The trade deadline has come and gone, with 19 trades made on March 3 alone. Some teams are happy with their results, some probably not so much. The one thing all teams have in common now is that the trade rumors have been put on hold and the only thing to worry about is wins and losses.
In this article, we will take a look at eight teams that still have work to do in the playoff race and how their remaining schedules can help or hurt their aspirations.
Western Conference
Edmonton Oilers
- Record: 35-22-8, WC Wildcard 1
- Games remaining: 17
One might think that a team that employs the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would be a shoe-in for the playoffs every year. They currently sit in the first wildcard spot in the West, nine points ahead of the best non-playoff team, the Nashville Predators. That’s a convincing lead but the Predators have four games in hand on Edmonton.
The Oilers have a normal schedule for the remaining 17 games of their season. Those games will be spread out over 35 days. They will have two separate back-to-backs, the first one beginning March 27 on the road against the Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights. The second back-to-back will again be on the road, this time against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on April 4-5.
Nine out of 17 of their remaining games will be on the road. Additionally, nine out of 17 games will be against teams currently not in playoff spots, with seven of their opponents in a mad-dash for Connor Bedard.
Winnipeg Jets
- Record: 36-25-3, 3rd Central
- Games remaining: 18
The Jets are in a similar spot in the standings as the Oilers are except they are in a slightly worse playoff position. They currently sit in the third Central slot, six points ahead of the Predators, but the Predators have three games in hand on them.
Of their final 18 regular-season games, the Jets will be on the road for 10 of them. They are in a good position for the final stretch but they’re going to need to tighten up their road record a bit. Right now, the Jets have a 15-15-1 record on the road compared to 21-10-2 at home.
The rest of the season is evenly spaced out with only one back-to-back remaining on the schedule. They will play the Sharks April 10 at home then play the Wild on the road the following night. They will be playing against current non-playoff teams for 10 of their final 18 games, including two important games against the Predators, who are underdogs at best to win the race after selling off several key veterans before the trade deadline.