SB Nation User Blog: RickyRage

4/9/09: Recap and the WEEKEND'S scenarios

RickyRage — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:17:59 -0000

Tonight's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Capitals 4 - Lightning 2: We're #2!!! We're #2!!! As Jonathan Werner said: Until they become #1. See below to see who we'll play.
Devils 3 - Senators 2: Devils clinch the division, 3 seed.
Rangers 2 - Flyers 1: Rangers hold the tiebreak over Montreal. If NYR win their final game (see below), they clinch the 7 seed. if Philly wins their last two games they will get the 4 seed no matter what Pitt does.
Bruins 5 - Canadiens 4 (OT): Bruins clinched the conference a couple of games back. Canadiens need a win and a Rangers loss to get the 7 seed (and thus the Caps.
Pens 6 - Islanders 1: Pens hold the tiebreaker over Philly, but Philly has a game in hand. Pens need a win and a Canes loss for the 5 seed.
Sabres 5 - Hurricanes 1: Sabres eliminated despite the win. Another win gives the Canes the advantage over the Pens and probably the 5 seed.
Panthers 3 - Thrashers 2: Sorry, Florida. Your season came to an end tonight. It was fun while it lasted though...

A little different take here, let's look at the seeds (this is complicated so if I fark it up, sorry):

Boston Bruins - Clinched the #1 seed. Saturday @ Buffalo; Sunday @ NYI
Washington Capitals - Clinched the #2 seed. Saturday @ Florida
New Jersey Devils - Clinched the #3 seed. Saturday hosting Carolina
Philadelphia Flyers - Saturday @ NYI; Sunday hosting NYR. Clinch the #4 seed with:
   - 3 points earned/lost by Carolina AND
   - 3 points earned/lost by Pittsburgh
Carolina Hurricanes - Saturday @ New Jersey. Clinch the #4 seed by:
   - At least tying Pittsburgh in points AND
   - At least tying Philadelphia in points
Pittsburgh Penguins - Saturday @ Montreal. Clinch the #4 seed by:
   - Out pointing the Hurricanes AND
   - At least tying the Flyers in points

Carolina Hurricanes - Saturday @ New Jersey. Clinch the #5 seed by:
    - At least tying Pittsburgh/Philadelphia in points AND
    - Being outpointed by Philadelphia/Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Penguins - Saturday @ Montreal. Clinch the #5 seed by:
   - Out pointing the Hurricanes AND
   - Being out pointed by the Flyers
OR
   - No better than tying the Hurricanes AND
   - At least tying the Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers - Saturday @ NYI; Sunday hosting NYR. Clinch the #5 seed by:
    - No better than tying the Penguins/Hurricanes AND
    - Out pointing the Hurricanes/Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins - Saturday @ Montreal. Clinch the #6 seed by:
   - Being out pointed by the Flyers AND
   - No better than tying the Canes
Philadelphia Flyers - Saturday @ NYI; Sunday hosting NYR. Clinch the #6 seed by:
   - No better than tying Pittsburgh AND
   - No better than tying Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes - Saturday @ New Jersey. Clinch the #6 seed by:
   - Being outpointed by the Flyers AND
   - Being outpointed by the Penguins
New York Rangers - Sunday @ Philadelphia. To clinch the #7 seed the Rangers:
- Need 2 points earned by them/lost by Montreal to clinch the 7 seed
Montreal Canadiens - Saturday hosting Pittsburgh. Clinch the #7 seed by:
- Out pointing the Rangers
Montreal Canadiens - Saturday hosting Pittsburgh. Clinched the playoffs, control the #8 seed.

That was exhausting. Hopefully I didn't mess anything up. Here's
the updated playoff tracker (does not take into account tie breakers).

4/09/09 AM: Recap and Tonight's Games That Matter

RickyRage — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:24:28 -0000

[Ed. Note: Fates conspired against me last evening and this morning, so I figured I'd throw Rage's daily recap of the games that matter (slightly edited) out there for discussion as the playoff picture starts to come into focus.]

Last night's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Sabres 3 - Leafs 1: The Sabres stay alive, but their tragic number is 1 (Rangers).

