nudge 6-5 in front.Fu took the next two to regain his slender lead

This story appears in ESPN The Magazines October 17 Great Debates Issue. Subscribe today!LOOKING FOR A Stanley Cup winner? Start with the regular season. For that we turn to Hockey Prospectus VUKOTA, a system that uses past performance to project a teams goal differential. Barry Melrose and I faced off on the predictions -- and give our Cup picks.EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic DivisionMATTHEW COLLER:?The Lightning would have seen a dip in their ranking if they had lost superstar Steven Stamkos; instead they bring back all the key players on a roster that was one win from the Stanley Cup finals. This is their time to finally break through. The Panthers should also improve their possession statistics and take some pressure off 2014 No. 1 pick Aaron Ekblad. But VUKOTA throws one big curveball in the Atlantic: Ottawa. Most see the Senators at the back of the field, but the numbers hint that they could be a breakout team with the addition of center Derick Brassard and key young players such as Curtis Lazar and Cody Ceci starting to come into their prime.BARRY MELROSE:?I just think Tampa Bay is great. If Steven Stamkos stays healthy, youve also got Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman -- and the defense is great. The Lightning will score goals. And theyve got two strong goaltenders. This is the year theyll win it.Metropolitan DivisionMATTHEW COLLER: Alex Ovechkin still wants to raise the Cup, and Sidney Crosby just won his second title. The consensus on Columbus is that itll be at the bottom of the league, but the projections tell another story. If the Jackets get the Vezina Trophy version of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, we could see them in the mix for a playoff spot. The Devils got much-deserved praise for making the best trade of the offseason -- dealing young defenseman Adam Larsson to the Oilers for LW Taylor Hall, the 2010 No.?1. But they didnt plug the hole left on D or improve the rest of the roster enough to seriously contend.BARRY MELROSE: Washington has a high talent level. In the regular season, the Caps have always been very, very strong. I dont see any reason for them to fall off. Their star players are still at that age where theyre in their prime.WESTERN CONFERENCECentral DivisionMATTHEW COLLER:?Winnipeg has a great chance to go from last in the Central to one of the best teams in the league. Not only will the goaltending be improved with Connor Hellebuyck getting a a chance to step up, but the Jets also have an outstanding group of rising players and prospects wholl make an impact, including No.?2 pick Patrik Laine, a right winger. Its possible the Predators would have been No. 1 with better goaltending. The projections leave little doubt: The Central is the most competitive division in the league, with only three points separating top from bottom.BARRY MELROSE: I like Winnipeg. Ive been raving about the Jets players. Mark Scheifele is awesome; this Patrik Laine kid is fantastic. Youve got Blake Wheeler. The defense is solid with Dustin Byfuglien. Connor Hellebuyck looks like hes a pretty good goaltender.Pacific DivisionMATTHEW COLLER:?The Sharks are still the best team, barring a major drop-off from veterans like Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. After them, its a toss-up. Anaheim looks vulnerable due to a combination of aging stars and questionable forward depth. Edmonton is a team on the rise but maybe a season away, as Connor McDavid could become the best player in the league. A coaching change should help Calgary maximize its young skill players talents. The Coyotes probably arent ready to run with the best teams in the division, but the numbers hint that they could be in the mix. As for Vancouver? The Canucks are in desperate need of a rebuild.BARRY MELROSE: Id put the Ducks ahead of Calgary. Corey Perry is fantastic. Sami Vatanen has been very good. Ryan Kesler is still a pretty good player. Are they getting older? Yeah. But I still think they are one of the top three teams in that division.*Projected wild card berth Clayton Thorson Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. JJ Arcega-Whiteside Womens Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. http://www.theeaglesshoponline.com/Youth-shareef-miller-eagles-jersey/ . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. DeSean Jackson Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Wes Hopkins Womens Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far.Marco Fu became the first player to book his place in the World Championship quarter-finals with a hard-fought 13-9 win over qualifier Anthony McGill. The 14th seed overcame a valiant bid by Scot McGill, who knocked out last years beaten finalist Shaun Murphy in the first round, to reach the last eight for the third time in his career and for the first time in 10 years.The 38-year-old from Hong Kong took a 9-7 lead into the evening session and won four of the next six frames, aided by a superb century break in the fourth frame of the night, to see off his younger opponent. McGill, 25, opened the evening session with a break of 97 to reduce the arrears to 9-8 but Fu responded with a break of 56 to regain a two-frame lead at 10-8.Fu looked unsure as McGill sealed the next frame 62-15 to make it 10-9, but rallied with breaks of 100, 55 and 69 to take the next three and put the match to bed.Resuming on Friday at 5-3 behind, McGill won the first three frames of the day to nudge 6-5 in front.Fu took the next two to regain his slender lead, before McGill recovered the two snookers he required to win a marathon frame 14 and level the score again.With both players under-performing in an increasingly scrappy afffair, Fu won the final two frames of the morning session to establish himself as favourite to progress.dddddddddddd Mark Williams holds a 10-6 lead over Michael Holt Former two-time champion Mark Williams, pushed hard by qualifier Michael Holt, will take a 10-6 lead into the final session of his second round match on Saturday afternoon.Williams, fortunate to find himself level at 4-4 going into the second session, won the first two frames of the evening thanks to breaks of 87 and 61 to open up a 6-4 lead.But Holt, who stunned Neil Robertson in the first round, responded with a break of 83 to take the next and then levelled it up again at 6-6.Welshman Williams, winner in 2000 and 2003, made a break of 64 to take the 13th frame and looked to have gained the upper hand at last by taking the final three frames, the last being secured by a break of 68. Also See: Trump survives Liang scare Rocket warned over no-show ' ' '