The regular season is complete. The 16-team playoff table has now been set. The
Stanley Cup playoffs kick off Wednesday, Apr. 11. It's the best two months in all of sport, where every shift, every check and every play matters. It's when real players perform their best, wins make players forget about pain and heroes
are born.
The 16 Playoff Teams
In the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils are all in it.
In the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche all advanced.
The hottest teams entering the playoffs are the Jets (9-1-0), Ducks (8-1-1), Capitals (8-2-0) and Devils (7-2-1). The coldest teams entering the playoffs are the Avs (4-5-1) and the Wild (4-2-4). Both the Golden Knights and Blue Jackets finished the regular season on a two-game losing skids.
The stage is set.
Let's do this. pic.twitter.com/hravmzaKhx
- NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 9, 2018
2018 Stanley Cup - Betting Odds
As of Apr. 3, these are the betting odds to win the 2018 Stanley Cup according to BetOnline Sportsbook.
The number represents how much a $100 bet would yield if the team won the Stanley Cup. For example, a $100 bet on the heavily-favored Predators would return $350; a $100 bet on the Devils would fetch a healthy $4,000 return.Heavy
Favorites
Nashville Predators  (+350)
The Preds are fresh off winning their first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. They have balance and depth throughout their lineup. They had thirteen
10-goal scorers this season. Smashville can't wait to get the party going again.Nashville transforms into Smashville. There';s nothing quite like it.
Tampa Bay Lightning  (+575)
This year, Nikita Kutcherov hit the 100-point mark while winger Yanni Gourde set a franchise rookie record for goals (25) and points (64). Of all the teams to qualify for the postseason, the Lightning have the worst penalty-killing percentage (76.1 percent). They had eleven 10-goal scorers this season. With battle-tested New York Rangers Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller added at the deadline, the Lightning are a heavy favorite.
Boston Bruins  (+625)
The Bruins have 11 players with ten or more goals and three that reached 30 - Brad Marchand (34), David Pastrnak (34) and Patrice Bergeron (30). They made some big moves at the trade deadline, adding Rick Nash, Brian Gionta, Nick Holden and Tommy Wingels.
Vegas Golden Knights  (+700)
This team that only existed on paper a year ago has shattered expansion-team records. Center William Karlsson leads the team's offense with 43 goals and 35 assists. In net, Marc-Andre Fleury gives his team a chance every night.Fleury brings years of winning experience to the expansion Knights. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
Pittsburgh Penguins  (+850)
The back-to-back, defending Stanley Cup Champions are hard to count out. They score. A lot. The Pens have the league's best power play, scoring 68 goals and converting on 26.2% of their chances. They';ll try to be the first team to three-peat since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83.Middle of the Pack
Winnipeg Jets  (+1000)
The Jets, led by Blake Wheeler and sniper Patrik Laine, have yet to win a playoff game in their second reincarnation. They're one of two Canadian teams to make the postseason and hold the nation's best shot at ending their 25-year Stanley Cup drought.
Toronto Maple Leafs  (+1400)
The Leafs have the second-best power play (25% conversion). They score a lot of
goals, boasting three players with 30-plus goals - Auston Matthews (34), Nazem Kadri (32) and James van Riemsdyk (36).
Washington Capitals  (+1600)
Will this be the year Alex Ovechkin and the Caps make it past the second round?
Ovi ran away with the NHL goal-scoring title this year, finishing with 49, four
more than Patrik Laine of the Jets. It's the ninth time he's topped 40 goals in
a season. The Caps had 11 ten-goal scorers this season.
San Jose Sharks  (+2200)
Former-Sabres winger Evander Kane finally gets his chance to appear in the playoffs. He's given some new life to the Sharks who finished 11-4-1 down the stretch. In the last three seasons, Brent Burns leads all defensemen in points (213). The Sharks are the League's second-best penalty killers (84.8 percent). The Sharks had 11 ten-goal scorers this season.
