EHE Playoff Race: Pre-Deadline Edition

With the EHE Trade Deadline less than 48 hours away, let's take a look at where the Gretzky Conference standings sit as teams have anywhere from 15 to 17 games remaining on the 2018-19 schedule.

GRETZKY CONFERENCE

C-1: Minnesota Wild - 45-16-5, 95 pts, 45 ROW, 16 games remaining
P-1: Vegas Golden Knights - 42-22-1, 85 pts, 41 ROW, 17 games remaining
C-2: Nashville Predators - 37-18-10, 84 pts, 35 ROW, 17 games remaining
C-3: Dallas Stars - 39-22-5, 83 pts, 38 ROW, 16 games remaining
P-2: Arizona Coyotes - 38-23-4, 80 pts, 38 ROW, 17 games remaining
P-3: Edmonton Oilers - 33-28-5, 71 pts, 31 ROW, 16 games remaining
WC-1: Chicago Blackhawks - 37-24-6, 80 pts, 36 ROW, 15 games remaining
WC-2: Colorado Avalanche - 33-26-7, 73 pts, 29 ROW, 16 games remaining
*****PLAYOFF CUT LINE*****
C-6: Winnipeg Jets - 34-28-5, 73 pts, 34 ROW, 15 games remaining

Teams under .500: Vancouver (65 pts), Los Angeles (64 pts), San Jose (60 pts), St. Louis (60 pts), Calgary (55 pts), Anaheim (51 pts)

NOTES: The race in the Gretzky is basically down to 9 teams as the Canucks and Kings can probably only hope to catch Edmonton (with a lot of help) for that third place spot in the Pacific Division. The Central could field six of their seven teams if the playoff race was based solely on points, as both the Avalanche and Jets would get in over the Oilers at this stage. Winnipeg actually has tiebreakers over Colorado for the final wild-card position, but Colorado has a game in hand.

PROJECTED FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS:

Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalance or Winnipeg Jets

The Wild have steamrolled their way to the top of the Gretzky with an impressive 14-victory winning streak. Three players are enjoying 30-plus goal campaigns, and Minnesota has the largest team plus/minus mark by a wide margin at an incredible +387. There's no "Lightning" mishap here - whoever gets into the playoffs as the WC-2 seed faces a daunting task in beating the Wild. The one Achilles heel? Goaltending, which has been average for Minnesota. Anything can happen, but don't expect a miracle here.

Vegas Golden Knights vs Chicago Blackhawks

This could be an all-out war, as both teams have been solid all season. Vegas has trumped the Blackhawks in two of the three matchups this season but heading into the trade deadline, things are eerily quiet in Sin City. GM Doug Waite seems content to ride into the playoffs with the crew that got them there. It's slightly different as the winds of change continue to blow through the Windy City. Chicago made a big pre-deadline splash with the acquisition of Joe Thornton and will doubtless make at least one or two more moves to get back under the salary cap before Saturday at 3:00pm. The Hawks have been hot under new coach Ken Hitchcock, but as we know from experience, the playoffs make the regular season seem like a distant memory.

Nashville Predators vs Dallas Stars

Talk about a bloodbath. There is little doubt that the Central Division is the toughest in the EHE, and these first-round matchups show just how tough it will be to escape to the next round. One of these teams will be escaping more than defeating their opponent, as both the Stars and Predators have proven to be upper echelon clubs all season. With Dallas loading up for war in the form of new acquisitions like Niklas Backstrom, P.K. Subban, Brent Burns, and Jonathan Marchessault, one has to think Dallas will have an edge in Round 1. But don't count Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and the rest of the Preds out just yet. Nashville is built for the playoffs, and this year, they'll actually be there.

Arizona Coyotes vs Edmonton Oilers

Many will say that Edmonton will just be fortunate to make the post-season, let alone do anything once they get there. But the disparity between the Oilers and the Coyotes isn't all that wide. The same people could say that Arizona has overachieved with a rag-tag group led by star center Claude Giroux and stellar netminder Jonathan Quick. But don't sleep on the Oil so quickly, as there is plenty of experience on this team and a goalie of their own who can steal a series in Martin Jones. This would be quite the 'toss-up' series, with the winner getting Vegas or Chicago in the second round - and probably a trip to the golf course thereafter. But stranger things have happened...

Stay tuned - we'll have the Lemieux Conference playoff race previewed after the Trade Deadline. Enjoy gents!