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The 2020 Playoff Chase: nine weeks to go

Photo credit: Dan Hamilton/USA Today Sports

By Ryan Pike

Feb 6, 2020, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 5, 2020, 23:51 EST

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The Calgary Flames played two games this past week. They lost both games. As a result, they’re still very much in the playoff picture but they’re sliding down the ladder with nine weeks to go.

The Pacific (in a snazzy table!)

	GP	Pct.	Pts	Reg W	ROW	This weekend
Canucks (P1)	54	.602	65	23	27	2/6 @ MIN, 2/8 vs CGY
Oilers (P2)	53	.585	62	24	26	2/6 vs SJS, 2/8 vs. NSH
Flames (P3)	54	.556	60	17	21	2/6 vs NSH, 2/8 @ VAN
Golden Knights (WC1)	55	.555	61	21	24	2/6 @ FLA, 2/8 vs CAR
Coyotes (WC2)	55	.555	61	20	22	2/6 vs CAR, 2/8 @ OTT
Sharks	54	.463	48	17	21	2/6 @ EDM
Ducks	53	.462	45	15	17	2/6 @ MTL, 2/7 @ TOR, 2/9 @ BUF
Kings	54	.398	41	13	19	2/6 @ NYI, 2/8 @ NJD, 2/9 @ NYR

Notable Central teams

	GP	Pct.	Pts	Reg W	ROW	This weekend
Predators	52	.548	57	20	23	2/6 @ CGY, 2/8 @ EDM
Blackhawks	53	.538	57	18	22	2/9 @ WPG
Jets	54	.528	57	19	23	2/6 @ STL, 2/8 vs. OTT, 2/9 vs CHI
Wild	52	.519	54	21	23	2/6 vs VAN, 2/7 @ DAL, 2/9 vs COL

The tiebreakers are, in order:

Points percentage.
Regulation wins.
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW).
Wins of any kind.
Points earned in head-to-head games between tied teams. (If they’ve played an uneven amount of games head-to-head, the first “extra” home game is thrown out.)
Goal differential.
Goals for.

Typically-speaking, it’s rare that tiebreakers go further than a couple levels down. But the “regulation wins” distinction is new this season, and the idea is to de-emphasize the shootout.

The race

Central Division: Right now, St. Louis, Dallas and Colorado are functionally locked into the top three divisional spots.

Pacific Division: Vancouver has separated themselves a bit from the pack, with Edmonton make a strong bid for second. The Flames have back-slid into the wildcard clump with a bad week. They’re in a divisional playoff spot by virtue of points percentage (but are behind Vegas and Arizona in points).

Wild Cards: Vegas and Arizona are ahead of the pack right now (chasing down Calgary). Nashville, Chicago and Winnipeg are quietly closing the gap. If Nashville beats Calgary on Thursday night, they’ll be within a point with a game in hand.