LOCKER ROOM TALK: The Road to the Cup

I want to discuss the nearing excitement that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you who don’t know or are just gaining interest after an incredible Olympic win, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are essentially the championships at the end of the NHL season. Teams play a total of 90 games throughout the season as they try to rise to the top of their divisions to earn their spot in the playoffs. This is done through a point-based system. A team gets 2 points for winning a game, 1 point for an overtime win OR loss, and 0 for a loss. 

In the Eastern conference we have the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions battling it out. With the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes leading their divisions, it is a tight race to see who will take the overall spot. Carolina has played a good game throughout the season and are a top pick to make it to the final round. There is even more competition between the teams feining their way to a Wild Card spot to try and still prove they have more to give in the post season, with only 1 point separating the top spot from the team that will fall just below the line. 

Moving over to the Western conference, Colorado Avalanche are dominating in the top spot not only in the Central Division but across the whole league with 98 points. However, the Dallas Stars are right there with them at 96, and after falling to them twice in the last two games the Aves might have their work cut out for them if these teams go head-to-head to continue on in the playoffs. The Pacific Division’s top three teams currently have two points separating them. The Wild Card spots are currently taken by the new Utah Mammoth and the Seattle Kraken with the Los Angeles Kings right there. 

However, looking into playoff odds for the teams, only 4 teams have been given a 0% chance to make it. Everyone else still is hoping that by some miracle the cards will align and their team will still get to play another game. 

March 6th marked the end of the trade deadline, so who these teams have is who they get. Some teams are pushing through injuries, others trying to get new players to learn to play together. The chemistry that the changing of the teams created could be the difference of being a top playoff contender to completely falling apart and the end of the season. With about 4 weeks left in the season, the question of what every team will accomplish is asked across the league. Every game matters. Every moment counts. The energy on the ice and in the rink extends to the fans watching it on their couches as you can feel how high every stake is. It all has come down to this moment. 

We will try to follow closely what happens over the next few weeks. What plays mattered, what happened when a team fell through and couldn’t back up, who stepped up. It’s the final stretch of the hockey season, and anything could happen.

From the heart of the huddle,

xo, B