Puck Prose
Fansided

NHL Predictions: Central Division 5 Bold Projections

By Ryan Ritchie

May 3, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) blocks the shot of St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Dallas Stars 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) blocks the shot of St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Dallas Stars 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
NHL Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) celebrates with Patrick Kane (88) after scoring the game-winning goal during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Blackhawks won the game 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) celebrates with Patrick Kane (88) after scoring the game-winning goal during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Blackhawks won the game 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

NHL Predictions: 5 Bold Projections – the Western Conference’s Central Division Is by Far the Strongest in the Entire NHL. Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago Each Had Better Records Than 1st Place Los Angeles in the Pacific. Look for Familiar Faces to Battle It out Atop the Standings Once Again.

Following a Puck Prose tradition, it’s about time for another edition of our five bold NHL predictions. We typically release these in anticipation of important dates, such as the trade deadline, All-Star break, start of playoffs, free agency, etc. Now, with a new season set to begin on Wednesday, it’s time to settle in for another long, exciting nine months or so of hockey.

At the beginning of 2015-16, we released a league-wide edition for our five bold NHL predictions. It’s tricky to make accurate projections this early in the year, but we managed to hit on the Dallas Stars being a powerhouse team in the West emerging as a Stanley Cup contender. We also got lucky with our prediction that Connor McDavid would match/or exceed a point-per-game pace in his rookie season – luckily we made sure to protect ourselves to an injury opposed to making an actual point estimate.

We’re shifting gears a bit for 2016-17. Instead of five league-wide predictions, we’ve decided to split it up into a divisional series. Now, we look to the Western Conference, starting with the most potent division in the entire league; the Central Division.

Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago battled it out for the top spot in 2015-16 with the Stars eventually emerging with 50 wins and 109 points (two points ahead of St. Louis). Nashville and Minnesota also managed to claim a postseason berth, with the Preds handing the Ducks a surprise loss in the opening round. On the outside looking in was the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets. Both of these teams will look to rebound in 2016-17 hoping for better fortunes.

Home/Central