Tonight's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Capitals @ Lightning: 1 point for the Caps clinches the second seed.
Devils @ Senators: A win for the Sens clinches the 2nd seed for the Caps. A single point for the Devils clinches the division.
Canadiens @ Bruins: A single point for the Canadiens clinches the playoffs.
Islanders @ Penguins: Any combo of 2 points earned by the Pens/lost by the Canadiens (e.g. 2/0, 1/1, 0/0) guarantees that the ~~Caps~~ second seed play either the Candiens, Rangers or Panthers.
Flyers @ Rangers: A win by the Rangers clinches at least the 8 seed.
Sabres @ Hurricanes: 3 team race (Phil/Car/Pitt) for the 4/5/6 seeds.
Panthers @ Thrashers: Looking dicey for the Panthers. Check out bullets 4 and 5 above.

You can find an updated Playoff Tracker here. Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers but I've added a little table to help compare total wins and head to head points earned.

Best case Scenario for Tonight:

A point earned by the Caps/lost by the Devils. And a guarantee of either Montreal, NYR or Florida in the first round.

4/7/09: Recap and Tomorrow's game (can't say it matters)

RickyRage — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:06:00 -0000

Today's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Caps 4 - Thrashers 2: Caps win! Devils Lose! Caps magic number stands at 1.
Leafs 4 - NJD 1: Way to get it done, fellas. Thanks a bunch. Devils MN for the division is 1 (Flyers)...(despite what my playoff tracker says)
Rangers 3 - Canadiens 1: Despite the loss, Canadiens are 1 point away from the playoffs. The Rangers are 1 point out of the 7 seed, but the Canadiens are currently the holder of the tiebreak (more head to head points, same number of wins). Rangers clinch the playoffs with another win, or 3 points won/lost by the Panthers.
Pens 6 - 'Ning 4: I think most of us are rooting for the Pens to get to the 5th seed, and the Flyers to get the 4th seed. Carolina currently holds the tiebreak and are up by 2 points. Either way, it's going to be very difficult for the Caps to play them in the first round. Pens would have to lose both, Montreal win both.
Flyers 2 - Panthers 1: The Flyers retain hold on the 4 seed with a game in hand on the Canes. Note that if they end the season tied, the Canes would hold the wins tiebreaker.
Canes 9 - Islanders 0: Pretty good effort tonight, Islanders. Brendan, we could have been great together. The Canes need 1 win to prevent Pitt from passing them (so let's hope they lose both remaining games).
Senators 3 - Bruins 2: Nothing to add here.

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Sabres @ Leafs: The Sabres tragic number is 1 (Rangers).

You can find an updated Playoff Tracker here (this is yesterday's). Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers but I've added a little table to help compare total wins and head to head points earned.

Best case Scenario for tomorrow:

Poti gets healthy.

4/6/09: Recap and Tomorrow's Games

RickyRage — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:40:05 -0000

Today's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Sens 3 - Canadiens 2: The loss confirms that the Canadiens only control the 7 seed (thanks to Commentor FFSEnough for clarifying that for me yesterday). Canadiens MN for the 7 seed is 4 points (Rangers).
Wings 4 - Sabres 1: Lindy, Noooooo!!!!!! Sabres tragic number is 3 points lost (Rangers/Panthers).

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Caps @ Thrashers: Devs have more wins than the Caps (thanks again, FFSEnough), so the Caps magic number stands at 5.
Leafs @ NJD: Ronnie! Remember us? The Cup run? The Crazy Ron commercials? C'mon, remember those? Do us a favor here? Please? Devils MN for the division is 1 (Flyers)...(despite what my playoff tracker says)
Canadiens @ Rangers: Canadiens are 4 points from the playoffs, and still could wind up as high as 4th. They currently control the 7 seed. The Rangers are in a dog fight with Florida for the 8 seed.
Pens @ 'Ning: Pens have a tenuous grasp on the 6 seed over the Canadiens. A loss puts Montreal in the driver's seat. So...I'm rooting for Stamkos.
Panthers @ Flyers: A single Flyers point clinches the playoffs. The Panthers are fighting the Rangers for a berth.
Islanders @ Canes: ~~A single point puts the Canes in the playoffs~~. As CK mentions, due to their wins advantage over Florida, the Canes have already clinched. The Canes actually control the tiebreaker over the Flyers, but Philly has a game in hand. A win and a Flyers loss (in regulation) puts the Canes in control of the 4 seed.
Bruins @ Sens: Bruins have the conference. Heatley and co. have a tee time.

