| Team |
Average Ranking |
#1 Rankings |
Highest Ranking |
Lowest Ranking |
Standard Deviation |
Commentary |
| The Favourites |
| Vancouver Canucks | 2.37 | 24 | 1 | 9 | 1.94 | The Canucks stand alone as favourites this year, having won the President's Trophy by a margin of ten points, having the Olympic charm on their side, and of course having the patriotic sentimental factor on their side as well... |
| The Dark Horses |
| Washington Capitals | 4.02 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2.63 | Much ink was spilled over how the Caps were focused and tooled for the playoffs, so they actually come up with the second highest ranking, but their history of playoff disappointments prevented all but two from giving them that fateful #1 ranking... |
| San Jose Sharks | 4.39 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 2.82 | The third-highest number of #1 rankings and the third-highest average ranking put the Sharks on the list of realistic contenders, but I know for a fact that due to their post-season resume there is at least some skepticism even among those who did put them atop their lists... |
| Boston Bruins | 5.33 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 3.89 | The second-highest number of #1 rankings, combined with the second-highest standard deviation make the Bruins a very important team in this year's edition of the pool... |
| Detroit Red Wings | 5.51 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 2.34 | The flipside of the Bruins, despite having almost the same average ranking, the Wings have the second-lowest standard deviation and second-best lowest ranking, suggesting that they will likely not have too much impact on the outcome of the pool... |
| The Longshots |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 6.63 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 3.51 | In a few recent years, the Flyers have squeaked into the playoffs and upset higher seeds, so you have to wonder how they`ll fare with home advantage and higher expectations... |
| Anaheim Ducks | 7.75 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 3.18 | The Ducks came on strong in the latter part of the season, but apparently not strong enough to convince any of us that they can capture their second Cup... |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 8.49 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3.67 | The Penguins present a difficult bet this year, with Malkin out and Crosby a huge question mark...will he come back at some point if they can get some wins without him? |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 8.71 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3.43 | Because they face the Penguins in the first round, the Bolts pose some difficulty in predicting as well, so they're spread fairly evenly across the middle of most entries... |
| The Faint Hopes |
| Buffalo Sabres | 9.86 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3.57 | The Sabres came on fairly strong toward the end of the season, and they`ve got a proven goalie, which apparently gives them slightly more confidence despite being a seventh seed... |
| Montreal Canadiens | 10.55 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 4.04 | The Habs have the highest standard deviation this year, and they're the only team this year to appear at both the very top and the very bottom of entries, so they're clearly a key team to watch this year... |
| Nashville Predators | 11.06 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 2.66 | The Predators are ranked fairly low despite their Vezina-candidate goalie and finishing fifth in the west... |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 11.76 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 2.64 | The defending champs barely squeaked into the playoffs this year, so it`s not a surprise to see them ranked low, but their success last year and the fact that they eliminated the Canucks in both of the last two years apparently garners them more confidence than the higher-seeded Coyotes and Kings... |
| Phoenix Coyotes | 12.22 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 3.07 | The Coyotes have yet to win a playoff series, and although they won the season series against the Wings this year, they still aren't getting much respect... |
| New York Rangers | 13.37 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 2.93 | Despite having upset the Capitals two years ago and having the league shutout leader between the pipes, the Rangers are near the bottom of most entries... |
| Los Angeles Kings | 13.98 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 2.56 | Facing a pretty solid-looking Sharks squad and some key injury problems, the Kings have precious few boosters... |
