The free-falling Nashville Predators have created a possibility that many would have summarily dismissed just a few weeks ago.
Could only four teams from the Central Division make the playoffs?
It’s not just the Preds’ struggles that have us asking this question. In the Pacific Division -- the same one that looked so, so terrible just a short time ago -- here’s what’s been happening:
-- The Arizona Coyotes are 9-2-3 since their December swoon, thanks in large part to unlikely hero Louis Domingue.
--The Anaheim Ducks are on a 7-3-2 run. They even scored a whopping four times last night.
-- The San Jose Sharks have won three straight, clearly motivated after being called out on this here blog.
-- The Vancouver Canucks are 6-2-2 in their last 10. They’re getting healthier, too.
-- The Calgary Flames keep hanging around. They’ve won three of their last five, including last night’s 6-0 drubbing of the Panthers.
Here are the wild-card standings today:
Here they were a month ago:
Still a long ways to go before the postseason, but the landscape has definitely shifted these last few weeks.