Two Canadian teams rank among the top-3 Stanley Cup favourites
As we pass the mid-way mark of December and near closer to January, the NHL standings are slowly taking shape with all but 4 teams having reached the 30 game plateau - not just with playoff spots but Stanley Cup favourites.
In terms of playoff spots, the Boston Bruins have a 99.4% chance of locking one down, followed by the Winnipeg Jets at 99.3%, Carolina Hurricanes at 99.1%, the Toronto Maple Leafs at 98.4%, the New Jersey Devils at 96.4%, and the Dallas Stars at 95% to round out the top 6.
Where things get more interesting are the odds given for each playoff round and then winning the Stanley Cup as a whole. For the Maple Leafs, a team who has been hamstrung by injuries but playing the best brand of hockey in years, they have a 58.1% chance of finally breaking their lengthy curse of avoiding the second round - which is third only to the Winnipeg Jets (67.4%) and the Carolina Hurricanes (63.4).
They then hold a 32.6% chance of advancing to the Conference Finals, 17.2% chance of making it to the Finals, and then a 10% chance of winning the cup - all of which are the third highest behind the same aforementioned two hockey clubs with one being in the opposite conference.
According to these numbers, Canada has maybe its best chance at ending their Stanley Cup drought since 1993 with the Jets leading the way at 13.8%, the Maple Leafs not too far behind them at 10%, and the Edmonton Oilers holding a 5.5% chance at lifting the holy grail of hockey.
Obviously there's still a lot of hockey left to be played with over 4 months left on the docket and then the unpredictability of the playoffs coming into the equation. However, sometimes numbers don't lie and it's interesting to see the Jets and Leafs at or near the top.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 18 | 219 ANSWERS Two Canadian teams rank among the top-3 Stanley Cup favourites Will the Leafs make the Stanley Cup Finals this year? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 49.3 % |
| No | 111 | 50.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
