VHN Daily: Looking At Western Conference Playoff Standings and Tiebreakers

Tuesday night was not kind to the Vegas Golden Knights as all three teams they are chasing in the standings won their respective games. The Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers all won Tuesday night meaning the Golden Knights are back out of the playoffs.

I wrote this a couple of days ago but here’s a look at the Western Conference Playoff picture.

Personally, I am starting to think that the Golden Knights will have to pass up the Predators to make the playoffs. With the rate they are going, along with the games at hand they have, I think the Stars make the playoffs. Alternatively, the Golden Knights could aim for the third spot in the Pacific Division, which is now occupied by the Los Angeles Kings.

The Golden Knights will play the Vancouver Canucks again tonight with no lineup changes on the horizon, Shea Theodore on fire, and a Twitter-less Robin Lehner.

Standings Update: Central- COL* 106, MIN 91, STL 88 Pacific- CGY 91, EDM 87, LAK 86

Wild Card- NSH 84, DAL 83 Out- VGK 82, WPG 76, VAN 74.

Relevant Games on Tonight: DET/WPG 4:30 pm, STL/SEA 5:00 pm, VGK/VAN 7:00 pm, CGY/ANA 7:00 pm.

Western Conference Tiebrakers

Real quick I want to go over some of the tiebreakers that the NHL has in place if two teams tie in the standings. Some of these favor the Golden Knights.

1. The fewer number of games played

• This will be irrelevant once all teams hit 82 games, but currently, the Stars and Predators have two games at hand on the Golden Knights. The Oilers have played the same number of games as the Golden Knights and the Kings have played one more. If the Golden Knights win tonight, they will be second in the Wild Card race, despite tying with the Predators at 84 points.

2. The greater number of games won in regulation

• The Oilers and Flames have 41 regulation wins, then come the Predators and Stars with 40, the Golden Knights with 39, and the Kings with 38.

3. The greater number of games won in regulation and overtime

• The Flames have 39, Predators 38, Oilers 37, Stars 36, Golden Knights 35, and Kings have 34.

There are more tiebreakers beyond this point, but it is unlikely that we will see the playoff picture come down to this. Here’s an updated look at the teams in the Pacific Division and Wild Card race as the VGK are out of the playoffs once more.

Updated Western Conference Playoff Picture

Calgary Flames

Current Place- 1st in the Pacific Division with 91 points.

Games Remaining- 13 games (26 potential points).

One remaining game against the Golden Knights on 4/14.

Final Schedule- ANA, SJS, SEA, SEA, VGK, ARZ, CHI, NSH, DAL, VAN, NSH, MIN, WPG

Edmonton Oilers

Current Place- 2nd in the Pacific Division with 87 points.

Games Remaining- 11 games (22 potential points).

One remaining game against the Golden Knights on 4/16.

Final Schedule- LAK, COL, MIN, NSH, VGK, DAL, COL, CBJ, PIT, SJS, VAN

Los Angeles Kings

Current Place- 3rd in the Pacific Division with 86 points.

Games Remaining- 10 games (20 potential points).

No remaining games against the Golden Knights.

Final Schedule- EDM, MIN, CHI, COL, CBJ, ANA, CHI, ANA, SEA, VAN

Nashville Predators

Current Place- 1st Wild Card Spot with 84 points.

Games Remaining- 13 games (26 potential points).

No remaining games against the Golden Knights.

Final Schedule- OTT, FLA, PIT, SJS, EDM, CHI, STL, CGY, TBL, MIN, CGY, COL, ARZ

Dallas Stars

Current Place- 2nd Wild Card Spot with 83 points

Games Remaining- 13 games (26 potential points),

One remaining game against the Golden Knights on 4/26.

Final Schedule-TOR, NJD, CHI, TBL, MIN, SJS, VAN, EDM, CGY, SEA, VGK, ARZ, ANA

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Place- Out of a playoff spot with 82 points.

Games Remaining- 11 games (22 potential points)

Final Schedule- VAN, ARZ, VAN, CGY, EDM, NJD, WSH, SJS, DAL, CHI, STL

Anyways, let’s get onto some of the news of the day. Here’s your clip of the day- Brendan Gallagher is not happy with the way Tim Stutzle lays on the ice.

What are your thoughts on Brendan Gallagher’s comments here? pic.twitter.com/io1928WOOB

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 6, 2022

NHL News and National Hockey Now

Vancouver: Here’s a full history of the Vancouver Canucks struggling against the Vegas Golden Knights. These two teams will play each other two more times this season.

Washington: Amidst their current struggles, the Washington Capitals have held a players-only meeting in search of a spark.

New Jersey: Emerging superstar Jack Hughes will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Montreal: Is Shea Weber, who is technically still the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, shunning the team and its fans?

Is Montreal Canadiens center and former Golden Knights draftee Nick Suzuki a No. 1, or even a top 2 center on a current Stanley Cup contender?

Florida: Babe wake up, the Toronto Maple Leafs blew another multi-goal lead.

Sportsnet: Who will be the last player from the 2003 NHL Draft (the best draft in NHL history let me remind you)? My pick: Ryan Suter.

03′ draftees still in the NHL: Marc-Andre Fleury, Brent Burns, Ryan Suter, Corey Perry, Jeff Carter, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Patrice Bergeron, Dustin Brown, Brian Boyle, Brian Elliott, Loui Eriksson, Jaroslav Halak, and technically Shea Weber.