All the pieces are falling into place in the West. Vancouver and Chicago were both eliminated last night, locking in Calgary and Nashville as the final two playoff teams. Detroit clinched the top seed and Minnesota clinched the NW title with a win - in regulation, thank you - over Calgary.
4-4
| Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS | MAXPT | MAXWIN | DIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Det * | 81 | 53 | 21 | 7 | 113 | 115 | 54 | + 70 |
| 2. SJ * | 81 | 49 | 22 | 10 | 108 | 110 | 50 | + 31 |
| 3. Min * | 81 | 44 | 28 | 9 | 97 | 99 | 45 | + 6 |
| 4. Ana | 80 | 45 | 27 | 8 | 98 | 102 | 47 | + 12 |
| 5. Dal | 80 | 44 | 29 | 7 | 95 | 99 | 46 | + 35 |
| 6. Col | 81 | 43 | 31 | 7 | 93 | 95 | 44 | + 11 |
| 7. Cal | 81 | 41 | 30 | 10 | 92 | 94 | 42 | - 4 |
| 8. Nas | 81 | 41 | 31 | 9 | 91 | 93 | 42 | + 3 |
The top 3 seeds - Detroit, San Jose and Minnesota - are now set. Anaheim and Dallas are, for all intents and purposes, the 4th and 5th seeds (Dallas can still grab home ice advantage against the Ducks). Technically, the Avs can still catch the Stars in 5th…but they’d have to win by about 40 goals on Sunday for that to happen.
The 6th, 7th and 8th seeds are a little more fluid. The Avs have a 2-win lead on the Flames so need just a point on Sunday to clinch the 6th spot. However, Calgary plays in Vancouver tomorrow night and a Vancouver win would make Sunday’s game meaningless. If the Avs do fall out of 6th, they’ll be in 7th; Nashville can’t catch them. So, if the Avs get to overtime on Sunday OR if the Flames lose on Saturday the Avalanche face the Wild in the first round. Otherwise, they’ll face the Sharks.
The Predators can’t catch the Avs (the Avs have too many wins), but they can still pass the Flames. Calgary holds the head-to-head matchup against Nashville, so the Predators have to pull ahead in either points or wins to get in. Nashville needs to beat Chicago tonight and then have the Flames lose tomorrow to get to 7th.
So, your first round matchups will be:
- Nashville / Calgary vs Detroit
- Calgary / Nashville / Colorado vs San Jose
- Calgary / Colorado vs Minnesota
- Dallas vs Anaheim
Certainly some interesting matchups there…
EDIT: The Stars website and the AP have both stated that the Stars have clinched 5th. If they have, I just can’t see it. While the Avs catching Dallas is more improbable than, say, me marrying Jenna Fischer, it still is technically possible. Just not very likely. Sorry, Jenna.
I think it’s all but secured. If i remember tiebreakers correctly, it’s wins (Which will be a tie) Head to head record( tie) and then goal differential. So Colorado would have to beat the Wild by 20 or so in order to jump Dallas.
simply in terms of hockey i would like to watch, I’d like to have the Avs play the Sharks. Watching the damn Wild muck it up in a playoff series is seriously going to make me sad. Especially with our crappy PP and “playoff officiating.”
In terms of our chances against the 2 teams, we’re probably slightly better off playing the Wild, so I’m not totally put out. But I hate the fricken Wild and their style of play so much.
“So Colorado would have to beat the Wild by 20 or so in order to jump Dallas”
100% true. but I take umbrage with them saying it’s locked up when it isn’t.
why do you hate the wild so much? just because they play good defense?
jojo, because they’re boring to watch. I have nothing against the Wild as a team, I just like a more entertaining product than the trap ad nauseum. I didn’t like watching the Avs when we ran boring hockey for those 20 games minus all our top guys either.
I’m also concerned they’re going to clutch and grab their way to a series win, with how the officiating has been recently.
for whatever reason, I tend to really enjoy the games against the Wild.
I would love to see Calgary in the playoffs at some point. That would be highly entertaining hockey.
But the Wild aren’t too bad. Their penalty kill is what really concerns me. The Avs have made a bit of a comeback on the special teams but the Wild have a nasty penalty kill.
I think Foote will suprise a lot of nay-sayers when he shifts against the Gaborik line. Don’t look for Gaborik to have a lot of chances 5v5. Precisely why we needed Foote to begin with. I like that the Wild are chippier now and more physical, I think that makes a series more compelling. The Avs can do some damage if they make the Wild pay during 5v5 play with their 2nd and 3rd lines. The Wild seem pretty top heavy to me with Gaborik and Roloson. Stay out of the box and get the Smyth and Sakic lines hot.
San Jose on the other hand is really a concern. Physical and deep across two lines. Can match up 5v5 scoring pretty well with the Avs. Thorton spends most of this time on Sauer’s side of the ice if they shift Foote against his line Sauer would have to contain him. I have no confidence in that. Salei with Finger could work but if Q were smart he would put Hannan on the ice with Thorton but that means mixing up the Liles paring I think. Nabokov has a lot of playoff experience and we’ve see that guy just shut down a whole series. I don’t want to see him in the playoffs at all.
I’ll take the wild and be happy for it.
Whatever happens, stay out of the Shark’s way for as long as possible. Go Avs!