The Show.

There's a perfectly good reason why the Washington Capitals lost in the first round of last year's NHL playoffs. Despite finishing the regular season with 121 points (best in the league and 18 above the Devils who were the East's next best team), winning their division by an unprecedented 38 points, being one of three teams in the NHL to win 50 games, and having one of the most threatening and electrifying players in the league, they weren't able to muster enough to beat the 8th seeded Montreal Canadians. In hockey, there's an amazingly significant difference between what it takes to win in the regular season and the playoffs. Teams like the Caps and the Sharks have been known to dominate regular seasons in recent years, yet they find themselves out of post-season play early. The reasoning behind these disappointments is not a slump or upset - it's a lack of depth that can be of little detriment during the regular season, but in the playoffs it becomes exposed and taken advantage of, thus leading to some major disappointment. Being a great regular season team doesn't always make you a favorite to win a championship, however... this year it might.

Some of the league's top teams this year - teams like Vancouver, Philadelphia, Detroit and Boston - are teams that are built for the playoffs. We saw it last year with Philadelphia getting into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. On paper a 7th seed isn't supposed to go deep into the playoffs, however, as previously stated, a team's regular season success doesn't always equate with postseason victories. The Flyers barely made the playoffs yet marched all the way to the Cup Finals - they were simply a playoff team. This year the Flyers have been controlling the East, and it seems as if their style of play will lead to postseason victories. The same can be said for the teams I mentioned earlier, and the reason they have a chance at playoff success is because they have depth.

To beat a good team in the playoffs it's all about neutralizing the team's weapons, but if a team has something to fall back on after their top lines are taken out they become an extremely dangerous threat come post-season play. With just under 10 games left in the regular season, the Flyers have two 30 goal scorers, six 20 goal scorers, and two others with 19 goals. Vancouver has four players with over 50 points and two more who are just a few points away from reaching that mark. The Bruins and Red Wings also boast four 50+ point scorers. These are all great stats for the regular season, but now let's talk about stats that actually matter in the playoffs:

The Bruins have eight players who are a 20+ rating or better so far this season. The Canucks have the best face-off percentage and most effective penalty kill in the league (although with Malholtra out for the season their face-off percentage could see decline). When the Flyers are leading after 2 periods this year they're 37-1-4. Vancouver and Boston have the two best goalie tandems in the league, while the Flyers have also proven that more than one tender is capable of getting the job done. Detroit has an immeasurable amount of veteran presence with players like Nick Lidstrom, Mike Modano, Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, and many others who have won Stanley Cup's. Vancouver, Philadelphia and Boston are the league's best teams for collective +/-, and all four teams are in the league's top 5 for goals on the road. These are stats that matter. It takes more than a goal scorer or two (which all of these teams happen to have, among other things) to win in the playoffs, and these teams have what it takes.

Of course, there is always the chance that they get taken out. Numbers like these don't ensure playoff success because at the end of the day nothing ensures playoff success. However, I will say that if these teams are able to play in the playoffs the way they have in the regular season, they will be extremely hard to beat, and I personally can't see these teams getting knocked out unless it's by each other. There's always a chance that I'm wrong, but I'd put my money on one of these teams to bring home the Cup.