NHL Playoffs: Each Team's Odds of Reaching the Postseason

The NHL trade deadline is only a few weeks away. That's when the race for the playoffs will get extremely intense.

Every point counts and as cliche as that sounds, it's true. Just ask the New York Rangers, who on the final day of the 2010 season missed the playoffs because they lost in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers, ending one point out of the playoffs.

Right now there are very few teams with absolutely no shot at the playoffs, but what are everyone's chances of making the postseason?

Let's find out.

Eastern Conference

Team	GP	PTS	Odds
New York Rangers	52	73	100%
Boston Bruins	52	68	100%
Florida Panthers	53	61	55%
Philadelphia Flyers	54	69	100%
New Jersey Devils	54	66	75%
Pittsburgh Penguins	54	65	85%
Ottawa Senators	57	63	65%
Toronto Maple Leafs	55	62	70%
Washington Capitals	54	61	75%
Winnipeg Jets	56	58	55%
Montreal Canadiens	55	53	45%
Tampa Bay Lightning	53	52	45%
Buffalo Sabres	53	52	50%
New York Islanders	53	52	45%
Carolina Hurricanes	55	50	25%

In the Eastern Conference the top six spots are pretty secure and I would be shocked if anyone from the Rangers to the Penguins misses the playoffs. The Ottawa Senators are having a nice season but they are benefiting in the standings from playing at last two games more than any team near them.

The Southeast division race will be interesting because the Florida Panthers or Washington Capitals could face the possibility of finishing third in the East by winning the division or missing the playoffs entirely by finishing second.

Western Conference

Team	GP	PTS	Odds
Detroit Red Wings	55	74	100%
Vancouver Canucks	54	73	100%
San Jose Sharks	51	64	90%
St. Louis Blues	53	71	90%
Nashville Predators	55	69	90%
Chicago Blackhawks	55	65	85%
Los Angeles Kings	55	62	80%
Phoenix Coyotes	55	60	70%
Dallas Stars	53	58	70%
Minnesota Wild	54	58	75%
Calgary Flames	55	58	65%
Colorado Avalanche	55	57	65%
Anaheim Ducks	53	50	50%
Edmonton Oilers	54	47	15%
Columbus Blue Jackets	54	36	0%

Sorry Blue Jackets fans, but there is zero chance your team makes the playoffs this season. The most intriguing division race is the Pacific, where the Sharks will likely hold off the Kings for first place, but I think Los Angeles has a tremendous shot to get into the playoffs as well.

Despite their recent struggles, the Wild will be boosted by Mikko Koivu's return. It only looks like the No. 7 and 8 spots in the West will be up for grabs because I cannot see the Blackhawks falling much further in the standings.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.