It would have been nice to see Utica lose in regulation today against Charlotte Checkers. They did lose, but it was in OT, so they picked up a loser point.
Here are the standings in the North Division:
Laval plays next Friday and Saturday against Toronto.
In between, games involving divisional teams are:
Tuesday
Utica vs. Charlotte (hoping for a Charlotte regulation win as a victory from them has no effect on Laval). That would leave Laval 5 points behind Utica with 2 games in hand.
Wednesday
Cleveland vs. Grand Rapids (hoping for a Grand Rapids victory for the same reasons as the Charlotte/Utica game). That would leave Cleveland within 4 points of Laval, although after this game, Cleveland would still have a game in hand.
Toronto vs. Binghamton (best case would be to not have this game go into OT or SO. This way, we avoid having both teams pick up points. It would be best if Binghamton wins. It would put them 5 points ahead of Laval, but the Rocket would have 2 games in hand. And with Toronto losing, and hopefully Laval takes both games against them next weekend, Laval would jump ahead of the Marlies.
Rochester vs. Belleville: Rochester winning is what we're looking for. There's not point in chasing the first place team, currently 12 points ahead. We're looking to pass Belleville. The Senators losing this one would officially place Laval ahead of them even if they'd be even in points.
Friday
Laval vs. Toronto: I don't think this one needs explaining. This win coupled with Toronto losing on Wednesday would have Laval just 1 point behind the Marlies.
Utica vs. Springfield: Looking for a Springfield win. If everything goes as I lay out, Laval would be 3 points behind Utica with 2 games in hand.
Binghamton vs. Providence: Looking for a Providence win.
Cleveland vs. Belleville: Belleville win because even if they win and tie Laval at 28 points, Laval would still be ahead due to having a game in hand. And Cleveland losing would keep them at 30 points and put them only 1 point ahead of Laval.
Saturday
Laval vs. Toronto: duh! Laval would jump ahead of Marlies if they win in regulation.
Belleville vs. Cleveland: This one is more about whether we care if Belleville stays on Laval's tail while keeping Laval just on Cleveland's tail. I personally stay tight with the team ahead even if there's a team right behind. So I would look for a Belleville win here.
Binghamton vs. Utica: If Binghamton wins, they jump ahead of Laval by one point, but Laval would have 3 games in hand. Meanwhile a Binghamton win would also keep Utica one point ahead, who Rocket would hold 3 games in hand on also. It's not a clear answer, but I think I'd rather Utica move 3 points ahead and keep Binghamton behind. Laval can catch Utica and separate themselves from Binghamton more with those 3 games in hand on both teams.
Here is what the standings will look like if all goes according to plan. I didn't bother putting up Rochester and Syracuse numbers are they are both ahead of everyone and both have games in hand on almost every other team in the division.
1) Rochester
2) Syracuse
3) Utica (33 GP - 33 PTS)
4) Cleveland (30 GP - 30 PTS)
5) Laval (30 GP - 30 PTS)
6) Bellevile (32 GP - 30 PTS)
7) Toronto (30 GP - 29 PTS)
8) Binghamton (33 GP - 29 PTS)