| Team |
Average Ranking |
#1 Rankings |
Highest Ranking |
Lowest Ranking |
Standard Deviation |
Commentary |
| The Favourites |
| New York Rangers | 2.94 | 18 | 1 | 12 | 2.51 | Again this year, there's a single clear favourite: the President's Trophy-winning Rangers...of course, last year's heavily favoured Bruins failed to get past the second round, so we'll see how far they can actually get...with the lowest standard deviation however, it may not matter too much to the outcome of the pool... |
| The Dark Horses |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 4.80 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3.33 | Interestingly, despite going out in the first round last year and not winning their division this year, the Lightning have the second-highest average ranking and highest lowest ranking (i.e. nobody ranked them any lower than 11)...they only have one top ranking though, and the third-lowest standard deviation, so it seems most have them clustered high but not too high... |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 5.02 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 3.65 | The Hawks are the top team in the west, despite only finishing third in their division...apparently their recent history of playoff overachievement makes them everyone's favourite "underdog" pick... |
| St. Louis Blues | 6.06 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 4.63 | For the second year in a row, the Blues have the highest standard deviation (and in fact, they broke their own all-time record from last year) meaning their fate will have a significant effect on the standings... |
| Anaheim Ducks | 6.29 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 4.11 | For the second straight year, the Ducks finished first in the west, but get less respect than that would seem to accord... |
| Montreal Canadiens | 6.45 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 3.80 | The Habs got the second-most #1 rankings, but only the sixth-highest average ranking, which should make them a difference-maker in the pool... |
| The Longshots |
| Washington Capitals | 8.96 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.79 | Can the Capitals overcome their history of playoff underachievement? They finished the season strong, but it looks like it'll be a close series with the Islanders, with more entries giving the edge to the Capitals... |
| Vancouver Canucks | 9.22 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3.78 | The Canucks have been uneven all season, so it's perhaps unsurprising that they rest near the middle of most entries... |
| New York Islanders | 9.76 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.51 | Similar to the Canucks, the Islanders seem to be a team most people are hedging with toward the middle... |
| Calgary Flames | 10.00 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 3.32 | The Flames surprisingly have the second-lowest standard deviation, and the lowest highest ranking, suggesting that even the few who think they can get past the Canucks don't think they can get much farther... |
| Minnesota Wild | 10.04 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 4.18 | With the third-highest standard deviation (perhaps not surprising given that they're playing the team with the highest standard deviation in the first round) but a low average ranking, it seems there is a significant minority who give the Wild the edge over the Blues, and think that Dubnyk is the real deal and can carry them deep into the playoffs... |
| Ottawa Senators | 10.12 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 3.42 | The Senators had a historic final quarter of the season to rise from the ashes and make the playoffs, but it seems most think the Hamburglar streak is coming to an end... |
| The Faint Hopes |
| Winnipeg Jets | 10.84 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 4.59 | The double-digit average ranking suggests little optimism the Jets (finally back in the postseason) can get past the Ducks, but the second-highest standard deviation indicates that there is a great deal of disagreement on that point, and on how much farther than that they could go... |
| Nashville Predators | 10.88 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 3.47 | I had to go back to 2012 to find a top-three seeded team ranked this low (although I actually thought I'd have to go farther than that)...I have to say this feels a bit like 2006 when the 3-seeded Hurricanes found no love in the pool but went on to win the Cup... |
| Detroit Red Wings | 11.94 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 3.95 | The Wings keep their playoff berth streak alive, but with the second-lowest average ranking and second-lowest highest ranking (no higher than 3) they aren't expected to do much with it... |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 12.67 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3.86 | The Penguins barely squeaked into the playoffs after dropping 11 of their last 15 games of the season, and face the league-leading Rangers in the first round, so their low average ranking won't come as a surprise to most...but with the star power of Crosby & Malkin and strong postseason history, there are a few optimists backing them... |
