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The Florida Panthers look to defend their title as Eastern Conference Champions. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with an Eastern Conference Finals Winner prediction and pick.
Last year, it was the Florida Panthers who won the Eastern Conference. They would defeat the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, before defeating the Boston Bruins. In the Eastern Conference Finals, it was just six games to dispatch the Rangers. Still, since the 2013-2014 plays, this was just the second time a division winner in the Eastern Conference won the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Here are the NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Eastern Conference Finals Winner
Florida Panthers: +500
New Jersey Devils: +550
New York Rangers: +600
Toronto Maple Leafs: +700
Carolina Hurricanes: +700
Tampa Bay Lightning: +850
Boston Bruins: +850
Ottawa Senators: +1900
New York Islanders: +2300
Detroit Red Wings: +2700
Pittsburgh Penguins: +2800
Buffalo Sabres: +3600
Philadelphia Flyers: +3900
Montreal Canadiens: +11000
Columbus Blue Jackets: +1500
Favorites for NHL Eastern Conference Winner
A team has not won the Eastern Conference three straight times since the formation of the conference in 1994. Since 1994, the New Jersey Devils, the Pittsburgh Penguins twice, and the Tampa Bay Lightning have all repeated as conference champs, in addition to the Panthers. None of those four previous squads have made it to the Eastern Conference finals the next year. New Jersey did win the Eastern Conference in 2000, 2001, and then against in 2003, but that has been the closest. Florida brings back much of their core, with Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart all returning on the top line. Still, much of the depth of the last two lines is gone. Further, it will not be Spencer Knight coming in to back up an aging Sergei Bobrovsky. Still, any time the top-end talent makes a run, it is the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
For New Jersey, it will take a major bounce-back year after failing to make the playoffs last year. They started the turnaround by bringing in a new coach. Sheldon Keefe has had some success as a coach. He won the Calder Cup with Toronto back in the 2017-18 season but does not have NHL experience. There were two main concerns for the Devils last year. First was injuries. Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, and Nico Hischier all missed substantial time. The second was goaltending. New Jersey traded for Jacob Markstrom, which should bring down their 3.43 goals against average from last year.
The New York Rangers were the top team in the NHL last year. After going 55-23-4 last year, they won the Presidents' Trophy. They also nearly broke the curse of the President's Trophy. The last team to win the trophy and move past the second round of the playoffs was the 2014-15 New York Rangers. This Rangers team made it to the conference finals but fell to Florida. The bulk of the Roster is still intact as well. The top line returns all three of their top guys, with Reilly Smith joining the second line and Sam Carrick adding depth for the Rangers. Further, Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick are back to defend the net.
The Toronto Maple Leafs round out the top contenders. They did lose Tyler Bertuzzi, but Max Domi was retained and he will join William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok on the second line. Further, top producers Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner both return, as does John Tavares on the third line. Scoring will not be an issue for this team, but they need consistent goaltending. Joseph Woll will get the first chance at providing that, with Anthony Stolarz as his backup.
Sleepers for NHL Eastern Conference Winner
The Detroit Red Wings just missed the playoffs last year, and they bring back a strong top line, with another year of experience. Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, and Lucas Raymond are all back on the top line and should continue to produce. The Red Wins will also get a full year out of Patrick Kane, who looked solid when he joined the team mid-year last season. They brought in another scoring option on the second line with Vladimir Tarasenko joining the roster. Still, they have questionable goaltending, which will be the main thing holding them back from making a run.
Final NHL Eastern Conference Winner Prediction and Pick
The Florida Panthers are the favorite in odds to win the NHL's Eastern Conference Finals. Since 1994, no team has won three straight Eastern Conference titles. Further, the team who lost the Eastern Conference Title has not returned to the game since 2007, when the Buffalo Sabres lost their second straight. Returning to the finals after losing has happened just three times. Also, top teams haven't done well in the Eastern Conference, but teams who have placed second in the division have done well. Since 2015, a division runner-up has won the Eastern Conference five times, the most of any seed. This eliminated teams such as Florida, New York, and Detroit. If the Maple Leafs can make some moves to sure up their defense, this will be their year.
Final NHL Eastern Conference Winner Prediction and Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (+700)
