As the NHL postseason kicks off on Wednesday night, Sidney Crosby’s Penguins take aim at the first Stanley Cup three-peat in 35 years. Can anyone stop them?The puck drops on the NHL’s second season on Wednesday, and contrary to last season, when it appeared as if the field was wide open, there’s now a handful of teams that have to be considered Stanley Cup favorites. And within that group, there’s still a variety of styles of teams to watch: it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see veteran units like the Boston Bruins or the Pittsburgh Penguins hoist the Stanley Cup in June, nor would it come as a shock for the young cores of the Winnipeg Jets or the Toronto Maple Leafs to end Canada’s cup drought as well.This season, the Guardian has ranked teams from least to most likely to win the Stanley Cup. It’s a difference from last season but if there’s one thing that carries over: the current NHL playoff format still stinks, super hard. Continue reading…

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/11/nhl-playoff-contenders-ranked-stanley-cup