The chase for the Stanley Cup starts all over again when the puck drops on the 2018-19 NHL season.
While the defending champion Washington Capitals remain mostly intact and ready to contend again, the odds of a repeat are slim. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators enter the season among the favorites to unseat the Capitals as champions.
AccuScore simulated the 2018-19 NHL season 10,000 times to predict division standings as well as the most likely Stanley Cup champion.
Below are those probabilities as compared to Vegas oddsmakers.
SN STAFF PICKS: Atlantic | Metro | Central | Pacific | Stanley Cup
NHL 2018-19 regular season projections
ATLANTIC DIVISION
| Team | Sim points | Vegas line |
| 1. Tampa Bay Lightning | 116 | 107.5 |
| 2. Toronto Maple Leafs | 107 | 106.5 |
| 3. Boston Bruins | 99 | 102.5 |
| 4. Florida Panthers | 94 | 94.5 |
| 5. Detroit Red Wings | 85 | 75.5 |
| 6. Buffalo Sabres | 81 | 79.5 |
| 7. Montreal Canadiens | 76 | 80.5 |
| 8. Ottawa Senators | 70 | 71.5 |
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
| Team | Sim points | Vegas line |
| 1. Pittsburgh Penguins | 105 | 103.5 |
| 2. Washington Capitals | 104 | 98.5 |
| 3. Philadelphia Flyers | 97 | 98.5 |
| 4. Columbus Blue Jackets | 95 | 97.5 |
| 5. Carolina Hurricanes | 85 | 84.5 |
| 6. New York Islanders | 82 | 83.5 |
| 7. New York Rangers | 80 | 75.5 |
| 8. New Jersey Devils | 80 | 91.5 |
CENTRAL DIVISION
| Team | Sim points | Vegas line |
| 1. Winnipeg Jets | 113 | 106.5 |
| 2. Nashville Predators | 103 | 105.5 |
| 3. St. Louis Blues | 101 | 95.5 |
| 4. Dallas Stars | 97 | 94.5 |
| 5. Minnesota Wild | 94 | 95.5 |
| 6. Chicago Blackhawks | 81 | 84.5 |
| 7. Colorado Avalanche | 79 | 90.5 |
PACIFIC DIVISION
| Team | Sim points | Vegas line |
| 1. Calgary Flames | 100 | 93.5 |
| 2. Vegas Golden Knights | 95 | 96.5 |
| 3. San Jose Sharks | 95 | 97.5 |
| 4. Edmonton Oilers | 94 | 91.5 |
| 5. Anaheim Ducks | 90 | 96.5 |
| 6. Los Angeles Kings | 89 | 93.5 |
| 7. Vancouver Canucks | 81 | 77.5 |
| 8. Arizona Coyotes | 80 | 80.5 |
2019 Stanley Cup odds, favorites
| Team | AccuScore% | Odds | Odds% |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 9.75 | +900 | 10.0 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 9.5 | +1200 | 7.69 |
| Nashville Predators | 9.25 | +1100 | 8.33 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 9.0 | +800 | 11.11 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 7.0 | +1400 | 6.67 |
| San Jose Sharks | 6.5 | +1150 | 8.0 |
| Boston Bruins | 6.0 | +1250 | 7.41 |
| Washington Capitals | 4.8 | +1400 | 6.67 |
| St. Louis Blues | 4.75 | +3300 | 2.94 |
| Calgary Flames | 4.7 | +2650 | 2.97 |
| Dallas Stars | 3.5 | +2800 | 3.45 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 3.5 | +2800 | 5.0 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 2.8 | +3500 | 2.78 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 2.5 | +2900 | 3.33 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 2.5 | +3300 | 2.94 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 2.0 | +3000 | 3.23 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 2.0 | +2800 | 3.45 |
| Florida Panthers | 1.8 | +6600 | 1.49 |
| Minnesota Wild | 1.75 | +3600 | 2.7 |
| New Jersey Devils | 1.0 | +4900 | 2.0 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 1.0 | +8000 | 1.23 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 0.78 | +4500 | 2.17 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 0.75 | +6600 | 1.49 |
| New York Islanders | 0.7 | +8400 | 1.18 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 0.5 | +4000 | 2.44 |
| New York Rangers | 0.5 | +8000 | 1.23 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 0.4 | +8400 | 1.18 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 0.35 | +10000 | 0.99 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 0.3 | +10000 | 0.99 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 0.3 | +12500 | 0.79 |
| Ottawa Senators | 0.3 | +35000 | 0.28 |