2014-15 NHL Predictions: Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs

So I was unable to get these picks up before the puck dropped last night (Blackhawks season, after all, begins tonight). I don't think being a day late gives me any sort of profound advantage or additional insight that any of the experts out there didn't have for the months leading up to making their own predictions.

And as the graphic here indicates, my beloved Blackhawks are quite the popular pick this year. While at the bank yesterday, a segment on PTI simply asked Tony and Michael "Kings or Blackhawks?"

Such is the way of the NHL, where much like the NBA, the West is seen as the overwhelming favorite. And while Chicago and L.A. are understandable favorites, you really couldn't fault anybody for liking other clubs in the West that upgraded this off-season, such as, say, St. Louis or Anaheim.

While seeing the Blackhawks being the choice of so many admittedly bolsters my optimism about a prolonged first viewing of the NHL Playoffs with the newborn (who will be a year old by the time the Cup is awarded), I'm also left a little uneasy by the distinct likelihood that an overwhelming favorite probably won't pan out.

Nonetheless, with the Bears being such a disappointment thus far this season and my still being left with a fair bit of skepticism about how much hope to invest in the Bulls (and let us not even speak of the Braves), hockey arrives at just the right time. Oh, how I have been longing to hear the voice of John Wiedeman again.

Lunch break is ending, so there won't be a lot of commentary here:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic

Tampa Bay Lightning

Boston Bruins

Montreal Canadiens

Detroit Red Wings

Ottawa Senators

Toronto Maple Leafs

Florida Panthers

Buffalo Sabres



Metropolitan

Pittsburgh Penguins

Washington Capitals

Columbus Blue Jackets

New York Islanders

New York Rangers

New Jersey Devils

Philadelphia Flyers

Carolina Hurricanes





WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central

Chicago Blackhawks

St. Louis Blues

Dallas Stars

Minnesota Wild

Nashville Predators

Colorado Avalanche

Winnipeg Jets







Pacific

Anaheim Ducks

San Jose Sharks



Los Angeles Kings

Vancouver Canucks

Phoenix Coyotes

Edmonton Oilers

Calgary Flames



Stanley Cup Playoffs Opening Round

Lightning over Red Wings in 5 games

Bruins over Canadiens in 7 games

Islanders over Penguins in 6 games

Blue Jackets over Capitals in 6 games

Blackhawks over Wild in 7 games

Stars over Blues in 6 games

Ducks over Predators in 7 games

Sharks over Kings in 7 games




Division Finals

Bruins over Lightning in 6 games

Blue Jackets over Islanders in 7 games

Blackhawks over Stars in 6 games

Sharks over Ducks in 6 games





Conference Finals




Blue Jackets over Bruins in 6 games

Sharks over Blackhawks in 7 games






2015 Stanley Cup Final

San Jose Sharks over Columbus Blue Jackets in 5 games

That's right, I'm going this route again. Here's three reasons I like the Sharks this year:

1. They blew a 3-0 series lead to the Kings last year in the first round of the playoffs. The last team that did that was the 2010 Boston Bruins, who came back the following year to win the Cup.
2. They open[ed] the season in Los Angeles on the night the Kings raised their latest championship banner. The last team that played L.A. after such a ceremony was the 2013 Blackhawks, who went on to win the Cup that year.
3. They're being overlooked this year. Part of that is with some good reason (who's the captain?), but part of me thinks that the lack of respect coupled with the humiliating exit last season compels this team to finally at long last seal the deal.