SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks’ chances at making the postseason appeared bleak just a few days ago.
The Sharks had lost five straight games, were struggling at both ends of the ice, had fallen into 12th place in the Western Conference, and were seven points out of a playoff spot with 13 games left to play.
But as they get set to face the St. Louis Blues on Monday to start a six-game homestand, the Sharks, thanks in part to the turtle race among middle-of-the-pack teams in the west, are still in the hunt for their first postseason appearance since 2019.
After gaining three of a possible four points in the final two stops of their three-game road trip, the Sharks are four points back of the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot, with three games in hand.
The Sharks also have games in hand on the three teams, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Winnipeg, directly ahead of them, and one on the Blues, who were right behind them before Monday’s game.
With six teams vying for one, maybe two playoff spots, it sets up what could be an unbelievable finish to the regular season. There’s a distinct possibility that nothing will be decided until the last day on April 16, when the Sharks play in Winnipeg, Anaheim plays in Nashville, St. Louis plays in Utah, Los Angeles plays in Calgary, and Seattle plays in Colorado.
“We’re still in this (expletive) thing,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said Saturday in a jubilant Sharks locker room after his team’s 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. “We’re still in it.”
Here’s a look at what’s ahead for the six teams that are, as of now, still in the mix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Records are before Monday’s games. Regulation wins are the NHL’s first tiebreaker
Nashville Predators
RECORD: 34-31-9 (77 points)
GAMES REMAINING/REGULATION WINS: 8/25
PTS PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING OPPONENTS (per Tankathon): .555 (22nd hardest)
PLAYOFF CHANCES (per MoneyPuck): 22%
ANALYSIS: The Predators, dead last in the Western Conference on Dec. 8, had won five consecutive games and appeared to be in the driver’s seat by the midway point of last week. Since then, they’ve lost three straight, as their goaltending has fallen off with their next five games on the road. Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, and Ryan O’Reilly have been very good of late, but Nashville will go as far as goalie Juuse Saros takes them.
Los Angeles Kings
RECORD: 29-26-18 (76 points)
GAMES REMAINING/REGULATION WINS: 9/19
PTS PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING OPPONENTS: .479 (32nd hardest)
PLAYOFF CHANCES: 34.8%
ANALYSIS: Los Angeles enters this week having won just one of its last six games. The Kings’ goaltending hasn’t been great, and neither has the offense, outside of Quinton Byfield and Artemi Panarin. Still, the Kings’ relatively easy remaining schedule should make them the favorite to earn the final playoff spot, or perhaps even overtake the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division. Their tie-breaker number is bad, though.
Seattle Kraken
RECORD: 32-29-11 (75 points)
GAMES REMAINING/REGULATION WINS: 10/25
PTS PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING OPPONENTS: .552 (23rd hardest)
PLAYOFF CHANCES: 25.6%
ANALYSIS: As another team that’s been sputtering (it’s not a short list), the Kraken had just one win in its last six games before this week. The power play has struggled, and the goaltending, which had been a strong suit, hasn’t been great lately. Seattle did make a nice pickup at the trade deadline by adding Bobby McMann, but seven of the team’s final 10 games are against teams above them in the standings. If Seattle gets in, it’ll have earned it.
Winnipeg Jets
RECORD: 33-31-7 (74 points)
GAMES REMAINING/REGULATION WINS: 9/25
PTS PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING OPPONENTS: .550 (24th hardest)
PLAYOFF CHANCES: 10.7%
ANALYSIS: The underachieving Jets have won three of four coming into this week, enough to vault them back into the mix. Nothing really stands out about the way the Jets are playing right now, but their best forwards, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, have raised their games, and Connor Hellebuyck has been solid if unspectacular since winning gold in Milan. The Jets are capable of beating any team and losing to any team, so they’ll probably be in the mix until the end.
San Jose Sharks
RECORD: 33-31-7 (73 points)
GAMES REMAINING/REGULATION WINS: 11/21
PTS PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING OPPONENTS: .505 (30th hardest)
PLAYOFF CHANCES: 17.8%
ANALYSIS: What will be challenging for the Sharks is not necessarily the strength of their remaining schedule, but the sheer number of games they still have to play. Starting Wednesday, the Sharks play 10 times in 16 days, including three back-to-backs. San Jose needs to take care of business against non-playoff contenders and pick off wins against teams headed to the postseason, and let’s be honest, Macklin Celebrini needs to be great. Still, playing meaningful games in April is all this could have asked for at the start of the season.
St. Louis Blues
RECORD: 31-30-11 (73 points)
GAMES REMAINING/REGULATION WINS: 10/27
PTS PERCENTAGE OF REMAINING OPPONENTS: .584 (10th hardest)
PLAYOFF CHANCES: 12.4%
ANALYSIS: No team has had better goaltending since the end of the Olympic break, as the Blues have a league-leading .945 save percentage in their last 15 games. Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Robert Thomas have all been tremendous in that time as well. The Blues have some challenging games on the horizon and are going to need some help to get in, but the type of game they’re playing right now can take them a long way. St. Louis made a huge run last season to get into the playoffs. Can the Blues do it again?