With the NHL season nearly complete, the 16 playoff teams are decided. While the order of the seeds is still up in the air, the field is now set.
Here’s how the postseason picture looks with the season now in the books:
| Conference | Division | Matchup |
| Eastern | Metropolitan | Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers |
| Eastern | Metropolitan | Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers |
| Eastern | Atlanta | Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders |
| Eastern | Atlanta | Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings |
| Conference | Division | Team |
| Western | Central | Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild |
| Western | Central | St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks |
| Western | Pacific | Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks |
| Western | Pacific | Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators |
Just a refresher on the NHL playoff picture: It’s important to remember that the top three teams in each division make up one side of the bracket in the conference playoffs. The fourth team is then pulled from the two wild-card seeds, which can come from either division.
The team with the best record in the conference gets the lowest wild-card seed on that side of the bracket.
The two winners of the divisional playoff series then meet in the conference championship, with the team with the best record being awarded home-ice advantage.
The benefit of such a format is that it intensifies divisional rivalries. The downside is that the two teams with the best record in the Eastern Conference (the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins) will play in the second round if they each win their opening matchups, rather than facing off in the conference finals.
Both of those teams have favorable odds for winning this year’s Stanley Cup Final:
| Rank | Team | Odds |
| 1 | Washington Capitals | 4-1 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 7-1 |
| 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | 15-2 |
| 4 | Anaheim Ducks | 8-1 |
| 5 | Dallas Stars | 8-1 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 9-1 |
| 7 | St. Louis Blues | 10-1 |
| 8 | San Jose Sharks | 16-1 |
| 9 | New York Rangers | 18-1 |
| 10 | Florida Panthers | 18-1 |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 20-1 |
| 12 | New York Islanders | 25-1 |
| 13 | Nashville Predators | 25-1 |
| 14 | Minnesota Wild | 28-1 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Flyers | 33-1 |
| 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 33-1 |
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