Canucks have second-best chance at Stanley Cup per analytics website
The Vancouver Canucks are in new territory as their core has made the leap to contenders for the first time.
The team is near the top of the NHL standings and widely regarded as one of the league’s premier Stanley Cup contenders. While they haven’t clinched a playoff spot yet, they will do so soon.
The Canucks are getting respect from all over the hockey world as they’ve orchestrated a drastic 12-month turnaround. This has led hockey analytics website MoneyPuck to give them the second-best chance at winning the Stanley Cup.
The Canucks have an 11.1% chance of winning it all, according to MoneyPuck. They trail just the Carolina Hurricanes who have a 13.5% chance, according to the website.
The teams most likely to win the Stanley Cup – MoneyPuck.com
MoneyPuck’s model takes into account numerous factors including the shooting percentage, save percentage, expected goals percentage, and shot share of each team. This helps simulate the NHL season 100,000 times to come away with these percentages.
The teams that come up behind the Canucks, according to MoneyPuck, are the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche.
The Pacific Division leaders are also given a 64.1% chance of making the second round and a 20% chance of making the finals.
The Canucks are first place in the Western Conference by points and second by points percentage, just behind the Avalanche, who rank fifth on MoneyPuck’s list.
The Hurricanes are tied for third in the Eastern Conference by points percentage. The MoneyPuck model seems to really like the Hurricanes because they do a good job at controlling shots at five-on-five, ranking first in analytics like Fenwick and Corsi.
The playoffs are less than a month away and seven teams have a legitimate shot at the Presidents’ Trophy. The Canucks are in the mix but the team has its sights set on playoff success above all, an achievement that MoneyPuck thinks is very possible.