| Team |
Average Ranking |
#1 Rankings |
Highest Ranking |
Lowest Ranking |
Standard Deviation |
Commentary |
| The Favourites |
| Washington Capitals | 2.86 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2.38 | The Capitals are the clear favourite, winning the President's Trophy for the second time, and leading the eastern conference by a whopping 16 points...but can they finally overcome their history of playoff underachievement? |
| Los Angeles Kings | 4.50 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 3.54 | The Kings return to the playoffs as perhaps a surprise alternative favourite (given that they didn't even win their division) with the second-highest average ranking and the second-most #1 rankings...but I suppose it is their turn to win, given the pattern established over the last four years... |
| The Dark Horses |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 5.67 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3.15 | The Penguins' late-season surge, and the possibility of Malkin returning at some point seem to have given them a strong degree of support... |
| Dallas Stars | 5.71 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2.18 | Strangely enough, the Stars have the lowest standard deviation this year, implying a strong clustering in the second quartile, but with just one #1 ranking, the fourth-highest average ranking comes as a bit of a surprise... |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 5.88 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 3.31 | The Hawks won the Cup last year despite only finishing third in their division, so perhaps it`s unsurprising that they`re again the only consensus underdog pick (ranked higher than their first-round opponent Blues)... |
| Florida Panthers | 5.88 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3.17 | The Panthers should be fun to watch at least, and I think the relatively high average ranking combined with the relatively low standard deviation indicates consensus they`ll emerge from the arguably weak Atlantic bracket but lose in the conference finals...although there is some dissent, including one #1 ranking... |
| Anaheim Ducks | 5.93 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 3.59 | The Ducks had a weird year, starting out looking like they'd miss the playoffs altogether, and then finishing strong to win their division...perhaps that explains the variance of opinion that gives them the fourth-largest standard deviation... |
| The Longshots |
| St. Louis Blues | 7.62 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 4.02 | For the third year in a row, the Blues have the highest standard deviation meaning there's a great deal of disagreement about how they'll fare, and that their fate will have a significant effect on the standings... |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 9.12 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 3.55 | Despite making the finals last year, and nearly winning their division this year, the Lightning have the lowest average ranking of any higher-seeded team, presumably because their roster has been ravaged by injuries down the stretch, including to captain Stamkos... |
| The Faint Hopes |
| New York Rangers | 10.10 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 2.67 | The Rangers limped into the playoffs and barely avoided falling into a wild card position, which probably explains the degree of consensus that they won't go deep, indicated by the relatively low standard deviation for a team in the middle of the average rankings... |
| Detroit Red Wings | 10.14 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 3.67 | The Wings keep their playoff berth streak alive, and with the third-highest standard deviation, it seems some people think they could go deep... |
| San Jose Sharks | 10.31 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 3.81 | With the second-highest standard deviation, and as the only team to appear at both the very top and very bottom of entries, there is quite a wide range of opinion as to how the Sharks will do, with most evidently thinking they'll lose to the Kings in the first round, but also some strong dissidents, including two entries picking them to win the Cup... |
| Nashville Predators | 11.64 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 3.36 | As the highest average-ranked wild card team, it seems a few people think they can upset the Ducks (and perhaps go even farther)... |
| New York Islanders | 12.55 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 2.90 | Not too many entries have the Islanders picked to beat the Panthers in the first round... |
| Minnesota Wild | 13.90 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 2.62 | Despite upsetting the Blues in the first round last year, the Wild are ranked at the bottom of the west... |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 14.19 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 2.29 | The Flyers had a good run to make the playoffs, but there's a good deal of consensus that they won't make it past the Caps in the first round, and they're the only team nobody picked to at least make the conference finals... |
