Wild Card Race (Western Conference)

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by heep223

Honestly the Flames are in a pretty good position right now. We are healthy. We have competition and depth at F. We have 3 goalies who can play. We have a young team and we thrived in the 2nd half of the season last year. We have a decent schedule compared to our competition (tho Feb is tough). We have a great motivational coach and (allegedly) a really good room. Expectations are in their favour ...if they make it it's gravy and the city will explode, if they don't they still had a fantastic year and looking forward to next.

There are a few things that would sink us completely that I don't dare to type, but I am so excited!

All we need is a youngish 3rd D pairing with mobility and I think we would be a shoe in.

[homestand]

Originally Posted by Bourque's Twin

LA Kings Schedule is pretty tough too.

January
Blackhawks
@ Bruins

February
@ Capitals
@ Panthers
@ Lightning
@ Blue Jackets
Flames
Capitals
Lightning
@ Avalanche
@ Sharks
Red Wings
Senators
@ Ducks

Vancouver's scheudle is also tough:

January
Ducks
Sabres

February
Wild
Jets
Sharks
Penguins
@Wild
@Blackhawks
Bruins
@Flames
Wild
@Rangers
@Devils
@Islanders
@Bruins
@Sabres

The NHL website has a decent breakdown of remaining games here,

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm...42015&type=PLA

[hwy19man]

After Tuesday's games:

1. Winnipeg (26-15-8) 22 ROW, 60 pts
San Jose (25-17-6) 23 ROW, 56 pts--second in Pacific Division
Vancouver (26-17-3) 24 ROW, 55 pts--third in Pacific Division
2. Calgary (26-19-3) 23 ROW, 55 pts
3. Los Angeles (20-15-12) 19 ROW, 52 pts
4. Colorado (20-18-11) 14 ROW, 51 pts
5. Dallas (21-19-7) 19 ROW, 49 pts
6. Minnesota (21-20-6) 19 ROW, 48 pts


Jets and Stars lost
Flames and Wild won
Avs lost in overtime

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by homestand

The NHL website has a decent breakdown of remaining games here,

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm...42015&type=PLA

Pleases me that the Jets have 8 games left against St.Louis/Chicago/Nashville... although they have done well against the Hawks.

Also 3 Vancouver-Winnipeg and 3 Vancouver-LA games which will help barring all three point games.

[djsFlames]

Yeah facing Vancouver in the first round would be an awfully high stakes return to the playoffs, given the rivalry and bad blood that's been shown in the past. Don't know if I could deal with the stress of it, because the pressure to win will be so much more against them than any other potential opponent.. and listening to Canucks fans is more than irritating.

An Anaheim series would be interesting, but we'd probably be out in 5, tops.

Really my expectations aren't high if we make the dance. Just getting there would be a start for this team to turn the corner, and that's the point.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Pleases me that the Jets have 8 games left against St.Louis/Chicago/Nashville... although they have done well against the Hawks.

Also 3 Vancouver-Winnipeg and 3 Vancouver-LA games which will help barring all three point games.

The Hawks are winning a lot more now than when they played the first couple against them

[Fire]

If the Flames can get into the 3rd spot in the division they will have a very legitimate chance at advancing into the 2nd round. Staying as a wild card team would make any chance of advancing almost nil. I would relish the chance of beating the Canucks in another playoff series.

[polak]

Once you are in, anything can happen.

[PegCityFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

The Hawks are winning a lot more now than when they played the first couple against them

Jets beat them I believe 5-1 December 23 and 4-2 January 16th All on the road. Now let's see how we do at home and hopefully with pavelic locked away in Siberia

[stemit14]

Of all the teams in the western conference the top three teams that I would not want the flames to face in the first round are St. Louis, Chicago, and Winnipeg... In that order. The flames struggle with those teams cause those are the only teams in the west whose speed matched up well against them. I consider San Jose, LA, and Vancouver to be slower teams that the flames could surprise in the first round. Haven't seen enough of the flames vs this year's version of the predators to know how that would match up. The ducks are also hard to read cause I don't think they are as good a team as their points/record indicates.

[Tsawwassen]

After Wednesday's games:

1. Winnipeg (26-15-8) 22 ROW, 60 pts
San Jose (25-17-6) 23 ROW, 56 pts--second in Pacific Division
Vancouver (26-17-3) 24 ROW, 55 pts--third in Pacific Division
2. Calgary (26-19-3) 23 ROW, 55 pts
3. Los Angeles (21-15-12) 20 ROW, 54 pts
4. Colorado (20-18-11) 14 ROW, 51 pts
5. Dallas (21-19-7) 19 ROW, 49 pts
6. Minnesota (21-20-6) 19 ROW, 48 pts


Kings won

[Resolute 14]

God are the Hawks ever useless.

[heep223]

Ugh. That is so disappointing to wake up to this morning.

[Huntingwhale]

Good help is so hard to find these days. Huge game tonight. If the Flames beat the Wild, we jump to 6th and temporarily get that cushion we so desperately need.

[vicarious]

Those darn Jets and their 5 extra loser points

[polak]

We need to win. Again.

Ugh every loss from here on in is going to be so rage-inducing.

[GioforPM]

The Hawks kept playing well and going up, then easing off and letting the Kings tie it up, then the Kings stuck one in late when the Hawks were probably thinking OT.

[troutman]

A win tonight puts CGY's playoff odds over 80%.

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Western.html

[heep223]

^ and a loss puts us under 70%

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by heep223

^ and a loss puts us under 70%

well: