predictions with Betting Odds and Picks
by Chris Vasile - 9/26/2019

In my honest opinion, the Pacific Division's best chance at winning their first Stanley Cup since 2014 was when the Vegas Golden Knights - an expansion team no less - took the league by storm en route to Game 6 of the Cup Finals, where they ultimately lost to the Washington Capitals. This season, the Pacific is very weak outside of the top three teams, which include the Golden Knights as well as the San Jose Shark and Calgary Flames.

2019 St. Louis Blues Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2019

It was a true storybook season for the St. Louis Blues last year. They perpetually had a team that was good, but not quite good enough. It looked for the first half of the season that they had definitely broken out of that rut, but in the wrong way - they were dead last in the league in January and went through a midseason coaching change.

2019 Nashville Predators Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/26/2019

Last year's season for the Nashville Predators was a weirdly anonymous one. They won the tough Central Division, and they did a lot of things well. But they were underwhelming offensively, they didn't grab a lot of attention despite their success, and they fell to the Stars in the first round of the playoffs without much of a fight. It was a long way from a lousy season, but it still became clear that the team needed to do something to shake things up a little.

2019 NHL Metropolitan Division Expert Predictions with Betting Odds and Picks
by Doc's Sports - 9/25/2019

The Metropolitan Division has been the best and most competitive division (in my opinion) since the league underwent realignment and pushed teams into four divisions instead of the six there were prior. Since 2013, the Metro Division has produced three Stanley Cup Champions (Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, and Washington in 2018) and three President's Trophy winners (New York in 2015 and Washington back-to-back in 2016 and 2017).

2019 Pittsburgh Penguins Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/25/2019

The Pittsburgh Penguins are only two years removed from winning two straight Stanley Cups, and they have definitely not blown up their core, so they are a long way from irrelevant. But as the last two years have passed, it has felt like the team has gotten a little further away from true relevance. Last year's first-round sweep at the hands of the upstart New York Islanders was a real wakeup call - or at least it needs to be.

2019 NHL Atlantic Division Expert Predictions with Betting Odds and Picks
by Doc's Sports - 9/24/2019

For two consecutive years, the Atlantic Division has played out exactly how most people thought it would -- the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the division with the Bruins and Leafs battling for second and third and meeting in the first round of the postseason. So, how will this season play out? Well, for fans of the NHL who want to see some diversity and parity, the Atlantic Division is not the division for you.

2019 Tampa Bay Lightning Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2019

I have been watching sports for four decades. And in that time, I am not sure that anything has surprised me more than departure of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs - in four games, no less. The squad seemed to have no faults last year, and they won 62 regular-season games, which tied for the most ever in a single season. I picked them to win the Stanley Cup without a moment of hesitation, and I was far from alone in that. It almost felt inevitable - no team was on their level.

2019 Washington Capitals Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2019

Last year at this time the Washington Capitals were the defending Stanley Cup champions. They were on top of the world. Now they are just a team looking to bounce back from a first-round playoff loss to a wild card team. Things can change in a hurry in this league. Washington needs to find a way to shake off what happened last season and get back on track before age causes their window to close.

2019 Philadelphia Flyers Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2019

The Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs in the 2017-18 season, and they seemed like they were on to something. But then things really went south last year, leaving a wake of carnage. Changes came in bulk as a result. Ron Hextall, a legend from his playing days with the Flyers, was fired as GM in November.

2019 Carolina Hurricanes Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2019

It was an impressive season for the Hurricanes last year. Their patient development paid off much better than expected. They seemed to get stronger as the season went along and wound up with a wild card spot. And they certainly made the most of it.

2019 New Jersey Devils Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2019

No awards are won during the summer in the NHL. However, if there was an award for the best offseason in the league, then the New Jersey Devils would likely be your winner. They made a whole lot of moves to overhaul a team that was really strong two years ago but was a huge disappointment last year. And though time will tell us what works out and what doesn't, at this point it's hard to find a deal that isn't easy to like. This team got significantly better. But what does it mean for bettors?

2019 Florida Panthers Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/21/2019

Bob Boughner was a highly-touted coach when he made the move from junior hockey to the NHL to lead the Florida Panthers two seasons ago. But he was unable to achieve the potential that this Florida team had, and after two years of missing the playoffs he was let go. And the team certainly wasn't interested in taking a chance on another up-and-comer.

2019 New York Rangers Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/21/2019

Last year was an ugly one for the New York Rangers, as they finished seventh in the eight-team Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. David Quinn was in his first year coaching his team, and 32 wins was not what he was looking for - though it was not less than the team deserved given what they put on the ice. But they are trying to do a challenging task, but one that will pay off mightily if they can manage it - rebuilding without bottoming out.