Yesterday we took a look at the playoff race in the East at the All-Star break. Today, we continue our midseason review with a look at the Western Conference.
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NHL: Glorious Mess in the West
↵↵While the top two seeds (San Jose and Detroit) look more or less locked in concrete, the bottom of the conference looks a lot more fluid. Only nine points separate the bottom ten teams in the West. Making it even more interesting is the pickle in which eighth-place Anaheim finds itself. Nobody in the West has played more games than the Ducks, who are hanging on to the final playoff spot by only two points over ninth-place Minnesota. Moreover, there isn’t a team below them in the standings that doesn’t have anywhere between two (10th place Columbus) to four (11th place Dallas) games in hand over the Ducks. For that reason, the remainder of this NHL season out West is going to be Ducks season. ↵
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↵Central Division: There might come a time when a 10-point lead at the break for the Detroit Red Wings wouldn't be too large a gap for a team like the Chicago Blackhawks to overcome, but I'm afraid this isn't the year. Despite having given up 19 fewer goals this season than Detroit, Chicago is still looking up at them in the standings after dropping all four meetings between the two teams this season. If things hold to form and the Blackhawks can hang on to the fourth seed, look for the teams to collide in the second round of the playoffs. It's hard not to root for Columbus to make the playoffs, and if rookie goalie Steve Mason can stay healthy the rest of the way, I'm betting they can slip in with the help of a home- friendly second half schedule. ↵
↵↵Division Winner: Detroit
↵Playoffs: Chicago, Columbus
↵Draft Lottery: Nashville, St. Louis ↵
↵↵Northwest Division: In the offseason GM Daryl Sutter did the shopping, and thus far at least, head coach Mike Keenan has Calgary playing the best hockey in a decidedly mediocre Northwest Division. Since I can’t imagine any of the other four teams breaking out in the second half, the nod here goes to Calgary, and we think they’ll settle nicely into the third slot, despite the fact that goalie Miikka Kiprusoff isn’t exactly setting the world on fire these days. As for the rest of the division, I’m having trouble telling the teams apart, with the exception of a Minnesota squad that’s as defensively responsible as ever, while remaining as punchless as ever up front. One thing is for certain: Jacques Lemaire, Craig MacTavish and Tony Granato ought to be feeling mighty uncomfortable right now. ↵
↵↵Division Winner: Calgary
↵Playoffs: Vancouver
↵Draft Lottery: Minnesota, Edmonton, Colorado ↵
↵↵Pacific Division: If San Jose GM Doug Wilson isn’t NHL Executive of the Year and coach Todd McLellan isn’t your Jack Adams winner come June, there’s no justice in the world. With an incredible 20-point cushion on Phoenix (Phoenix!), the only license plate the Sharks have in their rearview is from the state of Michigan. Given the tenor of the Sharks’ 6-5 win at home over Detroit on January 17, the race to the finish for the top seed promises to be an exciting one. Keep your money on the Sharks, though, the difference at the end of the season between these two teams may just end up being the twin suspensions dealt out by the league to Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk for being All-Star no-shows. ↵
↵↵As for the rest of the division, I expect Phoenix to hang on and make the playoffs. They’ll get two home playoff games to stage a “White Out” in the desert in front of a new ownership group before they shuffle into the offseason. Anaheim is a franchise in crisis. Brian Burke’s departure to Toronto was certainly about moving closer to his family, but it was also about getting his hands on one of the most important teams in the league and to make an exit from a franchise whose owner’s future isn’t terribly clear and has more unrestricted free agents on its roster than it knows what to do with. I say Dallas catches them. ↵
↵↵Division Winner: San Jose
↵Playoffs: Phoenix, Dallas
↵Draft Lottery: Anaheim, Los Angeles ↵
↵↵Predicted Western Conference order of finish
↵1. San Jose
↵2. Detroit
↵3. Calgary
↵4. Chicago
↵5. Columbus
↵6. Vancouver
↵7. Phoenix
↵8. Dallas ↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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