Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
I have no doubt the Panthers are better than the Red Wings, Sabres, and Senators, and will be ahead of them in the standings at the end of the year.
But you're right, there are a few teams ahead of them that I worry they won't catch.
Right now you have 3 teams battling for 2 wild card spots: Penguins, Islanders, Rangers. The underlying numbers suggest they are for real.
Some other teams on the bubble are the Lightning and the Capitals. I suspect the Caps are not as good as their current record suggests and may fall from grace. I never count out the Lightning anymore, so forget that.
Really, the Panthers seem destined for a 9th place finish at best, but then again, there's enough talent on the team to see them rip it up and put themselves right back in the picture.
Lots of hockey left to be played. It's the same reason why I wouldn't count out the Flames yet either. I think the best for both teams is yet to come.
Now the Blue Jackets on the other hand...sigh.
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Regulation wins and goal differential are good indicators of how good a team actually is / how likely to move any direction in the standings. Detroit and Ottawa are definitely pretenders by that metric, the Red Wings especially being propped up by loser points right now. Buffalo and Florida are most likely to climb into the race and stay relevant in the second half of the season. Lots of hockey still to play.
Even Tampa, yeah you can't count them out but that team's just been extremely good in OT. 6 extra time wins already.