One favorite - many challengers

After a gruesome regular season of seven months and 1230 games, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here. Eight of the best teams of both West and East will go head-to-head in best of seven series, until one team with 16 wins remains – The Stanley Cup Champion 2016/17.

By a quirk of the recently introduced divisional playoff-format, there are some peculiar matchups already in the first round. For example, Metropolitan division rivals Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets face each other in the first round, despite seeding 2nd and 4th in the whole of NHL. On the other hand, we have Ottawa Senators taking on Boston Bruins – teams seeded 11th and 14th overall.

Despite the somewhat lopsided tournament bracket, route to Stanley Cup remains quite simple: win four series of best of seven. Who will it be this year? The reigning champions Penguins? Or is it the year of Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals? Chicago is back in contest and Minnesota Wild are emerging as well? Or maybe, finally, we’ll see a total underdog and a black horse to take the throne.

With Accuscore’s simulation engine we can see the probabilities of different outcomes and here’s how it is most likely to go: