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

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.

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

Early in the NHL preseason this year, Ottawa Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk couldn't be with the team. Instead, he was in court trying to get his private jet out of foreclosure. In so many ways, that story is a metaphor for the mess that is this team. They are supposedly owned by a billionaire, but one that can't even pay his bills.

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

It was certainly an odd season last year for the Buffalo Sabres. In November, on the strength of a 10-game winning streak, they were atop the NHL standings to the surprise of absolutely everyone. They were looking to end what was then a seven-year playoff drought, and it seemed like it was going to happen. But they won just 16 more times in their last 57 games, and they missed the playoffs by 22 points. They weren't even close.

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

Every year in sports there are surprises - teams that are somehow quite a bit better than you could ever reasonably have expected them to be. And last year the New York Islanders certainly fit into that category. The team had lost their franchise player, John Tavares, to free agency. They had a goaltending duo that raised some questions. They were young and questionably talented. And they had just hired their third head coach since the start of the 2017 season.

2019 Detroit Red Wings Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/19/2019

The recent history of the Detroit Red Wings is proof that nothing last forever - even when it seems like it will. The Red Wings were long the most stable, reliable franchise in all of sports. For more than two decades they made the playoffs every year and did so while avoiding drama or distractions. They were run like a team was supposed to be run.

2019 Toronto Maple Leafs Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/18/2019

The media up here in Canada where I live talks too much about the Toronto Maple Leafs at the best of times. Even a couple thousand miles away from where Torontonians assume is the center of the universe, as I am. But the amount of talk about the team was ratcheted up to a whole new level this summer thanks to the contract impasse between the team and star winger Mitch Marner.

2019 Montreal Canadiens Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/18/2019

After an aggressive offseason that saw them add Max Domi and Tomas Tatar, the 2018 Montreal Canadiens improved by 25 points from the prior season - with Domi and Tatar as their two leading scorers. It was an impressive improvement. But not quite enough of one. Though they were in decent shape in the playoff race heading into the final weeks of the season, they lost two in California, then came home and lost to Carolina and Columbus - two teams they were in the race with.

2019 Columbus Blue Jackets Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/18/2019

I have watched hockey for most of four decades now, and I am willing to admit that nothing has surprised me more than the Columbus Blue Jackets did in the playoffs last year. Tampa Bay was one of the deepest, most balanced, and most terrifyingly talented teams we had seen in this league. They didn't seem to have faults, and they had run away with the President's Trophy last year.

2019 Boston Bruins Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/17/2019

The Bruins had a very good season last year that came as close as a team can come to a truly great one. They finished second in the East and tied for second overall in the league with Calgary, with 107 points. That set them up for yet another playoff matchup with the Maple Leafs, and yet again they won - this time in seven games.

St. Louis Blues at Boston Bruins Game 7 Point Spread Picks 6/12/2019
by Guy Bruhn - 6/10/2019

The St. Louis Blues take on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden (8:00 PM EST). The probable starting goalies are Jordan Binnington for the Blues and Tuukka Rask for the Bruins. This matchup report has Vegas lines and an expert NHL pick for your daily winner.