Let's be honest, we knew it was going to come down to this. Capitals versus Penguins. Ovechkin versus Crosby. The best regular season team versus the second-best regular season team.
Thanks to an odd playoff format, Washington and Pittsburgh will face off in the second round of the NHL Playoffs, which begins tonight with both Western Conference series getting started.
Here's a look at what our algorithm thinks will go down in each series as well as each team's current odds to win the Stanley Cup. Spoiler alert: the winner of the Capitals-Penguins series will be heavy favorites to win the whole thing.
| Team | Odds to Win Series | Stanley Cup Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 56.89% | 27.77% |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 43.11% | 16.33% |
| New York Rangers | 61.71% | 13.16% |
| Anaheim Ducks | 53.65% | 11.19% |
| St. Louis Blues | 51.36% | 9.48% |
| Edmonton Oilers | 46.35% | 9.06% |
| Nashville Predators | 48.64% | 8.63% |
| Ottawa Senators | 38.29% | 4.38% |