After going 5-2 in the Stanley Cup, NHL expert Matt DiLeo makes his NHL predictions for 2019-20 season.
The wait is finally over! Hockey is back and it’s time for another incredible season of surprises, Cinderella stories, and break out teams. The slate is wiped clean and everyone has their fresh start. Let’s dive into who will take the 2019-20 season By storm.
Eastern Conference
The Bruins (+650 to win conference) are hoping to make it back to the finals, Tampa Bay (+250 to win conference) is seeking revenge, and the Maple Leafs (+650 to win conference) look to figure it out and make a playoff run as well. The Eastern conference seems to be wide open with exception to the Lightning and we can see some dark horse teams emerge. Here are my division predictions and playoff picks for the Eastern Conference.
Atlantic Division
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Florida Panthers
Metropolitan Division
- Washington Capitals
- New Jersey Devils
- Carolina Hurricanes
Wild Card
- Boston Bruins
- Montreal Canadiens
Eastern Conference Champion: Tampa Bay Lightning
Western Conference
The St. Louis Blues look to repeat their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals and prove it wasn’t a fluke, The Golden Knights look like favorites yet again, and the Dallas Stars look to be a dark horse as well. In my previous futures article, the Dallas Stars were my best value pick at +2500 to win the Stanley Cup and they are now +1300 which I would still bite on. The Western Conference is packed with great teams and there are a handful of teams that I can see being very dangerous come playoff time. Here are my Western Conference division predictions and playoff picks.
Central Division
- Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Stars
- St. Louis Blues
Pacific Division
- Vegas Golden Knights
- San Jose Sharks
- Calgary Flames
Wild Card
- Winnipeg Jets
- Nashville Predators
Western Conference Champion: Dallas Stars
Last year we did exceptionally well on Hockey picks and predictions so let’s look to keep on rolling with the momentum into the season! Matty Ice Out!