1. Washington Capitals 56-18-8
Alex Ovechkin may not of reached 50 goals this season, but it would be hard to classify this season as anything other than a success for the Capitals captain. The Capitals are the second best offense in the NHL, as well as the third best defense. They wrapped up the Presidents Trophy about a month ago. The team was electric in the regular season, now they need to show that they can give a similar kind of performance in the playoffs.
2. Dallas Stars 50-23-9
The Stars will be matching up with the Wild in the first round. The Stars dominated the regular season match up, winning four games when up against the Wild. Tyler Seguin was an important part of the teams offense in the Stars last game against the Wild, picking up two assists.
3. St. Louis Blues 49-24-9
The Blues three-game winning streak kept them in the race for the top spot in the Western Conference until the end. Vladimir Tarasenko has been unstoppable in the month of April, with three goals and seven points in only four games.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins 48-26-8
The Penguins eight game winning streak was well needed, as they have picked up home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The key has been Sidney Crosby, who has five goals and nine points during the eight game span.
5. Chicago Blackhawks 47-26-9
Duncan Keith stupid play has resulted in him missing the team’s first playoff game. Considering the fact that their first round opponent will be the blues, the loss of a top line defender for even one game will be a hefty.
6. Florida Panthers 47-26-9
Jaromir Jagr has been in fantastic form, with two goals and six points in his last five games. He now has an incredible 65 points for the season as a 44 year old.
7. Los Angeles Kings 48-28-6
Despite blowing a huge lead over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, the Kings still have home-ice advantage over the San Jose Sharks in the first round. Their impressive victory over the Ducks on April 7th tells us a story of a team that can go deep into the playoffs. Drew Doughty played 30 minutes in that contest, and has to be considered a contender for the Norris Trophy for best defender.
8. New York Rangers 46-27-9
After an embarrassing loss to the Islanders, the once mighty Rangers limped into the playoffs as a fourth seed. They'll take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
9. Anaheim Ducks 46-25-11
The Ducks had a small chance to get the Pacific Division crown heading into the final two games. Interestingly, everything worked in their favor. Now set to take on a tough Predators team that had to slug it out in the Central Division, this is going to be no easy task for Anaheim.
10. New York Islanders 45-27-10
The Islanders have been on an incredible roll, winning six out of their last seven games prior to struggling in the final two regular season outings. . John Tavares has been the key, with six goals and 11 points in his last seven games.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning 46-31-5
Their inconsistent play over the past month has cost them the Atlantic Division title. Still, the team has to be enjoying the prospect of playing the struggling Red Wings.
12. Nashville Predators 41-27-14
Filip Forsberg has been great the past five games, with two goals and five points. The team could definitely use a Forsberg in good form with the playoffs around the corner.
13. San Jose Sharks 46-30-6
The key to the Sharks success has been the play of Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Thornton has been the playmaker of the two, tied for fourth in the NHL with 81 points. Pavelski has been the sniper, finishing fifth in the NHL with 38 goals.
14. Detroit Red Wings 41-30-11
The once mighty Red Wing offense now is only 23rd in the league. After narrowly earning a playoff spot for the 20th consecutive seasons, Detroit must now take on Tampa Bay in the first round.
15.Philadelphia Flyers 41-27-14
Words cannot describe how bad the Flyers defense had been prior to winning their final two games to earn a playoff spot. They gave up four goals to the lowly Maple Leafs in a loss that seemed to hurt their postseason chances. Now in the second season, this is going to be an area of concern.
16. Boston Bruins 42-31-9
They worked their way back into the playoff mix with an impressive 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, Boston couldn't win its season finale to earn that postseason spot.
17. Minnesota Wild 38-33-11
The Wild’s five-game losing streak has them limping into the playoffs with a match up against the Stars. I don't like their chances.
18. Carolina Hurricanes 35-31-16
With all of the mishaps that have been happening in the race for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot, one has to wonder if the Hurricanes could have been a contender if they had of kept Eric Staal.
19. Ottawa Senators 38-35-9
The Senators played spoiler when they beat the Bruins in a game that ended Boston's playoff aspirations.
20. Colorado Avalanche 39-39-4
Their six-game losing streak ensured their demise, but Patrick Roy deserves one more try at getting this young team to the playoffs.
21. New Jersey Devils 38-36-8
The Devils did the smart thing and decided to tank once it was clear they were not going to make the playoffs.
22. Montreal Canadiens 38-38-6
The Canadiens picked up four wins in their final six games as a once promising season comes to a close.
23. Buffalo Sabres 35-36-11
The Sabres picked up an impressive victory over the Rangers on April 2nd, showing the teams potential. Jack Eichel was the second star of the game, getting his 31st assist of the season.
24. Arizona Coyotes 35-39-8
With one win in the last seven games, the Coyotes officially went into tank mode.
25. Winnipeg Jets 35-39-8
The Jets picked up four straight victories over playoff bound opponents, but it is a classic case of too little too late.
26. Calgary Flames 35-40-7
The most disappointing team in the league this year picked up a 7-3 victory to avoid being the fourth worst team in the league.
27. Vancouver Canucks 31-38-13
The defense didn't show up for the Canucks, as they gave up six goals against the Oilers and seven against the Flames.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets 34-40-8
With four wins in their five April matchups, the Blue Jackets did just enough to ensure they will not get the top pick.
29. Toronto Maple Leafs 29-42-11
The Maple Leafs managed to play spoiler when they beat the Flyers. It still wasn't enough to overcome what was a disastrous season in Toronto.
30. Edmonton Oilers 31-43-8
Connor McDavid had a strong end to the season, with two goals and six points in his last five games. With McDavid and Taylor Hall potentially playing together for a full season next year, expect them to be one of the more dynamic duos in the NHL.