Implications

We are getting closer and closer to March, which means playoff implications are beginning to set their flame. The fight for the top seeds is now in full swing with a battle atop both conferences, and the Wild-Card races are tuning up for an electric nail-bitin' finish. I will discuss the fist fight taking place atop the East, Wild-Card mania, and the epic scoring pace of Auston Matthews. Tis the season. The fight for the playoffs.

The quest for 60 is in full activation mode for Auston Matthews. He can smell it. Matthews just became the fastest US-born player to score 50 goals in a season (54 games) and looks well on pace to wrist in 60 goals on the campaign to match his career high (21-22). Matching a career high sounds good, but he will set even more prestigious feats. Hittin' 60 goals will mark just the 6th time a skater has accomplished the feat in the 21st-century and will make Matthews the only man to do it twice since 2000.

Matthews' goal pace is something we aren't custom to seeing in the past 24 years. The 80s-90s showcased 60+ goal scorers at will with over 20 instances. Just five players have hit the mark in this century thus far: Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrňák, Steven Stamkos, and Matthews. McDavid puttin' up 64 last season, one shy of Ovechkin's 65, has ignited motivation inside of Matthews who aims to top both of them for the most goals in a season this century. With two more goals last night, Matthews now sits at 51... it's inevitable he hits the 60 mark again.

Having 51 goals in 54 games gives off the obvious fact that Matthews must be having a slew of multi-goal games. Factual indeed and he's making history in that regard too. Matthews has 6 hat-tricks on the season, ranking him third all-time for the most in a season, just two shy of the record held by Brett Hull in 1991-92. Matthews also has 11 two-goal games. Just remarkable scoring, so remarkable it elevates the Leafs to victories, which is why they now hold a strong grasp of the three-seed in the Atlantic. Maple Leafs are 12-2-3 when AM34 scores 2 or more goals. His scoring is valuable to the league and most importantly- his club.

We will have to consider Matthews for the Hart Trophy if he eclipses that 60 mark and if the Maple Leafs climb higher atop the Eastern Conference standings. Matthews' 75 points now ranks him 5th in the league, he is will ahead in goals, and let's not forget about his plus/minus that ranks him 10th in the NHL (4th among forwards). He is playing stellar hockey, but right now my sights and attention are on how high he can go in the goals department. Thinking he can tie Ovi's 65 isn't a crazy thought.

Wild-Card mania is warming up inside the Eastern Conference as the Red Wings and Lightning try to keep grasp of the WC seeds ahead of the bottom portion of the Metropolitan division. Toronto holding a five-point advantage over the Wings and Lightning atop the Atlantic makes the current Wild-Card race in the East a four-way fight between Detroit, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, and NYI. Washington and Pittsburgh are in the hunt, but have some ground to make up.

I don't expect the East standings to do too much shifting in the coming weeks. Devils are the only "in the hunt" team, that I think will could make ground on the Wings for the final WC spot. Islanders have no f'n business being in the hunt as they only sit in the 10-spot in due thanks to their 14 overtime-loss points. Another massive example of how ridiculous OTL points are, by the way. They are 23-32 and should have 46 points- not 60. I won't ever change my opinion on that. Participation points is the only way to define OTL points. Silly!

Can the Caps or Penguins make a run? Capitals may have the best opportunity to flip the script due to their remaining schedule. Washington has three games against Detroit remaining, two against Tampa Bay (first is tonight), and 67% of the remaining schedj is inner-conference play (20 games). Many opportunities to get major points to alter the playoff climate in the East; it's up to the Capitals if they want to take advantage. I'm skeptical on it, as I am on any chances for the Pens. Pittsburgh is about to get drilled with road games and has shown the same inconsistency as the Capitals- just in better looking fashion (positive point differential). Both squads are alive, but they must tread lightly. I see it being Tampa Bay and Detroit by seasons end.

The Wild-Card picture on the other side of the pond gives off different vibes. The surging Blues have claimed the final WC spot going into the weekend, but the fight has only started as five teams are set to throw caution to the wind. The top spot is locked down at the moment between the Kings or the Oilers. Those two are in a fight for the 3-seed atop the West with the WC giving them a nice safe-jacket. Blues don't have that luxury. They will be treading water and looking behind their shoulder the rest of the season.

Flames, Kraken, Wild, and Predators are all cramped together with the Blues. Each team has rollercoaster vibes that define their campaign. Win streaks. Losing streaks. Repeat. This race is going to be mayhem. We have nine games across the final stretch that have two of these fives teams squaring off. Each team has faced the bottom this season, and each overcame adversity to remain in the hunt. Including two coaching changes (Wild & Blues). Anything can happen here. I expect this to be a five-team race all the way to the white flag.

Neither team will be able to afford another long losing streak. Gotta have an "every point matters" type of mindset going into this final stretch. If I am going to drop a prediction... then I'll roll with the Predators to secure the final spot with the Blues a point or two behind them, and the Kraken making a last ditch effort in the final two weeks. Not too confident one way or the other. I am confident this will remain close for the remainder of the campaign. Let the noise begin.

It sure has been a noisy fight atop the East, and will only get louder as the season concludes. Bruins. Panthers. Rangers. Who wants the East more!?

Bruins hold a one point lead for the top spot, but can feel the Rangers and Panthers trying to slip-stream past their wing. Rangers' win streak of eight, and the Panthers' win streak of six, are currently the two hottest streaks in Chel. Nothing new for either club. Panthers won 9-games in a row in late December/early January, while the Rangers won 6-games in a row in October. Bruins losing five of their last eight games is not a good thing if they wish to keep that top spot.

Boston needs to worry about the Panthers the most, who I named the "Most Feared" team coming out of the All-Star break. Florida has won ten of their last eleven games after losing four in a row. They are the hottest team in Chel and are hungry for the East and the Presidents Trophy. I don't expect them to have any large spurts of losing to close out the season. If the same goes with the Rangers- then boy will we have a great triple-threat fight for the number one seed in the East. We have five slated matchups to take place between these three teams before the checkered flag. Boston has won the first two games against the Panthers, with the final two games expected to have some implications on the line. On the flip side; Boston is 0-2 against the Rangers with a final meeting coming up on March 31st. The top seed is up for either one of these three to take.

It's hard to bet on the Bruins losing the top spot, but I think the Panthers will claim it once the dust settles. Those two games on the schedj are massive and will have me tuning in. Panthers are just so well-rounded and they feed off high-level games. They feed off delivering the crowd noise. Again, I could be wrong. Bruins are damn good. I just love betting on this Panthers team. They are fun to bet on. What a treat we have as this race reaches it's peak of excitement. It's going to come down to which superior team wants it more. A beautiful reality for hockey and the fans. Let the sparks fly.

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