In the NHL | Three places for seven teams

The playoff race in the NHL has been slow to close. However, less than a week from the end of the calendar, everything is still possible for six, even seven teams, who are competing for the last three places still available. Overview at the start of a busy week.

Eastern Association

Florida Panthers

Record: 42-31-7 (91 points)

Odds of making the playoffs*: 66.6% to 78.7%

Remaining opponents: Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes

1^er last January, we did not give much of the skin of the Panthers. Eight points separated them from the last place giving access to the playoffs, with more games behind. However, the Floridians have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in 2023. In his first season under the sun, Matthew Tkachuk has emerged as the great attacking point guard of the club. We’ll have to think of him for the Hart Trophy if the Panthers play spring hockey. To achieve this, however, it will be necessary to beat two opponents of very high quality.

*Range including projections from Money Puck, Hockey Reference and Sports Club Stats sites

New York Islanders

Record: 41-30-9 (91 points)

Odds of making the playoffs: 76.7-81.5%

Remaining opponents: Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens

The Islanders have been steady from start to finish of the season, walking the thin line between making the playoffs and having a hasty vacation. A typical general manager Lou Lamoriello team: few goals scored, even fewer goals against. However, their situation can be summarized quite easily. If it wasn’t for goaltender Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders wouldn’t be in the game. The Russian would be guaranteed to win the Vezina Trophy if the statistics of Linus Ullmark, in Boston, did not resemble those of Dominik Hasek in 1999. The Islanders also have the advantage of facing two clubs eliminated at the end of the course.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 40-30-10 (90 points)

Odds of making the playoffs: 42.9-52.3%

Remaining opponents: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets

Already the target of anger from Penguins fans, especially for the bizarre acquisitions he made at the trade deadline, general manager Ron Hextall will be in serious trouble if his team misses the playoffs. The Pens have a stellar 9-9-1 record since March 3, and it’s hard to think of them as anything other than an aging club whose goaltenders seem incapable of stopping pucks with any regularity. However, who will dare to bet against Sidney Crosby, at the dawn of duels against the two worst teams in the NHL? Nothing is decided in the city of steel.

Buffalo Sabers

Record: 39-32-7 (85 points)

Probabilities of participating in the playoffs: from 0.4 to 1.6%

Remaining opponents: New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets

The Sabers have only one card left in their game: their number of games to play. That’s the only reason they end up in this tally, as the six-point gap that separates them from the New York Islanders seems insurmountable. However, the Sabers have finally come out of a long hibernation by winning six of their last eight games. It’s not complicated, they still have to win all those who remain and pray for the collapse of two teams in front of them. The chances of that happening are slim, but the feat isn’t impossible either.

Western Association

Winnipeg Jets

Record: 44-32-3 (91 points)

Odds of making the playoffs: 78.7-82.2%

Remaining opponents: San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche

The Jets could have settled this matter weeks ago. The Manitobans, however, had a pitiful month from mid-February to mid-March, posting a 4-9-2 record. A recent loss to the Calgary Flames slowed them down, but their next win against the Nashville Predators, another team in the race, calmed the game relatively. since a few weeks. Now would be a good time to start thundering.

Calgary Flames

Record: 37-27-16 (90 points)

Odds of making the playoffs: 12.5-18.9%

Remaining opponents: Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks

You won’t hear anyone in Calgary grumbling about the standings point awarded after an overtime or shootout loss. Without this regulation, we would not talk about the Flames for a long time. Nothing, or almost nothing, has worked as expected since the start of the season, except probably the explosion of Tyler Toffoli, who is having the best offensive harvest of his career at 30 years old. With hefty contracts going into effect next season, the Flames’ payroll will quickly become unwieldy. If ever there was a time to win, it’s now. A victory this Monday night against the Nashville Predators would remove a thorn from their side, without guaranteeing them anything.

Nashville Predators

Record: 40-31-8 (88 points)

Probabilities of participating in the playoffs: from 2.5 to 5.3%

Remaining opponents: Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche

Predators players won’t be satisfied, but their mere presence in this playoff race is in itself a victory. As the trade deadline approached, they traded Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund, a sure sign of a team looking to the future. However, the future may have to wait, since the chances of reaching the playoffs, although low, do exist. In the event of a victory Monday against the Flames, the Preds would see their fate be linked to that of the Jets, since they will face the same two opponents to conclude the schedule. If the plan works, goaltender Juuse Saros, the heart and soul of this team, will receive votes for his team’s most valuable player.