Playoff Push - 20 Games To Go
February 22nd, 2008 by Tom
With five teams battling for the last two playoff spots in the East, the Isles’ fate will likely be decided some time during the last week of the season. That said, I need to break out an old cliche here and say that every game counts. There are 40 points on the board. The Isles will probably need at least 25 of them to have a shot.
Here’s what their schedule looks like from now until last call on April 4 at the Garden, with the Isles record against each of the teams in parentheses: three games against the Devils (5-0), three games against the Penguins (2-3), one game against the Thrashers (1-2), four games against the Flyers (1-3), two games against the Panthers (0-2), four games against the Rangers (3-1), one game against the Lightning (3-0), one game against the Canadiens (0-3), and one game against the Maple Leafs (2-1).
The Isles have a combined 17-15 record against the above teams. If they play that way during this stretch drive, they’re looking at 11 wins. Throw in an overtime loss and they’d have 23 points and 90 for the season. As I said earlier this week, it’s rare that anyone gets in the playoffs in the East with less than 91 points.
The Isles’ fate could very well be determined over a brutal stretch of nine games from March 8 to March 27 where they are the visting team seven times, including four road games in a row against Philly, Tampa, Florida, and Montreal.
The good news is they finish up the season with three straight home games (Flyers, Devils, Rangers) before heading to MSG for the season finale.
If you’ve been saving some money for a few tickets to support the team, now is the time to pull the trigger. 20 games to go, nine at the Old Barn.
It’s going to be tough but when is it ever easy for these guys?
CTIslanders17 Says
How sweet would it be to sweep the last 2 games of the season against the Rangers, get into the playoffs and knock the Rangers out at the same time.
Feb 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm