Before the postseason began, there were very few people who gave the Nashville Predators a shot at getting out of the first round, never mind all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. They have achieved what many believed to be impossible, though, as they finished off the Anaheim Ducks in 6 games, and are now waiting for the outcome of the Eastern Conference Final between the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. I’m sure that the Predators don’t really care who they face at this point, but I believe that their chances of winning it all are dependent on who meets them in the Stanley Cup Final. Let’s look at how they match up with both potential opponents before making predictions on each. Find out more about the updated NHL betting odds here.
A Closer Look At The Nashville Predators Betting Preview & 2017 Stanley Cup Prediction
Nashville Predators Chances Versus the Pittsburgh Penguins
The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins look favorites to join the Predators in the final after taking a 3-2 series lead over the Senators. This may not be the best match-up for Nashville, although they did split the regular season series this year. Going further back, though, Nashville are just 3-7 in their last 10 meetings with Pittsburgh, which is not what anyone would call positive. During the regular season split, it was the home team that came out on top each time, which again goes against Nashville, as it is the Penguins who would have home ice advantage in this series. This would certainly be an offense versus defense type series, with Nashville tough to break down, while the Penguins have arguably the best offense in the league. I would need to go with the Penguins in 6 games if this proved to be the Stanley Cup Final.