Avs and Panthers in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy
Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. We’ll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what first-round matchups could look like, see who’s leading the race for the best draft lottery odds and more. Again.
Win the Presidents Trophy is a great feat for a franchise. In 82 games (sometimes less!) your team has accumulated the most points in the NHL. You get a trophy for that and home ice cream advantage as long as you last in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And here’s the catch. As this award has proven time and again over its 35 seasons, regular season success doesn’t mean smooth sailing to a championship.
Of the 35 Presidents’ Trophy winners since the NHL began awarding the award in 1985-86, only eight have won the Cup. The last team to succeed was the 2012-13 Blackhawks. And only two teams have had the most points in the regular season and won the title later this spring since 2002.
In recent years, the Presidents’ Trophy has become a curse of the second round. Since 2013-14, only the 2014-15 Rangers have come out of the first round. The 2018-19 Lightning were swept in the first round and six other winners were eliminated in the second round, including the Avalanche last season.
It’s no surprise that this season Colorado is in the hunt for its fourth Presidents’ Trophy. They lead the Panthers by four points and both have less than 10 games left. There’s a decent cushion between these two NHL powerhouses and the teams behind them. The Hurricanes are at 104 points and the Rangers and Maple Leafs at 102 points. Just outside the 100-point club are the Flames with 99 points and eight games to play.
Here’s what the remaining schedules look like for the 2021-22 Presidents’ Trophy contenders:
There doesn’t seem to be enough track for anyone to catch the Avalanche or the Panthers in this run. Even with a few hiccups along the way, the point difference currently gives both teams the edge to claim the No. 1 playoff seed.
Good luck trying to handicap a finish here. Both Colorado and Florida are on eight-game winning streaks and the Presidents’ Trophy race could end in the final days of the regular season.
IF THE PLAYOFFS START TODAY (sorted by point percentage)
ATLANTIC POLE
Panthers vs. Capitals
Maple Leafs vs. Lightning
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Hurricanes vs. Bruins
Rangers vs Penguins
CENTRAL DIVISION
Avalanche against stars
Wild vs. Blues
PACIFIC SECTOR
Flames against predators
Oilers vs. Kings
THE KEY GAMES OF THE DAY
Jets vs. Panthers, 7 p.m. ET
PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (by MoneyPuck)
Panthers – off the hook
Maple Leafs – off the hook
Lightning – off the hook
Bruins- 100%
Red Wings – eliminated
Sabers – eliminated
Senators – eliminated
Canadians – eliminated
PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (by MoneyPuck)
Hurricanes – stalled
Rangers – off the hook
Penguins – off the hook
Capitals – 99.99%
Islanders – 0%
Blue jackets – 0%
Flyers – eliminated
Devils – eliminated
PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (by MoneyPuck)
Avalanche – off the hook
Wild – 100%
Bruises – 100%
Predators – 85.6%
Stars – 85.8%
Jet aircraft – 0.3%
Blackhawks – eliminated
Coyotes – eliminated
PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (by MoneyPuck)
Flames – 100%
Oil tankers – 98.6%
Kings – 71.1%
Golden Knights – 54.2%
Canucks – 4.5%
Ducks – eliminated
Sharks – eliminated
Kraken – eliminated
DRAFT LOTTERY IMAGE (via Tankathon)
16.6% – Coyotes
12.1% – Canadians
10.9% –Kraken
9.7% – Leaflets
8.5% – Devils
7.6% – Blackhawks (*conditional)
6.7% – Senators
5.8% – Sabers
5.4% – Red Wings
4.5% – The Sharks
3.1% – Ducks
2.7% – Blue jackets
2.2% – Islanders
1.8% – Jets
1.4% – Canucks
1% – Kings
ART ROSS TROPHY RACE
Connor McDavidOilers – 110 points
Jonathan HuberdeauPanthers – 105
Leon DraisaitlGreasers – 105
Auston MatthewsMaple Leaves – 101
Johnny GaudreauFlames – 101
Matthew TkachukFlames – 92
ROCKET RICHARD COURSE
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs – 58 goals
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers – 54
Chris KreiderRangers – 50
Alex Ovechkincapital letters – 46
Connor McDavid, Oilers – 42
Kyle ConnorJets – 42
Kirill Kaprizovwild – 42
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Write to him at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.
