Every sport has a league or conference that dominates every other league or conference in that sport. Baseball, for example, has the American League (I mean, have you seen recent All-Star Games?). Basketball has the Western Conference, with the Lakers, Suns, Mavericks, Spurs, and, yes, even the Jazz and Hornets this year. The NFL seems to have more dominance in the AFC, with the Colts and Patriots at the head of the class every year (in the NFC, meanwhile, a team can make the playoffs as a wild card with a mere .500 record).
Hockey isn’t without its standouts, I know. The Detroit Red Wings, for example, have been at the top of the West for the entire season. However, both conferences this year have tight playoff races where all but a handful of teams have a legitimate chance for a playoff spot. Let’s break it down by conference.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The East is the tighter of the two conferences. The Tampa Bay Lightning, sitting in dead last place in the conference, are a mere 9 points out of the final playoff spot. Nine points! That’s only four wins and an overtime loss out of the picture. Their overall record: five games under .500. Not great, but certainly not too shabby.
Take the Buffalo Sabres who, two weeks ago, were in 14th place in the conference (out of 15 teams) while in the midst of a 1-7-5 slump. They then played 10 games in a row where they earned at least one point, whether it was via a win or an overtime/shootout loss. That streak propelled the Sabres up to 7th place in the standings, meaning they leapfrogged 6 other teams in three weeks. That’s how tight the East is. They now sit in 8th.
The Ottawa Senators got off to a blistering start to the season and, after the first month, it appeared as if they would be the East’s version of the Red Wings. However, just the other day, the New Jersey Devils won a game that put them into a tie atop the conference. Now, we have ourselves a whole new ballgame (or hockey game). The Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins are also nipping at the heels of the Senators. Right now, the Devils trail Ottawa by one point, Pittsburgh is two out, and Montreal is just three points shy of Ottawa. A mini winning streak by any team can turn the playoff race in the East upside down.
But, by no means do the top eight teams in the conference have their spots locked. The Philadelphia Flyers, who were abysmal last season, sit just one point back of the 8th place Sabres for the final playoff spot, as do the New York Islanders. The Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers are five points out, but keep in mind that the Caps have someone named Alexander Ovechkin on their side. Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have underperformed all season, sit just six points out of that final spot. A winning streak or a losing slide by any team means chaos in this race. Stay tuned.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
As already mentioned, the Detroit Red Wings are at the top of the NHL, with 89 points at the time of this article. Those 89 points are a full six over the second-place Dallas Stars. Six points more than second place! Remember, the #1 Senators in the East are 11 points ahead of the 10th place New York Islanders! And this comes after the Wings’ recent six game losing streak…
The Wings, Dallas, the Minnesota Wild, and the Anaheim Ducks, make up seeds 1-4 in the West. While their point totals are closer than that of the Wings-Stars gap, the intrigue really lies in seeds 5-14 in the West, with only the last place L.A. Kings way out of the playoff picture.
The 5th seeded San Jose Sharks have the same amount of points as the 8th seeded Nashville Predators (they are placed fifth due to games in hand and head-to-head records). This means that the sixth and seventh place teams (the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames) also share the same amount of points. Just think…a win by the Predators propels them into 5th place in the West; they pass three teams. The Chicago Blackhawks, seeded 13th, are only four points behind the Predators for the final playoff spot. Plus, if you paid attention above, the Blackhawks are really just four points behind the 5th seeded Sharks, due to the fact that seeds 5-8 all have the same amount of points. Nine teams (that’s right…nine teams) ranging from the 5th seeded sharks to the 13th seeded Blackhawks are separated by a mere eight points.
Yes, both the Eastern and Western Conferences have exciting playoff races ahead. The key to remaining in the playoff pictures or fighting your way in obviously relies on fundamentals: strong play at both ends and stellar play from your goaltender. Strength of schedule also figures in when we get down to the final weeks of the season.
These will be intense races down the stretch…it’s just a shame no one is watching.
