Chieftain Thanksgiving 2019 | Seite 6

Bears (5-6) at Lions (3-7-1) Lions vs. Bears: Tale of the Tape Last meeting: Bears 20, Lions 13 (Nov. 10, at Chicago) Head-to-head record: Bears 100, Lions 74, 5 ties Last Thanksgiving meeting: Bears 23, Lions 16 (2018, at Ford Field) Head-to-Head Record on Thanksgiving: Bears 9, Lions 8 Why the Lions will win: “The Lions will win this game simply because they are the better team. [Before injury] Matthew Stafford is playing on an MVP level and his receiving core is ex- tremely dangerous, with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola. Our defense has struggled the past few weeks, but they will do enough to get this one. Lions 27, Bears 17 -Senior Danny Ervin Who’s the better fan? “I’m absolutely a better fan than John- ny,” Ervin said. “I’ve only missed one Lions home game in the last four years, I made the pilgrimage to Lambeau back in 2017, and I’m a local celebrity among Lions fans, due to being on the front page of the Free Press.” Click here to see the feature. “In all honesty, I’m probably not a better fan than Danny,” said Swider. “But I was able to go to both Bears-Lions games last year. How about you, Danny?” Why the Bears will win: “The Bears will win the game because David Montgomery will have a great game against the Lions defense and the Bears D will be overwhelming. We all saw what happened when the Bears played the Lions two weeks ago, and I expect the same. Trubisky will throw for multiple TDs and Montgomery will get 100 yards rushing.” Bears 24, Lions 21 -Senior Johnny Swider Blues Will Go Back-to-Back in NHL Atlantic Division Boston Bruins: Typically a power- house, the Bruins are coming off a loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, so they are hungry to bring the Cup home. They are led by Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, and Zdeno Chara. Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens are usually playoff contenders and once again will have a good team in 2019-20, led by Carey Price, Shea Web- ber, and Max Domi. Metropolitan Division Washington Capitals: The Caps have some of the best talent in the league. B R OTHE R R IC E H IG H S C H O O L C H I E F TA I N Even though they are older, they’ll have experience, with veteran Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, and Nicklas Backstrom. Look for them to be back in the Finals this year. New York Islanders: Last year, the Island- ers made a run in the playoffs. After last year’s playoffs, this team will have confi dence. Look out for Mathew Bar- zal, Josh Bailey, and Brock Nelson. Central Division St. Louis Blues: The defending champs are scrappy and work to- gether. Jaden Schwartz, Ryan O’Reilly, Davis Perron, and the Blues will be raising the Cup again. Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche has a solid defensive lineup and will make the playoffs again. Keep your eye on Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Joonas Donskoi. P AGE 6 Pacifi c Division Edmonton Oilers: Young superstar Connor McDavid has the talent and leadership to get his team into the playoffs – and possibly make a run. Other players to look out for are James Neal and Leon Draisaitl. Phoenix Coyotes: A Chieftain sleeper, this team has talent and depth to make a late run. Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, and Conor Garland are the guys to watch. By Charlie Simpson Chieftain Staff The NHL has entered a new era. We are starting to see new, young names, and not so many veterans. This is a more exciting era due to faster super- stars and a lot of dangles. Here are the top teams in 2019-20. Predictions Stanley Cup Finals Blues over Capitals Hart Trophy (MVP) Connor McDavid, Oilers McDavid Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) John Carlson, Capitals Calder Trophy (Best Rookie) Kaapo Kakko, New York Rangers N O V E M B E R 2019