Ducks Eye View of the Western Conference Playoff Race
By Ed Stein
The weather is warming up which means the NHL season is winding down. Three weeks to go and there are playoff spots still up for grabs. Pucks of a Feather takes a Ducks-centric view of the race to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Out of It
So far, four teams are eliminated, Not all of mathematically eliminated, but its safe for them to make April tee times. Arizona, Vancouver, Chicago, and Edmonton will all be watching the playoffs from the comfort of their man caves. Three of Anaheim’s nine remaining games are against these teams.
Definitely In
Central Division-leading Nashville has already clinched a playoff spot with 104 points. Additionally, they have played the second-fewest amount of games so far. Vegas is the top team in the Pacific Division with 97 points. At this juncture, they would have to lose all of their 10 remaining contests and have other breaks to go against them to miss the party. The Winnipeg Jets are second in the Central with 96 points, seven more than third place and 10 ahead of fourth. They are as good as in. The Ducks have only one game against a team in this group, at Winnipeg on Friday.