Monday, January 30, 2006
Stretch Drive
According the the Amazing Zorak, 96 points gets you into playoffs in the West (only 87 needed in the East).
The Oilers are currently sitting at 62 points with 30 games remaining. If Zorak's projected cutoff is correct, the Oil only need to go .567 over the stretch to get in. If you look at the current points/game (as Zorak does) then the Oil are projected to get 98 points, but I think there is good reason to believe that they will be better than that.
First, their schedule certainly favours them:
The next 6 games before the Olympic break. 5 home games (CLB, VAN, ANA, MIN, STL) and 1 road game (COL). A run here sets them up very nicely.
End of March: A brutal stretch starting with a four game road trip (SJ, CBJ, MIN, MIN) followed by a tough three game home stand (CAL, DET, VAN), followed by a back-to-back road series in VAN then a game in COL, followed by MIN, LA , CAL, PHO at home.
The Oilers are currently sitting at 62 points with 30 games remaining. If Zorak's projected cutoff is correct, the Oil only need to go .567 over the stretch to get in. If you look at the current points/game (as Zorak does) then the Oil are projected to get 98 points, but I think there is good reason to believe that they will be better than that.
First, their schedule certainly favours them:
- 18 of the 30 games are at home -- I'm still calling this an advantage despite the fact that the Oil have been better on the road than at Rexall.
- Only two of those games are back to back, and the second one is against Chicago (April 7).
- More than half the games (16) are against non-playoff teams (in the current standings), including 3 against St.L, 2 against Columbus, and 4 against those sucks from Vancouver--who the Oilers have owned this season.
- The goaltending can't be worse than it was early on--and shows signs of being better even without any trades.
The next 6 games before the Olympic break. 5 home games (CLB, VAN, ANA, MIN, STL) and 1 road game (COL). A run here sets them up very nicely.
End of March: A brutal stretch starting with a four game road trip (SJ, CBJ, MIN, MIN) followed by a tough three game home stand (CAL, DET, VAN), followed by a back-to-back road series in VAN then a game in COL, followed by MIN, LA , CAL, PHO at home.
# posted by sacamano @ 9:20 am 