You can find an updated Playoff Tracker here Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers but I've added a little table to help compare total wins and head to head points earned.

Best case Scenario for tomorrow:

Caps win, the Devils lose in regulation. That'd leave the Caps 1 point from the 2 seed. We'll know a lot more about who we're facing after tomorrow night.

4/5/09: Recap and tomorrow's games

RickyRage — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:07:13 -0000

Today's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Caps 6 - Thrashers 4: They allowed us to score more than we did them. Caps MN for the 2 seed is 5 (NJD).
Panthers 4 - Pens 2: Ruh roh...Canadiens now control the 6 seed, Pitt the 7 seed. The Pens need 3 points in 3 games to clinch the playoffs. If the Panthers win out, they are in the playoffs (see ya, Torts).

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Sens @ Canadiens: A loss is better for the Caps if you'd like to see the Canadiens in the first round. Canadiens MN for the 6 seed is 7 points (Pittsburgh).
Wings @ Sabres: This is the final East v. West game of the season. No real impact unless you like guys named Lindy.

You can find an updated Playoff Tracker here. Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers but I've added a little table to help compare head to head points earned.

Best case Scenario for tomorrow:

Create your own, based upon how you feel about the 6/7 seed.

4/4/09: Recap and tomorrow's games that matter

RickyRage — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:52:37 -0000

Tonight's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Devils 3 - Sabres 2: Caps still are 7 points from the 2 seed. The Devils are 2 points from their division crown.
Bruins 1 - Rangers 0: Bruins clinch the conference. Rangers no longer control the 8 seed (Florida holds the tiebreaker).
Canadiens 6 - Leafs 2: Canadiens still control the 7 seed right now, are 4 points from securing a playoff berth.
Senators 4 - Flyers 3 (OT): Flyers are 1 point from the playoffs (or 1 lost point from Florida). Still control the 4 seed.
Canes 3 - Pens 2 (OT): Even with an OTL, the Pens control the 5 seed. The Canes and Pens are 1 and 3 points away from the Playoffs respectively.
Lightning 3 - Islanders 1: 2 points for the Ning! More ping pong balls for the Tavares/Wong marriage!

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Thrashers @ Caps: Motivation? Here's motivation: I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE FREAKING PENS OR FLYERS IN THE FIRST ROUND. GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND CLINCH THE FREAKING 2 SEED. ahem. Caps MN for the 2 seed is 7 (NJD).
Pens @ Panthers: Frankly, rooting for the Pens is the right play here. A win there puts them in a dead heat with Carolina for the 5 seed...and if the Caps can't take care of their business we'll be playing the 6 seed.

You can find an updated Playoff Tracker here. Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers. New exciting (to me) update: I've added a little table to help compare head to head points earned. Any feedback?

Best case Scenario for tonight:

Caps show up, beat Atlanta, and close the gap for the 2 seed clinch to 5 points.

4/3/09: Recap and tomorrow's games that matter

RickyRage — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:48:51 -0000

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Sabres 5 - Caps 4 (OT): Caps get a point, win the SE Division. The Sabres keep hope alive. Given the Devils OTW, the Caps MN for the 2nd seed is 7.
NJD 5 - 'Ning 4 (OT): Terrible line change by the 'Ning in OT gives the Devils 2 points. Devils are 5 points away from the division clinch (Flyers).
Flyers 8 - Leafs 5: Given the Penguins 4-2-0 record against the Flyers this year, the Flyers have a MN of 9 for the 4 seed.
Thrashers 2 - Panthers 1: Panthers now trail the Rangers by 2 points for the 8 seed.

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Rangers @ Bruins: Bruins clinch the conference with a single point. Rangers are battling for their playoff lives (as well as the 7 seed). Rangers MN for the playoffs is 7 (Florida).
Devils @ Sabres: We're all Vanek/Connolly/Pomminville fans tonight. Caps magic number for the 2 seed is 7, Devils MN for the division is 5.
Canadiens @ Leafs: Leafs have been eliminated. The Canadiens control the 7 seed right now.
Flyers @ Senators: Sens have been eliminated, but the Flyers are in a dog fight for the 4 seed.
Penguins @ Hurricanes: Canes have an opportunity to control their destiny for the 5 seed with a win. A loss puts the Pens in control. Canes are currently 1 point up, but the Pens have 1 Game in Hand.
Lightning @ Islanders: Uh...who cares. Both teams have been eliminated. Enjoy losing percentage points for Tavares, fellas.

