Blog for Division Winners- By: The Guys of Wing Sauce
Photo Credit- Mile High Sports
Since we are halfway through the season, the fellas will review their preseason picks for the division winners and why they made that pick. Keep in mind that these are PRE-season, so try not to laugh TOO hard at some of the picks (mainly for the Metro division). Without further ado, here are the picks from Dustin, Connor, and Tyler.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division:
Dustin - Toronto Maple Leafs
“The Leafs have found themselves in “Hell” as this Canadian team is not used to the Florida sun and its showing with them sitting at third in their division behind the Panthers and Lightning respectively. I wouldn't say the Leafs find themselves in a terrible position with the likes of Matthews, Tavares, Nylander, Riley, and Marner combining for a total 191 points it is hard to argue they are not a contender. With 5 games back from the rest of Florida, they have an opportunity to make some movement up the divisional standings.
Outlook: It’s going to be a rough and hard-fought battle to the end, but I think Florida may have it locked in at number 1 (The Panthers were my dark horse team!)”
Connor – Tampa Bay Lightning
“The Atlantic division, or what should be known as the ‘Battle of Florida’ Division, is just that. It’s a battle for Florida and, as I write this, the Panthers hold a slight edge. The depth and experience of the Lightning should help them down the stretch. I’m #notworried about them as divisional winners or Presidents’ Trophy winners…yes, they’re my pick for the PT. Not much that needs explaining there - I’ll keep picking them until their run is over but that doesn’t look like it’s happening this year.”
Tyler – Tampa Bay Lightning
“Coming off of back-to-back Stanley Cups, this star-studded team still was able to keep its core group that is HOF bound. Although the Leafs have their young guns up front, they still haven’t solved their goaltending issues which seems to be a contributing factor in them not being able to get to the second round. The Panthers were a VERY close second for me since they are probably the third most loaded team in the league (behind Colorado and Tampa,) and no one is even talking about them. They are extremely talented and have solid depth all around, I still can’t see them edging out CHAMPA Bay.”
Metropolitan Division:
Dustin: Philadelphia Flyers
“This is by far the biggest miss for me. Not only are they NOT going to finish 1st in their division, I will be surprised if they do not finish DEAD LAST in their division. Coming off a 13-game losing streak, they still couldn't finish the Kings in regulation. However, feeling a little “Gritty” they weren't going to continue their franchise worst losing streak, and find themselves in the record books tying multiple other teams with 14 straight losses. This team has seen better light and have found themselves in a big deep hole, 28 points back from the top with 28 games left, I do not see them being able to overtake the Canes, or the Rangers. Outlook: Let’s Go Canes! (Should have gone with the ole hometown pick!)”
Connor – New York Islanders
“Dustin and Tyler picking Philly is laugh out loud funny looking at how they’ve performed this year. They also have 1-7-2 record in their last 10 games…not good. With that being said, my pick of the Islanders is not much better BUT, better nonetheless. They had a horrible start which part of that is starting all their games on the road due to not having their home rink ready but on the bright side…yes, there is a bright side, they are 6-4 in their last 10 which is good, not great. What’s even better is that they have many games in hand compared to the rest of the division. Will they come back and compete against the top dogs of Carolina, NY, Pitt, and the Caps? Not likely, but they can get a little run going. For my own sake, it really only matters that they finish ahead of Philly. Which they have 7 (seven!) games in hand. I stand by my picks so stay tuned for the rest of the year to see where they finish off.”
Tyler – Philadelphia Flyers
“Yeah, Dustin and I are eating a big bag of feces right now on this awful pick… I was riding on this being Carter Hart’s big breakout season, and with the amount of talent that’s in front of him, you’d think they would be able to score more than an average of 2.5 goals per game. I’m not even sure where to place the blame for this train wreck, but I will never be picking this team to exceed in anything anymore. Lesson learned.”
Western Conference
Central Division:
Dustin – Colorado Avalanche
“When it comes down to solid picks from the beginning of the season this is one of the few that have held true from the preseason predictions. The Avalanche have been on a recent bulldozing of their opponents with 10 straight wins and tied for the top of the league at 67 points.
Makar, Rantanen, MacKinnon, Landeskog, Kadri, all making it look too easy with 244 points split between the 5 of them, it is almost unfair for the rest of their division. Outlook: Still winning their division and the Presidents Trophy like my preseason prediction stands.”
Connor – Colorado Avalanche
“Colorado leading the Central isn’t a shock either, after the injuries they battled through in the beginning of the year, they just had to stay close to the top of the division. Now that they’re healthy, they’ll continue to run away with it. It also helps when you’re 10-0 in your last 10 games and have a 20-2-1 home record. Stanley Cup or bust is still the mentality for the Avs.”
Tyler – Colorado Avalanche
“This pick was almost TOO easy… I mean, they’ve been the Cup favorite for the past two seasons now. They already had a phenomenal core group, then they added Darcy Kuemper in net and some depth in front with Nazem Kadri – a complete recipe for success. Currently with a commanding 9-point lead, I can’t picture any team getting hot enough to catch them.”
Pacific Division:
Dustin – Vegas Golden Knights
“Vegas has one of the toughest divisions - I made note of this in my preseason predictions.
Looking at the standings currently: Knights at 55 points, Ducks at 54 points, Kings at 53 points, and Flames at 48 points (5-7 games at hand on the top 3 teams). This is the tightest top 3 divisional race currently in the league. The Knights have strengthened their team adding Eichel, who is coming off a shortened season with Buffalo in 20-21. I still think the Knights have a quality chance at finishing number 1, but it is not going to be easy. Outlook: Knights still going to take the division!”
Connor – Vegas Golden Knights
“Vegas has been the favorite for a few years and the team is still built to win. Overall, not much of a surprise that they currently lead the division. More of a surprise is Anaheim knocking at the door and Edmonton being 9 points back. Evander Kane should help them out, but I still like my Vegas pick.”
Tyler – Vegas Golden Knights
“This was not an easy decision for me since I was believing that the Oilers were going to make some noise, but I am happy that I chose the Knights. I love their depth – they are built a lot like the mid-2000’s Red Wings in my opinion. It will be a tight race to the finish, but I still think the Knights get the upper hand.”
-Dustin, Connor, and Tyler- Wing Sauce/ Olde City Sports Network