NHL Playoff Standings 2017: Latest Stanley Cup Odds and Wild-Card Predictions

Is this finally the year for the Washington Capitals?

The squad has all of the pieces to finally break through and win its first Stanley Cup, but a recent slump and a slew of surging wild-card contenders could complicate its path through 2017 NHL Playoffs. In the Western Conference, teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks all could face tough matchups with the conference being so top-heavy.

Let's take a look at the latest odds for the Stanley Cup contenders, the entirety of which can be found on OddsShark.com. Continue for a breakdown of which teams to watch for as wild-card threats.

Team	Odds
Washington Capitals	9/2
Chicago Blackhawks	5/1
Minnesota Wild	6/1
Pittsburgh Penguins	10/1
San Jose Sharks	12/1
Montreal Canadiens	12/1
Columbus Blue Jackets	14/1
New York Rangers	14/1
Edmonton Oilers	20/1
Anaheim Ducks	22/1
Boston Bruins	25/1
Nashville Predators	28/1
Los Angeles Kings	28/1

The New York Rangers are all but locked in to the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They sit at 93 points and six points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan division despite having played an extra game. The Rangers are also 12 points ahead of Toronto, which owns the last wild card position.

That leaves the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning as the teams vying for third place in the Atlantic division in addition to a wild-card spot.

Despite having the most games played at 72, Boston, which owns 36 regulation wins, has to like its chances to secure a playoff spot. The Bruins play eight home games to finish the year while being a point up on the rest of the field. It also helps that Brad Marchand is playing out of his mind, as ESPN's John Buccigross and Boston Herald deputy sports editor Mark J. Murphy note:

The Bruins also play five more games against Atlantic teams, who Tuukka Rask happens to be dominating against this season to the tune of a 16-4-1 record, 1.89 GAA and a .932 save percentage.

Tampa Bay, 77 points, could have a tough time making up ground with two games left against the Bruins, who they are 0-2-1 against on the year. The Lightning do play the Detroit Red Wings twice and the Buffalo Sabres once, and they are 3-0 each against those teams. Yet, overcoming four points with only 30 regulation wins is unlikely in the next two weeks.

Toronto is up three points on the New York Islanders, but each squad must topple some tough competition.

The Maple Leafs still play the Columbus Blue Jackets twice, Pittsburgh and Washington. They do get Buffalo twice, a team they are 2-1 against. The Islanders get Nashville twice in addition to the Rangers and Penguins.

With a three-point advantage and four straight home games to close out the season, Toronto should be favored to land the last wild-card position. This team has been playing well of late by winning five of its last seven, and this young core led by Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly appear primed to take Toronto back to the postseason.

Per SportsNet, a playoff berth would cap off an already impressive turnaround:

On the other hand, the Western Conference playoff race looks to be nearly complete. 

The St. Louis Blues currently occupy the last wild-card spot with 81 points and 11 games remaining. The next closest contender to jump them would be the Los Angeles Kings, but those chances are slim. The team is six points back with only 10 games to play, and the Kings have stumbled of late at 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. 

St. Louis' remaining schedule is also extremely favorable, as it will play the lowly Colorado Avalanche three times and the Arizona Coyotes twice.

This could allow the Blues to possibly move up in the Central division over the Nashville Predators, who have 83 points in 72 games. With the Predators set to take on numerous top teams like Minnesota and San Jose as well as squads chasing playoff spots like Boston and the Islanders, they very well could fall behind St. Louis.

The two teams play on April 2, which could have an impact on that race. Yet, St. Louis' schedule, plus the fact that it has won seven of its last 10, should give it third place in the division and a playoff matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks

As for the other West wild-card spot, the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are practically dead even in the standings with 10 games each to play.

Calgary is on fire, having won nine of its last 10. The Flames have 86 points in the first wild-card spot, with the Postmedia's Wes Gilbertson noting that they are now surely among the eight best teams in the highly competitive Western Conference:

The remaining schedule for Calgary, which holds a two-game advantage in regulation wins, is daunting:

Date	Opponent
Tuesday, March 21	at Washington
Thursday, March 23	at Nashville
Saturday, March 25	at St. Louis
Monday, March 27	vs. Colorado
Wednesday, March 29	vs. Los Angeles
Friday, March 31	vs. San Jose
Sunday, April 2	vs. Anaheim
Tuesday, April 4	at Anaheim
Thursday, April 6	at Los Angeles
Saturday, April 8	at San Jose

Meanwhile, Edmonton, which has won four straight, plays the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado twice. The Oilers also play Anaheim and Los Angeles twice, and they are 2-1 against both squads. This, coupled with its recent strong play, should land Edmonton the second seed in the Pacific division.

This leaves the April 2 and 4 games between Anaheim and Calgary as the likely deciding factors for the third spot in the division. The Ducks are 2-1 in this matchup on the season, and they also have a more favorable schedule, with the likes Winnipeg twice and Vancouver upcoming.

Anaheim should win more of its remaining games against outside of the Flames, but Calgary’s regulation win advantage, despite being one point, should give it the slightest of edges to slide into the last wild-card spot and avoid the Sharks in the first round.

Statistics are courtesy of NHL.com.