The Edmonton Oilers sit just outside of a playoff spot after going 8-2-2 in an impressive third-quarter. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)
The 2013 lockout shortened NHL season is down to its final 22 days and in for a wild conclusion.
Twenty-seven of the 30 teams still have a realistic chance at the playoffs, and there could be a team out there like the Los Angeles Kings of a year ago. The Stanley Cup champs needed a 9-2-3 to move from 11th to the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
If you crunch the numbers, it appears at this point, 51 points will be needed to finish eighth in the East, 54 for the West.
The Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues were the last two clubs to hit the third-quarter mark of 36 games on Friday. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets enjoyed the best third-quarter 12-game segments.
Below are each team's record after 36 games and the third-quarter records, too.
Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh (28-8-0), 56 pts (12-0-0), 24 pts
Boston (24-8-4), 52 pts (7-4-1), 15 pts
Montreal (23-8-5), 51 pts (8-3-1), 17 pts
Toronto (20-12-4), 44 pts (5-3-4), 14 pts
Ottawa (19-11-6), 44 pts (7-3-2), 16 pts
N.Y. Rangers (18-15-3), 39 pts (5-6-1), 11 pts
New Jersey (15-12-9), 39 pts (4-4-4), 12 pts
Winnipeg (18-16-2), 38 pts (6-5-1), 13 pts
N.Y. Islanders (17-16-3), 37 pts (7-5-0), 14 pts
Washington (17-17-2), 36 pts (7-4-1), 15 pts
Philadelphia (16-17-3), 35 pts (5-5-2), 12 pts
Tampa Bay (16-18-2), 34 pts (6-5-1), 13 pts
Carolina (16-18-2), 34 pts (2-9-1), 5 pts
Buffalo (13-17-6), 32 pts (4-4-4), 12 pts
Florida (11-19-6), 28 pts (4-7-1), 9 pts
Western Conference
Chicago (27-5-4), 58 pts (6-5-1), 13 pts
Anaheim (24-7-5), 53 pts (6-4-2), 14 pts
Minnesota (21-13-2), 44 pts (8-4-0), 16 pts
Vancouver (19-11-6), 44 pts (8-4-0), 16 pts
San Jose (19-11-6), 44 pts (8-4-0), 16 pts
Los Angeles (20-13-3), 43 pts (6-5-1), 13 pts
St. Louis (20-14-2), 42 pts (7-5-0), 14 pts
Detroit (18-13-5), 41 pts (6-5-1), 13 pts
Edmonton (16-13-7), 39 pts (8-2-2), 18 pts
Columbus (15-14-7), 37 pts (7-2-3), 17 pts
Phoenix (15-15-6), 36 pts (4-5-3), 11 pts
Nashville (14-14-8), 36 pts (4-5-3), 11 pts
Dallas (16-17-3), 35 pts (4-7-1), 9 pts
Calgary (13-19-4), 30 pts (4-8-0), 8 pts
Colorado (12-20-4), 28 pts (2-10-0), 4 pts
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
