The abbreviated season is beginning to approach its climax, with every team except Calgary having played at least 30 games. Pittsburgh is starting to open up a bit of a lead in the East, but both races at the bottoms of the brackets are still very heated. For that matter, precious few teams have been able to get any sort of separation. With the playoff race so close, including several surprise teams staying in good spots, let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Sunday, March 24, before the day’s games: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 9 »

We’re two months into the season now, and plenty is still going on. Both #3 seeds are different from last week. The races for both #8 seeds are still quite crowded. Even the race for the East’s #1 has become a three-team showdown. Just about everything is in play like it was before the season began, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Sunday, March 17, at 1:40: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 8 »

The season is half over for many teams, and almost everyone is still as close as ever. Boston and Montreal are fighting over the East, while the Rangers and Devils are still trying to hold off the Jets and Islanders. Out West, #3 and #11 are separated by just four points, so just about everyone still has a decent chance of doing something good. With the entire brackets set to shake up completely at a moment’s notice, let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, March 9 at 8:00pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 7 »

We’re approaching the halfway point of the abbreviated season, and things are still entertaining as ever. Aside from the Blackhawks and Ducks, just about every seed in both conferences is up for grabs. In a season that’s nearly been halved, it’s still largely about games in hand, and how they’re used. And with the value of those games in a short season, teams will need to strike even harder to land a good seed. Just about anything could happen in the last several weeks of the season, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, March 2 at 9:30pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 6 »

Five weeks into the season, and Chicago remains just about the only sure thing right now. The East is stacked top to bottom, and the West isn’t much different. Even the other teams on the outside are shuffling around, trying to make their moves and occasionally making headway. It’s still tough as ever to predict what the final standings will be like, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, February 23 at 7:00pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 5 »

We’re already a month into the season, and things are still pretty close. Chicago and Anaheim are starting to carve a niche for themselves, but they still have a ways to go, and all other slots are still very much in play. Ties are plentiful, and both #8 seeds are very much in the air, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, February 16 before the day’s games: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 4 »

Three weeks into the season now, and while the Blackhawks have started to build a bit of a lead for themselves, the rest of the field is up for grabs. Each conference has a team better than at least one division leader, so teams are jumping all over each other. The standings still have a ways to go before settling down, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Saturday, February 9 at 7:00pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – NHL Week 3 »