Will 96 points make the playoffs in the West?

[dash]

Flames have eight games left and currently have 84 points - Obviously, that means they have to win 6 of their remaining 8 games. I think with their remaining schedule that they still have a chance, but I wonder if 96 points will still be enough (that damn shootout wins tiebreaker could really come into play).

At least Flames games are still meaningful, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

 

[elocomotive]

According to the model, 95 points gets you in.

And the Flames better win 7 of 8!!!

 

[Ho_Brah]

Must win for the Flames tonight. This game has more meaning for the Flames than the Kings at this point.


GO KINGS GO!

 

[dash]

I hope it's not Dean Morton and Kelly Sutherland as the zebras tonight, they've had two terrible games in a row. That said, Kipper needs to bounce back strong tonight, heck of an effort by the Calgary Tower coming in cold and holding the fort.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

It's going to be just like last year. At least 2 or 3 teams from the West would have made it in the East. I wouldn't mind seeing the league change the playoff system. Have the 6 division winners get in. Then take the 10 teams with the most points regardless of Conference.

 

[dash]

It's going to be just like last year. At least 2 or 3 teams from the West would have made it in the East. I wouldn't mind seeing the league change the playoff system. Have the 6 division winners get in. Then take the 10 teams with the most points regardless of Conference.

I like the idea, but you would need a full intra-conference schedule for that to happen which the owners would never approve (travel costs, less rivalry games etc.)

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I like the idea, but you would need a full intra-conference schedule for that to happen which the owners would never approve (travel costs, less rivalry games etc.)

The travel costs would be an issue. However teams play 6 times within the division. Take two of those games away & 1 game away from interconference games & you have 25 games to spread around. As it is right now some teams only play each other once during the regular season. It's not going to happen but it could work.

 

[puckhead]

this site extrapolates that a 97 point team will miss, based on full season pace.
based on the last 10 game pace, a 98 point team will miss. Cal doesn't make the grade in either scenario, fwiw.

NHL Standings and Magic Numbers

 

[postmaster]

It's going to be just like last year. At least 2 or 3 teams from the West would have made it in the East. I wouldn't mind seeing the league change the playoff system. Have the 6 division winners get in. Then take the 10 teams with the most points regardless of Conference.

I know I have this a few time before but I would like them to take the 3 top seeds and remaining 5 teams from each conference, use the division leaders as the top 6 and seed the teams by points thereafter jumbling up the conferences.
You would no longer have conference champions though but it would be a lot more fair travel wise being the luck of the draw for all teams than it is now for just Western Conference teams traveling all over the place.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I know I have this a few time before but I would like them to take the 3 top seeds and remaining 5 teams from each conference, use the division leaders as the top 6 and seed the teams by points thereafter jumbling up the conferences.
You would no longer have conference champions though but it would be a lot more fair travel wise being the luck of the draw for all teams than it is now for just Western Conference teams traveling all over the place.

The East really has a big advantage in terms of travel. For instance Detroit could end up playing Calgary, Anaheim, Dallas or Nashville in round 1.

 

[sbb122]

I hope it's not Dean Morton and Kelly Sutherland as the zebras tonight, they've had two terrible games in a row. That said, Kipper needs to bounce back strong tonight, heck of an effort by the Calgary Tower coming in cold and holding the fort.

Dean Morton may very well be the worst official i have ever seen in any sport. His overall job rating (i am assuming the NHL rates the officials yearly) has to be very close to be considered for termination.

 

[puckhead]

Dean Morton may very well be the worst official i have ever seen in any sport. His overall job rating (i am assuming the NHL rates the officials yearly) has to be very close to be considered for termination.

Auger is up there for me obviously...
he painted himself into a corner where the only options were that he was a) corrupt, or b) incompetent

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I'd feel a lot better about the Ducks chances if Hiller was in goal. How the heck did he get vertigo?

 

[postmaster]

whatever the points are to get in, I hope Chicago either is 1 point behind that or in 8th place.
I am sure Vancouver fans/players are dying to face off again this year to get the we can't beat Chicago in the playoffs rep off their backs.

 

[elocomotive]

You play most of your schedule against your conference, so mixed up playoffs wouldn't really make sense unless you seriously modified the schedule.

The fact is there are 8 spots of 15 teams in each conference. If you can't make the playoffs (the majority of teams do), then you don't really deserve to be there, regardless of what happens in the other conference. A team here or there might be snubbed as the balance shifts from one conference to another over the decades, but there is no way the NHL is going to change this anytime soon. This exists in every sport and with good reason (rivalries, travel schedules, and multiple playoff races draw more interest).

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

You play most of your schedule against your conference, so mixed up playoffs wouldn't really make sense unless you seriously modified the schedule.

The fact is there are 8 spots of 15 teams in each conference. If you can't make the playoffs (the majority of teams do), then you don't really deserve to be there, regardless of what happens in the other conference. A team here or there might be snubbed as the balance shifts from one conference to another over the decades, but there is no way the NHL is going to change this anytime soon. This exists in every sport and with good reason (rivalries, travel schedules, and multiple playoff races draw more interest).

My only problem with the only 15 teams in each conference is their are teams in the West who would make the playoffs in the East every year who don't get in. That's why I would prefer a system in which the 6 division winners get in then the 10 teams with the most points regardless of conference are added to the field.

 

[postmaster]

You play most of your schedule against your conference, so mixed up playoffs wouldn't really make sense unless you seriously modified the schedule.

The fact is there are 8 spots of 15 teams in each conference. If you can't make the playoffs (the majority of teams do), then you don't really deserve to be there, regardless of what happens in the other conference. A team here or there might be snubbed as the balance shifts from one conference to another over the decades, but there is no way the NHL is going to change this anytime soon. This exists in every sport and with good reason (rivalries, travel schedules, and multiple playoff races draw more interest).

I agree with you. That is why I still say take 8 teams from each conference and go from there. You honestly can't tell me that the East does not have an advantage over the West when it comes to the finals based on travel at this point in time. There was a year a few years back where Buffalo played the Islanders, then the Rangers and only had to leave their own state when it came to the conference finals but still never had to leave their own time zone.

 

[Curtrain]

Calgary Flames Playoff Chances - Sports Club Stats

Judging by the numbers from this site, 96 points may be just be enough to get in. The odds of not getting in with 98 points is next to none.

 

[Ho_Brah]

percentages don't look good.

 

[dash]

percentages don't look good.

No they do not...In my opinion, they need to win 7 out of their last 8 games to guarantee a spot with 98 points. 96 points could leave them on the outside looking in due to the shootout wins tiebreaker.