Stanley Cup Playoffs: Top 5 Canadian teams that will make the postseason
How many of the seven Canadian NHL teams will make it to the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Out of the 31 (soon to be 32) NHL teams in the league, seven of them hail from the Great White North. Four of them are currently in playoff spots, and those four are likely to be the ones remaining in playoff spots come about a month’s time when we reach the end of the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs start.
Coming from a Canadian, I would love it if the Stanley Cup came home to Canada. Preferably, it would be the Toronto Maple Leafs lifting the Cup in June, but any team in Canada is good for me.
75% of the playoff teams are coming from the Western Conference, with Toronto the sole Canadian survivor in the East. There is a small, but highly unlikely chance that the Canadiens can take a wildcard spot, but with the stacked deck in the Metropolitan division, it seems highly unlikely.
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Now, in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers look to make the playoffs out of the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks are holding onto the first wildcard spot.
Technically, the Winnipeg Jets have the same amount of points as the Nashville Predators, who are currently in the second wildcard spot, so they’re right in that race. If that happens, that would mean all four Canadian teams hailing from the Western Conference would be in the hunt for Stanley.
Let’s now look a little bit closer at each individual Canadian club. Some started high, but have since crashed and burned, while others started cold and are only now beginning to run hot. Others have just been good all year round. But, let’s take a look at all of them anyway.
The Flames and the Oilers probably have the best odds to make it into the playoffs, but there’s an overwhelming chance that they will be facing each other in round one. That would definitely be some playoff series if those two went at it. The Canucks and Jets have the most questionable odds, as they both sit in a wildcard spot, but at this point of the season, quite literally anything can happen.
Western Conference
All four Western Canadian NHL playoff teams are currently right in the hunt. The Flames & Oilers currently hold the second and third slot in the Pacific, with the Canucks holding onto the first wildcard spot, and the Jets tied with the Predators for the second.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers currently sit second overall in the Pacific Division, with 78 points. They sit only two points back of Vegas for the division lead, and they actually have a game in hand on them. The Oilers have had a pretty decent season, especially considering the season they had last year.
In their first 20 games, the Oilers went 12-8-0, which, is pretty impressive if you ask me. Their two main stars in McDavid and Draisaitl have been on full display all year, which is what you need from your big guns. I mean, have you seen them? They have amazing skills on the ice, which makes it entertaining for anyone to watch.
Their second 20 games saw the Oilers go 7-13-0, which is a stark contrast from the previous games. Since that stretch, however, they’ve gone 15-12-0. Draisaitl currently sits at 107 points on the year, 13 ahead of McDavid who sits at 94. If McDavid wasn’t injured for a chunk of the year though, who knows what kind of numbers he would have put up.
There is a slight chance that Draisaitl could come out of the season with both the Art Ross AND the Rocket Richard. His four-goal performance against the Nashville Predators put him right into the conversation with Ovechkin, Matthews, and Pastrnak.
The Oilers are likely to face the Calgary Flames in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Which, would be an amazing series. If all of the matchups this year are any indicator, it will be a fun fight in the Battle of Alberta. It’s just a matter of who gets home-ice advantage.
Playoff Chances: Highly Likely
Likely Playoff Opponent: Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
If I had to choose a team that wasn’t the Toronto Maple Leafs, I would choose the Flames. Calgary currently sits at third in the Pacific, three points back of Edmonton. However, the Oilers do have a game in hand. I’m not surprised the Flames are in the playoff race. They’re a solid team, with some really solid players.
In the first 20 games of the year, Calgary went 10-10-0. So, pretty mediocre. It wasn’t too good but it wasn’t too bad either. The second 20 games saw the Flames go 10-10-0. Again, mediocre. This second stretch, however, was filled with a bad losing streak, followed by a great winning streak, which really boosted their place in the standings.
After that, well, interesting stretch? 14-13-0. Their highest point totals have come from Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Lindholm. So, again, a team where the main stars have the highest points. That’s how it should be.
The Flames have not been without their share of turbulence though. They were one of the many teams who fired their head coach this year with Bill Peters resigning, and interim head coach Geoff Ward stepping in – at least until season’s end.
Playoff Chances: Highly Likely
Likely Opponent: Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks hold onto one of the two Western Conference wildcard spots. They hold that spot by two points over both Nashville and Winnipeg. The Canucks are another team that has unexpectedly fought its way into the playoff race and it has been an exciting season to watch them.
In their 12 games, they went 8-4-0. November saw more of a decline, as the team went 5-10-0. December brought better luck with an 8-5-0 record. January brought their most solid month of the season with 8-3-0, and February followed with a 5-8-0.
Their last game against the Blue Jackets was also a loss, and the team looks to bounce back if they want any shot at keeping their wildcard place. Vancouver’s leading scorers come from J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, with Quinn Hughes having one of the most amazing rookie seasons that I’ve seen. It’d be a shame if he isn’t seriously considered for the Calder.
Playoff Chances: Likely
Likely Opponent: St. Louis Blues or Vegas Golden Knights
The Canucks are in the first wildcard spot, meaning they’ll face the Western team with the higher point total. That just happens to be the St. Louis Blues. If they drop to the second spot, they’ll face the Vegas Golden Knights. Both series would be fun to watch, though I personally believe Vancouver is a better matchup for Vegas than it is for STL.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are tied with Nashville for the second wildcard position. However, the Jets have played two more games than both the Canucks and Predators. So, this fourth Canadian NHL club will have a little bit more difficult time climbing into that spot in the playoffs.
Winnipeg has had, well, an interesting season. The whole Dustin Byfuglien situation has defined their season. However, let’s take a look at their season on the ice.
7-6-0 is how the Jets started. November was amazing for them, as the team went 10-4-0. December followed the same record as October. January was rough. The team went 3-9-0 to start 2020 and followed that up with 8-6-0 in February.
This Winnipeg Jets team has been led in scoring by Scheifele and Connor, with Laine not too far behind the both of them.
Playoff Chances: Possible
Likely Opponent: St. Louis Blues or Vegas Golden Knights
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Canadian NHL clubs consist of the Leafs, the Senators, and the Canadiens. The Senators are virtually out of the playoff race, and it is highly unlikely that the Canadiens beat out the Metro division teams for a wildcard spot. So, the only team really worth looking at here is the Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Now, I’m a known Toronto Maple Leafs fan. I mean, I grew up just outside the Toronto city limits, the Leafs have been practically my whole life. This is why this particular season has been frustrating and stressful for my emotions.
The Leafs started this season bad. Like, I mean, this entire season has been a mishmash of so many things it’s hard to pinpoint the first bad one. The season started, and the Leafs have not had an entire full roster for one game of it. It seems that the injury bug has bit the Leafs this season, and as one player returns, another seems to go down.
One cannot even enjoy the career years that the big 3 & Tavares are having, because Leafs Nation is too focused on every little game, and they have been playing standings watch since the start of the year.
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Babcock getting fired was a blessing, as I think they should have started the season with Keefe. The hole the team dug themselves into early is what is forcing them to win as many games as possible down the stretch. Their record under Babcock? 9-14-0. Their record under Sheldon Keefe so far? A whole lot better.
Playoff Chances: Likely
Likely Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning