The Stanley Cup Playoffs, stage to some of the greatest moments in professional sports history, is fast approaching, and the struggle for the last remaining spots in both the Western and Eastern conferences is coming to an end. With less than one week to go in the regulation season, few teams have more than four games left to clinch a playoff berth. If this last week of play is any indication of what fans can expect in the first round of the playoffs, look forward to a hard-hitting and fast-paced race for the series, and an even more intense fight for the cup.
The 2008-09 NHL season was host to a number of surprise successes and failures. The seemingly relentless Detroit Red Wings dominated most of the opposition, landing them a second place spot in the Western Conference behind the San Jose Sharks. This is an outcome every fan of the NHL could predict, with the Red Wings having made the playoffs 18 seasons in a row – the longest streak of post-season appearances in all of American professional sports.
The San Jose Sharks, looking to continue their string of post-season success with another playoff spot since the 2003-04 season, currently hold the top spot in the Western conference. However, despite their success this season with standouts like Captain Patrick Marleau, assistant Joe Thornton, and Jonathan Cheechoo, the real news around San Jose is which team they will meet in the first round. The eighth spot in the West is currently up for grabs by no less than four teams, with the Nashville Predators grasping to the last berth ahead of St.Louis, Minnesota, and Edmonton.
Each of the four teams battling for eighth have three games remaining that will decide whether they will be hitting the ice or hitting the links when the post-season begins. St.Louis, despite being tied in points with Nashville, falls in ninth due to the Predators being up one win overall in the season, and both Edmonton and Minnesota are tied for points at 83, and games won at 37. With only 3 games remaining for each of these four contenders, San Jose’s opposition is still up in the air, although with St.Louis’ 6-2-2 record in the last ten games, they may be able to take the final spot away from Nashville.