The trade deadline has come and gone yet again and many things have changed. Calgary has had half their team banned. Games overturned have flipped the standings on their head. Now that the trade deadline has passed we are looking towards the playoffs, and soon enough, towards next season as well.
Central Division
St Louis Blues 41-3-1 (9-0-0) LOCKED IN
The Blue once again had a perfect week as they now sit just 1 point back of the Vegas Golden Knights in the President’s Trophy race. This team has been absolutely spectacular all season long and now with just 15 games remaining they find themselves re-acquiring Konzy to make a run for the cup. Probably the biggest threat remaining to the Knights with Calgary having 9 games overturned due to use of a 2nd tag.
Top Performer: jeff0012: 8 GP, 10 G, 23 A, 33 Pts, 4.13 P/G, 8-0-0
Nashville Predators 23-17-4 (6-3-0) LIKELY
The defending stanley cup champions have been a prime example of just how bad this Central division is this season. Sitting just 2 games above .500 with a 0 goal differential and in 2nd place is an indictment on some of the worst management the league has ever seen and I doubt we will see that improve any time soon. This team will continue to sit in 2nd until literally any other team in the division can surpass them.
Top Performer: Justin I87I: 7 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 Pts, 2.14 P/G, 4-3-0
Dallas Stars 22-17-6 (4-4-1) PROBABLE
The Dallas Stars have still remained kind of in the middle of nowhere despite making a lot of trades recently. All of the moves have resulted in a whole lot of nothing in regards to performance and the team remains under .500 despite holding a divisional playoff spot. Dallas is going to be non-competitive against 80% of the league and yet here they stand comfortably in a playoff spot with a magic number of just 8 wins, or 15 points.
Top Performer: LeCupidon: 6 GP, 10 G, 13 A, 23 Pts, 3.83 P/G, 3-3-0
Pacific Division
Vegas Golden Knights 42-3-0 (8-1-0) LOCKED IN
The Vegas Golden Knights were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season and by golly are they dominant. Just 3 losses all season long to 3 different teams and they are looking poised to take the President’s Trophy. With that being said a loss to their only real President’s Trophy rival in St Louis has jeopardized their chances at it as they now only hold a 1 point lead in the race for regular season champion. These next 15 games will be massive for them.
Top Performer: mgzQC: 6 GP, 17 G, 12 A, 29 Pts, 4.83 P/G, 5-1-0
Los Angeles Kings 26-12-6 (3-4-2) LIKELY
This team might be the single largest benefactor of the situation with the Flames as they have gone from on the fringe to comfortably in a playoff position behind the Knights. If they can just finish the season going 8-8-0 they should easily make the playoffs. But, stranger things have happened and this team failed to reach .500 last week,
Top Performer: o Riedel o: 9 GP, 7 G, 7 A, 14 Pts, 1.56 P/G, 3-4-2
Calgary Flames 25-20-0 (5-4-0) UNLIKELY
Yes, I mean it when I say this team is unlikely to make the playoffs. They have a 10 point lead over the 2nd wildcard spot but it looks to be questionable if they can even ice a team this week after the waves that came out of Calgary starting on Thursday. 9 games overturned and both managers banned following the exposing of an illegal tag. Ghostbear is gonna have a lot of work to do if he wants to get this team into the postseason.
Top Performer: No one.
WILD CARD
Minnesota Wild 21-20-4 (5-4-0) PROBABLE
The Minnesota Wild currently hold the first wild card position in the Western Conference with a magic number of 12 wins or 24 points. It sounds like a big ask but a lot of the teams behind them in the standings have been severely struggling and with Calgary folding that should open up an additional playoff spot in the divisional race.
Top Performer: Yung96: 7 GP. 12 G, 12 A, 24 Pts, 3.43 P/G, 4-3-0
Vancouver Canucks 20-19-3 (6-2-1) PROBABLE
The Vancouver Canucks are a bit more difficult to judge due to a lack of games played compared to most teams in the playoff races. I have them slightly ahead of the Wild currently and they should be able to compete to pass the Calgary Flames as well in their 18 remaining games as they currently sit just 9 points back with 4 games in hand.
Top Performer: Carney 94: 5 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 Pts, 2.80 P/G, 2-2-1
Seattle Kraken 19-24-2 (7-2-0) LIKELY
Sitting just 10 points back of the Calgary Flames with 30 points still on the table and a team that looks the best it has all season long I expect to see the Seattle Kraken leapfrog to 3rd in the Pacific with great haste and if the Kings can’t find their game and soon I wouldn’t be in the slightest shocked to see them claim home ice for the first round of the playoffs as well. Kozak clearly knows what he is doing.
Top Performer: Shifty Lonewolf: 7 GP, 12 G, 7 A, 19 Pts, 2.71 P/G, 5-2-0
As we move into the last full week of games this season the VGHL Western Conference has certainly undergone a great number of changes. Calgary is all but irrelevant and some teams are slowly but surely claiming playoff spots as the number of teams still competing for these coveted spots quickly dwindles. The weather is heating up outside and so is the chase for supremacy in the VGHL.
TTFN,
Clark
