NHL Stretch Run

The NHL regular season is winding down, with most teams having approximately 10-12 games left. There are some good races for Wild Card spots and even some good division races up for grabs. The Blue Jackets are hot and could knock some teams out of playoff contention. The Panthers are surging at the right time. Will Boston catch Tampa Bay? The Penguins and Capitals are in a dead heat race in the Metro. Can Colorado and Dallas hang on to the final Wild Card spots? Will the Predators nip the Lightning for the President's Trophy?

Is anyone else still following the NHL with March Madness in full bloom? If so, which teams/scenarios are you most interested in during this stretch run?

Go Pens!!!

Go Away Pens!!!

The NHL regular season is winding down, with most teams having approximately 10-12 games left. There are some good races for Wild Card spots and even some good division races up for grabs. The Blue Jackets are hot and could knock some teams out of playoff contention. The Panthers are surging at the right time. Will Boston catch Tampa Bay? The Penguins and Capitals are in a dead heat race in the Metro. Can Colorado and Dallas hang on to the final Wild Card spots? Will the Predators nip the Lightning for the President's Trophy?

 

Is anyone else still following the NHL with March Madness in full bloom? If so, which teams/scenarios are you most interested in during this stretch run?

Your Blue Jackets are looking good! They have a real shot at doing well in the playoffs. I fear my Bolts peaked too soon. Vasilevskiy is worn out. They can't keep the puck out of their zone and they just look flat to me.

Your Blue Jackets are looking good! They have a real shot at doing well in the playoffs. I fear my Bolts peaked too soon. Vasilevskiy is worn out. They can't keep the puck out of their zone and they just look flat to me.

I think the Bolts will be fine. It’s the ebb and flow of the season. They’ve obviously done a lot of things right and their point total shows it. I think they’re getting their swoon out of the way at the right time. Better to struggle now instead of in early April. I fear my Jackets are peaking too early though. It’s nice to see them rebound, especially since I thought they were dead in the water a few weeks ago. I wonder how much they’ll have left in the Tank come April 7th. The team I’m worried about is Vegas. They seem lost right now and they are struggling a bit. No matter what happens, they’ve had an incredible inaugural season but I look for an early exit from them in the playoffs. Bring on playoff hockey!

Go Pens!!!

Boo! I will say that the Pens make playoff hockey more interesting though.

I think the Bolts will be fine. It’s the ebb and flow of the season. They’ve obviously done a lot of things right and their point total shows it. I think they’re getting their swoon out of the way at the right time. Better to struggle now instead of in early April. I fear my Jackets are peaking too early though. It’s nice to see them rebound, especially since I thought they were dead in the water a few weeks ago. I wonder how much they’ll have left in the Tank come April 7th. The team I’m worried about is Vegas. They seem lost right now and they are struggling a bit. No matter what happens, they’ve had an incredible inaugural season but I look for an early exit from them in the playoffs. Bring on playoff hockey!

Tampa looked more like the team I know and love tonight with a 3-1 win over the Oilers. They were aggressive and relentless. I love that style of play! Domingue did a great job at goal with 29 saves and only giving up 1 goal in the first period. Good to see Vasilevskiy get a much needed rest.

I'm hoping your Jackets stay hot, I enjoy watching them play!

Been an Avalanche fan since Patrick Roy was traded there and have stayed one since. Playing well right now.

And I would give anything to go to one more Red Wings/ Avalanche game from back in day. Caught two of them, one in each city and man it was electric both times. One of the most underrated rivalries of all time.

Been an Avalanche fan since Patrick Roy was traded there and have stayed one since. Playing well right now.

 

And I would give anything to go to one more Red Wings/ Avalanche game from back in day. Caught two of them, one in each city and man it was electric both times. One of the most underrated rivalries of all time.

It's great to see the Avalanche rise from the dead and playing meaningful hockey this year. MacKinnon is on fire and should be strongly considered for the Hart Trophy.

If would be nice but Kucherov is the man on probably the leagues best team or at least best offense.

Fun to watch him finally take off though. Not a coincidence his best year by far has turned Avs back into playoff contender.

Tampa looked more like the team I know and love tonight with a 3-1 win over the Oilers. They were aggressive and relentless. I love that style of play! Domingue did a great job at goal with 29 saves and only giving up 1 goal in the first period. Good to see Vasilevskiy get a much needed rest.

 

I'm hoping your Jackets stay hot, I enjoy watching them play!

What in the Wide World of Sports has gotten into the Lightning? Last night's loss to the B's has me really concerned about their overall status right now as a legit Cup Contender. For the last few weeks, I figured they were going through a listless period and would pull out of it in time to clinch the Atlantic and make their playoff run. Now I'm not so sure. Are they just that tired? Is the defense that shaky? I don't know what it is but it's broke. The only question is: Can it be fixed by April 11th?

What in the Wide World of Sports has gotten into the Lightning? Last night's loss to the B's has me really concerned about their overall status right now as a legit Cup Contender. For the last few weeks, I figured they were going through a listless period and would pull out of it in time to clinch the Atlantic and make their playoff run. Now I'm not so sure. Are they just that tired? Is the defense that shaky? I don't know what it is but it's broke. The only question is: Can it be fixed by April 11th?

Has me extremely concerned. I do think they're tired but I think it's more than that. The D is beyond shaky at this point IMO plus they just constantly keep turning the puck over. I think they underestimated how important Namestnikov was to this team. Seems since they traded him it's screwed up their flow, plus the new guys just haven't had the time to really gel with the team the way Namestnikov did. I fear they're going to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. If they play the way they have against Boston and a few other teams, I'm sure of it. They had better wake up!

The Bolts drop another one. Yeesshh!

The Bolts drop another one. Yeesshh!

What's the word on Stamkos's lower body injury? If he's out any period of time, this is a huge loss.

Right now in the Metro, only 3 points separates the 2nd place Penguins and the Devils (who are holding the 2nd Wild Card spot). This final week of the regular season will be exciting. The Pens only have 2 remaining games, while the Blue Jackets, Flyers and Devils have 3 apiece. Columbus plays Pittsburgh at home on Thursday night and this could be a pivotal game which will probably decide how the final standings pan out. Before it's all said and done, the Pens and Jackets very well could fall to the Wild Card spots, while the Flyers and Devils face each other in Round 1 of the playoffs.

Current Standings:

PIT Games Played 80 Points 96 ROW 43

CBJ Games Played 79 Points 94 ROW 38

PHI Games Played 79 Points 94 ROW 38

NJD Games Played 79 Points 93 ROW 37

Remaining Schedule

Pens - Columbus (away) Ottawa (home)

Jackets - Detroit (home) Pittsburgh (home) Nashville (away)

Philly - NY Islanders (away) Carolina (home) NY Rangers (home)

NJ Devils - NY Rangers (home) Toronto (home) Washington (away)

Which team has the most favorable schedule/scenario this week to solidify/improve their place in the standings? Which team is at risk to fall behind the most?