Los Angeles Kings  (+2500)
The Kings finished the season winning five of six and 10 of 15. Their offense is led by Anze Kopitar (35 goals), Dustin Brown (28 goals) and Tyler Toffoli (24 goals). The Kings own the league's best penalty kill at 85 percent.Tyler Toffoli (73), center, celebrates with teammates Anze Kopitar (11), left, and Paul LaDue (38). (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Anaheim Ducks  (+2500)
Of all 16 playoff teams, the Ducks scored the fewest number of goals. They had the fourth lowest goal differential (plus-19) and the second-worst power play conversion rate (17.8) of all teams that qualified for the playoffs.Long Shots
Minnesota Wild  (+2800)
While the resurgence of Eric Staal (42 goals, 34 assists) has been a breath of fresh air for the Wild. Defenseman Ryan Suter's ankle injury certainly sucked some life out of the Wild's chances. It'll take some stellar goaltending for them to go deep.
Columbus Blue Jackets  (+2800)
The Blue Jackets had ten 10-goal scorers this season. Artemi Panarin, aka "The Bread Man" leads the offense with 27 goals and 55 assists. They have the worst power play among all playoff teams, converting on just 17.2 percent of their chances.
Colorado Avalanche  (+2800)
The Avs snuck into the postseason, grabbing the last spot by defeating the St. Louis Blues in what felt like an elimination playoff game. At times, they look unstoppable. Other times, they make one scratch their head. Which team will show up?
Philadelphia Flyers  (+3300)
This year, Claude Giroux put up a career-high 99 points. He always comes ready to shine in the playoffs. Giroux is one of eleven 10-goal scorers on the Flyers
this season. The Flyers goaltending has been questionable and will likely prove
to be their Achilles heel.
New Jersey Devils  (+4000)
Taylor Hall will lead the turnaround Devils back to the dance. The team had ten
10-goal scorers this season, but is at the bottom of the goal differential stats (plus-four) among all playoff teams.Chances of Winning the 2018 Stanley Cup
The following lists each team's chance of winning the Stanley Cup according to SportsClubStats.com as of Sunday, Apr. 8.
Nashville Predators         15.5%Boston Bruins      Â
      16.4%Winnipeg Jets             12.8%Tampa Bay Lightning       12.3%Vegas Golden Knights       8.3%Los Angeles Kings          5.4%Toronto Maple Leafs         5.3%Pittsburgh Penguins                4.1%Washington Capitals         4.0%Anaheim Ducks             3.4%Philadelphia Flyers                  2.7%San Jose Sharks            2.7%Columbus Blue Jackets       2.3%Minnesota Wild             2.2%Colorado Avalanche         2.0%New Jersey Devils           1.0%
The following lists each team's chance of winning the Stanley Cup according to moneypuck.com as of Sunday, Apr. 8.
Winnipeg Jets             13.7%Boston Bruins    Â
        11.9%Tampa Bay Lightning       10.7%Nashville Predators         9.9%Pittsburgh Penguins         7.5%San Jose Sharks           7.4%Columbus Blue Jackets      6.4%Toronto Maple Leafs        6.2%Minnesota Wild            4.8%Anaheim Ducks            4.4%Vegas Golden Knights       3.8%Los Angeles Kings          3.4%Philadelphia Flyers          3.1%Colorado Avalanche         2.5%Washington Capitals         2.1%New Jersey Devils          2.1%
2017-18 Special Teams Play
A strong power play can be very helpful during the regular season. However, in the playoffs, the man advantage isn't as indicative of success. In the 2017 playoffs, eight of the top 11 power play teams lost in the first round. Winning
the 5-on-5 battle is much more important.
