With the seeds almost all locked, here are your playoff team report cards leading into the second season …

 

Wednesday, Dobber noted the lack of playoff drama leading into the second season.

I expect Minnesota to draw into the Western Conference dance, and the Flyers to advance as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

One note before you jump in. This has been a pick-away project, so some of the stats may be a game behind, but the overarching points stand. With the disclaimer out of the way, here is a look at each team leading into the playoffs.

 

Eastern Conference

 

The Chalk

 

Washington Capitals

The Capitals home-ice dominance (28-6-2) has been suffocating, as they've also averaged a league-best 3.25 goals per home game while allowing just 2.17 per tilt at the Verizon Center, which goes good for third best.

As you'd expect, special teams have been the backbone. Washington ranks second in power-play percentage (23.0%) and sixth in penalty-kill percentage (85.7%) on home ice.

To top it all up, Braden Holtby is 24-3-1 at home with a .926 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average.

With home-ice advantage through all four rounds, Washington's road is paved, and the Capitals will almost have to beat themselves to lose the Eastern Conference. Or, at least, if Washington doesn't win 12 playoff games, it'll be a different team than we've seen to date.

Shocking analysis full of HOT TAKES, I know.

 

New York Rangers

The Rangers have lost to their likely first-round opponent (Pittsburgh) twice in March, and have basically lulled their way to a strong finish in the conference without ever playing their "best hockey."

Don't forget, New York sat with a 45.3 CorsiFor percentage November 30, which was good for second last in the league. Since December 1, the Blueshirts own a 48.2 CF%, so there is at least some progress.

Henrik Lundqvist's .940 five-on-five save percentage is tops in the Eastern Conference, and that includes his recent five-game losing streak where he posted a 3.97 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Though, how much those results were injury related is up for debate.

Simply put, with a healthy roster and Eric Staal providing a third-line threat, New York has two weeks to hit stride and peak at the right time. The leaders in that room should know this is their best shot at a Stanley Cup. Monitor them closely the next two weeks poolies.

The cupboards are bare, so having something to put on the mantel could satisfy the masses for the pending dry spell.

 

Tampa Bay Lightning

Injuries derailed the Lightning early, but Tampa Bay failed to beef up their defense corps, which should make another trip to the finals next to impossible. Andrej Sustr and Nikita Nesterov are still developing pieces, whereas Jason Garrison, Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle are slow-footed liabilities.

The news Friday was catastrophic.

For everything Steve Yzerman has done well, this blue line wasn't good enough with Anton Stralman. Garrison has dragged down the CorsiFor percentage of each of his five most frequent forward linemates, Coburn the seventh most frequent, and Carle has been a complete dumpster fire.

No forward has a better CF% sharing the ice with Carle than without him. And while Carle was playing minimal minutes, he has two more years of $5.5 million on the books, and Yzerman is eating it. Carle played 24:27 of ice time Friday, which is scary.

Don't count the Lightning out. The offense has potential, and Ben Bishop is legit. But Victor Hedman can't play 40 minutes a night, and he likely can't play 30 minutes of the playoff brand successfully and carry the susceptible backend deep into May.

 

The Hopefuls

 

Florida Panthers

Arguably, no team has been more fun to follow and watch this season. And interestingly, after the Stephen Weiss–Nathan Horton–Jay Bouwmeester rebuild failed in front of Roberto Luongo, it is the Jonathan Huberdeau–Aleksander Barkov–Aaron Ekblad group making it happen in 2015-16. Jaromir Jagr doesn't hurt, either.

What is perhaps most impressive is the unheralded — outside of the fantasy community — secondary scoring of Jussi Jokinen, Reilly Smith and Vincent Trocheck, and Nick Bjugstad is just finally finding his own form (seven points through his past nine games). Newcomers Teddy Purcell and Jiri Hudler are significant upgrades on Bjugstad's running mates for most of the season, too.

Captain Willie Mitchell is an unknown at this point, and while his playoff experience is notable, his game is trending in the wrong direction. The Cats won't miss his possession drag (42.2 CorsiFor%) at five-on-five.

