Wild take stranglehold on division

[spintheblackcircle]

The BlueJackets just will not. Go. Away. Olie Jokinen had 2 goals and 2 assists to lead them to a 6-3 win over Nashville. In Minnesota, the Wild rallied from 2-0 behind on 3rd period goals by Nik Antropov and Brian Pothier to tie the Blues 2-2. So, here is where we sit:

Wild 87 (T) 2 left
Calgary 86 4 left
Vancouver 86 3 left
Nashville 84 (L) 3 left
-----------
Colorado 82 4 left
Columbus 80 (W) 3 left
San Jose 79 (W) 3 left

Pretty simple tonight: If Nashville beats the Jackets, both the Jackets and Sharks are eliminated. Colorado visits the Islanders, the Flames are in Montreal and the Canucks are in Tampa......all 3 on the road...but all against non-playoff teams. Big night.

My predictions:

Calgary wins
Vancouver loses
Nashville (finally) beats Columbus
Colorado wins

 

[Ohio Jones]

Go Isles! Go Bolts! And GO JACKETS, baby!!!

 

[spintheblackcircle]

It's getting to be routine: Columbus must win, or else. And then they do. If the season ended today, all five Northwest teams would be in

Calgary (w) 88 pts 3 games left
Vancouver (w) 88 pts 2 games left
Minnesota 87 pts 2 games left
Colorado (w) 84 pts 3 games left
---------------------
Nashville (l) 84 pts 2 games left
Columbus (w) 82 pts 2 games left
San Jose 79 pts 3 games left

Only game that matters tonite is San Jose/Buffalo. San Jose must win or they are out.

 

[Ville Isopaa]

Finally I'm in the playoffs.. it's what, the 2nd or 3rd time I'm up this season. If I stay up for the final 3 games, I think I still would have been a playoff team for less than 10 games this season.. I'm suprised how NSH can't seem to win a game to save themselves. I guess that's what Rucchin does to a team this season.. Now, to beat the Nucks, Senators and Flyers to end up 6th or 7th..

 

[Hossa]

It's getting to be routine: Columbus must win, or else. And then they do. If the season ended today, all five Northwest teams would be in

Calgary (w) 88 pts 3 games left
Vancouver (w) 87 pts 2 games left
Minnesota 87 pts 2 games left
Colorado (w) 84 pts 3 games left
---------------------
Nashville (l) 84 pts 2 games left
Columbus (w) 82 pts 2 games left
San Jose 79 pts 3 games left

Only game that matters tonite is San Jose/Buffalo. San Jose must win or they are out.

I've actually got 88 points.

Five northwest teams in the playoffs would be pretty wild. The jockeying for position is pretty crazy too.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

ah....fixed that. Thanks. And now it's time to root for Columbus when they play the Preds. A Jacket win would clinch a spot for Minnesota and Vancouver.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Calgary 88 pts 3 games left
Vancouver 88 pts 2 games left
Minnesota 87 pts 2 games left
Colorado 84 pts 3 games left
---------------------
Nashville 84 pts 2 games left
Columbus 82 pts 2 games left

....and we bid farewell to the Sharks, who lost to the Sabres. 6 teams for 4 spots. Nobody in action today, but tomorrow, we will see the biggest night of the year with 4 huge games (in order of importance)

Nashville-Columbus (a Jacket win clinches a spot for Calgary, Minnesota and Vancouver)
Vancouver-Colorado
Detroit-Minnesota
Kings-Flames

 

[Ohio Jones]

Go 'Nucks!!! (This would be a terrific time for the Avs to start a three-game losing streak. Of course, it still requires that my Jackets beat Nashville one last time, and then find a way past the juggernaut Blues in our final game of the season.

So, realistically, it doesn't matter.

 

[Fan.At]

Jackets beat Nashville

whats the problem really?

 

[Ohio Jones]

whats the problem really?

Law of probability means your boys are bound to win one eventually... and it only takes one.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Law of probability means your boys are bound to win one eventually.

