It has been a difficult off-season for the Washington Capitals, who parted ways with a number of key players including forward Justin Williams and defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk. But despite changes to personnel, the Capitals are again expected to lead the NHL in regular-season victories, with an over/under win total set at 50.5 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Washington has been the winningest team in the NHL over the past two seasons, recording 111 regular-season victories overall, but has been a massive playoff disappointment, failing to get beyond the second round in 12 post-season appearances since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1998.
The Capitals must also contend in the tough Metropolitan Division, which featured three teams with at least 50 wins last season including the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, it is not the defending Stanley Cup champs that sit right behind Washington on the win totals – the Edmonton Oilers sit second to the Capitals at 47.5, followed by Pittsburgh and Columbus, which join the Minnesota Wild at 46.5.
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The Oilers ended a decade-long playoff drought last year with a 47-win campaign and a two-round playoff run, and entered the summer trailing only the Penguins on the Stanley Cup odds at +1200. But to pay out on their 47.5-win total requires Edmonton to once again tally their highest number of regular-season victories since winning 50 games in 1987.
Columbus bounced back from a disappointing 34 wins two seasons ago to post a franchise-record 50 wins last season, and has improved itself with the acquisition of all-star winger Artemi Panarin in a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this off-season.
The Wild sandwiched a middling 38-win season in between a 46-win campaign in 2014-2015 and a 49-win performance last season, leaving fans uncertain as to how the club will fare this year against the emerging Oilers.
The Anaheim Ducks close out the top teams at an over/under of 46 wins, while the Toronto Maple Leafs face high expectations, joining the Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers at 44.5.
Looking at the remaining NHL teams across Canada, the Montreal Canadiens sit with a win total for the season ahead at 44, with the Calgary Flames at 42.5, the Winnipeg Jets at 41.5, and the Ottawa Senators at 40, while the Vancouver Canucks sit near the bottom of the list with a win total of 30.5.
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