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Old 06-13-2016, 03:10 AM   #3
Bets
Bat Boy
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 13
Opening Night

The date is October 7th, 2015 and the teams are raring to compete. Unfortunately for an unlucky group, some NHLers will have to wait before they can lace up their skates for the start of the season. Here is a look at the pre-season injury report which highlights some of the more impactful injuries:

Marc-Andre Fleury out 10 more days with a strained posterior cruciate ligament
Michal Neuvirth out 12 more days with chronic back soreness
Torey Krug out 15 more days with shoulder soreness
Mike Fisher out 17 more days with a strained bicep
John Klingberg out 17 more days with recurring back spasms

In other news, with the start of a new NHL season comes the "oh-so-accurate" predictions. According to the analysts:
Quote:
With the National Hockey League season about to get underway, the early Stanley Cup favourites appear to be the New York Rangers, led by goalie Henrik Lundqvist. General Manager Jeff Gorton has built a squad that will be the team to beat this year, but they can expect challenges from Jim Rutherford's Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis, featuring winger Vladimir Tarasenko.

Among the darkhorses, Washington stands out as a possible challenger, with a big season by Alex Ovechkin capable of pushing them into contender status.

The scoring race will likely be Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby challenged by Alex Ovechkin of Washington and Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos.

The top defenceman in the league is generally considered to be Ottawa Senators blueliner Erik Karlsson, with Nashville's Shea Weber and P.K. Subban of Montreal also in the running.

Finally, among goaltenders, Montreal's Carey Price stands out as the league's best, while New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles can also steal games for their teams.
Here is a look at my projected bracket starting at the conference finals:


As you can see, my predictions have the Chicago Blackhawks repeating as Stanley Cup champions after beating the Washington Capitals in 5 games!

On top of these predictions this is what I also expect to happen:
  • The Chicago Blackhawks will win the Presidents' Trophy
  • The Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks will compete for the Western Conference Finals
  • The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will compete for the Eastern Conference Finals
  • Conner McDavid will win the Calder Memorial Trophy
  • The Winnipeg Jets will finish last in the NHL
  • The Arizona Coyotes will win the "Auston Matthews Sweepstakes"
  • Steven Stamkos will sign a contract extension before the Trade Deadline
  • New Jersey Devil's Jaromir Jagr will be traded to another team that misses the playoffs

What do YOUR predictions look like?

(The first month of the season will be underway shortly, but your predictions are still more than welcome!)

Last edited by Bets; 06-13-2016 at 03:14 AM.
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