NHL Playoff Death Watch: Saturday is going to be bonkers
Since we’re down to the final moments of postseason life for teams in contention, Puck Daddy solemnly begins a daily countdown to annihilation.
We’re going to find out a lot about the NHL postseason after Saturday night.
The New York Islanders’ loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning puts them at the same nine games remaining as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. They have 87 points; the Penguins have 88; the Flyers have 85. So do the Detroit Red Wings, who face the Penguins at home. They’re trying to catch both the Flyers (who are in Arizona) and the Islanders (who are in Carolina), but also the Boston Bruins, who have 86 points and against whom the Red Wings have a game in-hand. The Bruins are in Toronto to face the Leafs.
Oh, right: Then there are the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers, who face each other with first place in the Atlantic on the line.
Fun!
Here are the current standings. The Death Watch tracks the final Wild Card spot and the teams that are chasing it. Their “tragic number” is the number of points gained by the final wild card team or lost by the team chasing it.
All playoff percentages are from Sports Club Stats; tragic numbers and other figures via the NHL. A team is eliminated from play-offs when their “Tragic Number” hits 0.
The Eastern Conference picture, via the NHL:
Fare thee well Columbus Blue Jackets, eliminated last night.
Here are the latest Eastern Conference playoff odds from Sports Club Stats:
*Wild Card Teams
The Buffalo Sabres can be eliminated with a loss to the Winnipeg Jets, or various combinations of overtime losses and either Flyers or Red Wings wins. The Canadiens can also be eliminated tonight with a loss and a Red Wings or Flyers win.
Meanwhile, in the West:
Fare thee well Vancouver Canucks, who have been eliminated.
OK, here we go: The Minnesota Wild face the Colorado Avalanche this afternoon in Denver, with the Avs needing a win badly. They trail the Wild by three points with a game in-hand.
The Nashville Predators host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Seth Jones Appreciation Night, with a chance to catch the Chicago Blackhawks in points if the Hawks fall in Calgary. (Chicago still has a significant tie-breaker advantage in ROW.)
The Dallas Stars are in San Jose while the St. Louis Blues are in Washington. They’re tied atop the conference with 97 points, but Dallas has the ROW advantage.
The LA Kings host the Edmonton Oilers, glancing over their shoulders at the Anaheim Ducks, who are three points back with a game in-hand and play the Kings on April 7.
More fun!
Here are the latest Western Conference playoff odds from Sports Club Stats:
*Wild Card Teams
One more note: The Washington Capitals win the President’s Trophy with at least a point gained by them or a point lost for the Dallas Stars. And you know what that means: Guaranteed Stanley Cup!
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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