HabsWorld.net -- 

Well, we’re down to 5 weeks in the season, and the Eastern Conference playoff
race continues to be pretty tight.  The New York Islanders, the Montreal
Canadiens, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Florida Panthers all are making pushes
for the playoffs, however, there are just 2 spots available for these teams,
barring an incredible collapse from either the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple
Leafs, or the New Jersey Devils.


The purpose of this article:  To analyze the schedule for the 4 teams
vying for the 7th and 8th playoff spots.  We’ll begin with listing the
actual standings of the 4 teams.
























Team Record Points
7) Montreal Canadiens 33-25-6-2 74
8) New York Islanders 30-23-9-2 71
9) Buffalo Sabres 28-30-6-1 63
10) Florida Panthers 23-26-13-3 62


Standings as of games played through February 28, 2004.


As it appears, it seems as if it would require a large collapse from either
the Habs or Isles for Buffalo or Florida to make the postseason, however, this
may not be the case.  Montreal is considered to have the most difficult
schedule down the stretch of any team in the NHL, while the Islanders have a
fairly easy one.


So, without further ado, let’s do an analysis of the schedules for the teams
in the hunt for the playoffs, starting with the Montreal Canadiens.








































































Date Matchup Above/Below .500
March 1

New Jersey at Montreal

Above
March 3 Montreal at San Jose Above
March 5 Montreal at Phoenix Below
March 6 Montreal at Los Angeles Above
March 8 Montreal at Anaheim Below
March 11

Florida at Montreal

Below
March 13

Colorado at Montreal

Above
March 16

Toronto at Montreal

Above
March 19

Montreal at New Jersey

Above
March 20

New Jersey at Montreal

Above
March 24 Montreal at Buffalo Below
March 25 Ottawa at Montreal Above
March 27 Montreal at Boston Above
March 31 Montreal at NY Islanders Above
April 1 Philadelphia at Montreal Above
April 3 Buffalo at Montreal Below


Analysis


Number of home games remaining: 8


Number of away games remaining: 8


Number of games versus teams above .500: 11


Number of games versus teams below .500: 5


 


Next, the New York Islanders:
















































































Date Matchup Above/Below .500
Feb. 29

Pittsburgh at NY Islanders

Below
March 2

NY Islanders at Pittsburgh

Below
March 4 NY Islanders at Toronto Above
March 6 St. Louis at NY Islanders Above
March 9 NY Islanders at St. Louis Above
March 11 NY Islanders at San Jose Above
March 12 NY Islanders at Anaheim Below
March 16 NY Islanders at Tampa Bay Above
March 17 NY Islanders at Florida Below
March 19 Minnesota at NY Islanders Below
March 21 Tampa Bay at NY Islanders Above
March 23 Washington at NY Islanders Below
March 25 NY Islanders at Philadelphia Above
March 27 Carolina at NY Islanders Below
March 28 NY Islanders at New Jersey Above
March 31 Montreal at NY Islanders Above
April 2 NY Islanders at Carolina Below
April 4 Philadelphia at NY Islanders Above


Analysis


Number of home games remaining: 8


Number of away games remaining: 10


Number of games versus teams above .500: 10


Number of games versus teams below .500: 8


 


Next, the Buffalo Sabres:












































































Date Matchup Above/Below .500
March 3

Ottawa at Buffalo

Above
March 6

Buffalo at Toronto

Above
March 7 St. Louis at Buffalo Above
March 10 Buffalo at Washington Below
March 11 Boston at Buffalo Above
March 13 Buffalo at Boston Above
March 15 Toronto at Buffalo Above
March 17 Buffalo at Atlanta Below
March 18 Buffalo at Tampa Bay Above
March 20 Buffalo at Florida Below
March 24 Montreal at Buffalo Above
March 26 Pittsburgh at Buffalo Below
March 27 Buffalo at Pittsburgh Below
March 29 Columbus at Buffalo Below
March 31 Buffalo at New York Below
April 2 Toronto at Buffalo Above
April 3 Buffalo at Montreal Above


Analysis


Number of home games remaining: 8


Number of away games remaining: 9


Number of games versus teams above .500: 10


Number of games versus teams below .500: 7


 


And finally, there’s the Florida Panthers:












































































Date Matchup Above/Below .500
Feb. 29

Florida at Chicago

Below
March 2 Florida at Washington Below
March 3

New Jersey at Florida

Above
March 6 Tampa Bay at Florida Above
March 9 Florida at Toronto Above
March 11 Florida at Montreal Above
March 13 NY Rangers at Florida Below
March 17 NY Islanders at Florida Above
March 19 Florida at Atlanta Below
March 20 Buffalo at Florida Below
March 23 New Jersey at Florida Above
March 25 Florida at Carolina Below
March 27 Atlanta  at Florida Below
March 29 Carolina at Florida Below
March 31 Ottawa at Florida Above
April 1 Florida at Tampa Bay Above
April 4 Carolina at Florida Below


Analysis


Number of home games remaining: 10


Number of away games remaining: 7


Number of games versus teams above .500: 8


Number of games versus teams below .500: 9


 


So, as you can see, the Habs do play the most games against teams above .500,
while the Panthers play the fewest of these particular games.  Florida also
has the most home games, while the Islanders have the most road games. 
What does it all mean?  It means there’s still plenty of hockey to be
played, and it’s probably too early to begin fretting over the schedule. 
Oh well, it’s here for you now anyways… 


With 5 weeks to go, it’s getting to be crunch time in the NHL, and if the
Sabres and Panthers want to make the playoffs, they need to go on a winning
streak, and soon.  As for the Habs and Isles, they control their own
destiny, if they win, they’re in, but if they go on a losing streak, then they
could be in trouble.  Hockey fans, don’t touch that dial, we’re in for an
exciting finish to the season.


For Hab fans, here’s a little numbers crunch.  If the Habs were to play
.500 hockey (8-8-0-0) in their remaining games, it would take these records from
their opponents to catch/tie them:


New York Islanders:  9-8-1-0 (71+19)


Buffalo Sabres:  13-3-1-0 (63+27)


Florida Panthers:  14-3-0-0 (62+28)


*Remember, this is only IF the Habs play .500 hockey down the stretch; if
they do better, it becomes virtually impossible to be caught by Buffalo and
Florida, but if they play under .500, then it becomes easier to be caught. 
The skinny:  If they win, they’re in, simple as that.


Questions/comments?  E-mail me at [email protected].


As for last week’s trivia question, the answer is C –
Detroit
.  The 1985-86 Red Wings compiled a less than stellar 40
points that season.