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David Becker/Associated Press
Even though the franchise is only in its fifth season, the Vegas Golden Knights have become a perennial playoff contender in the NHL. That’s why it’s a surprise that they could end up missing out on the postseason this year.
With the 2021-22 regular season winding down, the Golden Knights are in ninth place in the Western Conference, one point back of the Dallas Stars for the No. 8 spot. Vegas has only 10 games to play, so if it’s going to extend its playoff streak to five years, it will need to get over Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks swiftly.
Only the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche have clinched playoff berths. However, it’s pretty clear which eight Eastern Conference teams will be heading to the postseason. So most of the intrigue surrounding playoff battles is in the Western Conference.
Here are the NHL standings, followed by predictions for which teams will fall short of reaching the postseason this year.
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John Locher/Associated Press
Eastern Conference
1. x-Florida Panthers: 104 points
2. Carolina Hurricanes: 98
3. Toronto Maple Leafs: 96
4. New York Rangers: 96
5. Boston Bruins: 93
6. Tampa Bay Lightning: 93
7. Pittsburgh Penguins: 92
8. Washington Capitals: 86
9. New York Islanders: 73
10. Columbus Blue Jackets: 72
11. Detroit Red Wings: 65
12. e-Buffalo Sabres: 63
13. e-Ottawa Senators: 58
14. e-Philadelphia Flyers: 55
15. e-New Jersey Devils: 54
16. e-Montreal Canadiens: 49
Western Conference
1. x-Colorado Avalanche: 106 points
2. Calgary Flames: 93
3. Minnesota Wild: 91
4. St. Louis Blues: 90
5. Edmonton Oilers: 87
6. Los Angeles Kings: 86
7. Nashville Predators: 84
8. Dallas Stars: 83
9. Vegas Golden Knights: 82
10. Vancouver Canucks: 76
11. Winnipeg Jets: 76
12. Anaheim Ducks: 68
13. San Jose Sharks: 67
14. Chicago Blackhawks: 59
15. e-Seattle Kraken: 50
16. e-Arizona Coyotes: 49
x-clinched playoff berth.
e-eliminated from playoff contention.
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Nick Wass/Associated Press
It would take a fairly big collapse for the Washington Capitals to miss out on the playoffs this year. Through 70 games, they have 86 points with a 38-22-10 record. And while they are six points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the No. 7 spot, they are also 13 points ahead of the New York Islanders, who would be the first team out.
The Detroit Red Wings will soon be eliminated from postseason contention, which will leave only the Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets as teams that could catch the Caps. Even though Washington has endured goaltending woes this season, its roster is too talented to fall short of the playoffs.
Alex Ovechkin may be 36, but he’s still one of the best players in the NHL. He ranks fourth in the league with 43 goals, and he also has 38 assists. Ovechkin is surrounded by Evgeny Kuznetsov, Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and high-scoring defenseman John Carlson, so offense isn’t a problem in Washington.
If the Caps can get better goaltending from either Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek, they could be a sleeper team in the playoffs. They are going to get to the postseason with no trouble, but they will likely have a first-round matchup against the Panthers to look forward to.
Florida is a strong team, but Washington boasts players who know what it takes to make a deep playoff run considering the team won the Stanley Cup in 2018. So it will be interesting to see what happens when these franchises match up.
While there could be some tight seeding battles higher up in the Eastern Conference standings, there won’t be any major shakeups. The top eight teams as composed will all make it to the postseason, and it should be exciting to watch as they face off.
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John Locher/Associated Press
How tight are the Western Conference standings? The Edmonton Oilers, who are currently the No. 5 seed, have 87 points, which is only five more than the Golden Knights, who are the first team out of the playoffs. So with tension rising, expect some movement down the final stretch of the regular season.
Although the Nashville Predators (84 points) and Dallas Stars (83) are only slightly ahead of the Golden Knights (82), they have both played three fewer games than Vegas. So it’s possible those teams start to pull further ahead.
Don’t rule out the Golden Knights, though. They have been playing well of late, having won seven of their past 10 games. And their next two matchups are against teams currently out of the playoffs (the Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks), so they may continue to build momentum.
Still, Vegas will need to beat some strong teams later in April if it hopes to surge into the postseason. But this team is capable of doing that, even though it hasn’t played to its potential this season.
The Golden Knights are 2-0 against the Stars this season, and the teams will meet again April 26 in a pivotal matchup that could determine who gets into the playoffs. And while Dallas has played well this year, Vegas could be hitting its stride at that point.
So although the Golden Knights haven’t lived up to expectations—partially because of some notable injuries that have occurred—they are going to find a way to keep their playoff streak alive. They will pick up enough wins along the way to overtake the Stars, who will fall out of the postseason picture.
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