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Which teams will claim Wild Card spots in the Western Conference? |
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In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on how the Western Conference Wild Card race will play out.
Todd Cordell
I think Dallas will hold onto their spot and Colorado will snatch the other from Minnesota.
It's not that I'm high on the Avalanche, although I think they've played better than their recent results suggest. I'm just more concerned about the Wild.
Devan Dubnyk's game has fallen off a cliff – he has posted a sub .900 SV% in six of his last seven games – and Alex Stalock is a mediocre backup at best so they're not getting goaltending. Underrated captain Mikko Koivu is lost for the season. There's no timetable for Mathew Dumba to return. Viktor Rask hasn't provided much, if any, value while Nino Niederreiter is killing it in Carolina. Jason Zucker headlines a handful of other key underachieving players. There's just a lot going wrong for the Wild and not much going right.
Are they as bad as their recent record? No, but neither are the Avalanche and I feel they have more they can hang their hat on (a better goaltending tandem, a truly elite top line, a dynamic power play, etc.). I think the standings will reflect that come April.
Trevor Shackles
I'll say that the Stars and Wild make it in, just because they seem like the best of the worst options. Nobody outside of the top-6 in the Western Conference is very good, but these two teams seem to have the least amount of holes...relatively that is, compared to the bottom of the conference. The Blackhawks have been hot and are suddenly back in the race, plus the Avalanche can potentially get by on the strength of their top line, but I'll stick with my prediction of the Wild.
Sean Maloughney
The Stars and The Avalanche will be the two Wild Card teams in the West. Dallas seems like a lock at this point and it is doubtful they fall completely out of the playoff picture.
We may not know who has the final Wild Card spot until the last game of the season; that is how close teams are this season. The Avalanche have the best overall goal differential of any team not in a playoff position right now but have run into a string of losses through February. Goaltending still continues to be the main issue in Colorado and I don't expect them to make waves once they are there, but odds favor them clinching the final spot.
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