Which teams on the bubble need a playoff berth the most?
The playoff race is coming to a close across the NHL, and the point differentials are tighter than ever.
The Eastern Conference, in particular, has as narrow a margin as we’ve ever seen, while the Pacific Division teams are limping towards the finish line in what has become nothing short of a pillow fight.
Among all the teams vying for the final spots to qualify for postseason play, there are those that stand out among the crowd more than others. Here are the top three teams on the bubble that are most in need of a playoff berth this spring.:
3. Vegas Golden Knights
It is debatable whether or not GM Kelly McCrimmon’s club is truly on the ‘’bubble,’’ but with the Los Angeles Kings just three points back and with a game in hand, Vegas is far from out of the woods.
The Knights are perpetually all in and after the biggest fish available. They signed Mitch Marner to an eight-year contract extension after acquiring him from the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer. They also dealt their first-round picks to the Calgary Flames in each of the next years in deals for defensemen Noah Hanafin and Rasmus Andersson, respectively.
Vegas was your’ truly’s pick to win the Stanley Cup entering this season, so perhaps there is a hint of bias involved here, but they should have immense amounts of pressure to make the postseason given the moves they’ve made and assets given up over the last 12 months. Oh, and with their division as weak as ever, it may be their best shot for a while to make another run at the cup.
2. Detroit Red Wings
Yes, we’ve all heard it all before: Detroit is still rebuilding and the playoffs this season are not integral to GM Steve Yzerman’s plan being a success. All that being said, the clock is ticking for many of the Red Wings’ players as they get up there in age; though they have pieces coming, there is no guarantee they will arrive in time to help the current group.
I’m a big believer in playoff experience for younger players; Columbus Blue Jackets director of player personnel Rick Nash explained it to me a few months back when we spoke on the record. The Red Wings have high-end younger players like Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Simon Edvinsson who have yet to sniff postseason play and would benefit in the long run by getting those games in this season.
Unfortunately, in what feels like an annual post-February tradition, the Red Wings are in full free fall and are three points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference behind the New York Islanders (though they have two games in hand). Yet another playoff miss would be a hard hit for Detroit, which has some players entering the twilight of their careers and others who need playoff experience.
1. Ottawa Senators
Analytically speaking, the Senators are a top-three team in the NHL this season based on expected goal percentage, per our friends at Money Puck. Defensively, they are atop the NHL in xGoals Against per 60 minutes. What head coach Travis Green has been able to do with this group that once could not defend under and turn them into of the best structured teams in the NHL is nothing short of remarkable.
Unfortunately, horrendous goaltending – due to the horrible play of Leevi Merlainen and the injury/office issues around Linus Ullmark – sunk the Senators far behind the eight-ball earlier in the campaign. They have been an amazing story so far (though not as much as the Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres), but absolutely need to get into the playoffs; after the multi-year rebuild, a one-and-done playoff berth after last season can’t be the case for GM Steve Staios.
And above all else, the Senators are, quite literally, a top-tier team this season. Now that they are getting consistent play between the pipes, they are getting the results that their underlying process always warranted. Clinching a playoff berth is an absolute must for the Senators.
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