With the National Hockey League entering what fans and franchises know as “the stretch run,” it seems like an appropriate time to break down which Western Conference teams have a good chance of snagging a playoff berth, and which teams will have to seriously get their acts together, along with finding a bit of good luck if they want any chance of making it in.
Breaking Down the Western Conference Playoff Race
Vancouver Canucks
Of the eight clubs battling for a spot in the post-season, the Canucks may be in the best position. They currently have 73 points in 61 games, which is at least three better than Calgary, LA and San Jose, while every other team in the conversation sit in the Central division, and won’t have as much of an impact on the Canucks’ playoff chances. They’re hardly a lock at this point, but it’s hard to not feel optimistic if you’re a Vancouver Canucks fan.
Los Angeles Kings
A recent win streak has increased the Kings playoff chances from “uncertain” to “promising.” In their last 10 contests, the defending Cup champions have gone 8-2-0, and now find themselves not only in a playoff position, but seeded within their division (and if the playoffs started today, they’d be facing off against a team that the Kings have dominated in recent years – the aforementioned Canucks). At this point, slightly better than .500 hockey should get these Kings into the playoffs.
Winnipeg Jets
Throughout the entire campaign, the Winnipeg Jets have had a fairly firm grasp on a wildcard spot. They haven’t ran away with a berth, but they haven’t been on the outside looking in very often, if ever this season. Their biggest threat is the rejuvenated Minnesota Wild, while the Calgary Flames could potentially knock them out if they go on an extended winning streak. All that said, the Jets’ chances look very promising.
Calgary Flames
Easily the surprise of the season, the Calgary Flames are right there in the thick of things when it comes to the post-season. While they currently sit beneath the playoff bar, the Kings, Wild, Jets and Canucks are all within realistic striking distance, none of those teams being more than four points ahead of the pesky Flames, and owe only a single game to both Vancouver and Los Angeles. It’s certainly not out of the question that coach Bob Hartley’s Flames find themselves playing beyond the regular season.
Minnesota Wild
Devan Dubnyk (.937 save percentage, 1.64 goals against average in 20 appearances with the Wild) has single-handedly gotten Minnesota not only into the playoff conversation, but into a spot. At the time of this writing, they sit in the 2nd wildcard spot, and only a single point back of Winnipeg for the first WC spot (with a game in hand). The one thing that works against Minnesota, is that they play in the Central division, meaning there are two fewer spots up for grabs (barring an epic collapse by the Predators, Blues or Blackhawks). They may not be able to keep this excellent play up, but they sure look good right now.
San Jose Sharks
What has done the Sharks in, is the inability to take advantage of games in hand. Because of this, they currently sit on the outside looking in, and their chances don’t look overly promising. They’re five back of the Wild with a game in hand for the final spot, two back of the white-hot Kings for the third Pacific division seed (with two games to give), and five back of Vancouver with two games to give. If the Sharks don’t get on a run soon, they may be in serious danger of missing the post-season.
Dallas Stars
When Tyler Seguin went down to injury, it crushed all hope that the Stars could make a run for a playoff seed. Now, in this league anything can happen, and, in theory, they’re not completely out of the race yet, but at this point they seem like a long shot at the absolute best.
Colorado Avalanche
Much like the Stars, the Avalanche are very much a long shot to snag a playoff berth. In fact, the Avs are in an almost identical situation to their division rivals out of Dallas (they sit one point above them, with a game to give). Realistically, the only team Colorado could catch is the Sharks (three points back) and even that seems borderline at best. It seems like 2014-15 will be a season to forget in Denver.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter –>@Markus_Meyer27. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!
Interested in writing for us? LWOS is always looking for intelligent and articulate writers to add to our hockey writing team, or our other sports. Find out more by visiting our “Write for Us” page.
Main Photo:
