[QUOTE=Textcritic;6541242]I seriously doubt it. The Central teams have all still played only half of their intra-divisional schedule, and these games will govern how many points they can all accumulate. Besides, there does not seem to be a lot of separation between the top five teams in either division. The difference is at the bottom, where all of Edmonton, Arizona, and Vancouver are clearly awful. But if anything, this probably improves the chances of two Pacific Division teams in the WC spots, by virtue of the fact that the other five all have the benefit of playing these terrible teams more often.
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Sure but I guess I can't envision Chicago missing the playoffs - looks bad for them now but I expect they will climb back into it. But I dont' see them catching any of the top 3 in the Central. So there is one WC spot gone. Any of Dallas, Colorado or Minnesota seem well placed to beat whoever finishes 4th in the Pacific. Those intra-divisional games can also produce a lot of 3 point results.
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