Bruins lead pack
1. Bruins: The Bruins were one win short of a Stanley Cup last season, were solid this season and feature the NHL’s best line.
2. Lightning: They will have plenty of motivation after last season’s firstround flameout. The talent remains there, the pressure is off and they were strong after Christmas.
3. Blues: Their bid for a rare Stanley Cup repeat was aided by the season’s pause because Vladimir Tarasenko had time to get healthy.
4. Golden Knights: Can lean on trade-deadline pickup Robin Lehner in goal should Marc-Andre Fleury falter.
5. Flyers: A well-rounded group, the Flyers were seventh in offense despite their leading scorer, Travis Konecny, finishing with 24 goals and 61 points.
6. Avalanche: The Nathan MacKinnon line is healthy, will be hard to stop.
7. Capitals: They finished the regular season inconsistently (7-9-3), but this is a playoff-tested, veteran roster.
8. Penguins: The big question surrounds the starting goalie decision: Matt Murray (.899 save percentage) was not good this year but has won a Stanley Cup, and Tristan Jarry (.921 SV%) was much better but hasn’t played in the playoffs.
9. Stars: How did the Stars get a bye? Strong defensive play, a mobile blue line and the goalie tandem of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin.
10. Hurricanes: The defending Eastern Conference champions will be without key defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce for at least the start of the playoffs.
11. Maple Leafs: The offense will thrive if there’s run-and-gun hockey.
12. Oilers: They have the NHL’s top two scorers in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the league.
13. Panthers: The Panthers need more from goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
14. Flames: Calgary was 20th in goals for and 15th in goals against.
15. Predators: The John Hynes era has been a mixed bag so far and the offensive output this season has been disappointing relative to the talent.
16. Jets: Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck paced the NHL with six shutouts.
17. Canucks: Some fantastic young cornerstone talent in the likes of Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.
18. Islanders: This Barry Trotz-led group will go as far as their defensive stinginess takes it.
19. Rangers: All scenarios seem to be in play for this team, including a deep run or a sweep by the Hurricanes.
20. Blue Jackets: They don’t seem to have the scoring (fourth worst) to make a run.
21. Coyotes: The sudden departure of GM John Chayka and pending free agency of former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall looms.
22. Canadiens: Montreal will be outmatched against the Penguins, and it will be up to Carey Price to give the Canadiens a chance.
23. Wild: A team in transition following the somewhat unexpected firing of Bruce Boudreau. Dean Evason was just 12 games into his tenure when the season was halted, though he owned an 8-4-0 record.
24. Blackhawks: They are the worst Western Conference team (72 points) in the playoff field and don’t seem quite ready to do damage.