Last night’s results
- The Good: nothing.
- The Bad: PHX won, CGY won.
- The Doesn’t Matter: COL lost, VAN lost.
Tonight’s Games
- SJS @ NAS — If the Preds lose, they drop to a tie with the Kings in points-blown; if the Sharks lose, the Kings widen the gap. I’m rooting for the Preds, IN REGULATION. But I’ll be happy as long as there’s no OT.
- VAN @ MIN — Go Canucks! A Wild loss brings them even with the Kings in points-blown.
- DAL @ EDM — Go Oil! The Stars are three official points and three points-blown ahead of the Kings. A Stars loss would bring them within one point-blown.
Q
OFF.
PTS
W%
PRJ
PB
+/-
to95
GR
R/OTW
R/OT/SO
1
1
VAN
81
0.7105
116.5
33
14
6-17-2
25
34
32-12/2-4/2-5
2
2
DET
74
0.6607
108.4
38
9
9-14-3
26
32
25-16/7-4/2-2
3
4
DAL
68
0.6071
99.6
44
3
12-11-3
26
26
22-19/4-2/5-4
4
6
NAS
67
0.5982
98.1
45
2
13-11-2
26
24
24-19/0-4/6-3
5
9
MIN
65
0.5909
96.9
45
2
14-11-2
27
28
24-20/4-1/2-4
6
5
ANA
68
0.5965
97.8
46
1
12-10-3
25
28
25-21/3-2/4-2
7
3
PHX
69
0.5948
97.6
47
0
12-10-2
24
27
26-19/1-6/3-3
8
10
LAK
65
0.5804
95.2
47
0
14-10-2
26
25
24-22/1-2/6-1
9
7
SJS
66
0.5789
94.9
48
-1
13-9-3
25
27
25-21/2-4/3-2
10
11
CHI
62
0.5536
90.8
50
-3
15-8-3
26
25
23-22/2-2/3-4
11
12
CBJ
61
0.5446
89.3
51
-4
16-8-2
26
24
20-23/4-3/4-2
12
13
STL
59
0.5364
88.0
51
-4
17-8-2
27
22
20-21/2-4/3-5
13
8
CGY
66
0.5593
91.7
52
-5
13-7-3
23
23
21-22/2-3/6-5
14
14
COL
56
0.4912
80.6
58
-11
18-4-3
25
22
17-26/5-6/3-0
15
15
EDM
40
0.3571
58.6
72
-25
n/a
26
15
13-32/2-1/1-7
KEY: Q is my standings, sorted by points-blown (explanation of points-blown here). OFF. is the official (ESPN) standings. PRJ is projected point total for 82 games. PB is points-blown. TO95 is the record needed to get to the presumed (by me) playoff-threshold. GR is games-remaining. R/OTW is wins plus OT wins (the first tie-breaker). R/OT/SO is the team’s record broken down into wins-losses in regulation/overtime/shoot-out. So, for example, LAK is 24-22 in regulation, 1-2 in OT and 6-1 in the shoot-out.
Some observations:
- The Kings are 10th in the official (ESPN) standings, but 8th by W% and tied for 7th in points-blown. A loss by MIN tonight will nudge the Kings up to a three-way tie for 6th in points-blown, with PHX and MIN.
- Sorting by points-blown, SJS is worse than they appear in the official standings (down two seeds), and PHX and CGY are much worse off (down four and five seeds, respectively).
- MIN is four seeds higher in points-blown, and LAK and NAS are both two seeds higher.
- One reason CGY and PHX are artificially high in the official standings is that they’ve played more games than everyone else. CGY has 23 games left. PHX, 24.
- The Kings, meanwhile, have a game in hand on both SJS and ANA.
- Eight points-blown separate 3rd from 13th.
- Two points-blown separate 4th from 8th.
- Dallas rejoins the blue box, which contains the Kings’ immediate rivals for the last
FIVE SIX playoff spots.
And here’s the season-series grid for the Kings:
Q | OFF. | PTS | W% | PRJ | PB | +/- | to95 | GR | R/OTW | R/OT/SO | |
1 | 1 | VAN | 81 | 0.7105 | 116.5 | 33 | 14 | 6-17-2 | 25 | 34 | 32-12/2-4/2-5 |
2 | 2 | DET | 74 | 0.6607 | 108.4 | 38 | 9 | 9-14-3 | 26 | 32 | 25-16/7-4/2-2 |
3 | 4 | DAL | 68 | 0.6071 | 99.6 | 44 | 3 | 12-11-3 | 26 | 26 | 22-19/4-2/5-4 |
4 | 6 | NAS | 67 | 0.5982 | 98.1 | 45 | 2 | 13-11-2 | 26 | 24 | 24-19/0-4/6-3 |
5 | 9 | MIN | 65 | 0.5909 | 96.9 | 45 | 2 | 14-11-2 | 27 | 28 | 24-20/4-1/2-4 |
6 | 5 | ANA | 68 | 0.5965 | 97.8 | 46 | 1 | 12-10-3 | 25 | 28 | 25-21/3-2/4-2 |
7 | 3 | PHX | 69 | 0.5948 | 97.6 | 47 | 0 | 12-10-2 | 24 | 27 | 26-19/1-6/3-3 |
8 | 10 | LAK | 65 | 0.5804 | 95.2 | 47 | 0 | 14-10-2 | 26 | 25 | 24-22/1-2/6-1 |
9 | 7 | SJS | 66 | 0.5789 | 94.9 | 48 | -1 | 13-9-3 | 25 | 27 | 25-21/2-4/3-2 |
10 | 11 | CHI | 62 | 0.5536 | 90.8 | 50 | -3 | 15-8-3 | 26 | 25 | 23-22/2-2/3-4 |
11 | 12 | CBJ | 61 | 0.5446 | 89.3 | 51 | -4 | 16-8-2 | 26 | 24 | 20-23/4-3/4-2 |
12 | 13 | STL | 59 | 0.5364 | 88.0 | 51 | -4 | 17-8-2 | 27 | 22 | 20-21/2-4/3-5 |
13 | 8 | CGY | 66 | 0.5593 | 91.7 | 52 | -5 | 13-7-3 | 23 | 23 | 21-22/2-3/6-5 |
14 | 14 | COL | 56 | 0.4912 | 80.6 | 58 | -11 | 18-4-3 | 25 | 22 | 17-26/5-6/3-0 |
15 | 15 | EDM | 40 | 0.3571 | 58.6 | 72 | -25 | n/a | 26 | 15 | 13-32/2-1/1-7 |
KEY: SS shows the Kings’ season series advantage/disadvantage in points; W+/- shows the Kings’ win/OTwin advantage/disadvantage in wins; GD shows the Kings’ advantage/disadvantage in goal-differential (note that the number in the GD column is not that team’s goal-differential; it is the difference between the Kings goal-differential and that team’s goal-differential). In each case, the Kings are compared to the team in the left-most column. Only the ten blue-box teams are included. Columns marked 1-6 indicate the results of each game the Kings have played against the team in question. 2 points for a win, -2 points for a loss, 1 point for an OT/SOW, -1 point for an OT/SOL. The reason for the 1/-1 valuation is that the first tie-breaker is head-to-head points-earned. If LAK beats MIN in OT, they get 2 real points, but MIN gets 1, thus a net positive of +1 when the two teams are compared. A dash (-) in columns 5 or 6 indicates that the Kings only play that team 4 times. The chart is sorted in order of tie-breakers. Wins first, then season-series, then goal-differential.