The NHL Begins Its Final Push Towards the Stanley Cup

By: Nate Peters
Staff Writer

The NHL season is heating up going into March with teams coming out of the Winter Olympics break as teams attempt a push to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the time of writing this, none of the 32 NHL teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs or been officially eliminated yet at this point in the regular season. This means all teams have at least somewhat of a chance to make it into the playoffs.The Vancouver Canucks (18-33-6) and the New York Rangers (22-29-6) are sitting at the bottom currently, with a 0% chance of making the playoffs. While they aren’t officially eliminated just yet, theirfuture outlook for the season is not looking that bright. With those teams clinging on to mathematical hope, here’s how the rest of the NHL shapes up in the playoff hunt from best chance to worst: 

1. Colorado Avalanche (37-9-9)- 100% 

2. Minnesota Wild (34-14-10)- 100% 

3. Dallas Stars (34-14-9)- 99.99% 

4. Tampa Bay Lightning (37-14-4)- 99.93% 

5. Carolina Hurricanes (36-15-1)- 99.8% 

6. Vegas Golden Knights (37-16-14)- 93.9% 

7. Pittsburgh Penguins (29-15-12)- 85.7% 

8. Montreal Canadiens (32-17-8)- 82.6% 

9. Detroit Red Wings (33-19-6)- 77.5% 

10. Anaheim Ducks (30-23-3)- 77.4% 

11. Edmonton Oilers (28-22-8)- 77.2% 

12. Seattle Kraken (27-20-9)- 69.9% 

13. Buffalo Sabres (32-19-6)- 68.1% 

14. Utah Mammoth (30-23-4)- 66.5% 

15. Boston Bruins (32-20-5)- 60.6% 

16. Los Angeles Kings (23-19-14)- 58.8% 

17. New York Islanders (32-21-5)- 58% 

18. Columbus Blue Jackets (29-20-7)- 52.4% 

19. Ottawa Senators (28-22-7)- 42.1% 

20. Washington Capitals (29-23-7)- 34.7% 

21. San Jose Sharks (27-24-4)- 22.8% 

22. Nashville Predators (26-24-7)- 22.6% 

23. Florida Panthers (29-25-3)- 15.5% 

24. Philadelphia Flyers (25-20-11)- 10.8% 

25. Toronto Maple Leafs (27-21-9)- 9.9% 

26. Winnipeg Jets (22-26-8)- 6.1% 

27. Calgary Flames (23-27-6)- 3.7% 

28. New Jersey Devils (28-27-2)- 2.4% 

29. Chicago Blackhawks (22-26-9)- 1% 

30. St. Louis Blues (20-28-9)- 0.2% 

31. New York Rangers (22-29-6)- 0% 

32. Vancouver Canucks (18-33-6)- 0% 

With all 32 teams ranked by their playoff chances, you start to see the bigger picture. Now categorizing them into groups: playoff locks, currently in the playoffs, in the hunt, unlikely but alive, hanging on by a thread, and close to being eliminated. This will give a better overview of each team’s outlook going forward. 

Playoff Locks 

Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. 

These teams have the best chance at making the Stanely Cup Playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche is currently the best team in the NHL with a record of 37 wins, 9 losses, and 9 overtime losses. Even though the Stars, Wild, Lightning, and Hurricanes haven’t been as good as the Avalanche, they still have had a dominant season up till this point. 

Currently in the Playoffs 

Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Kraken, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Utah Mammoth, and Anaheim Ducks. 

These teams are all currently in the playoffs. Looking into the Eastern Conference first, the Atlantic division spots would be made up of the Tampa Bay Lighting, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings. The Metropolitan division would consist of the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders. The Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference would be the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins.  

In the Western Conference, things are a lot closer. In the Central division, the spots are the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars. In the Pacific division, spots are the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Seattle Kraken. The Wild Card spots in the Western Conference are where things get interesting. Currently, the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks hold those wild card spots, but the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators are right on their tail. There is just a 3-point difference between the Kings and Ducks, and just a 4-point difference between the Preds and Ducks. Vol State student Evan Freeman, who is a Nashville Predators fan, said, “I hope they make the playoffs, but I am unsure that they will make it due to all the ups and downs throughout the season.”  

In The Hunt 

Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks. 

These teams would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today, but there is still some hope. With the Predators and Kings just 2 games away from being in the playoff picture, there is still some hopeto make the playoffs from their fan base. The Blue Jackets and Capitals are tied currently with both teams having 65 points, and just 2 games away from being in the playoff picture, just like the Predatorsand the Kings. The Sharks are also in fair contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, having just 1 point less than the Nashville Predators.  

Unlikely, But Alive 

Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs. 

These teams still have a fair shot at making the playoffs, but there is a lot of work to do. They would have to go on an impressive winning streak and hope for the teams above them to have a fall off. 

Hanging On by a Thread 

New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, and St. Louis Blues 

These teams all have mathematical chances to make it into the playoffs, but it is very unlikely. All these teams are currently on a losing streak, so it does not look like they are trending in the right direction. 

Close To Being Eliminated 

New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. 

These teams are basically already eliminated, with both teams at a 0% chance of making the playoffs. For them to make the playoffs, they would almost have to win the rest of their games and hope all the teams above lose the majority of their remaining games, which is extremely unlikely to happen. 

As the regular season is coming to a close, losing is becoming far more damaging to their playoff hopes. From the playoff locks that will most likely be in the playoffs, to the teams desperate for points headed into the final months of the regular season, the final push towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs is underway.