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NHL wild card race watch: Four teams remain on the Senators tail originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
We’re back with the latest edition of the wild card watch – a regular The Sporting News series in which we analyze the NHL’s two wild card races. As part of this file, we’re examining teams currently in a wild card spot for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Eastern and Western Conferences, as well as the two teams immediately below them in the standings.
We had standings changes this week, but we’re looking mainly at the same group of teams battling for playoff spots. And given most teams have four or five games remaining in the regular season, it’ll be increasingly difficult to change standings positions.
Some teams need to run the table and hope for help in the form of regulation-time losses from teams ahead of them in the standings. Other teams will look to get to overtime and earn a valuable point. It’s all going to shake out in the next seven days, and it’ll make for compelling viewing.
With that said, let’s dig into the newest wild card watch:
MORE: NHL wild card race watch: Sharks make late push, Kings back into a playoff spot
Eastern Conference:
- 7th Place –Boston Bruins (96 points)
- 8th Place –Ottawa Senators (92 points)
- 9th Place – Columbus Blue Jackets (90 points)
- 10th Place –Detroit Red Wings (89 points)
The Lowdown: The Senators earned six standings points in the past week by beating the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. That’s a statement stretch of great play, and Ottawa should continue their momentum swing when they take on the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs in their final four games.
If the Sens capitalize on their relatively easy schedule, they could move into the first wild-card spot in the East. That’s because the Bruins, who looked locked into the first wild card spot not long ago, are now in the midst of a four-game losing skid. The Senators are now only four points behind Boston, and Ottawa has a game in hand on the Bruins. So there could be stunning changes between now and the end of the season.
MORE: Ottawa Senators Put A Scare Into Three Potential Playoff Opponents
Also, the 12th-place Washington Capitals, 11th-place Islanders, 10th-place Red Wings, and 9th-place Blue Jackets are all within three points of the Senators, so you can’t count any of them out just yet. But if the standings look the same at season’s end, it will be crushing blows for the Blue Jackets, Islanders, and Red Wings in particular.
The Isles fired coach Patrick Roy this week and replaced him with Peter DeBoer, so missing out on the playoffs would be a terrible end to what was otherwise a season of promise on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets’ current streak of five seasons without playoff hockey will extend to six seasons – and there needs to be consequences for Columbus.
MORE: How Islanders' Peter DeBoer Can Elevate Matthew Schaefer's Game Even Higher
Finally, the Red Wings’ collapse will almost certainly cost GM Steve Yzerman his job. The Wings have gone 5-9-3 since March 2, and that’s a stunning indictment of the roster Yzerman has built. Detroit’s playoff drought will extend to 10 years, and Red Wings fans have had enough promises that haven’t been followed through on. It’s time for a change in Motown.
Western Conference:
- 7th Place – Utah Mammoth (88 points)
- 8th Place –Nashville Predators (84 points)
- 9th Place – Los Angeles Kings (83 points)
- 10th Place – San Jose Sharks (81 points)
The Lowdown: The Mammoth and Predators retained the two West wild card spots for the third straight week, and both teams earned it with strong play. Utah went 3-0-0 in the past seven days, and they’ve won four straight games with an offensive explosion that saw them outscore their opponents 25-13. So, unless there’s a major meltdown in their final five games, the Mammoth will earn their first-ever playoff berth.
The surging Predators went 3-0-1 this week to pull within four points of Utah – and while the Mammoth have a game in hand on Nashville, there’s going to be an all-important showdown between Utah and the Predators on Thursday in Salt Lake City. If the Preds beat the Mammoth in regulation time that day, the race for seventh in the West could come down to the final games of the season for the teams.
The Kings also were strong, going 3-0-1 to stay in ninth place. But it may be too little, too late for Los Angeles. Per Tankathon, they have the easiest remaining schedule in the league, as they’ll take on the Vancouver Canucks twice, the Edmonton Oilers, the Seattle Kraken, and the Calgary Flames in their other three games. That’s a very winnable stretch for the Kings, who will have no excuses if they ultimately fail to make the playoffs.
MORE: Can The Kings Delay The Sharks From Passing Them In The Battle For California Supremacy?
In addition, the Sharks overtook the Winnipeg Jets for 10th place in the West, after San Jose went 3-2-0 this week. The Sharks also have a relatively easy remainder of their schedule, taking on the Anaheim Ducks and Predators, as well as the Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, and Jets, in their final five games.
San Jose has flirted with being in a playoff position for much of the year, and you shouldn’t bet against superstar Macklin Celebrini making an even better case to be nominated for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player by putting the team on his back and leading the Sharks to a surprise playoff berth. The Sharks may fail to earn a playoff spot, but they’re playing meaningful hockey late in the year, and that’s a step forward for this rebuilding franchise.
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