Curious Hair wrote:
There's no next year, really. This run was supposed to be over after last year, but then Kane and Crawford pulled career years out of nowhere and propped up a bunch of guys on the downsides of their careers (Toews, Hossa, Seabrook) and assorted bodies who aren't cut out for a division race of this intensity. When the money for Seabrook's fat ass squeezes out even more talent, this won't be pretty. It was a great run, of course.
Seven games left and you have
Vancouver: #3 goalie in the second half of a road back-to-back = loss
Minnesota: road game in the division = loss
Winnipeg: road game in the division but it's the Jets = win
Bruins: haven't seen a passable performance against the Bruins in a long time = loss
Coyotes: home game against a team playing out the string = win
Blues: home game in the division against a team chasing points = loss
Blue Jackets: last game of the year against a tanking team = win
EDIT: that last game is in Columbus so it's possible we don't send a true NHL roster that game and drop it
So you're looking at three wins in the last seven, spot 'em a loser point somewhere in there, that's an even 100 points on the year, which should be enough for our third consecutive third-place finish (EDIT: 98 if they tank the Beej game). Nashville needs ten in seven to pass against the Avs, @Stars, @Pens, Sharks, Avs, Coyotes, @Stars, which is just a shred tougher than the Hawks' slate. (EDIT: make that eight)
I find it hard to argue with any of your analysis. The only thing is the games are played on the ice, not on paper. I'm not expecting a deep run this year. I wasn't really expecting one last year, either. But I'm a Cub fan, so my lack of optimism is inherent.