When the Final Buzzer Sounds, The West Will Look Like...

When the season ends early April, What will the final seeding look like in the Western Conference? This is what I think will happen when the final buzzer rings in the final game of the 2011-12 NHL season.

1.       St. Louis Blues

2.       Vancouver Canucks

3.       Phoenix Coyotes

4.       Detroit Red Wings

5.       Chicago Blackhawks

6.       Nashville Predators

7.       Dallas Stars

8.       Colorado Avalanche

9.       San Jose Sharks

10.   LA Kings

11.   Calgary Flames

12.   Anaheim Ducks

13.   Minnesota Wild

14.   Edmonton Oilers

15.   Columbus Blue Jackets

In this highly likely scenario, two potential powerhouses, San Jose and LA, miss the playoffs. That would send a surprising shock through the NHL, especially California.

The Sharks have a better chance than anyone to make the playoffs, as they have 3 games at hand on Colorado, and 2 on LA, PHX, and CGY, and are only 1 point out of 8^th. 9 of the Sharks remaining games are against LA, PHX, COL, CGY, and Dallas, pivotal games that will definitely decide the outcome of the season. They end the season with a home-and-home against the Kings. If these games are the typical 3 point games that bubble teams seem to like to play these days, this could mean big trouble for the Avs. But in the end, if the Avs stay hot, and San Jose stay cold (3 wins in their last 15), then I believe in their chances.

There will be a blog outlining why the Avs could very well miss the playoffs after the game against the Ducks tonight.