How to know if your sports team is a top contender for the Stanley Cup
A simple Google search should get you a few clues, but it’s not a definitive answer.
In fact, you might not know that a team is even a top-10 favorite.
But if you’re wondering if your team is the favorite to win the Stanley Hockey Cup, you’re not alone.
Here are the Top 10 Stanley Cup contenders.
1.
Boston Bruins 2.
Toronto Maple Leafs 3.
Chicago Blackhawks 4.
Pittsburgh Penguins 5.
New York Rangers 6.
Carolina Hurricanes 7.
Detroit Red Wings 8.
Columbus Blue Jackets 9.
Anaheim Ducks 10.
Detroit Panthers The Bruins are the reigning Stanley Cup champs and have a chance to win it all.
They’ll be looking to win back-to-back titles and will have to win their third straight Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs and Penguins will also be looking for another trophy, but they’ve also lost the Stanley Cups to Chicago and Tampa Bay.
The Leafs have won two Cups since 1993, but haven’t been the same since.
The Blue Jackets are the team of the past few seasons, but have gone winless in seven games this year.
The Penguins have won the Cup four times in five seasons, though they’ve never won the Stanley in their history.
The Panthers are one of the teams in the past decade to make the playoffs in three straight seasons, winning back-and-forth titles from 2002-07.
They’ve won five Stanley Cups in the last seven years.
Toronto won a franchise-record nine straight Stanley Cups from 2001-11.
They’re back in contention this year, though.
The Sabres and Blue Jackets will be in the hunt for the Cup, but the Red Wings will be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
Pittsburgh has won five of its last six Stanley Cups.
The Flyers and Devils will both have a shot at winning the Stanley again, but both have been in playoff-less seasons for the past three years.
Carolina will make its second straight trip to the Cup Final, but has never made it past the second round.
The Devils will be looking good in their first playoff series since 2010.
Boston will be without defenseman Matt Bartkowski, who is out indefinitely due to injury.
Columbus and Chicago have been inconsistent in the playoffs, but are looking good.
The Lightning will be the first team to reach the Cup final since 1995, but is looking for its first championship since 2009.
New Jersey will be seeking its third Stanley Cup since 2006, but hasn’t won a title since 2008.
Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Detroit are the three teams with the most Cup titles in the NHL history.
Columbus won four in a row from 2011-15, but lost to New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Philadelphia has won the last four Stanley Cups, including back- to-back championships in 2014 and 2016.
Chicago won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2010, but its only postseason appearance since 2003.
Detroit won the title in 2007 and has the best record in the league.
Toronto has won two Cup titles since 1993.
Pittsburgh and New Jersey are the teams that have won back- and-forth championships the past two years.
Boston, Columbus and Philadelphia have been playing at a high level for years.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are usually a long way off, and it’s hard to gauge how the best teams will fare this year after all those years of hard work.
But here are five things to keep an eye out for in the Stanley Playoffs.
1) Will the top-ranked team win the cup?
The Bruins and Leafs have the best chance of making it to the Finals and winning the Cup this season.
The Bruins have a solid team that has won a lot of games in the postseason, and the Leafs have a young team with some playoff experience.
The Kings are coming off of back–to to back playoff appearances, and will be hoping for a second straight championship in 2017.
However, the Bruins have played well enough this year to make it to a third straight Cup, so they’ll be favored in this series.
2) Can the top two teams get over the hump?
The NHL playoffs have historically been a race to the finish, and there is no reason to believe that any of the top four teams will drop the hammer on the top three.
But the Blackhawks and Penguins are the only two teams with a shot to make a deep run into the playoffs.
Chicago has a top scorer in Kane, but his production will likely drop if the Blackhawks are not able to get past Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia’s top two forwards are expected to be in line for the Vezina Trophy, but a second-place finish in the standings would leave the Flyers on the outside looking in.
New England has been an offensive juggernaut since its acquisition of Evgeni Malkin, but could struggle with the Penguins defense.
3) Who is the best team?
There are two teams that could potentially go far in the playoff race this year and the top