NHL Stretch Run - 5 Days Remaining

It’s sure to be a crazy finish to the 2014-15 NHL season. With five days to go, the standings are still wide open. Only 8 teams have clinched playoff berths so far and only 12 have been eliminated. That leaves 10 teams battling it out for the remaining 8 postseason tickets, plus much is undecided with the seedings of those who have already clinched. Meanwhile, the fight for the bottom of the league is also intriguing with so much hype around the upcoming entry draft. There are many charts out there detailing the standings and the remaining playoff and draft position races, but they can be a little intimidating to look at and difficult to grasp. Below, I have done my best to separate each team so that you can look at them individually and understand their particular scenarios. I will continue to update daily until the season ends on April 11. All postings are written before the day’s games have begun.

First off, a little info about how the postseason berths, matchups, and draft order work this season for those who are unfamiliar:

Playoffs:

8 teams make the postseason in each conference (there are 16 teams in the East, 14 in the West). The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, plus the next two best teams in the conference standings. These two are the Wild Card teams. The three divisional teams are seeded 1-3 based on the standings. In each conference, the better of the two division winners hosts the 2^nd wild card in the first round, while the top wild card visits the other division winner. The remaining matchups are within each division, with the 2^nd divisional seed hosting the 3^rd.

Draft:

For the most part, the draft order is based on the reverse of the standings, with a few exceptions. The 14 teams that miss the playoffs are entered into the draft lottery, which for this season affects only the first overall pick. The lower the finish, the greater the chance of winning the top pick. The probabilities are below. For the remaining rounds, the draft positions revert to the reverse standings. For the teams that make the playoffs, the draft positions are a little different based on performance. The four teams that reach the conference finals receive the bottom four picks (#27-30). The remaining 12 get picks #15-26 in reverse standings order. The Stanley Cup champion gets the #30 draft position, the Stanley Cup runner-up gets #29, and the remaining two conference finalists get #27 and #28 in reverse standings order.

DRAFT LOTTERY PROBABILITIES

#1 position (30^th NHL) – 20%

#2 position (29^th NHL) – 13.5%

#3 position (28^th NHL) – 11.5%

#4 position (27^th NHL) – 9.5%

#5 position (26^th NHL) – 8.5%

#6 position (25^th NHL) – 7.5%

#7 position (24^th NHL) – 6.5%

#8 position (23^rd NHL) – 6%

#9 position (22^nd NHL) – 5%

#10 position (21^st NHL) – 3.5%

#11 position (20^th NHL) – 3%

#12 position (19^th NHL) – 2.5%

#13 position (18^th NHL) – 2%

#14 position (17^th NHL) – 1%

WESTERN CONFERENCE

PACFIC DIVISION

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Playoff Status: Clinched berth and Pacific

Current position: 1^st Pacific

Points: 107

Games Left: 2. Wed vs. Stars, Sat at Coyotes

Possible Finishes: 1^st Pacific (chance at 1^st West, 1^st NHL)

1^st Round Picks: Ducks

ARIZONA COYOTES

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 29^th NHL

Points: 56

Games Left: 3. Tue at Flames, Thu at Canucks, Sat vs. Ducks

Possible Finishes: #1-#3 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Coyotes, Blackhawks

CALGARY FLAMES

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 3^rd Pacific

Points: 93

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Coyotes, Thu vs. Kings, Sat at Jets

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Pacific, 3^rd Pacific, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Flames

EDMONTON OILERS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 28^th NHL

Points: 59

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Kings, Thu vs. Sharks, Sat at Canucks

Possible Finishes: #2-#3 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Oilers, Penguins

LOS ANGELES KINGS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 3^rd Wild Card

Points: 93

Games Left: 3. Tue at Oilers, Thu at Flames, Sat vs. Sharks

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Pacific, 3^rd Pacific, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Kings if no playoffs, None if playoffs

SAN JOSE SHARKS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 20^th NHL

Points: 87

Games Left: 2. Thu at Oilers, Sat at Kings

Possible Finishes: #7-#12 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Sharks

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 2^nd Pacific

Points: 97

Games Left: 2. Thu vs. Coyotes, Sat vs Oilers

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Pacific, 3^rd Pacific, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Canucks

CENTRAL DIVISION

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Playoff Status: Clinched berth

Current position: 3^rd in Central

Points: 102

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Blackhawks, Thu at Blues, Sat at Avalanche

Possible Finishes: 1^st Central, 2^nd Central, 3^rd Central, 1^st Wild Card (chance at 1^st West)

1^st Round Picks: None

COLORADO AVALANCHE

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 22^nd NHL

Points: 84

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Predators, Thu vs. Jets, Sat vs. Blackhawks

Possible Finishes: #7-#12 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Avalanche

DALLAS STARS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 19^th NHL

Points: 88

Games Left: 2. Wed at Ducks, Sat vs. Predators

Possible Finishes: #8-#12 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Stars