Still, the weakness would have to be seen as the blue line, and just how much Ekblad and Brian Campbell can buoy Dmitry Kulikov, Steve Kampfer, Jakub Kindl, Alex Petrovic and Erik Gudbranson will likely conclude the playoff fate for Florida.

 

The Dice Rolls

 

Philadelphia Flyers

A 21-10-6 run in 2016 has Philadelphia honed in on a playoff spot, and the Flyer power play still hasn't found the dominance that made it a top-three unit last season. Momentum and a nothing-to-lose attitude could make Philly a speculative upset target in Round 1, albeit a long shot.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins

Depth, defense and injury concerns remain, and Evgeni Malkin won't be 100 percent for Round 1, if he's able to play at all. There just isn't enough talent without Angry Evgeni. Better luck in 2016-17, Sid.

 

Boston Bruins

With a five-game losing streak entering a trap game against Toronto Saturday, Boston is fading at the wrong time of the season. Its defensive inefficiencies are finally coming to the forefront, as evidenced by the 3.6 goals per game allowed during the losing skid.

 

New York Islanders

Anyway you slice it, this team isn't good enough. Not in net, not on the blue line and not up front. Perhaps, the Islanders rally through to Round 2, but Thomas Greiss has floundered since being saddled with the No. 1 gig — 1-5-1 with a .902 save percentage and 3.17 goals-against average through his past seven outings.

 

Detroit Red Wings

This may be harsh, but Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are too old to carry a team, Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist aren't good enough to carry a team, and Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha are too young to carry a team. Petr Mrazek could refind his midseason form, or he could continue his mediocrity of late, which goes to the tune of a 6-5-1 record, a .890 save percentage and a 3.25 goals-against average entering the game Saturday.

 

Western Conference

 

The Chalk

 

Los Angeles Kings

The winner two of the past four years and returning the same core bodes well for the Kings. They're also the top-ranked defense in the league and barring any upcoming injuries, project to be at full strength for the playoffs.

Plus, unlike last season, in which they missed the second season entirely, the Kings have an impressive 21-14-3 road record. They're also 23-8-2 at the Staples Center after dropping their first three home games of the campaign. And, in case you weren't aware, Los Angeles' 56.1 CorsiFor percentage at five-on-five paces the league.

On paper, there are holes in the lineup — namely Luke Schenn, Vincent Lecavalier and Rob Scuderi. However, it isn't out of the question to suggest this group is better than the 2012 and 2014 clubs, either. The road out of the Western Conference is daunting, but Los Angeles has the cogs.

 

St. Louis Blues

Injuries have reared their ugly head all season, and St. Louis has found a way to be second to just Washington in the league standings and tied with Dallas for second entering Saturday.

Alexander Steen's return is expected soon, and his addition to a lineup that has been bolstered by rookie Robby Fabbri — especially recently — will provide a three-line attack. Freshman Colton Parayko's ability to slide up and down the depth chart has also helped stabilize the blue line. 

Additionally, Brian Elliott has answered every question and then some, as he has sandwiched his knee injury with a 15-3-2 record, a .946 save percentage and a 1.63 goals-against average. He has also limited opponents to two goals or fewer in 15 of those 21 outings.

Captain David Backes is an unrestricted free agent, Kevin Shattenkirk is after next season, too, and after the Blues stayed pat at the trade deadline, this could be their last run with this core group. This might also be the best team St. Louis has iced from top to bottom.

 

Anaheim Ducks

Since Christmas, Anaheim is 28-8-4 with a league-best plus-40 goal differential and fourth-best 53.1 CorsiFor percentage. The Ducks also rank third in high-danger scoring chances percentage with a 55.6 percent mark because of their league-low 373 chances allowed through 40 games during the span.

They've found their groove, and before losing each of their past starts, John Gibson was 5-2-1 with a .925 save percentage and a 1.91 goals-against average, and Frederik Andersen owned a 15-1-1 record with a .936 Sv% and a 1.80 GAA.

Anaheim went 26-12-3 at home last season, and after losing its first three home games this year, they own a 23-6-5 record at the Honda Center. Looking for more ammunition? The Ducks currently own the best power play in the league sitting at 23.6 percent for the year and 30.3 percent since the All-Star break.

