Well my vacation is over. Things will get a bit more frequent around here as we hit the playoff push and most importantly the remaining schedule for the teams in the playoff hunt in the west. Before that a few thoughts from the Toronto game.
The Jets played another game where they took a technical and patient approach to the game. They did not panic after going down 1-0 and basically cam back to push Curtis McElhinney to make a lot of saves and also challenge the Leafs to play a more complete defence system but one that could not compete with as the Jets won the possession battle and the game.
Sure the Leafs won on on aggregate between the two games 8-5 but that does not matter anymore as these two teams have far different journeys if they are to meet again before June.
The Jets have 4 games remaining this season, two on the road and two at home with no real significant meaning to them. The Wild cannot catch them (well they can but the Jets only need 1 point in four games to assure 2nd) and they would need Nashville to lose four games straight the Jets would have to win four straight to catch them. Basically the first round is set for the Jets but not for Vegas, Nashville or any of the other teams battling for 7th and 8th place in the conference.
What to expect tonight might be the let down game after the big game from Saturday night. What might be forgotten is the 6-0 beatdown the Jets gave Ottawa the last time they met at the Bell MTS Centre. The Sens may be a shell of their former selves compared to last year but that does not mean they forgot that humiliation and have something to play for. Should Maurice rest a few guys, will he? I think he should.
While the Jets would and should be favoured over the Wild in the first round, especially if they have home ice advantage, looking ahead is something all fans do and it will be no different here.
The West is a nothing but wild when looking at the stretch coming and the schedule makers could not have made this any better this season given the state of the Western Conference. Below the current standings:
Now look at the remaining schedules for the teams at the bottom.
Minnesota Wild (96pts) have four games left: vs Oilers @Ducks @Kings @Sharks
Colorado Avalanche (93pts) have three games left: @Kings @Sharks vs Blues
St. Louis Blues (92pts) have four games left: vs Capitals vs Blackhawks @BHawks @Avalanche
Anaheim Ducks (95pts) have three games left: vs Wild vs Stars @Coyotes
LA Kings (94pts) have have three games left: vs Avalanche vs Wild vs Stars
As anyone can see the west has likely been won but the finalists have not been decided and it could get interesting. Let's look at each team and how they currently stack up.
Wild
4-3-3 in the last 10 games Have the 30th ranked 5v5 CF% at 47%
Injuries: Kunin Spurgeon Olofsson Suter
Avalanche
5-4-1 in the last 10 games have the 27th ranked 5v5 CF% at 47.44%
Inuries: Barbeiro Wilson Johnson Varlamov
Blues
7-2-1 in the last 10 games Have the 9th ranked 5v5 CF% at 51.54%
Injuries: Fabbri Bouwmeester Soshnikov Gunnarsson Schmaltz Upshall
Ducks 7-2-1 in the last 10 games Have the 22nd ranked 5v5 CF% at 48.41%
Injuries: Eaves Bieksa Terry
Kings 5-2-3 in the last 10 games Have the 17th ranked 5v5 CF% at 49.48%
Injuries:
Muzzin Iafallo
So if you have to pick who is safe and how does this all finish? For the Jets one would hope that the Wild have to fight for their lives against both the Ducks and Kings as well as the Sharks. However, given the fight and injuries it's possible the Blues or the Avs sneak into the third spot and wouldn't that be fascinating. It would be tough but not impossible and for Jets fans these games could be very well worth watching simply for the outcomes if not for the potential of some volatile and desperate hockey.