The 2013 NHL Season Thread

[bigbean24]

Lets go (North) Stars!

[DaRadniz29]

If Dallas beats CBJ in regulation, boom, it's over. At the least, Jackets have to hope the game goes to overtime.

But they'll need the full two points. In fact, with the situation as is, Columbus has to gain all four points left on their schedule and hope for a Dallas regulation win on Saturday night. Odds of that, of course, are not exactly high.

Well from my calculations, if Columbus loses in OT or SO to Dallas tonight, beat Nashville in any fashion on Saturday and hope the Wild lose both of their two remaining games (@EDM; vs COL) in regulation that would put the Jackets in 8th and drop the Wild to 9th. That's a big if and not likely but Columbus should just try and win both games.

[Kramerica Industries]

It's so easy to forget Minnesota hasn't clinched yet.

This is what happens when you lose 4-1 against the tanking Flames at home.

Minnesota plays host to Edmonton tomorrow night and finishes in Denver on Saturday night. With ROW tiebreak clinched, two points sends them clear of Columbus.

[habsfan1]

If Dallas beats CBJ in regulation, boom, it's over. At the least, Jackets have to hope the game goes to overtime.

But they'll need the full two points. In fact, with the situation as is, Columbus has to gain all four points left on their schedule and hope for a Dallas regulation win on Saturday night. Odds of that, of course, are not exactly high.

Well from my calculations, if Columbus loses in OT or SO to Dallas tonight, beat Nashville in any fashion on Saturday and hope the Wild lose both of their two remaining games (@EDM; vs COL) in regulation that would put the Jackets in 8th and drop the Wild to 9th. That's a big if and not likely but Columbus should just try and win both games.

Of couse Columbus HAS to win BOTH games. As for the Wild, keep in mind that a desperately-needy Wild team lost a game to the tanking Flames.

[DaRadniz29]

It's so easy to forget Minnesota hasn't clinched yet.

This is what happens when you lose 4-1 against the tanking Flames at home.

Minnesota plays host to Edmonton tomorrow night and finishes in Denver on Saturday night. With ROW tiebreak clinched, two points sends them clear of Columbus.

I know I thought the Wild would have clinched with a win vs LA the other night, but nope, not yet.

Update: Blues beat Flames 4-1. Standings as of now:

1. Chicago 75 pts.

2. Anaheim 69 pts.

3. Vancouver 59 pts.

4. St. Louis 58 pts. Row: 23

5. LA Kings 57 pts. ROW: 24

6. San Jose 57 pts. ROW: 17

7. Detroit 54 pts. ROW: 21

8. Minnesota 53 pts. ROW: 21

Ok, so with the updates, I'm trying to figure this out on the fly. Here's what I got so far:

Dallas has been eliminated.

The top three won't change, they are set. But 4-8 not all decided.

if St. Louis beats the Blackhawks on Saturday, St. Louis gets the 4 seed. If Minnesota wins out and the Sharks lose to the Kings in regulation the Wild will finish one seed higher than the Sharks, but one seed lower than the Kings. Detroit will either be 7th or 8th.

Jackets need at least one point vs Dallas to stay alive.

[habsfan1]

2-1 JACKETS!

[Kramerica Industries]

Blue Jackets seal the deal in Dallas.

And now they'll need those same Stars to win in regulation, if the Jackets want to leap past the Red Wings in the standings. But the Western discussion won't be decided until late Saturday night.

[BLUELANDbeliever]

Jets are done! Jackets winnn!! Catch the fever!!

[Morgan33]

Right on Blue Jackets. Win your last game and hope Dallas can play spoiler (Never thought I'd ever care about this team but gotta love a good underdog story)

[dbadefense1990]

Jets are done! Jackets winnn!! Catch the fever!!

More like "catch the tension/nervousness." There is so much on the line Saturday night; it all comes down to this. Coincidentally, the Dallas and Columbus games go off at the same time, 7pm ET/4pm PT. By this time on Saturday, everyone's fate will be determined.

[DaRadniz29]

Blue Jackets seal the deal in Dallas.

And now they'll need those same Stars to win in regulation, if the Jackets want to leap past the Red Wings in the standings. But the Western discussion won't be decided until late Saturday night.

Yep. Man Columbus is on fire. I would not want to play them right now. So here we go:

1. Chicago 75 pts.

2. Anaheim 69 pts.

3. Vancouver 59 pts.

4. St. Louis 58 pts. Row: 23

5. LA Kings 57 pts. ROW: 24

6. San Jose 57 pts. ROW: 17

7. Detroit 54 pts. ROW: 21

8. Minnesota 53 pts. ROW: 21

--------------------------

9. Columbus 53 pts. ROW: 18

Updates

So come Saturday night:

- Detroit needs just one point vs Dallas to clinch playoffs and eliminate Blue Jackets.

