Commentary

Playoff Power Meter: Canucks lead

Vancouver meets most every benchmark, but the Blues, Bruins lurk close behind

Updated: January 24, 2012, 2:00 PM ET
By Alvin Chang | ESPN Insider

There's a big crowd at the top of the standings, and it's tough to differentiate which teams will have that slight edge in the playoffs. Most consider the Boston Bruins to be the top team, but there's definitely a lot of clamoring for the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers. Plus, you can never discount the seasoned Detroit Red Wings. Still, another team at the top is best suited to win the Cup right now: the Vancouver Canucks.

Now, remember: The Playoff Power Meter isn't designed to figure out which teams are best suited for the regular season. Instead, it's designed to determine which teams most resemble past champions across a series of key statistics that have spurred Cup winners. If you need a refresher of the methodology, read up on it here.

So if the playoffs started today, which club should you have your money on? Let's take a look:

Vancouver Canucks (No. 1): They are best suited to win the Cup, but they're not running away with the competition. Still, the Canucks meet almost all the benchmarks for the Playoff Power Meter formula. The only reason they don't have a perfect score (38) is because they aren't getting enough power-play opportunities, but that's a negligible point. In every other facet of the game, they're built to win.


To read the full Playoff Power Meter and see how all of the contenders (and pretenders) stack up, sign up for ESPN Insider.

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