Focus. Determination. Long days and short nights. Quick trips and long excursions to the other coast. . . . It has been 8 months since the season began, and approximately 20 teams are left to vie for the 16 playoff spots.
As of last night, 4 teams have clinched a playoff spot–Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and the Winnipeg Jets. The expansion team, Las Vegas Golden Knights, have surprised everyone by being in the running for another one of those spots in its inaugural season. Everyone else has yet to lock in a spot even with 90+ points, but the Las Vegas Golden Knights will probably be the next team to do so.
It has been a record setting season. It is the first season an expansion team has ever tallied 100 points. It is the first time since the inauguration of the National Hockey League (NHL) that an expansion team has, or as it should be said, will make the playoffs. It is only the third season that a team has won double digit consecutive games (Columbus Blue Jackets 2017-18, 2016-17 and Pittsburgh Penguins 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and Philadelphia Flyers 1984-85, 1985-86). Amazingly, neither Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or Columbus has clinched a playoff spot yet.
Tonight, there are several games with potential playoff impact . . . a two points earned or another’s team’s loss and your the team in. It’s beginning to look like the playoffs, and that’s evident by the tweet posted by the Golden Knights:
These replies make it sound like this will be fun 😳
So…
let’s go Oilers!
*washes mouth out with soap* https://t.co/6DIylveBac
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 26, 2018
Source: @GoldenKnights