2013-14 NHL Predictions: Western Conference Odds, Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers

2013-14 NHL Predictions: Western Conference Odds, Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers: The 2013-14 NHL season is set to begin October 1, and among the changes that occurred over the offseason was the realignment of the Western Conference. In addition to the conference being compacted into just the Central and Pacific divisions, Detroit and Columbus moved to the Eastern Conference. As a result, there will be just 14 teams in the Western Conference. One of the teams will be the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, and after basically steamrolling any and all competition en route to a title, they are once again among the favorites in the Western Conference this year. However, there are plenty of other teams that have upgraded in the offseason and are ready to try to dethrone the champs. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the top teams in the Western Conference heading into the 2013-14 NHL season.

The Favorite

Fresh off a season when they won the Stanley Cup, the Chicago Blackhawks look like the class of the Western Conference once again. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are both back to lead an offense that scored the second most goals in the league last year, and Duncan Keith leads a defense that was the stingiest in the NHL last season. The lone question mark about the Blackhawks heading into last year was whether goalie Corey Crawford could carry the load, and he emphatically answered those questions. At this point, it’s tough to find a major weakness with Chicago.

The Dark Horses

No team in the NHL has an X-factor quite like the Los Angeles Kings. One year after carrying the team to a championship, goalie Jonathan Quick took the Kings to the conference finals last season. At his best, he can shut down any offense basically on his own, and he has a history of playing his best in the postseason. Center Anze Kopitar is the closest thing the offense has to a star, but veterans Mike Richards, Justin Williams and Jeff Carter have all scored big goals in big games. The Kings might not be the most talented team overall, but timely goals and elite goaltending will mask a lot of other flaws.

They are committed to a defensive-minded style, and the St. Louis Blues have the personnel to be successful at it. The trio of Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Kevin Shattenkirk gives St. Louis excellent depth on the blue line, and the tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott does the same between the pipes. Sure, their offense isn’t exactly scary, but the Blues don’t need to score a ton to win. Not to mention the fact that Vladimir Tarasenko showed plenty of scoring punch as a rookie last year and should only get better. It won’t always be pretty, but the Blues will stifle opposing offenses and grind their way into contention in the Western Conference in 2013-14.

After sneaking up on the league last year and finishing with the second-most points in the conference, the Anaheim Ducks’ follow-up campaign could be even better. They have two reliable goalies they can rotate in Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth, and Cam Fowler and Francois Beauchemin form a solid defensive pair. As for the offense, the addition of Dustin Penner to a line that also features Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf should bolster the Ducks’ scoring attack. Anaheim may not be the scariest team on paper, but this group showed a ton of chemistry last year and had a ton of success. With all the main components back, there is no reason the Ducks can’t be one of the best teams in the conference again in 2013-14.

The Sleeper

A spending spree prior to the start of last season that landed defenseman Ryan Suter and wing Zach Parise and a late trade for Jason Pominville got the Minnesota Wild into the playoffs, and a year for the new parts to gel could yield even bigger results. The offense in particular should be stronger, and goalie Niklas Backstrom is always steady in net. Minnesota could still stand to be deeper at certain positions, but there is no reason this year’s team shouldn’t be better than last year’s playoff team.

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