And then there were 16.
There are few things better than the NHL Playoffs, and fortunately for sports fans, they get going in just a couple of days.
If you're curious as to who will be lifting Lord Stanley's Cup this year, the table below shows who our algorithm likes. The nERD column depicts the average goal differential we'd expect that team to see against a league-average opponent. So, naturally, a nERD of zero is average. And, as you might guess, no playoff team has a below-average nERD score.
| Rank | Team | Stanley Cup | nERD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Rangers | 13.93% | 0.63 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | 11.53% | 0.60 |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 11.19% | 0.51 |
| 4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 9.28% | 0.52 |
| 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 7.17% | 0.34 |
| 6 | Washington Capitals | 6.87% | 0.36 |
| 7 | Minnesota Wild | 5.51% | 0.35 |
| 8 | Anaheim Ducks | 5.03% | 0.18 |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | 4.87% | 0.23 |
| 10 | Nashville Predators | 4.27% | 0.24 |
| 11 | Vancouver Canucks | 4.04% | 0.12 |
| 12 | Calgary Flames | 3.98% | 0.16 |
| 13 | Ottawa Senators | 3.31% | 0.15 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3.09% | 0.17 |
| 15 | New York Islanders | 3.08% | 0.15 |
| 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 2.85% | 0.09 |