- Preds’ remaining games: ATL, CBJ, STL. (estimate 4-6 points: 99-101 points total)
- Hawks’ remaining games: TBL, MTL, STL, DET, DET. (est. 6-7 points: 98-99 points total)
- Coyotes’ remaining games: LAK, SJS, SJS. (est. 2-4- points: 98-100 points total)
- Kings’ remaining games: SJS, PHX, ANA, ANA. (est. 3-5 points: 99-101 points total)
- Ducks’ remaining games: DAL, SJS, LAK, LAK. (4-6 points: 97-99 points total)
- Stars’ remaining games: ANA, CBJ, COL, COL, MIN. (6-8 points: 93-95 points total)
- Flames’ remaining games: COL, EDM, VAN. (4-5 points: 93-94 points total)
- A five-way tie at 99 is not out of the question.
- A three or four way tie is possible-to-likely.
- One or two garden-variety two-way ties is all but certain.
- If a 3-5-way tie were to occur, the Ducks (if involved) would almost certainly take 4th because of the wins tie-breaker…
- …and the rest would be sorted out by the ill-defined labyrinth that is the NHL tie-breaker procedure.
- If the Kings, Preds, Coyotes and Hawks (two from each of two divisions) all arrive at the head-to-head tie-breaker, which — if any — odd games are eliminated? If only three are tied (two from one division and one from another) then which games do you eliminate? It’s a rhetorical question. The rules don’t say definitively.
- p.s. in case you’re wondering, the Kings lost their first two games against PHX, so if the odd games rule applies, those games are eliminated and the Kings benefit greatly (and PHX is screwed).
- On the other side of the aisle, CHI lost to NAS twice (once in a shoot-out) in their first two meetings, so if those games are eliminated, CHI benefits, and NAS is screwed.
- And remember, any head-to-head tie-breaker that involves the Hawks is terrible for the Kings, since the Hawks destroyed the Kings head-to-head (8 points to 0).
- Fun times. I give about 1:4 odds of a train-wreck.
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