Stanley Cup Playoffs: Which 4 NHL teams have the best chances to win it all?

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It's that time of year again when play on the NHL ice heats up, and every hit, every save and every goal means so much more. 

This Saturday marks the start of 16 teams vying for the ultimate honor of lifting Lord Stanley's Cup, and it's always a grueling process after an 82-game regular season. 

And as the Stanley Cup Playoffs teach us every season, anyone that makes the playoffs has a chance to get hot and make a run to the Finals. Just take the Florida Panthers, the current No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this year, taking down the President's Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the first round last season before making it all the way to the Final. 

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Alex Pietrangelo #7 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with the Stanley Cup after a 9-3 victory against the Florida Panthers in Game Five of the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Panthers would eventually lose to the Vegas Golden Knights, but it's a new year and a new chance to be named Stanley Cup champions. 

But among the 16 teams, which ones have the best chances to win it all? When all three phases of the game need to click on all cylinders, four teams stand out in particular. 

First, let's take a look at two dark horse candidates that could surprise some in these playoffs. 

It's hard to have any dark horses given the rosters we're about to see on the ice, but the Avalanche are the toughest one to put in this category. 

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