Coast to Coast Hockey Revised Prototype: Breaking Down the 2021 Playoff Picture
It’s been a few weeks since I last published a piece for my Coast to Coast Hockey Newsletter. This will change as I begin to post more frequently and regularly following my graduation from school. My post this week will be a bit shorter than the last, as I will be assessing the current playoff races going on in the Central, East, West and North Divisions.
There’s one note I need to make before getting into everything. I will not be discussing every team in this post, as many teams are currently out of the race (whether they are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention or on the verge of being mathematically eliminated). Almost all of the teams in the league have just a handful of games remaining on their schedule — about 5–7 games left for most — though one team, the Vancouver Canucks, has eleven games remaining since they were sidelined for several weeks due to COVID-19.
However, I do not believe Vancouver is in a position to make a serious playoff push at this point, as they would need to win most of the remaining eleven games with some help from the teams currently in position to make the postseason, which is pretty unlikely, so I won’t be covering them in this piece. I felt it needed to be addressed that they were a team with several outstanding games due to their extended pause though.
Central Division
The Central Division standings have remained pretty consistent this season, with three dominant teams at the top of the table: Carolina Hurricanes (75 points, five games remaining) Tampa Bay Lightning (73 points, four games remaining), Florida Panthers (73 points, three games remaining). Each of these teams have clinched postseason birth. That means it will come down to which team takes that fourth spot, and currently the Nashville Predators are set up nicely with 58 points and four games remaining. However, the Dallas Stars, currently positioned in fifth place, are just three points behind with an extra game in hand. The Predators will face the last place Columbus Blue Jackets in their next two games but they will be tested in their final two games against the first place Carolina Hurricanes. The Stars do not have an easy road either, though, as they will be facing Florida tonight, followed by two games against Tampa Bay and a back-to-back in Chicago to close out the season.
East Division
The playoff picture in the East Division looks more solidified, as the New York Rangers did themselves no favors last week after getting shut out in consecutive games to the third place New York Islanders. The Penguins sit atop the division with 71 points and 52 games played, but the Washington Capitals are right on their tail with 69 points and a game in hand. The Islanders have 67 points with five games remaining, while the Boston Bruins have six games remaining and 66 points. Had the Rangers taken care of business against their longtime rivals last week, the playoff picture might have been more uncertain, but at 58 points with just four games remaining, it’s a forgone conclusion at this point that the Penguins, Islanders, Capitals and Bruins will be representing the East. The seedings of these teams will be determined in the home stretch of the regular season.
West Division
In the West, the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild have all clinched playoff birth with 74, 70 and 68 points, respectively. Vegas and Minnesota have six games left to go while the Avalanche have seven games remaining, so it will be exciting to see how the seedings shake out for those top three teams. The Golden Knights and the Wild play tonight and on Wednesday, 3/5. Vegas could pull away from the pack if they can take both games. However, the Avalanche have the easiest remaining schedule of those teams, as they face the sixth place San Jose Sharks twice and the seventh place Los Angeles Kings four times in their final seven games. Colorado and Vegas will square off on May 10th in what could be a huge game in determining postseason matchups.
That fourth spot is a little dicey at the moment, as there are mainly two teams fighting for it. The St. Louis Blues currently sit in fourth place, with 53 points and seven games remaining. The Arizona Coyotes are the only other team in the division contending, just three points behind. However, the Coyotes only have four games left to play. The Coyotes face off against the Kings in two games and the Sharks in the final two, and needless to say, they need to win all of those games if they want a chance at the postseason. The Blues have an end to the season of varied difficulty, with two games against the last place Anaheim Ducks, one against the Kings, but two against Vegas and another two against Minnesota. Bottom line: that fourth spot is very much up for grabs if Arizona can get the job done in the home stretch.
North Division
The North Division is pretty much locked up. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who have had a stronghold over the division all season long, are running away with the title, having acquired 71 points in 51 games. The Edmonton Oilers should hold their spot at second place with 62 points in 49 games played, whereas the Winnipeg Jets, who have played 50 games, sit at 57 points. Finally, the Montreal Canadiens, at 55 points, also have six games remaining. The next best team in the North is the Calgary Flames, who have no games in hand over any of the top four teams and are eight points behind Montreal, who holds that fourth spot. Barring a colossal meltdown in Montreal or Winnipeg, I just don’t see it happening this year for Calgary.
It will be an exciting finish to the season and things will surely ramp up when playoff seedings and matchups are solidified. Check back for my next post for a full 2021 playoff preview, where I will break down matchups, make predictions and offer analysis over how things shook out in the conclusion of the regular season.
