With just ten days left in the NHL regular season, the playoff picture is still wide open in the west. The top three seeds, in the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red WIngs, and San Jose Sharks have clinched not only their playoff spot, but their divisions as well.
Problem is? That’s as far as we’ve come. With just five days left in the year, spots four through eight are still undecided. While it is unlikely teams shuffle much at this point, it is certainly still possible.
So, while we may just be a game or two away from having it all in focus, right now, the west is still a hot mess. Much like the rest of the season, so it is fitting.
Out East, things are much, much clearer. While some jockeying can still be done for their respective seeds, six of the eight teams in the playoffs have clinched, and the final two spots are just one game from being determined.
Only the Carolina Hurricanes have any hope of disrupting the current playoff race in the East, but they would have to win out, and the Rangers lose both of their final games. Possible, sure, but unlikely.
By Friday, we should have this all sorted out. Except in the West, where three point games are the norm and the hockey gods hate us.