-Columbus must win in any fashion vs Nashville AND hope the Stars beat the Red Wings in regulation. OR have the Minnesota Wild gain only one point in their final two games.

- The Blues can finish no lower than 5th. The Kings can finish no lower than 6th and the Sharks can finish no lower than 7th.

- Minnesota can finish as high as 6th or as low as 9th.

- Columbus and/or Detroit can be as high as the 7th seed or as low as the 9th seed.

[BLUELANDbeliever]

And people say hockey is boring...THE FOOLS

[Sport]

WOW.

Who would've thought the Jackets would be in it on the last day of the season? I didn't. I was reading junior scouting reports. I was trying to decide whether I liked Mackinnon or Jones better. I'll gladly take the season that happened, playoffs or not, over discussing draft picks. What a ride.

They've gone 18-5-4 since early March. It took going 5-12-4 for the new group to come together. If this was an 82 game season, we'd be in the playoffs. If they do end up missing the playoffs it'll only be because they ran out of time. They went on the road trip that was supposed to bury them and they went 5-1. This team is so much fun and if it ends Saturday I'll be at peace with that because they were the group that changed hockey in Columbus, Ohio and they'll always have a special place in my heart. I can't wait until next season.

Come on, Dallas! Come on, Edmonton and Colorado!

LOL, just got a personal response from @LAKings

[dbadefense1990]

WOW.

Who would've thought the Jackets would be in it on the last day of the season? I didn't. I was reading junior scouting reports. I was trying to decide whether I liked Mackinnon or Jones better. I'll gladly take the season that happened, playoffs or not, over discussing draft picks. What a ride.

They've gone 18-5-4 since early March. It took going 5-12-4 for the new group to come together. If this was an 82 game season, we'd be in the playoffs. If they do end up missing the playoffs it'll only be because they ran out of time.

Come on, Dallas! Come on, Edmonton and Colorado!

LOL, just got a personal response from @LAKings

Was it an apology to your fanbase for the Kings' s#itty play at the Joe?

[GuitarPunk2512]

islanders are thankful for making the playoffs but they tanked the last two games against a craptastic hurricanes and flyers. we were in the 6th spot talking 5th with a very favorable match up and in a flash rangers and sens jump us back to 8th. The chances of the isles beating the penguins in the 1st round is practically nothing, i mean mircales happen but on paper the chances dont look good. If they get eliminated in first rounf because they played the penguins, the isles will have no one to blame but themselves for mailing it in after clinching and blowing their seeding. anyways, LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!

[Still MIGHTY]

Ducks up on Vancouver 2-0 after 2, out shooting the Canucks 25-9. Nice showing from a Ducks team sitting some guys in a game where both teams are basically playing not to get hurt.

----

Keep on fighting that fight, Beej Nation. I beej-lieve!

[infrared41]

So it's down to win and see what happens for the Blue Jackets. (I know what I'll be watching on TV Saturday.) No matter what happens, this season will end on a high note. This team went from being the dregs of the NHL to the talk of the NHL. You don't see a turnaround like that every day.

Even if the Jackets don't make the playoffs, I still have the Rangers - for this season anyway. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to handle next season, but I figure I have the offseason to work it out.

[dbadefense1990]

islanders are thankful for making the playoffs but they tanked the last two games against a craptastic hurricanes and flyers. we were in the 6th spot talking 5th with a very favorable match up and in a flash rangers and sens jump us back to 8th. The chances of the isles beating the penguins in the 1st round is practically nothing, i mean mircales happen but on paper the chances dont look good. If they get eliminated in first rounf because they played the penguins, the isles will have no one to blame but themselves for mailing it in after clinching and blowing their seeding. anyways, LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!

If there's any consolation, the Kings blew a chance to acquire the Pacific title last year on the final week and fell to 8th due to critical losses against the Sharkies (albeit Clowe's screw job in the home finale). And you know how the story ended.

Maybe Nabokov will be the 2nd coming of Quick, and boom, the difficulties of the 8th seed can be a moot point. You never know who will come up huge in the postseason.

[habsfan1]

Everybody will pretty much be rooting for the Beej and Dallas on saturday (except Detroit, of course).

[RyanMcD29]

The one night the Islanders lose in regulation all month's the night the Rangers and Senators both win, sending the Isles into the PENGUINS DEATH ZONE

Hopefully the Isles can take care of business with the Sabres tomorrow and then the Rangers lose to the Devils or something