2013 NHL Playoff Projections - 82 Games Played

When it comes to the NHL playoffs, a general rule of thumb is to expect the unexpected. While division winners typically hoist the Stanley Cup, top-seeded teams are no stranger to first round playoff upsets.

Acknowledging that the best predictor of future behavior is typically past performance, the chart below tracks teams over the second half of the 2013 NHL regular season examining their records over the final 10 and 20 games to measure where momentum lies heading into the postseason.

Team Performance Heading Into 2013 NHL Playoffs
EAST
	Final			10 GP		20 GP
Team	W	Pts		W	Pts	W	Pts
1. PIT	36	72		8	16	16	32
2. MTL	29	63		4	8	10	21
3. WAS	27	57		8	17	15	32
4. BOS	28	62		3	8	9	21
5. TOR	26	57		5	11	11	26
6. NYR	26	56		7	14	12	26
7. OTT	25	56		6	12	11	22
8. NYI	24	55		6	15	11	26
WEST
	Final		10 GP			20 GP
Team	W	Pts	W		Pts	W	Pts
1. CHI	36	77	7		15	13	28
2. ANA	30	66	5		11	9	20
3. VAN	26	59	5		11	13	27
4. STL	29	60	7		14	13	26
5. LAK	27	59	5		12	11	25
6. SJS	25	57	5		10	13	27
7. DET	24	56	5		13	11	25
8. MIN	26	55	4		9	10	21

Chicago, Vancouver, San Jose and St. Louis bested the West amassing 13 wins each during the final 20 games, with Chicago and St. Louis finishing strongest over the final 10 games with seven wins a piece.  Minnesota endured the poorest finish of any playoff bound team in the conference trailing its peers for both the final 20 and 10 game stretches.

In the East, Pittsburgh and Washington led all others over the final 20 and 10 game measures with the Penguins earning an extra win and the Capitals picking up an extra point.  Boston and Montreal trailed their playoff conference peers at each interval, registering the same number of points but with the Canadiens besting the Bruins by two wins.

In terms of streaks, Detroit finished with four straight wins while Montreal and the New York Rangers won their final two, leading their respective conferences in the category. The New York Islanders dropped their last three games owning the coldest finish, though three others (Boston, San Jose, Vancouver) lost their last two.

In short, Washington, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit are hot heading into the playoffs while Montreal, Boston and Minnesota are not. Of course, none of these statistical measures matter when puck drops tonight. It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life.

Let the second season begin. The real season. 16W.