CaliSports News Pacific Division Predictions
- Updated: October 5, 2015
Emily Radenbach
Pacific Division
Alas, I have to predict that the Ducks will come out on top again. But since winning the Pacific Division has nothing to do with winning the Stanley Cup, it’s not such a tragedy. They always have a strong regular season; they’ve won the Pacific Division title the last three years in a row and I see no reason they won’t do it again. As Mike spoke about, they made a lot of trades between seasons, but from what I can tell their core is still in tact. They’re tough and show their strength against lesser teams easily during the regular season.
The Kings will come in second. They have something to prove and are not going to leave their Stanley Cup chances down to the wire like last season. They still have their core too; the likes of Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, That 70’s Line… And while they’ll miss Justin Williams, the Milian Lucic trade will even out the top line nicely. Dean Lombardi worked his magic and got rid of some of the problems of last season; all this adds up to the Kings being a strong contender this season.
The Flames did well last season, scraping into the Cup finals mainly due to the missteps of the Kings, but compared to the other teams in this division, I predict the Flames will end up scraping into the third spot. They have Johnny Hockey, and an NHL award-winning coach in Bob Hartley. Unless they do what the Colorado Avalanche did last season – going from the top of the Conference to flaming out the next – I predict them to nab a playoff spot.
I’m hoping for Martin Jones’ sake the Sharks take the wild card spot, but I have to say I think the Canucks will take it. Jones us a great player but the Sharks went through somewhat of a meltdown last season, which I strongly suspect was a continuation of the meltdown we saw in Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2014. While I think Jones will do well in San Jose, I can’t speak for the rest of the team. I think they’ll just edge out the Coyotes in the standings but it won’t matter. The Central Division will nab the other Wild Card Spot.
The Coyotes barely even have a stadium to play in. They haven’t qualified for the playoffs since the Kings kicked them out in the Conference Finals in 2012 (yes, I’ll take any opportunity to mention any playoff run in which the Kings won a Stanley Cup.) However I think they will finish 6th in the division because while the Oilers lucked out and got Connor McDavid, their rebuild is still a work in progress and will take a few years to see them as a contender.
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
Vancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
Arizona Coyotes
Edmonton Oilers
Central Division
That the Chicago Blackhawks will clinch the top of this division is a gimme. Keeping personal feelings about the team aside, they’re obviously a strong group of players and despite the loss of Sharp and Oduya to the Stars there’s not enough that’s changed in their structure that will topple them from top place. Perhaps things may change depending on the legal troubles of Patrick Kane, but it’s unlikely.
The Nashville Predators will repeat their second place from last season, but it’s the Stars I see coming in third. They’ve boosted their roster with the previously mentioned Sharp and Oduya, and added netminder Antti Niemi. I think we’re going to like what we see from them this season. The Blues will scrape the last Wild Card spot, leaving the Avs just out in the cold. (The Avs are my second team so I’d like this prediction to be wrong – I like Coach Roy but some of their trades recently have left me scratching my head a little.) The Wild will beat the Jets but it won’t matter.
Chicago Blackhawks
Nashville Predators
Dallas Stars
St.Louis Blues
Colorado Avalanche
Minnesota Wild
Winnipeg Jets
Atlantic Division
The Canadiens won the division last year; I see no reason why they can’t do that again. I like Tampa Bay in second spot again too; I see the Bruins making a comeback and taking the third spot. Honestly it felt weird last season not seeing the Kings or the Bruins in a playoff spot. The Senators will take a Wild Card spot, and Detroit will take the second – as much as I’d like to count them out, I can’t. I like the Panthers maybe making a sneak attack into a Wild Card, but it’s possible. And I’m writing off the Maple Leafs and Sabres again this season. Like Edmonton, they’re still rebuilding, and won’t see a playoff spot.
Montreal Canadiens
Tampa Bay Lightning
Boston Bruins
Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings
Florida Panthers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Buffalo Sabres
Metropolitan Division
The Washington Capitals did really well last season, and I think the addition of Justin Williams (again, sob, the Kings will miss him terribly) will help them take the top spot. The Rangers have been at the top of their game the last few seasons and with Henrik Lundqvist in net I see no reason why they won’t stay in the top two of their division. The Penguins will make third, and the Islanders will come in a close fourth but be beat out for the wild card by Detroit. I’d like to see the Columbus Blue Jackets higher up on the list, and the Devils. Flyers will come in next, then the Hurricanes last.
Washington Capitals
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Islanders
Columbus Blue Jackets
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Carolina Hurricanes
Stanley Cup Final
The Western Conference is a no brainer for me. Keeping with past precedent, it’s the Kings turn to take the Cup from the Hawks. I’m kind of kidding, but I really like what I see in the Kings lineup this season, and they’re not going to make the same mistakes from last season. They’ll learn from the embarrassment and get back to the high standards the club is used to. They’ll beat the Flames in round one, the Ducks in round two, and scrape a win over the Hawks in the Conference Final. Despite the East Coast bias that comes with the NHL awards, the Stanley Cup Final has been all West Coast biased lately. I don’t see that changing. I predict the Final will be Kings vs. Capitals, with the Kings winning it in six.
Los Angeles Kings vs Washington Capitals
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