They were a win away from the Stanley Cup last season, and they're going to be a tough out again this year.

 

The Hopefuls

 

Dallas Stars

No, the Stars cannot be deemed chalk.

Just recently, Calgary (3.35) passed Dallas (3.32) for the highest goals-against mark per game since the All-Star break, and only the Flames (.912) have a worst five-on-five save percentage for the season than the Stars (.913).

Tyler Seguin's injury is obviously a hurdle to clear, too. His timeline suggests he'll be back for the playoffs, and he likely will be, but whether he's at 100 percent is nothing more than a guess right now. Kris Russell also has a nagging foot injury, and Jason Demers was a big loss.

Plus, Dallas could end up facing Chicago in the first round, and that isn't ideal, obviously. All said, Dallas' run-and-gun style hasn't been conducive to winning a cup for a long time. The 2008-09 Penguins were the last team without a top-10 defense to win the Stanley Cup, and in each of the past three years, it has been a top-two defense drinking champagne from the jug.

 

Chicago Blackhawks

Did the defending champions peak too early? Did the roster overhaul leading into and at the trade deadline disrupt the chemistry too much? And, are they even good enough to be the first back-to-back champs since the 1997-98 Red Wings?

Before we blindly back them as proven winners, history is against them, and Chicago's current form isn't great. First, Corey Crawford's health is an obvious red flag, and second, Patrick Kane has slowed considerably with just two goals and two helpers through his past nine games. Captain Jonathan Toews is also having a career-worst season offensively.

The largest concern is road struggles, though. Chicago has a minus-23 goal differential at five-on-five through 36 road contests. Entering their road game Saturday, the Blackhawks sat with an 18-14-4 record with an average of 3.0 goals allowed per game. Crawford has also struggled away from the United Center with a .908 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average.

The Blackhawks also own a league-worst 70.6 penalty-kill percentage since the All-Star break.

Add it all up, and considering the road ahead, those Red Wings teams stuffed with Hall of Famers look safe for another two years.

 

Nashville Predators

After losing the first four games with Ryan Johansen in their lineup, the Predators have gone 19-6-5, and have had one of their forward lines scorching hot at all times.

Johansen has 25 points through 34 games with Nashville, but they've come primarily in two solid runs: 15 points through 14 games and his active five-game run with six points.

Remember, it was Filip Forsberg (22 points through 15 games), Mike Ribeiro (18 points in 18 games) and Craig Smith (14 points through 11 games) crushing it for spurts in between Johansen's run.

And James Neal has been pretty solid throughout with 25 points over his past 31 games, but he is inferno right now — six goals and two assists through five games.

Plus, Pekka Rinne has settled in with an 11-1-2 record, a .936 save percentage and a 1.91 goals-against average with two goals or fewer allowed in 11 of the 14 outings. Add a strong blue line, and the only concern is Nashville's possession numbers have suffered since Johansen's arrival. The Predators CorsiFor percentage at five-on-five dropped from fourth-best 53.4 percent to a 12th-ranked 49.9 mark.

Still, the penalty kill has improved from a 25th-ranked 79.1 percent rate before the All-Star break to an eighth-best 84.3 percent mark since the midseason vacation. All said, Nashville is better equipped than ever to make a run, especially with their budding offense, but it is difficult envisioning them making too much noise.

 

The Dice Rolls

 

Minnesota Wild

Mike Yeo's firing has resulted in a 14-6-1 record under new bench boss John Torchetti. However, Minnesota has a 28th-ranked 45.8 CorsiFor percentage at five-on-five with a mediocre plus-9 goal differential. Devan Dubnyk has gone 12-3-1 with a .922 save percentage and a 2.24 goals-against average during the span, at least. Still, Minny isn't good enough.

 

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks have lost three consecutive home games and will face Los Angeles or Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs. Things just don't seem to be trending in the right direction. San Jose paces the league in high-danger scoring chance percentage at five-on-five with a 57.4 mark, so they're capable, but hasn't this ship sailed?

 

 

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