NHL Playoff Picture 2016: Latest Postseason Bracket, Odds and Predictions

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
Conference	Division	Team
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
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

The matchups are subject to change, as several teams have a game remaining. If the New York Islanders win their last game against the Philadelphia Flyers, for instance, they'll replace the Rangers as No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan bracket, while the Rangers would become a wild-card team.

In the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks will take the top seed in the Pacific bracket if they win their final game against the Capitals. Otherwise, the Los Angeles Kings will hold onto the top spot.

So, with that addressed, how will the postseason play out?

Eastern Conference Winner: Washington Capitals

It's hard to bet against the team that already has 120 points with a game to play. Alex Ovechkin posted another 50-goal season, Braden Holtby has been superb and is the clear Vezina Trophy front-runner and the Capitals have an NHL-best goal differential of plus-61.

The only other team in the NHL with a goal differential at plus-40 or higher is Pittsburgh (plus-42).

Regular-season success doesn't guarantee postseason glory, of course, and the road for the Capitals won't be easy. A first-round matchup with the Flyers is no gimme. The teams split the regular-season series, with the Flyers getting both of their wins in overtime. And the Flyers are one of the hotter teams in the Eastern Conference after making a serious push to earn a playoff spot. 

But just making the playoffs isn't enough for Philly.

“It feels good to get in with 94, I’m not gonna lie,” Flyers forward Jakub Voracek told Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier Post. “It’s a good accomplishment, but it’s just the beginning for us. Because we make the playoffs we can’t just be satisfied. We have a good team enough to try to beat Washington, so we are focused on that right now.”

The series will likely be a physical, chippy affair, and it may come down to goalkeeping. In that regard, the Capitals have the advantage in Holtby, though Steve Mason is no pushover. 

From there, getting past either the Penguins or Rangers won't be easy, with Holtby being the key factor. The Caps can score and are a deep bunch, but in the postseason, a hot goaltender can take a team to the Stanley Cup Final. Expect Holtby to do that for Washington.

Western Conference Winner: Chicago Blackhawks

Betting against the team that has won two of the past three Stanley Cup Finals is a risky endeavor. Corey Crawford is always capable of being a difference-maker. Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Toews give the team a devastating trio in attack, and Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith headline the team's defense.

Keith missing the first game to suspension hurts—as does the team's mediocre form down the stretch—but the Blackhawks always seem to have a different gear in the postseason.

They'll need one against a St. Louis team that is talented but has a tendency to fall flat in the postseason. 

Crawford will be key, and getting him some work on Saturday night after he missed three weeks to injury was key, as Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times wrote:

"

Crawford certainly looked a little rusty in giving up five goals on 25 shots in his first game since March 14. But he declared himself ready to go for Game 1 on either Wednesday or Thursday, and his teammates have no doubt he will be. While Crawford — a goalie who always feels better the more he plays — would have preferred to have gotten a few games in before the playoffs, one is better than none.

“He’s a gamer,” Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “I think one game for him, and he’ll be ready to go. He’s one of those goalies that when it’s more competitive and [in the] playoffs, he’s always in the past been one of our best players. So I think he’ll get back really quick.”

"

As if the Blues aren't a challenge enough, potentially facing a Dallas team that led the NHL in goals scored this season (267) in the second round is a brutal matchup. And then the Kings or Ducks could be awaiting in the conference finals.

It's a brutal road. But it's a road the Blackhawks have traversed before. And that's what gives them the edge out West.

Stanley Cup Winner: Washington Capitals

The Blackhawks have played a lot of hockey over the past three seasons. They were beat up to end the regular season. They have the juice to get through the Western Conference, but they won't have the horses to beat a dangerous Capitals side, too.

But boy, wouldn't this be an amazing series to watch? Kane vs. Ovechkin alone would be worth the price of admission. But this year—after a long wait—belongs to the Capitals.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.