When will the Flames clinch a playoff spot?
By Ryan Pike
5 years agoThe Calgary Flames are going to be part of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. They have more points accumulated than the projected playoff cutline. So when are they officially going to punch their ticket to the postseason?
The Flames officially clinch a playoff spot when they cannot fall out of a playoff spot mathematically. That occurs when either (a) they cannot be caught by the fourth place Pacific Division team or (b) they cannot be caught by the Western Conference’s ninth place team.
Let’s look at both scenarios.
The divisional race: Arizona
When the Flames’ current points match or exceed Arizona’s total possible points, the Flames will guarantee a top three finish in the Pacific Division. Right now, accounting for possible tie-breakers, the Flames’ magic number against Arizona is 7.5 – a combination of 7.5 Flames wins or Coyotes losses clinches.
Here’s how the two teams’ schedules look:
- Monday: Calgary vs. Toronto
- Tuesday: Arizona vs. Anaheim
- Wednesday: Calgary at Vegas
- Thursday: Calgary at Arizona
- Saturday: Arizona vs. Los Angeles
- March 10: Calgary vs. Vegas
If the Flames win out and Arizona loses out, the earliest the Flames would clinch would be March 11 when Arizona plays Chicago. That said, the probable scenario is that Arizona wins a game or two here and so the Flames would likely clinch later in the week – potentially around March 14 or 15.
The wildcard race: Colorado
When the Flames’ current points match or exceed Colorado’s total possible points, the Flames will guarantee at least a wildcard spot. Accounting for possible tie-breakers, the Flames’ magic number against Colorado is 7 – a combination of 7 Flames wins or Avalanche losses clinches.
Here’s another schedule snapshot:
- Sunday: Colorado at Anaheim
- Monday: Calgary vs. Toronto
- Tuesday: Colorado vs. Detroit
- Wednesday: Calgary at Vegas
- Thursday: Colorado at Dallas, Calgary at Arizona
- Saturday: Colorado vs. Buffalo
- March 10: Calgary vs. Vegas
If the Flames win out and Colorado loses all their games, the Flames clinch on Saturday. If you accept that both of those things won’t necessarily happen (Colorado will win some games), the Flames likely clinch in the Colorado scenario sometime around March 15.
Sum it up
Long story short: in either clinching scenario, the Flames will need around 10 more days to make it mathematically impossible for them to finish outside of a playoff spot.
The most likely clinching date, in either scenario, is around March 15.
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