NFL
By Jesse Rosales
As of this writing, there are 6 teams that have clinched playoff births for the 22-23 Stanely Cup Playoffs in the NHL Western Conference. That being said the Divisions are wide open as well as the Wild Card race where there are still 4 teams in the hunt. With less than 6 games to go for most of the NHL franchises in the West, I will take a look at some of the most impactful matches coming up in the next couple of weeks as well as give my predictions for which teams will solidify themselves as a playoff team in the NHL Western Conference. For my picks in the East, click the link: HERE
How does the NHL Wild Card race work?
Each NHL Conference reverses 2 wild card spots which represent the 7th and 8th playoff positions for that respective conference. The 2 teams that end up in one of the two wild-card spots can come from any of the divisions. Each division is allotted 3 spots as well, outside of the wild card, which are reserved for the top 3 teams in the division standings at the end of the regular season.
Wild Card Race In the NHL Western Conference
The NHL Western Conference is very interesting in that not only are the wild card spots undecided at this point, and the Division spots are also completely up for grabs as well. The Colorado Avalanche are currently sitting in first place in the Central, but they are tied with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild for total points. The Avs have 6 games remaining though whereas the Wild and Stars only have 5 games left. Advantage Colorado.
In the Pacific Divison, The Vegas Golden Knights are sitting at the top with 104 points. The Oilers are close behind them with 101 points, and the LA Kings, who have also clinched a playoff birth, are currently in 3rd. All those teams have 4 games remaining with Edmonton having the easiest strength of schedule ahead. This year there is a clear advantage in ending the season at the top of your respective division. The prize is playing a wild card team and not having to play against another top-notch team from your own division. Here are those teams and their chances of clinching a playoff birth.
Seattle Kraken: 
The Kraken have 5 games remaining including 2 tough games against the Golden Knights, but 2 games against the Coyotes and 1 against Chicago. Both are winnable games for sure. I’m going to give the Kraken a split with Vegas and give them 5 points against the Coyotes and Blackhawks. They currently have 94 points, so this would give them a protected total of 101 points to finish the season. Will that be enough?
Winnipeg Jets: 
The Jets have really been fighting all year to get to this point. They currently are in the second wild-card spot with 89 total points. The Jets have 5 games remaining, all against different opponents. They face Colorado, Minnesota, San Jose, Calgary, and Nashville. That is a pretty brutal schedule. I can really only confidently give them 4 total points during that stretch, and it may all come down to the Calgary game as to which team makes it into the final wild-card spot. I’m projecting 93 total points for the Jets including what will be a devastating loss to Calgary with the playoffs on the line.
Calgary Flames: 
Calgary hasn’t lived up to expectations all year. They have gone 6-3-1 in their last 10 games giving them an outside shot at the playoffs. The Flames currently have 87 points and sit just behind Winnipeg for the final wild-card spot. To make matters worse, the Flames only have 4 games left. They face Winnipeg, San Jose, Vancouver, and Nashville. It wouldn’t be crazy to think they could win all 4 games. I’m going to give them 6 points and say they beat the Jets. That will give them 93 points but they would own the tie-breaker over the Jets.
Nashville Predators: 
The Preds traded away a lot of talent at the trade deadline. They also have a lot of key players on the injury list. Somehow, they are still alive in the NHL Western Conference playoff race with 86 points. Nashville has a total of 5 games remaining which does give them an advantage over the Flames. The downside for them is that their schedule is incredibly difficult. They close their season against the Hurricanes, Avalanche, Wild, Jets, and Flames. On the plus side, they do technically control their own destiny if they win out with that schedule.
That being said, I don’t think there is much of a chance for that to happen. I’m giving the Preds 2 points in those 5 games, which leaves them under 90 points and out of the playoffs. I’m picking the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames to end up in the NHL Western Conference wild-card spots.
As for the division winners, with Colorado having 6 games remaining including 3 games against significantly lessor-talented teams, I’m definitely going with Colorado in the Central. The Pacific Divison is a little tougher to predict but I’m going to fade the favorite which is Vegas and go with the team with the best player in the world, and the easiest remaining schedule. I’m taking the Oilers to win the Pacific Division on their last game of the season. Let’s get ready for the playoffs!
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