Final Western Conference Spot

The way MN is playing, they are far from a sure thing thing to make the playoffs. STL and CAL might get in over them. Also don't mind Utah.

MN is a terrible team right now, and Kaprizov and JEE are not coming back anytime soon.
 
Utah is in the mix, too.

4 teams within 2 points of each other. Calgary has a few games in hand so seem to have the edge. The Blues are the only team that is not a negative goal differential.

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Blues have the "easiest" schedule of the wild card teams, and have been playing like a different team since the 4 nations break, even after losing Parayko.

Utah and Vancouver have a pretty tough remaining schedule.

Calgary has a pretty balanced schedule.

I could see Minnesota falling out of the playoffs completely if they don't get Kaprizov back soon, and then STL/CGY grabbing the wild card spots.
 
Blues have the "easiest" schedule of the wild card teams, and have been playing like a different team since the 4 nations break, even after losing Parayko.

Utah and Vancouver have a pretty tough remaining schedule.

Calgary has a pretty balanced schedule.

I could see Minnesota falling out of the playoffs completely if they don't get Kaprizov back soon, and then STL/CGY grabbing the wild card spots.
It's not just Kaprizov, but JEE, and to a lesser extent, Brodin.
 
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The way MN is playing, they are far from a sure thing thing to make the playoffs. STL and CAL might get in over them. Also don't mind Utah.

MN is a terrible team right now, and Kaprizov and JEE are not coming back anytime soon.
I don't think they suck enough to not pick up the additional 11-ish points that will be enough to make the playoffs in a truly awful playoff race.
 
Oh, MN sucks. I'm talking CHI, SJS, Sabres level of suck.


Look, I'm not going to argue against you that the Wild are the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. But even Chicago and the Sharks, sucky though the might be, have a decent chance to pick up enough points in the next 15 games to make the playoffs. It's just tough for bad teams to close a somewhat sizable point gap when we get this close to the end of the season, and there aren't two non-bad teams in the Western Conference playoff race right now.
 
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It's be great is both Vancouver and Calgary made it to be honest.

I like Utah too. I think Minny was looking like a world beater but they have fallen off. St Louis making it would also be good.

So I have no clue and will pick Vancouver and Calgary because I want the cup to be won in Canada and playoffs are better when Canadian teams make it. No other rational.lol
 
The Flames haven’t been great the last month or so. They’re hanging in there because of their goaltending. But their forwards have been awful.
Their only consolation is that Vancouver is just as bad. I could see St. Louis grabbing the last spot.
 
The Flames haven’t been great the last month or so. They’re hanging in there because of their goaltending. But their forwards have been awful.
Their only consolation is that Vancouver is just as bad. I could see St. Louis grabbing the last spot.
I honestly had the flames not even close and here they are. I'd be happy for them if they proved me wrong. Wolf has been outstanding.
 
Feel very confident it won't be the Flames. A 3G night for them this season is basically a minor miracle. Pretty sure they're dead last in goals scored in 2025.

Blues have been all along and would continue to be my guess. Probably the only team that would give the Jets a bit of a series anyway.
 
Calgary had a much better year than expected. It’s down to Utah and Vancouver. Utah is coming on. Van has had a horrible year. I’m thinking Utah sneaks in. Van, with the year they’ve had (all the drama) don’t deserve a playoff reward.
I see the WC
minny
Utah

St. Louis
Van
Calgary
 
There's not a chance it will be Calgary. They have been playing putrid hockey for the last three weeks. If not for Wolf, they wouldn't have won a single bloody game, which is how it should have been all year. This is a terrible team being propped up by a tremendous goaltending performance. You can't even blame it on being a "young" team; it's the vets making mistake after mistake. Watching them get hemmed in and try to clear the zone is like watching TimBits hockey.

But hey, this is peak Calgary. Finish just out of the playoffs, year after year, and get zero help through the draft. I'm amazed they have any loyal fans left. Horrible management, just bloody awful.
 
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There's not a chance it will be Calgary. They have been playing putrid hockey for the last three weeks. If not for Wolf, they wouldn't have won a single bloody game, which is how it should have been all year. This is a terrible team being propped up by a tremendous goaltending performance. You can't even blame it on being a "young" team; it's the vets making mistake after mistake. Watching them get hemmed in and try to clear the zone is like watching TimBits hockey.

But hey, this is peak Calgary. Finish just out of the playoffs, year after year, and get zero help through the draft. I'm amazed they have any loyal fans left. Horrible management, just bloody awful.
At the rate they’re going now they’ll be picking top-10 so there’s that at least.
 
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Foligno is now out for MN. He is hardly JEE or Kaprizov, but losing him means that MN are playing guys like Brazeau, Gaunce, Devin Shore, Hinistroza, as well as the execrable Trenin, and mediocrities like an aging Nyquist(ia in 8 gp), Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman, and Freddy Gaudreau.

With Kaprizov and JEE Mn is a team to be reckoned with. W/o... a tough watch. Boldy, Rossi, and a 37 yo Zuccarello are nice players, but not good enough to carry the team.
 
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