by Sean Murphy
Monday, Mar 25, 2024We're less than a month away from the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here's a quick look around the league at some of the key battles for playoff positioning entering the stretch run.
Blues in the green
The St. Louis Blues were an afterthought in the Western Conference playoff race just a few weeks ago but they're firmly in the mix now thanks to a 6-1 surge highlighted by an incredible six upset victories (closed as +110 or higher underdogs in all six wins). They'll begin a critical four-game homestand on Tuesday as they host the Vegas Golden Knights. The Blues are currently four points behind the Knights for the final Wild Card spot in the West but Vegas has a game-in-hand. St. Louis doesn't realistically have enough runway left to catch the Winnipeg Jets for third place in the Central Division (Winnipeg sits 14 points ahead of St. Louis with 11 games remaining).
Three's a crowd
There are currently three teams vying for top spot in the Western Conference with the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars separated by just a single point. The Canucks and Avs figure to have a slight advantage having played one less game than the Stars. Of course, top spot may not be an enviable position given the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights are the most likely team to earn the final playoff spot in the West. A first-round date with supremely-talented Vegas might just be the worst-case scenario for the three front-runners.
Metro boomin'
Just one point separates the New York Rangers from the Carolina Hurricanes at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. New York has reeled off four wins in its last five games and will have the benefit of playing at home in seven of its final 11 regular season contests. Note that the Blueshirts won't face the Canes again in the regular season. Carolina has just 10 games left on its regular season schedule with six of those coming on the road. It does have the benefit of closing out the season with a manageable two-game road trip to Chicago and Columbus to face two of the league's weakest teams.
Capital punishment
It seemed as if Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record would be the only reason to pay attention to the Washington Capitals down the stretch but instead they've gone on a remarkable run to put themselves in Wild Card position with 12 games left to play. The Caps are 12-6 over their last 18 games to push a single point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for the final playoff spot in the East. Up next is a date with, you guessed it, the Red Wings in the Nation's Capital on Tuesday. The Caps will also travel to Detroit to face the Wings one final time in the regular season on April 9th.
Blues in the green
The St. Louis Blues were an afterthought in the Western Conference playoff race just a few weeks ago but they're firmly in the mix now thanks to a 6-1 surge highlighted by an incredible six upset victories (closed as +110 or higher underdogs in all six wins). They'll begin a critical four-game homestand on Tuesday as they host the Vegas Golden Knights. The Blues are currently four points behind the Knights for the final Wild Card spot in the West but Vegas has a game-in-hand. St. Louis doesn't realistically have enough runway left to catch the Winnipeg Jets for third place in the Central Division (Winnipeg sits 14 points ahead of St. Louis with 11 games remaining).
Three's a crowd
There are currently three teams vying for top spot in the Western Conference with the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars separated by just a single point. The Canucks and Avs figure to have a slight advantage having played one less game than the Stars. Of course, top spot may not be an enviable position given the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights are the most likely team to earn the final playoff spot in the West. A first-round date with supremely-talented Vegas might just be the worst-case scenario for the three front-runners.
Metro boomin'
Just one point separates the New York Rangers from the Carolina Hurricanes at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. New York has reeled off four wins in its last five games and will have the benefit of playing at home in seven of its final 11 regular season contests. Note that the Blueshirts won't face the Canes again in the regular season. Carolina has just 10 games left on its regular season schedule with six of those coming on the road. It does have the benefit of closing out the season with a manageable two-game road trip to Chicago and Columbus to face two of the league's weakest teams.
Capital punishment
It seemed as if Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record would be the only reason to pay attention to the Washington Capitals down the stretch but instead they've gone on a remarkable run to put themselves in Wild Card position with 12 games left to play. The Caps are 12-6 over their last 18 games to push a single point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for the final playoff spot in the East. Up next is a date with, you guessed it, the Red Wings in the Nation's Capital on Tuesday. The Caps will also travel to Detroit to face the Wings one final time in the regular season on April 9th.
