February 29 Seattle Kraken Playoff Chase Update

The Seattle Kraken Thursday play the fifth of a six game homestand, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately, it's past time when Kraken wins alone will earn them a postseason berth.

They need competitors in the race for the final Western Conference wild card spot to slow down. The problem with having so many teams between you and the playoff finish line is that one or more of those teams is always finding a faster gear.

Right now, that's the Nashville Predators. The Preds are on a six game winning streak, opening a seven point margin between themselves and Seattle. Nashville leads its closest pursuers, Calgary and St. Louis, by five points each.

One other complicating factor for the Kraken: because they have the fewest regulation wins of any team in the hunt (the first tie-breaker), a points tie at the end of the season does them no good.

The top three teams in each NHL division qualify for the playoffs. Of all the remaining teams in each conference, the top two also earn playoff berths.

These teams are known as "Wild Card 1" and "Wild Card 2."

For now, we'll focus on the Western Conference Wild Card 2 race, as that appears the most likely way for Seattle to squeeze into the post-season.The chart above compares the Kraken, the team currently occupying "WC 2," and the teams closest to the Kraken "in the hunt."

Chart Categories Explained

"Regulation Wins" matters (as opposed to overtime or shootout wins), because if teams end up with the same number of points, regulation wins is the first tie-breaker.

"Games Remaining" show how many points a team can still potentially earn (2x number of games). A related term is "games in hand." If Team A has 20 games remaining and Team B has 18 games left, Team A has "two games in hand."

"Last 10 Results" is useful as an indicator of how contending teams are trending.

"Strength of Schedule" refers to the combined winning percentage of a team's remaining opponents. In this category, a lower number is better - but no guarantee.

Odds Of Making Playoffs

Many online sports sites have developed formulas for determining the likelihood a team will reach the post-season. Estimates widely vary.