Breakin' the Law....Breakin' the Law

 

[spintheblackcircle]

After wins by Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota, it's down to 3 teams for 1 spot. To the surprise of nobody, Columbus once again beat the Preds. So here is where we sit

Colorado 84 pts (2 games left
-------------
Columbus 84 pts (1 game left)
Nashville 84 pts (1 game left)

Colorado owns the tiebreaker, so any Avalanche win will give them the 8th spot. But they are in tough tonite as they visit Ottawa. The Sens sit in 6th right now, but they need this one almost as badly. They can finish anywhere from 5th to 8th, so don't expect them to not give 110% 100% of the the time.

Vancouver will play the Wild in a game that will settle some things as to playoff positioning. GM Greg Dockus had a tough choice: They are just 1 point away from a $2.5 million bonus for improving 20 points. But with Vesa Toskala down to 95 conditioning.....he is putting his wallet on the line with Joey MacDonald. Go get 'em Mac.

 

[Ohio Jones]

Breakin' the Law....Breakin' the Law

... and earning three million bucks in the process, as FA acquisition Marty St. Louis pots his 40th to secure the Budweiser endorsement - and not a minute too soon!

 

[spintheblackcircle]

I was SO tempted to play Toskala to give me the best chance on getting that $2.5 million. But I decided to think playoff before payoff.

 

[Ville Isopaa]

Colorado owns the tiebreaker, so any Avalanche win will give them the 8th spot. But they are in tough tonite as they visit Ottawa. The Sens sit in 6th right now, but they need this one almost as badly. They can finish anywhere from 5th to 8th, so don't expect them to not give 110% 100% of the the time.

If Colorado ties both games and Columbus wins against St Louis, then Columbus will win the tiebreaker with better goals for/goals against ratio. If the same scenario happpens with Nashville and Colorado, then Nashville needs to win that last game against Chicago by 21 goals.

Colorado's last two opponents Ottawa and Philadelphia have combined for a 13-1-10 record over the past 24 games (last 10 for Ottawa + last 14 for Philadelpia). That's one loss in 24 games for those two teams..

 

[Wildman]

If the same scenario happpens with Nashville and Colorado, then Nashville needs to win that last game against Chicago by 21 goals.

Anything is possible especially after seeing Colorado sqeezing into the 8th spot.

 

[Ohio Jones]

... and so the dream dies. Congratulations Ville, and the whole NW Divison for their post-season sweep!

Oh, well - at least I have like a 1 in a 1000 chance of moving into the top 10...

 

[Ville Isopaa]

Thanks, damn, it's bee na long season with more downs than ups.. Feels great to make it, but I'm really feeling for Tony. He deserved to make playoffs after the season he had up until the deadline and picking up Steve Rucchin. Better luck next year!

btw, why does the standings not indicate that I've clinched playoff berth, even if I have more wins and therefore should rank ahead of NSH/CBJ even if they'd tie me at 86 points? I think there was a similar thing one year where there was two teams ending up on the same amount of points after 82 games and there was no X in the standings.

 

[Ohio Jones]

btw, why does the standings not indicate that I've clinched playoff berth, even if I have more wins and therefore should rank ahead of NSH/CBJ even if they'd tie me at 86 points? I think there was a similar thing one year where there was two teams ending up on the same amount of points after 82 games and there was no X in the standings.

Got me. We know FHL isn't very sophisticated; this sounds like one of its many oversights.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

If there's a 3 way tie, are wins still the #1 tiebreaker?

 

[spintheblackcircle]

I was SO tempted to play Toskala to give me the best chance on getting that $2.5 million. But I decided to think playoff before payoff.

Sigh, not only do I not get that $2.5 million, Vesa had to come in after MacDonald gives up 5 goals and Pothier gets hurt.

That wasn't the plan.

 

[SPG]

If there's a 3 way tie, are wins still the #1 tiebreaker?

Yeah, they should be.

 

[Hossa]

Canucks went 9-1-4 over their last 14 games to make it in sixth place. Hopefully that strong play continues for another, oh, 20-30 games or so.