NHL Playoff Death Watch: Avalanche done, Bruins in trouble

Since we're down to the final moments of postseason life for teams in contention, Puck Daddy solemnly begins a daily countdown to annihilation.

Nice job by the Colorado Avalanche, who took advantage of a Minnesota Wild loss and … wait, check that, they totally didn’t and lost to the Nashville Predators, their fourth loss in a row in what was allegedly a playoff push.

The Avalanche were eliminated from the postseason race, and the West wild cards are all but set: The Predators will face the Pacific Division winner, and the Wild gets the Central champ.

Meanwhile in the East … bad things for the Bruins, man. Bad things.

Here are the current standings. The Death Watch tracks the final Wild Card spot and the teams that are chasing it. Their “tragic number” is the number of points gained by the final wild card team or lost by the team chasing it.

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All playoff percentages are from Sports Club Stats; tragic numbers and other figures via the NHL. A team is eliminated from play-offs when their "Tragic Number" hits 0.

The Eastern Conference picture, via the NHL:

The Boston Bruins dropped a shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at home, 2-1. The pick up a charity point, which is nice as they match the Detroit Red Wings in points with 91.

But here’s the rub: The Wings no longer need to beat the Bruins on Thursday night to make the playoffs. Boston wins out, and they have 95 points and 39 ROW (assuming they’re both regulation wins). If Detroit beats the Flyers and the Rangers in regulation, they’d have 40 ROW and 95 points, breaking the tie for third in the Atlantic.

However, the Bruins currently lead the season series, 2-1, earning four points to the Red Wings’ three (as one of them was an OT loss). If the Bruins beat the Wings on Thursday, they’ll hold that second tie-breaker if the teams end up tied in points and ROW, which could happen.

And then there are the Flyers…

Here are the latest Eastern Conference playoff odds from Sports Club Stats:

*Wild Card Teams

Congrats to the New York Islanders for a gutsy win at the Washington Capitals, clinching them a playoff spot. As you can see, it’s most likely the first wild card, although Thursday night’s game against the Rangers could influence that.

As for the Flyers, they’re in Detroit tonight for that critical game against the Red Wings, tied with the Bruins at 41 points but with two games in-hand. There’s still a path for Boston that leads them in over Philadelphia, but it would likely take them winning out and the Flyers falling to the Red Wings, which isn’t in the Bruins’ best interests anyway.

Tampa Bay’s loss and the Panthers’ win clinches the Atlantic Division for the Florida Panthers. Didn’t see that one coming.

Meanwhile, in the West:

Did that overtime loss hurt the Ducks? Potentially. They have 99 points and three games left, with one of them against the Los Angeles Kings, who have two games left after their OT win last night. As it stands, the Kings have a 55-percent chance of finishing atop the Pacific.

Quiet night in the West tonight before Armageddon tomorrow night.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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