The 2018-19 NHL season gets underway on Wednesday with a loaded opening-night schedule that will include the Capitals raising their Stanley Cup banner before a game against the Bruins. The Capitals opened the season with 11-1 Stanley Cup odds, but 30 other teams are hungry to get in the hunt this season. And before you lock in your 2018-19 Stanley Cup picks, be sure to check out the NHL futures picks from Toronto-born NHL handicapper David Kelly. He nailed almost 60 percent of his NHL picks in 2017-18, returning an astounding profit of $3,429 to $100 bettors.
His academic work included five years of empirical NHL research, including home/visiting team performance and penalty/power play effects on over-unders. He continues to pursue innovative models of in-depth statistical analysis of the NHL.
Now, before the season gets started, Kelly has studied every facet of every team, and is revealing his top futures plays in a detailed report of the top contenders.
Kelly has identified several teams worth backing to win the 2019 Stanley Cup, as well as teams worth staying away from. We can tell you he's high on the Capitals, one of his top NHL futures picks at 11-1 Stanley Cup odds. "They may suffer from a post-victory bounce and come up flat, but they should easily coast into the playoffs again this year," Kelly told SportsLine. "With proper pacing, they will be a serious threat to repeat as champions."
One shocker: Kelly is fading the Vegas Golden Knights despite their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Western Conference is expected to be a gauntlet this year, as Vegas must contend with loaded teams like Winnipeg, Nashville, Minnesota and San Jose, as well as teams looking to make a big jump like Colorado and St. Louis. And while it was a magical run for Vegas last season, Kelly doesn't believe the Golden Knights will be able to replicate their success with a target on their back.
"The fear this year is that the Knights will start believing that they are 'great players' instead of a 'great team,'" Kelly told SportsLine. "If that happens, they are done. Will it? We will see, but to be successful they need to believe they are collectively as hungry as last season."
There are far better Stanley Cup odds available than the Knights at 12-1 to win it all.
Kelly also loves a team with longer odds than the Lightning and Leafs, and he's also identified a "mystery team" dark horse that would pay off huge if they secure the Stanley Cup. Anyone who bets on this long shot could hit it big.
Who is Kelly backing to win the Stanley Cup? And which long shot can go all the way? Visit SportsLine now to see David Kelly's top futures picks for the 2018-19 NHL season, all from the Toronto-born analyst who nailed 57 percent of his picks last season, raking in massive profits for his followers.
