Image courtesy of sports.gunaxin.com
A few quick thoughts on what to
watch for in the last 10 days of the NHL season:
· For the third year in a row, the Washington
Capitals are erasing a slow start with a scorching finish. The Caps are coming
off an eight-game win streak which saw them rise all the way to third in the
Eastern conference. Currently, they have a two-point lead over division rival Winnipeg
with a showdown that could determine the fate of the division looming Tuesday. But
for now it appears the Capitals should be heading for their sixth consecutive
postseason appearance.
· Unlike the last two late-season surges, this run
has been largely the result of Alex Overchkin’s play. After two and a half
seasons of performing like a glorified second-liner, number eight is back to
his old high-scoring ways. He’s now tops in the NHL with 28 goals and fourth
with 48 points. If he keeps up this play and leads the Capitals to the third
seed, he’ll likely garner some MVP consideration.
· With only a week and a half left in the NHL
season, there are 24 teams with playoff chances. Realistically, there are only
two teams in each conference with chances of moving into the playoff pictures.
The Sabres have played well of late but need a lot of help from the eight-place
Rangers and ninth-place Winnipeg if they hope to qualify. The Rangers will most
likely grab the final spot as they finish up against last-place Florida, lowly
Carolina and the reeling New Jersey Devils.
· The Western Conference picture is slightly more
open with Detroit and Dallas both sitting two points out of a playoff spot.
Eighth-place Columbus has played 45 games while both Dallas (ninth) and Detroit
(10) have played 43. Although the Stars and Wings have games at hand, Columbus seems
to be playing with confidence lately. If they’re able to sneak into the
playoffs, Sergei Bobrovsky could steal the Vezina Trophy away from Tuuka Rask.
·
The playoff seeding is nearly entirely up in the air as only two of the divisions have been decided. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of the most exciting final days of the regular season in recent memory.
The playoff seeding is nearly entirely up in the air as only two of the divisions have been decided. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of the most exciting final days of the regular season in recent memory.
That’s it for now, stay tuned for my playoff preview/season wrap-up next week.
Stay hungry, my
friends.
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