Play-offs Picture (4 Weeks Remaining)

[PigsRule]

so here's a look at the playoff picture after 5wks.

i figured a power ranking post could be fun but given the short season and with only 4 more regular season weeks to lock-up a playoff spot we should see where teams stand*. There are a few surprises!


WESTERN CONFERENCE

• Dallas Stars  :DAL-NHL:  1st in Pacific Division, 5-0
• Edmonton Oilers  :EDM:  1st in Northwest Division, 4-1
• Chicago Blackhawks  :CHI-NHL:  1st in Central Division, 4-1
• Phoenix Coyotes  :PHO:  2nd in Pacific Division, 5-0
• Los Angeles Kings  :LA:  3rd in Pacific, 4-1
• Detroit Red Wings  :DET-NHL:  2nd in Central, 3-2
• Minnesota Wild  :MIN-NHL:  2nd in Northwest, 3-2
• Columbus Blue Jackets  :CLS:  Tops in 3-way tie with :VAN: :STL-NHL:, all have 2-3 records

EASTERN CONFERENCE

• Florida Panthers  :FLO:  1st in Southeast Division, 5-0
• Toronto Maple Leafs  :TOR-NHL:  Tops in 4-way tie in Northeast, Higher PF than :PHI-NHL:, 3-2
• Philadelphia Flyers  :PHI-NHL:  Tops in 3-way tie in Atlantic, 3-2
• Tampa Bay Lightning  :TBL:  2nd in Southeast, 5-0
• Ottawa Senators  :OTT: Tied for 1st in Northeast, Higher PF than :MON-NHL:, 3-2
• Montreal Canadiens  :MON-NHL:  Tied for 1st in Northeast, Higher PF than :BUF-NHL:, 3-2
• Buffalo Sabres  :BUF-NHL:  Tied for 1st in Northeast, Higher PF than :NJD:, 3-2
• New Jersey Devils  :NJD:  Tops in 3-way tie with :PIT-NHL: :CAR-NHL:, 3-2

NOTE: some match-up results may change due to official NHL stat corrections resulting in changes to standings + playoff seeding.

* Standings Tie Breakers
1. Best division record for entire season
2. Head-to-head record
3. Most fantasy "Points For" entire season

[PigsRule]

some comments:

• :MIN-NHL: has good chance of overtaking :EDM: in Northwest (would be 5-0 if not for their 2wk lineup infraction)
• :CLS: is a surprise as the 8th seed in the West
• :COL-NHL: (1-4) a toughluck loser in WK5 to :FLO: could easily be 3-2 if not for 2wks of benched players + sitting in 6th - 8th palce in the West
• 8 teams have 3-2 records in the East... lots can change in 4wks
• :WIN: + :CAR-NHL: are tough luck teams but on everyone's heels in East
• :WAS-NHL: :BOS-NHL: :NYR: :NAS: remain winless at 0-5
• cellar dwellers from 2011-12 trying to lay claim to a berth in post-season include :OTT: :NJD: :STL-NHL: :PIT-NHL: :VAN: :CHI-NHL: :DET-NHL: :CLS: :MON-NHL:

At this point no one has a playoff spot locked up!
Not even the 4 teams with 5-0 records.
No one is safe!!! lol
every playoff spot + seeding is up for grabs at the half-way point!

[PigsRule]

and in case you're wondering who your next opponents will be for the remaining 4 wks, go to fantrax, click on "Other" in the top navigation links, select "Head-to-Head Schedule" in the drop down...

or click here LINK:
http://www2.fantrax.com/fantasy/fantasyMatchups.go?leagueId=du151ckxh4776ghu

you can filter the schedule by team.

[PigsRule]

i love :FLO:'s remaining 4 match-ups

WK6 :OTT:
WK7 :NJD:
WK8 :EDM:
WK9 :TBL: now that's a great matchup for the final wk of the reg.season! :afro:

[PigsRule]

also, the match of the week (WK6) has to be

:DAL-NHL: VS :PHO:

both teams 5-0
both are in the Pacific Division
might just be the Western Conference Finals preview  :thumbsup:

[jackdaniels]

Sucks to have mainly Devils on my roster this week when they only play 2 games.

And Pigs I'll be getting Marty back next week so it won't be too easy to play against us.

[PigsRule]

i can't even think about nxt wk. my cats are getting their butts handed to them this week by :OTT: :puke:

[PigsRule]

another key matchup this week is betw :MON-NHL: vs :NYI:

snugerud's :NYI: can get into the playoff picture and/or play spoiler to Tyler's :MON-NHL: ... has been close all wk... the weekend usually changes things.

[PigsRule]

this is the time of yr i love when ppl realize their team still has a chance after thinking their teams wasn't a contender...

franchise NHL is different from smaller leagues because ever player counts in the wkly matchup because we're 30-teams deep and u can't just run to the endless free agent pool and add someone last minute.

you want to make a move in this league for the playoff drive, you better start sending PMs to talk trade. :toast: