NHL playoffs: Who's hot? Who's not? Does it matter?

With the NHL playoffs set to begin on Wednesday night, here are some interesting odds and ends to consider as 16 teams battle for the Stanley Cup.

Hot or not?

Some eventual Stanley Cup champions enter the playoffs on a roll, while others finish the regular season with a middling stroll.

Take last season, for instance. The Chicago Blackhawks managed to win their third Stanley Cup in six seasons despite an 11-8-1 record in the final 20 games of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference-winning Tampa Bay Lightning arrived on the post-season scene in much better form thanks to a 13-5-2 finish.

There are, of course, certain factors that influence a team late in the season, like schedule, injuries or an early clinching of a playoff spot that may result in resting key players.

Nevertheless, it's always interesting to identify the hottest team going into the playoffs. This time around, it's Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have gone 30-11-4 since the calendar flipped to 2016.

Here are the final-20-game records of each playoff team:

Eastern Conference

• Penguins: 16-4-0 (32 points)
• Flyers: 12-5-3 (27 points)
• Panthers: 12-7-1 (25 points)
• Capitals: 10-6-4 (24 points)
• Rangers: 10-7-3 (23 points)
• Islanders: 10-7-3 (23 points)
• Lightning: 10-9-1 (21 points)
• Red Wings: 10-10-0 (20 points)

Western Conference

• Blues: 14-6-0 (28 points)
• Stars: 12-5-3 (27 points)
• Ducks: 12-6-2 (26 points)
• Predators: 11-6-3 (25 points)
• Sharks: 12-8-0 (24 points)
• Kings: 11-7-2 (24 points)
• Wild: 11-8-1 (23 points)
• Blackhawks: 9-7-4 (22 points)

Presidents' Trophy troubles

The Washington Capitals clinched the Presidents' Trophy as regular-season champions two week ago. Washington is out to become just the third club in the salary-cap era to win both the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

Here are the past playoff performances by the Presidents' Trophy winners since the salary cap was implemented:

• 2005-06 – Detroit: Eliminated in first round by Edmonton
• 2006-07 – Buffalo: Lost in East final to Ottawa
• 2007-08 – Detroit: Won Stanley Cup
• 2008-09 – San Jose: Lost in first round to Anaheim
• 2009-10 – Washington: Lost in first round to Montreal
• 2010-11 – Vancouver: Lost in Stanley Cup final to Boston
• 2011-12 – Vancouver: Lost in first round to Los Angeles
• 2013 – Chicago: Won Stanley Cup
• 2013-14 – Boston: Lost in second round to Montreal
• 2014-15 – N.Y. Rangers: Lost in East final to Tampa Bay

Where did the past 10 Stanley Cup champions finish in the overall standings?

• 2005-06 – Carolina: T-3rd
• 2006-07 – Anaheim: T-3rd
• 2007-08 – Detroit: 1st
• 2008-09 – Pittsburgh: T-8th
• 2009-10 – Chicago: 3rd
• 2010-11 – Boston: T-7th
• 2011-12 – Los Angeles: 13th
• 2013 – Chicago: 1st
• 2013-14 – Los Angeles: T-9th
• 2014-15 – Chicago: 7th

Welcome back

Philadelphia, Florida, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Jose are back in the playoffs after being absent from the Stanley Cup tournament last year.

While the Kings, Sharks, Stars and Flyers return after only a one-year absence, the Panthers are back for the first time since 2012.

DeBoer rides again

San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer has a knack for making an impact in his first year with a new team.

With the Florida Panthers in 2008-09, he guided them to an eight-point improvement but lost out on the eighth and final playoff position in the East on a tiebreaker with the Canadiens. In 2011-12, in his first season with New Jersey, he guided the Devils to the Stanley Cup final.

Now with San Jose, DeBoer is back in the playoffs again and going up against an old nemesis in coach Darryl Sutter and the Los Angeles Kings – the same combination that beat him four years ago.

DeBoer is not the only head coach of the six who began training camp at the helm of a new team to make the playoffs. Dave Hakstol turned the trick with the Philadelphia Flyers, as did Jeff Blashill with the Detroit Red Wings.

Mike Babcock (Toronto), Todd McLellan (Edmonton) and John Hynes (New Jersey) were the other coaches to start the season with new teams.

Stanley Cup odds

Online bookmaker Bodog has the Capitals as clear favourites to hoist the Stanley Cup this spring. Here are the odds for every team:

• Washington 4/1
• Los Angeles 7/1 
• Chicago 15/2
• Anaheim 8/1 
• Dallas 8/1 
• Pittsburgh 9/1 
• St. Louis 10/1
• New York Rangers 16/1
• San Jose 16/1
• Florida 20/1
• Tampa Bay 20/1
• Nashville 25/1
• New York Islanders 25/1
• Minnesota 28/1
• Detroit 33/1
• Philadelphia 33/1

Woe Canada

Much has been made of the fact that all seven Canadian-based NHL teams will miss the playoffs, and the scene for their minor-league affiliates is not much better.

With one week remaining in the American Hockey League season, only the Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs) and Utica Comets (Canucks) have clinched spots in the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Binghamton Senators, Bakersfield Condors (Oilers), Manitoba Moose (Jets) and St. John's IceCaps (Canadiens) already have been eliminated, while the Stockton Heat (Flames) need a minor miracle. The Heat have to win three three remaining games and receive plenty of help to squeak into the post-season.