NHL standings 2013: The West is still the best

A weekly look at the NHL landscape. In case you were wondering, the Western Conference is still better than the East.

Dec 16, 2013, 3:10 PM UTC

Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Much has been made of the disparity between the Eastern and Western Conference this season, as the East has a combined record of 74-95-27 against Western counterparts. That difference is further amplified when comparing the meager Metropolitan Division with the Central grouping.

The Winnipeg Jets currently claim ownership to the cellar position in the Central and are 10 points out of a playoff spot. However, if the newly realigned club played in the Metropolitan Division it would only be two points out of a playoff spot. The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators also sit on the outside of the Western Conference playoff race, but would both have enough points to qualify for a spot if they played in the Metropolitan Division.

The Pacific Division is even more difficult than the Central given that the grouping has five clubs with 40 points or more, which would result in playoff positions for all five teams if they played in either division in the Eastern Conference. Even the Calgary Flames would still be in the hunt for the playoffs if they played in the Metropolitan.

Ultimately, this means some pretty good teams are probably going to miss out on the playoffs in the West. Here’s a look at the divisional standings in the NHL entering Monday night:

Atlantic

	GP	Record	Points
Boston Bruins	33	22-9-2	46
Montreal Canadiens	35	20-12-3	43
Tampa Bay Lightning	33	19-11-3	41
Detroit Red Wings *	35	15-11-9	39
Toronto Maple Leafs *	34	17-14-3	37
Ottawa Senators	34	13-15-6	32
Florida Panthers	34	12-17-5	29
Buffalo Sabres	33	7-23-3	17

Metropolitan

	GP	Record	Points
Pittsburgh Penguins	34	23-10-1	47
Washington Capitals	33	18-12-3	39
Carolina Hurricanes	34	14-13-7	35
New York Rangers	34	16-17-1	33
Columbus Blue Jackets	33	14-15-4	32
Philadelphia Flyers	33	14-15-4	32
New Jersey Devils	34	13-15-6	32
New York Islanders	34	9-19-6	24

Central

	GP	Record	Points
Chicago Blackhawks	36	24-7-5	53
St. Louis Blues	31	22-6-3	47
Colorado Avalanche	31	21-9-1	43
Minnesota Wild *	35	19-11-5	43
Dallas Stars	31	15-11-5	35
Nashville Predators	33	16-14-3	35
Winnipeg Jets	34	14-15-5	33

Pacific


Anaheim Ducks	35	23-7-5	51
Los Angeles Kings	34	22-8-4	48
San Jose Sharks	33	20-7-6	46
Vancouver Canucks *	35	20-10-5	45
Phoenix Coyotes	32	18-9-5	41
Calgary Flames	33	13-15-5	31
Edmonton Oilers	35	11-21-3	25