NHL

NHL Playoff Odds: Is This Finally Washington's Year?

The Capitals haven't found much success in the playoffs, but that could change this year.

Maybe this is the year for Washington. They lead our power rankings with a 0.95 nERD, which tells us the number of goals we'd expect them to win by against an average team on neutral ice. And they're fortunate to have Pittsburgh facing off against Columbus in the first round of this year's playoffs given it'll weed out a top competitor in the conference.

Our numbers definitely love Washington this year, at least. Not only do they have the highest odds to get out of the first round, but their chances of winning the Stanley Cup, per our algorithm, are almost twice as good as any other team.

TeamnERDStanley Cup OddsFirst-Round Odds
Washington Capitals0.9521.80%73.84%
Minnesota Wild0.5511.13%61.50%
Pittsburgh Penguins0.609.09%53.07%
Columbus Blue Jackets0.526.98%46.93%
New York Rangers0.426.68%53.73%
Chicago Blackhawks0.326.33%55.07%
Anaheim Ducks0.256.06%59.68%
Edmonton Oilers0.245.48%51.03%
San Jose Sharks0.264.61%48.97%
Boston Bruins0.244.61%56.47%
Montreal Canadiens0.244.59%46.27%
St. Louis Blues0.194.01%38.50%
Nashville Predators0.143.25%44.93%
Calgary Flames-0.042.01%40.32%
Ottawa Senators-0.031.89%43.53%
Toronto Maple Leafs0.011.48%26.16%


Will this finally be it for Alex Ovechkin?