As usual, the Western Conference playoff race is tight, and figures to remain so for the rest of the season. The Kings come out of the All-Star break in seventh place, six points behind sixth-place Chicago and six points ahead of 12th-place Phoenix. For sake of argument, we’ll say Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose, St. Louis and Chicago are all playoff teams, and Nashville is in a strong position as well. That leaves two spots for the Kings, Minnesota, Colorado, Dallas, Calgary and Phoenix to fight for, and then there’s Anaheim, which would have to maintain its current torrid pace in order to get back in the picture.
Who has the advantage? The Kings have only 12 home games remaining, and 20 road games. That’s rough. The Kings have often played better on the road than at home, but that’s tough to sustain. In terms of home/road split, Minnesota and Calgary have the advantage. Here’s the breakdown of the conference, with points and home/road games remaining, including the number of games remaining against the Kings…
1. Detroit — 67 points in 50 games
Games left: 18 home (1 vs. Kings), 14 road (1 vs. Kings)
2. Vancouver — 64 points in 49 games
Games left: 18 home (1 vs. Kings), 15 road
3. San Jose — 60 points in 47 games
Games left: 16 home (1 vs. Kings), 19 road (2 vs. Kings)
4. St. Louis — 65 points in 49 games
Games left: 13 home (1 vs. Kings), 20 road (1 vs. Kings)
5. Nashville — 64 points in 50 games
Games left: 15 home (2 vs. Kings), 17 road (1 vs. Kings)
6. Chicago — 64 points in 50 games
Games left: 12 home (1 vs. Kings), 20 road (1 vs. Kings)
7. Kings — 58 points in 50 games
Games left: 12 home, 20 road
8. Minnesota — 55 points in 49 games
Games left: 19 home (2 vs. Kings), 14 road
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9. Colorado — 54 points in 51 games
Games left: 15 home (1 vs. Kings), 16 road
10. Dallas — 52 points in 48 games
Games left: 16 home (1 vs. Kings), 18 road
11. Calgary — 52 points in 50 games
Games left: 19 home (1 vs. Kings), 13 road (1 vs. Kings)
12. Phoenix — 52 points in 50 games
Games left: 18 home (1 vs. Kings), 14 road (1 vs. Kings)
13. Anaheim — 43 points in 48 games
Games left: 15 home (1 vs. Kings), 19 road (1 vs. Kings)
14. Edmonton — 41 points in 49 games
Games left: 18 home (1 vs. Kings), 15 road (1 vs. Kings)
15. Columbus — 32 points in 49 games
Games left: 17 home (1 vs. Kings), 16 road (1 vs. Kings)
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