As some of you may know, I love statistics. Although I could easily just wait 2 days to see what the playoff match-ups will be in the Eastern Conference, I wanted to do a little probability calculating to see what the probability was of certain teams making the playoffs, and what match-ups are most likely to see.
As of right now, the Panthers and Lightning have clinched 1st and 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, respectively, and the Capitals and Penguins have clinched 1st and 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division, respectively. Although both of the Rangers and Islanders have at least solidified a playoff spot, where they place is not yet determined.
The 3 remaining teams in playoff contention are the Bruins, Red Wings, and Flyers. Here are the probabilities of each of these teams making the playoffs:
P(Bruins making playoffs) = 60.6%
P(Red Wings making playoffs) = 84.7%
P(Flyers making playoffs) = 54.6%
If the Bruins make the playoffs, they could finish as a 3rd seed in the Atlantic, as the 2nd wild card team, or they could miss the playoffs. It is slightly more likely that if the Bruins do make the playoffs, they will end up as a wild card. Here are the probabilities that they place 3rd in the Atlantic, end up in the 2nd wild card spot, and miss the playoffs:
P(Bruins 3rd in Atlantic) = 25%
P(Bruins 2nd wild card) = 35.6%
P(Bruins miss playoffs) = 39.4%
If the Red Wings make the playoffs, they could also finish as a 3rd seed in the Atlantic Division, as the 2nd wild card team, or they could miss the playoffs. If the Red Wings do make the playoffs, it is far more likely that they would place 3rd in their division as opposed to being the 2nd wild card, as represented by the following probabilities:
P(Red Wings 3rd in Atlantic) = 75%
P(Red Wings 2nd wild card) = 9.7%
P(Red Wings miss playoffs) = 15.3%
If the Flyers make the playoffs, they cannot finish any higher than the 2nd wild card spot, and so their probabilities of finishing either as a 2nd wild card or out of the playoffs is:
P(Flyers 2nd wild card) = 54.6%
P(Flyers miss playoffs) = 45.4%
As you may recall, both the Islanders and Rangers have clinched a playoff birth, however, where they finish in the standings is not yet determined. One of these teams will finish 3rd in the division and play the Penguins in the first round. The other team will finish as the 1st wild card, and will hop over to the Atlantic Division to play Florida in the first round. As of today, the most likely opponent for the Penguins is the Islanders, as seen in the probabilities below:
P(Rangers 3rd in Metropolitan) = 31.9%
P(Rangers 1st wild card) = 68.1%
P(Islanders 3rd in Metropolitan) = 68.1%
P(Islanders 1st wild card) = 31.9%
Based on all of this information, here are all of the possible playoff match-ups from most likely to least likely, along with their probabilities:
There is a 32.4% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. BOS
PIT v. NYI
FLA v. NYR
TBL v. DET
There is a 25% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. PHI
PIT v. NYI
FLA v. NYR
TBL v. DET
There is a 14.4% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. PHI
PIT v. NYR
FLA v. NYI
TBL v. DET
There is a 11.6% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. PHI
PIT v. NYR
FLA v. NYI
TBL v. BOS
There is a 6.9% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. DET
PIT v. NYI
FLA v. NYR
TBL v. BOS
There is a 3.7% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. PHI
PIT v. NYI
FLA v. NYR
TBL v. BOS
There is a 3.2% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. BOS
PIT v. NYR
FLA v. NYI
TBL v. DET
There is a 2.8% chance that the playoff match-ups are:
WSH v. DET
PIT v. NYR
FLA v. NYI
TBL v. BOS
I would like to note that I calculated all of these probabilities myself. I only say that because I am sure I made a few errors somewhere in my calculations, but I can guarantee that these probabilities are generally correct (and hopefully most are 100% accurate).
Now, we wait 2 days and see what happens….
Franjione Penguins Press 