Stanley Cup Playoffs 2016: Latest Schedule, TV Info and Predictions

With the conclusion of the 2015-16 NHL regular season on Sunday, the 16-team field for the playoffs is already known. All that's left to determine is each team's road to the Stanley Cup.

The Philadelphia Flyers claimed the final playoff spot Saturday with a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their reward for advancing to the postseason will be a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Washington Capitals.

The puck is set to drop for the playoffs on April 13, with the full schedule to come Sunday. NBC will be the flagship channel for postseason hockey, with games streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra and carried on NBC's family of channels, including USA and NBC Sports Network.

Below are predictions for two teams that harbor hopes of lifting the Stanley Cup in June.

Predictions

Washington Capitals Will Break Their 2nd-Round Hex but Fail to Lift Stanley Cup

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The San Jose Sharks set the bar when it comes to choking in the postseason, but the Capitals are a close second.

Washington hasn't advanced past the second round since reaching the 1998 Stanley Cup Final. General manager Brian MacLellan acknowledged how the team's penchant for spring swoons has somewhat colored its impressive accomplishments during the regular season this year.

"Part of it is the stigma hanging over us that we haven't been successful in the playoffs," he said in late March to the Guardian's Joshua Kloke. "For a certain segment of the media and fans they're waiting for us to show them something in the playoffs and then we'll give you credit for the season you've had. That's part of the narrative that's out there."

The Capitals rank second in scoring (3.06 GF/G) and third in goals-against average (2.33 GA/G), offering a balance unmatched in the league. It's tough to bet against any team that has Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov in attack and Braden Holtby between the pipes. The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno figures Holtby is in line to earn top honors at his position:

With that said, the advanced metrics are a little less kind to Washington, with the team sitting 14th (50.98 percent) in shot-attempt percentage at even strength and 23rd in offensive-zone faceoffs (1,151).

According to Puckalytics, the Capitals also have the third-highest PDO (101.24) in the league, which is a somewhat worrying sign. As Kent Wilson wrote for the Calgary Herald in 2014, a PDO over 102 indicates a team might be a bit overrated.

Questions over Washington's true quality have only grown with the team's somewhat subpar finish to the regular season. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the hotter team and will carry more momentum into the playoffs.

Between the warning signs stemming from the Capitals' advanced stats and the respective teams' histories in the postseason, Pittsburgh is the stronger Stanley Cup contender. But if Washington can't at least make it to the Eastern Conference Final, then the team may want to skip out on the postseason altogether in perpetuity.

Hockey Fans Will Continue Waiting for a Repeat Champion

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Detroit Red Wings were the last team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, in 1997 and 1998. The Chicago Blackhawks can end that drought, but the chances are they won't.

"I think dynasties are over," said Red Wings senior vice president Jimmy Devellano last February, per Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. "There's no doubt about it. It's a credit to [the Los Angeles Kings] and Chicago that in the last five years they both won two, and Boston snuck in there for one."

The salary cap makes it almost impossible for any team to win a title in consecutive seasons. This past offseason, the Blackhawks traded both Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad for financial reasons.

Of course, they collected 103 points in the regular season, which is one more than their total from last year, and Artemi Panarin has made up for a lot of the lost offensive production with the departures of Saad and Sharp (30 goals and 77 points). Still, Panarin is unproven in the playoffs.

Chicago also has some issues on the defensive end. Duncan Keith will be suspended for the first game of the playoffs, and Brent Seabrook at times struggled to find consistency during the regular season.

As a team, the Blackhawks tie for 10th in goals against per game (2.52). In comparison, they were second (2.27 GA) last year, first (2.02 GA) in 2012-13 and fifth (2.48 GA) in 2009-10.

In the postseason, the margin for error between success and failure is even smaller. As consistently good as Chicago has been since winning the Cup in 2010, the team unquestionably relied on a little bit of luck. Don't be surprised if the Blackhawks fall short this summer.

Stats are courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise noted.