A guide to winning your NHL playoff pool

Since the NHL's current playoff format was implemented in 2013-14, fans have criticized the tendency for a conference's two best teams to square off in the second round rather than the conference final.

As unfair as that can be, it makes it much easier to predict the final four teams, and that's what NHL playoff pools are all about.

The goal isn't necessarily picking the best players, it's about choosing players from teams that will go the furthest. More games obviously result in more opportunities to collect goals and assists.

This is easier said than done, however. Stacking your roster with players from the Lightning and Predators seems like the best way to build your team, but those players will go early and often (or be ridiculously expensive in auction formats).

The best way to extract value is to stack your roster with players from a team that isn't expected to go deep into the playoffs. A wild-card team with a tough road matchup will be overlooked, but in a league with so much parity, any team is capable of getting hot at the right time and making a run to the Cup Final.

In fact, in each season since the playoff reformatting, the Stanley Cup Final has had at least one team that was a three seed in their division or a wild-card team and started the first round of the playoffs on the road. Anyone who stacked their playoff pool teams with Predators players last year, or Sharks players the year prior, likely reaped the benefits, given neither team was expected to make it out of the first round.

Using this strategy has its downsides, though. With a boom-or-bust philosophy, there's a chance one of the teams you bank on could lose in the first round. However, sprinkling in players from a variety of teams gives you a high floor, but virtually no shot at winning the whole thing - which is what it's all about.

With that being said, here are a few under-the-radar teams that could help you win your playoff pool this year:

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings will take on the Golden Knights in the first round. That seems like a daunting task, but it's a matchup they've fared well in this year, going 2-1-1 against the Knights, including back-to-back wins in late February.

More importantly, the Kings have played their best hockey over the past month or so. Beginning with those back-to-back wins, they're 12-5-3 in their last 20 games, which has unsurprisingly coincided with the return of Jeff Carter, who missed nearly four months due to injury.

The Kings are 17-5-4 with Carter in the lineup and 28-24-4 without.

Players to target: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli, Adrian Kempe, Tanner Pearson, Jake Muzzin

Anaheim Ducks

This should go without saying, but if you take any Kings players, don't take any Ducks players, as only one of them can make it through to the conference finals.

Though the Ducks finished as the second seed in the Pacific, they've flown under the radar due to their injury problems. They're still not out of the woods, as Cam Fowler will likely miss the whole first round and John Gibson may not be ready for the series opener.

However, their opponent, the Sharks, doesn't have a clean bill of health either, as Joe Thornton hasn't played since Jan. 23. Thornton isn't the player he once was, and the Sharks have managed without him, but in what will surely be a physical series, not having the big-bodied center is a massive loss.

The Ducks enter the playoffs red-hot, having won five in a row, and are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games, while the Sharks stumbled to the finish line, going 1-5-2 in their last eight games.

Players to target: Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Corey Perry, Jakob Silfverberg, Ondrej Kase, Ryan Kesler, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Montour

Columbus Blue Jackets

Choosing a sleeper in the Eastern Conference is much more difficult than the West. Nonetheless, going through the Metropolitan Division will be a much easier road to the final four rather than going through the Atlantic Division, making the Blue Jackets an intriguing team to draft from.

The Jackets are seemingly built for playoff hockey. They're big, physical, and excellent at five-on-five. This is key because, in the past, referees have called far fewer penalties in the playoffs compared to the regular season.

Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't fared well against the Capitals in the past - or in the playoffs in general. He'll undoubtedly have to be Columbus' best player in order for it to come out on top. But if he gets hot, he can carry the team far.

Players to target: Artemi Panarin, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Cam Atkinson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson

Who should go No. 1?

Focusing on one of the three teams above is smart, but it doesn't mean you should target their players right off the hop. They're sleepers for a reason.

If you have the first overall pick, Nikita Kucherov is your safest bet. While the Lightning's second-round matchup will be tough, the Devils are the easiest first-round opponent any team will face.

Here's how you should value the remainder of the top players. Remember, don't take multiple players coming out of the same divisional bracket. Pick one or maybe two teams per conference and load up on their best players.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)