The suggestion that referees swallow their whistles is a myth. Through three rounds of the playoffs last season, power-play opportunities were up to 6.22 per game from 5.97 during the regular season. And power play goals were less frequent.Power Play Conversion
Pittsburgh Penguins        26.2%Toronto Maple Leafs        25.0%Tampa Bay Lightning        23.9%Boston Bruins             23.5%Winnipeg Jets             23.4%Washington Capitals        22.5%Colorado Avalanche         22.0%New Jersey Devils          21.4%Vegas Golden Knights       21.4%Nashville Predators         21.2%Philadelphia Flyers          20.7%San Jose Sharks           20.6%Los Angeles Kings          20.4%Minnesota Wild                       20.4%Anaheim Ducks            17.8%Columbus Blue Jackets      17.2%
Penalty Killing Conversion
Los Angeles Kings         85.0%San Jose Sharks           84.8%Boston Bruins             83.5%Colorado Avalanche        83.3%Anaheim Ducks            83.2%Nashville Predators         81.9%New Jersey Devils          81.8%Winnipeg Jets             81.8%Toronto Maple Leafs        81.4%Vegas Golden Knights       81.4%Minnesota Wild            81.3%Washington Capitals        80.3%Pittsburgh Penguins         80.0%Columbus Blue Jackets      76.2%Tampa Bay Lightning        76.1%Philadelphia Flyers         75.8%
Guy Boucher knows that winning 5-on-5 play is the key to success (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)
Guy Boucher, the Ottawa Senators'; coach last year, has a theory on why power plays are less successful in the playoffs. "It's a lot easier to destroy something than it is to build something. Guys are so dedicated to defending. They're in the lanes and blocking shots with a much higher percentage," said Boucher. "The playoffs are about paying the price. They';re about desperation. And there';s a lot of that on penalty kills."2017-18Â Goal Scoring
Regular season success is only an indicator for playoff success. That said, with goals in the playoffs at a premium, teams still need to find a way to score. Here are the goals for, goals against and goal differential for all 16 playoff-bound teams.
Best Win Percentage in One-Goal Games
Tampa Bay Lightning       .676%Toronto Maple Leafs      Â
.658%Columbus Blue Jackets     .622%Nashville Predators        .615%Winnipeg Jets            .611%Washington Capitals       .606%New Jersey Devils         .595%Boston Bruins            .583%Vegas Golden Knights      .579%San Jose Sharks          .563%Anaheim Ducks           .514%Pittsburgh Penguins       .513%Philadelphia Flyers        .452%Minnesota Wild           .444%Los Angeles Kings         .424%Colorado Avalanche       .423%
Goals For (5-on-5)
Tampa Bay Lightning       196Toronto Maple Leafs       187Winnipeg Jets            176Vegas Golden Knights  Â
   176Washington Capitals       171Columbus Blue Jackets  Â
  169Nashville Predators        168Boston Bruins     Â
      165Pittsburgh Penguins       161New Jersey Devils
        160Minnesota Wild           160San Jose Sharks          159Philadelphia Flyers      Â
 158Anaheim Ducks           157Los Angeles Kings   Â
     155Colorado Avalanche       152
Goals For (Total)
Tampa Bay Lightning       296Winnipeg Jets            277Toronto Maple Leafs       277Vegas Golden Knights  Â
   272Pittsburgh Penguins       272Boston Bruins            270Nashville Predators        267Washington Capitals       259Colorado Avalanche       257Minnesota
Wild           253San Jose Sharks          252Philadelphia Flyers        251New Jersey Devils    Â
    248Columbus Blue Jackets     242Los Angeles Kings    Â
    239Anaheim Ducks           235
Goals Against (Total)
Los Angeles Kings         203Nashville Predators     Â
   211Boston Bruins             214Anaheim Ducks            216Winnipeg Jets             218Vegas Golden Knights       228San Jose Sharks           229Columbus Blue Jackets     230Toronto Maple Leafs Â
      232Minnesota Wild            232Tampa Bay
Lightning       236Colorado Avalanche        237Washington Capitals        239Philadelphia Flyers         243New Jersey Devils         244Pittsburgh Penguins        250
Goal Differential
Tampa Bay Lightning       +60Winnipeg Jets            +59Boston Bruins            +56Nashville Predators        +56Toronto Maple Leafs       +45Vegas
Golden Knights      +44Los Angeles Kings         +36San
Jose Sharks          +23Pittsburgh Penguins       +22Minnesota Wild           +21Washington Capitals   Â
   +20Colorado Avalanche       +20Anaheim Ducks           +19Columbus Blue Jackets     +12Philadelphia Flyers         +8New Jersey Devils         +4
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