Globe staff predictions

The 2023-24 NHL season opens this week, and with it, the Globe is offering its season predictions. Where will the Bruins finish? Who will make it to the Stanley Cup? Read on to find out what four of our experts think.

KEVIN PAUL DUPONT

Bruins, 47-27-8 (wild card): Yep, the East is better, with the surging Devils and the rising-from-theice-shavings likes of Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo. But those latter three wannabes are still trying to figure out how to win, while the Bruins have it wired into their Black-and-Gold genes. The Thoreau-like keys to success: goaltending, goaltending, goaltending . . . combined with a smart and mobile blue line corps.

Eastern Conference: Devils over Maple Leafs in seven (triple OT). The Leafs, without a Cup since 1967, find yet another way to torture their fan base right to . . . the . . . end. Year 56 without a title. On the Red Sox scale, it’s only 1974.

Western Conference: Golden Knights over Stars in five. Paced by Jack Eichel’s career-best regular-season output (3852—90), the VGK make easy work of the Stars, despite the stout effort of another ex-Terrier, Jake Oettinger, in the Dallas net. ExTerrier Dave Goucher bellows, “Eichel! Eichel! Eichel! . . . and the Knights win the series!” as they barrel to their second consecutive Final.

Stanley Cup Final: Devils over Knights in six. Jack and Luke Hughes become the first brother tandem in NHL history to share Conn Smythe MVP honors. It’s a touching, Hallmark-like story until Luke whispers in Jack’s ear, “Mom and Dad like me best,” in the on-ice awards ceremony. Amid the ensuing fisticuffs, Gary Bettman still gets booed as he hands the Cup to Devils captain Nico Hischier.

JIM HOBAN

Bruins 48-26-8 (wild card): There won’t be as many goaltender celebrations, they won’t score 305 goals, and they won’t set regular-season records, but they’ll play hard and they won’t go out easy.

Eastern Conference: Hurricanes over Penguins in seven. Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson vs. Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns? I’m in.

Western Conference: Oilers over Golden Knights in six. I’m going to pick Connor McDavid and the Oilers to win something, anything, until he retires.

Stanley Cup Final: Oilers over Hurricanes in six. Oilers acquire a goaltender — Linus Ullmark perhaps? — at the trade deadline and ride him to a championship. Just don’t let Ullmark handle the puck behind the net.

JIM MCBRIDE

Bruins 45-30-7 (wild card): Bolstered by brilliant goaltending (go ahead, hug it out, it feels good) and an outstanding defensive corps (let’s call it Charlie Company), they win a lot of tight matchups early on. Eventually the offense clicks (it’s a Pasta party) and this club rolls into the postseason hungry.

Eastern Conference: Bruins over Hurricanes in seven. Playing a little old-time hockey (you know, Eddie Shore, those guys), the Bruins return to their Big, Bad ways and wear down the descendants of the Whalers.

Western Conference: Avalanche over Kraken in six. In a battle featuring a couple of superstars with local ties, Colorado is led by the powerful skating of Cale Makar (UMass) and outlasts Seattle, despite the standout play of Matty Berniers (Hingham).

Stanley Cup Final: Avalanche over Bruins in six. Makar and the gifted Nathan MacKinnon power Colorado to the top of the NHL mountain for the second time in four years.

TARA SULLIVAN

Bruins, 43-29-10 (wild card): After their shocking first-round playoff disappointment last season, after the departure of captain Patrice Bergeron and veteran David Krejci this offseason, the Bruins will turn the page and sneak into the playoffs.

Eastern Conference: Hurricanes over Maple Leafs in six. Rod Brind’Amour has been building this team for a long time, with plenty of success. It won’t be easy, with the Devils and Jack Hughes nipping at their heels, but this year the Hurricanes break through.

Western Conference: Avalanche over Oilers in seven. While the Golden Knights suffer a familiar championship hangover, it’s back to 2022, when it was Colorado unable to get the chance to defend the Cup. This year, the Avalanche get their revenge.

Stanley Cup Final: Hurricanes over Avalanche in five. Brind’Amour, behind his stout defensive group, depth at forward, and stars like Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, does as a coach what he did as a player, bringing the Cup to Carolina.