Is this going to be the season that all five teams from a division make the playoffs? Since the 2000-01 season, when the NHL went to its current six-division format, it has never happened, but there’s a solid chance this season with the Pacific Division. San Jose, Phoenix, the Kings and Anaheim are all among the top eight, and Dallas is in ninth place, two points back of eighth-place Chicago with three games remaining. Under the current format, the Pacific Division has never even put four teams in the playoffs in the same season.
Overall, eight times in the last decade, four teams from one division have made the playoffs, but never have all five teams made it. The closest call was in 2009 when Nashville, the fifth-place team in the Central Division, finished in 10th place in the Western Conference, three points behind eighth-place Anaheim. Here’s a rundown of the divisions that have placed four teams in the postseason, and how close the fifth-place team came to making it a sweep…
2009-10 — Northeast Division, fifth-place Toronto finished 14 points out of a playoff spot.
2008-09 — Atlantic Division, fifth-place New York Islanders finished 32 points out. Central Division, fifth-place Nashville finished three points out.
2007-08 — Atlantic Division, fifth-place New York Islanders finished 15 points out.
2006-07 — Atlantic Division, fifth-place Philadelphia finished 36 points out.
2003-04 — Northeast Division, fifth-place Buffalo finished six points out.
2002-03 — Northwest Division, fifth-place Calgary finished 17 points out.
2001-02 — Northeast Division, fifth-place Buffalo finished five points out.
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