1 bold prediction for each 2018 Stanley Cup playoff team

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 04: The Pittsburgh Penguins watch their 2017 Stanley Cup Championship banner rise to the rafters behind the Stanley Cup prior to a game agains the St. Louis Blues at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 4, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 19: Pekka Rinne /

Nashville Predators

The Predators fall short of the Stanley Cup Final

Most people seem to be taking the Nashville Predators to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final and even have them winning it this year after being so close last season.

It’s definitely a gamble, since the only two teams to return to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons the past decade are the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. No one else has done it yet, and it’s also very hard to.

The Predators definitely have the team and the talent to get back there, but a potential series with the Winnipeg Jets looms and Winnipeg has the offensive firepower to match Nashville’s. The San Jose Sharks could also be a bit of a dark horse if alternate captain Joe Thornton comes back sometime in the playoffs. A Presidents’ Trophy winner hasn’t made it to the Stanley Cup Final since the lockout-shortened season of 2012-2013. That was the year the Chicago Blackhawks won it all.

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