With more than half of the NHL’s postseason spots filled thanks to recent points by the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, the arrival of the playoffs is as real as ever.
As are some glaring side stories, some rooted in uncertainty and others centered on inevitabilities of the league’s polarizing manner of seeding Stanley Cup contenders.
Until April 12, when the true race for a title commences, here are three things to think about:
1. It’s not a matter of if but when a top-tier contender (or two) takes an early exit
We’ve all heard the arguments for the NHL’s current playoff format, right? Promote divisional rivalries. Intensify competition. And, truthfully, the postseason is all about winning anyway, so if you can’t beat a team in the opening round, you’re not necessarily going to beat them in the conference finals.
But it’s worth remembering that one of the league’s best teams is guaranteed an early exit in the playoffs. That means even the dominant forces of the Eastern Conference, specifically the Metropolitan Division, have to be on alert regardless of their lofty status in the standings. Because if seeding holds up, something like a Pittsburgh Penguins-Columbus Blue Jackets bout or even a New York Rangers-Montreal Canadiens showdown is going to oust some top-10 contenders right out of the gate.
Let’s say, for example, those matchups do occur. A Pens-Blue Jackets series would ensure one of the NHL’s top three clubs will be watching the rest of the playoffs from home. A Rangers-Canadiens battle would guarantee at least one more top-seven team would be out of the mix.
2. The scramble for the final wild-card spots is going to be a messy one
This shouldn’t be too surprising. In fact, it’s exactly how the final fight for postseason spots should be. But it doesn’t make it any less intriguing -- or heartbreaking, depending on which teams you are.
As of the middle of this week, five teams were still vying for the same final wild card in the Eastern Conference, even if one of those candidates, the Philadelphia Flyers, seems a little too distant from contention as a too-little, too-late and all-too-inconsistent unit. Other than Philly, you have a hodgepodge of hopefuls who are at starkly different points in the road:
- The Boston Bruins, who have been on a recent upswing after deciding that March was a good time for a near-weeklong victory drought but are just staying in front of ...
- The Tampa Bay Lightning, who would make one of the more explosive playoff stories if they were actually to use their late-season dominance -- a 7-3 stretch, including a come-from-behind thriller vs. the Chicago Blackhawks, boosted them -- to erase early struggles
- The Carolina Hurricanes, who are making a case to at least be crowned the best spoilers of March with a 7-0-3 run
- The New York Islanders, who were once an upset candidate under Doug Weight’s guidance but have been on a steady path of decline in the home stretch of the season
3. The Western Conference’s late streakers will get their time to shine
You can’t emphasize enough the importance of momentum in the NHL, especially when it comes to the playoffs.
We’ve seen top dogs like the Washington Capitals endure -- and then recover from -- bad streaks. And we’ve seen others, like the San Jose Sharks, slip up to the point that they’ll be entering the postseason without both feet firmly planted on the ground.
So gaining steam can be key. And this year’s postseason should have no shortage of teams, particularly middle-of-the-road contenders, that close the regular season on a streaky path. It’s probably not fair to lump the Anaheim Ducks into anything deemed “middle-of-the-road,” but considering they just recently stole the No. 1 spot in the Pacific Division, they headline the hottest of the late-season winners. Other clubs riding toward the playoffs with an impressive month’s worth of work include the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, all of the Western Conference.
