Eastern Conference Wild Card Heating Up in NHL
With under one-fourth of the season left to play, the Eastern Conference Wild Card has become drastically tighter since the All-Star break. Five teams sit comfortably in the East, all having over 82 points and a playoff spot. The third spot in the Metropolitan Division currently belongs to the Philadelphia Flyers, with 74 points. The two wildcard spots have become an all-out frenzy, with several teams looking to grab them.
The two spots currently belong to the Tampa Bay Lightning (74) and the Detroit Red Wings (72). As of the last five games however, the Red Wings went 0-5 and have not recorded a point, all while the New York Islanders have been perfect, with a 5-0 record and 10 points. The Islanders have gotten to 70 points, leaping the Washington Capitals (69) to be the first team out of the wildcard. If the Islanders keep up their impressive run, they can not only shake up the Wild Card but narrow in on the Flyers’ spot in the Metropolitan Division.
To make things more interesting, three additional squads are only eight points behind the Red Wings for a playoff spot. All these teams- the Devils, the Sabres, and the Penguins, have a .500 or above record and are only four games behind stealing a spot. With eight teams in the mix for a chance at the playoffs, things are set to get intense down the stretch of the regular season. Each of these teams has 20 or fewer games to play, so there is ample opportunity to make a change in the rankings, but the door is quickly closing at the same time.