MINNESOTA WILD

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 1^st Wild Card

Points: 96

Games Left: 3. Tue at Blackhawks, Thu at Predators, Sat at Blues

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Central, 3^rd Central, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Wild

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Playoff Status: Clinched berth

Current position: 2^nd Central

Points: 104

Games Left: 3. Tue at Avalanche, Thu vs. Wild, Sat at Stars

Possible Finishes: 1^st Central, 2^nd Central, 3^rd Central, (chance at 1^st West, 1^st NHL)

1^st Round Picks: None

ST. LOUIS BLUES

Playoff Status: Clinched berth

Current position: 1^st Central

Points: 105

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Jets, Thu vs. Blackhawks, Sat vs. Wild

Possible Finishes: 1^st Central, 2^nd Central, 3^rd Central (chance at 1^st West, 1^st NHL)

1^st Round Picks: None

WINNIPEG JETS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 2^nd Wild Card

Points: 94

Games Left: 3. Tue at Blues, Thu at Avalanche, Sat vs. Flames

Possible Finishes: 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Jets

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION

BOSTON BRUINS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 3^rd Atlantic

Points: 95

Games Left: 3. Wed at Capitals, Thu at Panthers, Sat at Lightning

Possible Finishes: 3^rd Atlantic, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Bruins

BUFFALO SABRES

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 30^th NHL

Points: 54

Games Left: 2. Fri at Blue Jackets, Sat vs. Penguins

Possible Finishes: #1-#2 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Sabres, Islanders, Blues

DETROIT RED WINGS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 2^nd Wild Card

Points: 95

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Hurricanes, Thu at Canadiens, Sat at Hurricanes

Possible Finishes: 3^rd Atlantic, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14

1^st Round Picks: Red Wings

FLORIDA PANTHERS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 21^st NHL

Points: 87

Games Left: 2. Thu vs. Bruins, Sat vs. Devils

Possible Finishes: #7-#12 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Panthers

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Playoff Status: Clinched berth

Current position: 1^st Atlantic

Points: 106

Games Left: 2. Thu vs. Red Wings. Sat at Maple Leafs

Possible Finishes: 1^st Atlantic, 2^nd Atlantic (chance at 1^st East, 1^st NHL)

1^st Round Picks: Canadiens

OTTAWA SENATORS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 3^rd Wild Card

Points: 93

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Penguins, Thu at Rangers, Sat at Flyers

Possible Finishes: 3^rd Atlantic, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #12-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Senators

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Playoff Status: Clinched berth

Current position: 2^nd Atlantic

Points: 104

Games Left: 2. Thu vs. Devils, Sat vs. Bruins

Possible Finishes: 1^st Atlantic, 2^nd Atlantic

1^st Round Picks: Rangers

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 27^th NHL

Points: 67

Games Left: 2. Wed at Blue Jackets, Sat vs. Canadiens

Possible Finishes: #4-#5 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Maple Leafs, Predators

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

CAROLINA HURRICANES

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 26^th NHL

Points: 69

Games Left: 3. Tue at Red Wings, Thu at Flyers, Sat vs. Red Wings

Possible Finishes: #4-#5 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Hurricanes, Kings (if Kings make playoffs)

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 23^rd NHL

Points: 83

Games Left: 3. Wed vs. Maple Leafs, Fri vs. Sabres, Sat at Islanders

Possible Finishes: #7-#12 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Blue Jackets

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 25^th NHL

Points: 77

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Rangers, Thu at Lightning, Sat at Panthers

Possible Finishes: #6-#7 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Devils

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 3^rd Metropolitan

Points: 98

Games Left: 3. Tue at Flyers, Fri at Penguins, Sat vs. Blue Jackets

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Metropolitan, 3^rd Metropolitan, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: None

NEW YORK RANGERS

Playoff Status: Clinched berth and Metropolitan

Current position: 1^st Metropolitan

Points: 109

Games Left: 3. Tue at Devils, Thu vs. Senators, Sat at Capitals

Possible Finishes: 1^st Metropolitan (chance at 1^st East, 1^st NHL)

1^st Round Picks: None

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Playoff Status: Eliminated

Current position: 24^th NHL

Points: 82

Games Left: 3. Tue vs. Islanders, Thu vs. Hurricanes, Sat vs. Senators

Possible Finishes: #6-#11 draft position

1^st Round Picks: Flyers, Lightning

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Playoff Status: In the hunt

Current position: 1^st Wild Card

Points: 95

Games Left: 3. Tue at Senators, Fri vs. Islanders, Sat at Sabres

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Metropolitan, 3^rd Metropolitan, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card, #13-#14 draft position

1^st Round Picks: None

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Playoff Status: Clinched berth

Current position: 2^nd Metropolitan

Points: 99

Games Left: 2. Wed vs. Bruins, Sat vs. Rangers

Possible Finishes: 2^nd Metropolitan, 3^rd Metropolitan, 1^st Wild Card, 2^nd Wild Card

1^st Round Picks: Capitals