from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,

No one around the NHL views the Presidents' Trophy as a predictor of playoff success. Since 2003, only two of 13 teams that finished No. 1 overall have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.

But winning that title has added value this season because the NHL’s top three teams, Washington, Pittsburgh and Columbus, are all in the Metropolitan Division. The runner-ups in the race will face each other in the opening playoff round.

“That’s going to be a test right off the bat, and it could leave a mark for the second round,” Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz told USA TODAY Sports.

The Chicago Blackhawks, currently fourth in the Presidents' Trophy race with 100 points and nine games remaining, could easily step up and win it. But that wouldn’t change the reality that the losers of the battle for Metropolitan Division supremacy have a tougher playoff road.

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