Eastern Conference Wildcard Contenders...Who Has the Advantage?

The Eastern Conference Wildcard race is as wild as ever. But which teams have the inside track to a playoff spot?

Ever since a hard salary cap became a mainstay in the NHL, parity followed right behind. But perhaps we’ve never seen parity quite like what’s brewing in the Eastern Conference standings.

Nine teams are within six points of each other in the standings. While it means there are a lot of middling teams fighting for a playoff spot, it also means every game matters.

These nine teams are essentially playing playoff games now. One bad losing streak will take them right out of the race with so many teams in the running.

The question we are going to try to consider is which teams have a leg up to a playoff spot. For the purposes of this exercise, three teams will make the playoffs while the other six will eventually fall short.

This assumes a couple of things. It assumes the teams holding down 1-3 in the Metro and 1-2 in the Atlantic stay where they’re at. It also assumes the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres each fall short although both could get hot to join in on the fun.

We will share a short profile on each team in this race to see what factors could determine their fate. Before we dive in, let’s set the scene for you.

Setting the Scene

This is what the NHL had in mind when it comes to playoff races. So many teams in the race, only so many spots available.

While the next month and a half leading up to the trade deadline will sort some things out, these teams are going to have decisions to make about how to handle March 7. Will they be buyers? Will they be sellers? Or perhaps, will they do both buy and sell?

Here is a look at the Eastern Conference wildcard standings. With their win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, the Boston Bruins by points took over third in the Atlantic with 54 points. They will be discussed as part of this exercise since the Tampa Bay Lightning have games in hand on them.

1. Lightning 53 points

2. Blue Jackets 53 points

Now here are the teams right behind them.

1. Rangers 52 points

2. Senators 52 points

3. Canadiens 52 points

4. Flyers 50 points

5. Red Wings 49 points

6. Penguins 48 points

7. Islanders 45 points

8. Sabres 41 points

We’ll start at the bottom of the standings and work our way up to the Blue Jackets, Lightning and Bruins. Every single point matters. Missing one could be the reason a team misses the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres

Record: 18-24-5

Home games left: 17 (Home record: 9-12-3)

Road games left: 17 (Road record: 9-13-2)

Why they’re here: It’s been the same story for the Sabres. They have talent. But they don’t have a consistent winning formula. Even with Lindy Ruff behind the bench, it’s been a rough roller coaster ride with what seems like no end in sight.

Deadline plan: Being 12 points back of a wildcard spot should put them squarely in seller mode. They have to figure out what their core looks like. But then they need to figure out who will be making those decisions too.

Trend to watch: Performance against their division. As stacked as things are, if they can find success against the Atlantic, they still have a small glimmer of hope. Their upcoming four-game homestand against Boston, Nashville, New Jersey and Columbus looms large. In March they play a home-and-home set with Montreal and then have games against everyone in the top of the Atlantic. Now or never time for the Sabres if they want to avoid an offseason overhaul.

New York Islanders

Record: 19-20-7

Home games left: 19 (Home record: 9-11-2)

Road games left: 17 (Road record: 10-9-5)

Why they’re here: The Islanders are the worst offensive team in the East and it’s not really that close. Too many inconsistent nights from their best players have them well on the outside looking in.

Deadline plan: The Islanders need an offensive punch. While they are the kind of team that can keep the puck out of the net, they need someone other than Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat to score.

Mat Barzal hopes to lead the Islanders to a second-half surge. (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jmstarr_/">Jess Starr</a>/The Hockey Writers)

Trend to watch: The Islanders have a lot of home cooking left including key games against the Metro. Their set against Montreal, Calgary, Columbus and Vancouver in March could decide things. They also have their California trip left. They finish their season with five straight Metro games.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 20-22-8

Home games left: 16 (Home record: 12-10-5)

Road games left: 16 (Road record: 8-12-5)

Why they’re here: The Penguins still have their stars but are the worst defensive team in the Eastern Conference.