We’re almost done. I’m not sure about you, but the finish line has somehow snuck up on me even as the season has dragged on forever. It feels like every team has been siting at 60-something games for months, only to have the ending appear out of nowhere. Aside from one awkward makeup game between the Jets and Kraken on May 1 that won’t matter, everyone else will be done by next Friday.
Cool. Let’s figure out what we know, and what we don’t.
Here’s what I’m willing to say that we know. (Not mathematically, in most cases, but with a high enough degree of certainty that we can break out the non-erasable markers.)
Here is what we’re still waiting to find out:
That’s… that’s not bad, right? It doesn’t exactly make for a frantic finish, especially if you believe that 15 of the 16 playoff spots are close to locked up, but there’s still plenty of play for. There’s always a weird dynamic down the stretch, as some contenders are mailing it in and some of the bad teams just want to go home but a handful of bubble teams are playing for their lives.
At the very least, it all adds up to a reason to stay tuned in for the next few weeks, unless you’re an Avalanche or Panthers fan and want to rest up for a long playoff run. For the rest of us, let’s check out this week’s rankings…
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