Countdown to the Playoffs

April 1, 2001

As we watch the NHL regular season come to a close there are some amazing races developing. In the East it is really a two team race for the last spot (although the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing their darndest to to make it a three team race) between Boston and Carolina. In the West, it is much more interesting as the Kings, Coyotes, Canucks, Sharks and Oilers are all within a four points and one of them is going to lose out. Over the next few paragraphs I do a little prognosticating and crystal ball gazing and try and pick the two teams that are going to be hitting the links come mid-April.

Eastern Conference: This is a race that could be over very soon. With Carolina's overtime win over Ottawa on Sunday, they regained the advantage over Boston. With four games remaining (at St. Louis and the Rangers and at home to Atlanta and Pittsburgh), the Hurricanes hold their destiny in their hands. The poor play of St. Louis and Atlanta must have the Canes thinking  four points here.  The Rangers, playing better of late,  may be a more formidable opponent than coach Paul Maurice would have expected but they are beatable. What Carolina doesn't want is to be forced into a situation of having to beat Pittsburgh on April 8th to make the playoffs. The Penguins are too powerful and if the Canes had to open it up and press for a win, the results could be disastrous. 

The Bruins also have four games left and their schedule is much tougher. They play a much improved Montreal Canadiens at home, then travel to Buffalo and New Jersey and finish up at home to the Islanders. The Isles game is the only one that could be considered a sure thing. Realistically, Boston needs six points to have a legitimate shot and I just don't see them getting it. Both the Sabres and Devils have been red hot of late and Hab's goalie Jose Theodore has been a machine, keeping his squad in most games. If the Bruins come out of this week with any more than a win and a tie I will be surprised.

The wild-card in this could be the collapsing Maple Leafs. They are only four points ahead of the Bruins and if Boston and Carolina get hot and Toronto collapses their could be a riot TO. While it is very unlikely that this scenario will play out, it should nevertheless be mentioned as a possibility.

Team Most Likely to be Golfing on April 10th: Boston Bruins

Western Conference: This race involves five teams fighting for four playoff spots and is surrounded by intrigue and revenge. Most of this excitement will be in a home and home series between the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks. After the Canucks 2-1 loss to Anaheim on Sunday, their hopes of making the playoffs rest on two things: how they play against the Kings and the ineptness of the Phoenix Coyotes. The irony of the home and home with with Kings is that they will be facing the goalie they discarded earlier this season - Felix Potvin. "The Cat", on his fourth life, will be looking for revenge against his old team and with five shutouts since being traded to the Kings he's heating up at just the right time. To have a shot at clinching a playoff spot the Canucks have to at least split the series. This will be an enormous task with superstar Markus Naslund and top line center Andrew Cassels out of the lineup. The Canucks cannot afford to leave it until their last game of the season versus the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers have been hot and will looking to maintain their momentum heading into the post -season.

For the Coyotes and the Sharks, the situation is much the same. They need wins and they need them badly. San Jose has four games remaining. While on paper their schedule looks promising with games against the Wild and the Ducks, they will also be playing against a red hot Stars team and a desperate Coyotes franchise. They will likely win two of these games and coast into a playoff spot. As for the Coyotes, they are holding on to a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth and with only three games remaining face the Kings, Sharks and Ducks. They need to win two of those games to have any shot and realistically I don't know if they can do it.

The Oilers are in the driver's seat. They are four points up on Los Angeles and they have three games remaining. They play three struggling franchises in Colorado, Minnesota and Vancouver and should be able to win at least one game (which would all but assure them of a playoff spot).

The Kings are the team that has made this a race. Since the Rob Blake trade they have been one of the hottest teams in hockey. Potvin has been playing well and the offense has been clicking. With four games remaining (three against teams they're chasing), the Kings hold their destiny in their hands.

Team Most Likely to be Golfing on April 10th: Phoenix Coyotes (with Vancouver finishing a very close second).