You can also see the updated Playoff Tracker here. Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers.

Best case Scenario for tonight:

Sabres beat the Devils in regulation, and then a bunch of jockeying for the 7 seed depending on who you want.

4/2/09: Recap and tomorrow's games that matter

RickyRage — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:06:45 -0000

Notes about tonight's games and tomorrow's preview as it relates to the playoffs.

Tonight's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Canes 4 - Rangers 2: A loss of any kind by Carolina would have clinched the division for the Caps. As it stands, the Canes move up to the 4 seed while the Rangers fall to the 8 seed (and hold a tiebreaker over the Panthers given their 3-0-1 record head to head). Bottom line, the Caps still need 1 point to clinch the division.
Canadiens 5 - NYI 1: With the win, the Canadiens now control the 7 seed. They have 1 point and 1 game in hand on the Rangers. How does everyone feel about facing them in Round 1?
Bruins 2 - Senators 1: The Bruins need only 2 points to clinch the conference and now have a 9 point lead on the Caps. This game also eliminated the Sens from playoff contention. Flags in Ottawa fly at half-staff eh? (Note: Ray Emery's house not included) NJD has officially been eliminated from contention from the 1 seed.

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

Sabres @ Caps: Of note, the Sabres should come into this game hungry. They are not yet eliminated though it's looking dicier by the day. Their tragic number is 7 (Rangers). One point for the Caps clinches the division. Our boys need 8 points won by us/lost by NJD to clinch the 2 seed.
'Ning @ NJD: The Devils are still chasing the Caps for the 2 seed. The Ning were eliminated several games back. Root for the Ning to help the Caps clinch the 2 seed.
Leafs @ Flyers: The Leafs have been eliminated, but the Flyers are fighting for home ice in the first round. They also have an (extremely) outside shot at passing the Devils for the 3 seed. Despite the screwy standings, the Flyers actually control the #4 seed over Pittsburgh (MN is 11 for the 4 seed).
Thrashers @ Panthers:Panthers need a win to put the pressure on the Rangers for the 8 seed. Who would you rather see Boston face? NYR, Florida or Montreal?

You can also see the updated Playoff Tracker here. Note that in the tracker, I don't account for tiebreakers. Actually, the Rangers control the 8 spot, though they currently have to win out.

Best case Scenario for tonight:

Win for the Caps, regulation loss for the Devils. The Caps would clinch the Division and be only 4 points from the 2 seed.

4/1/09: Recap and tomorrow's games that matter

RickyRage — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:48:05 -0000

Notes about tonight's games and tomorrow's preview as it relates to the playoffs.

Tonight's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

1) Caps 5 - NYI 3: Caps sitting in the #2 seed comfortably (see next game) with 101 points and 5 games to play. NJD is second with 98 points and 5 games to play. 5 games to play, the Caps' magic number to clinch the 2 seed is 8 points (over NJD); Caps' MN for the division is 1 (Carolina).

2) Pens 6 - NJD 1: Loss by NJD gives the Caps a bit of breathing room for the #2 seed. The Pens/Flyers/Canes are all logged together with 92/92/91 points. NJD's MN for the division (ignoring tiebreakers) is 7 (Philly).

3) Leafs 3 - Flyers 2: Flyers still have a game in hand on both Pitt and Carolina. and thus control the #4 seat. Flyers' MN for the 4 seed is 12 (Pittsburgh).

4) Thrashers 3 - Sabres 2 (OT): Has no real effect on the playoffs. Sabres are 5 points out. Tragic number is 7 (Canadiens).

Tomorrow's games (involving Eastern Conference teams):

1) NY Rangers @ Canes: This is obviously the big one. Any type of loss gives the Caps the 3 seed. Also of note, the Rangers are 1 point up on the Canadiens (MTL has 1 game in hand). If the Rangers win, they're 3 up. A loss puts MTL in the driver's seat. Loser falls to the 7 seed (Rangers currently hold the tiebreak, would lose it with a loss).

2) Canadiens @ NYI: Win by the Canadiens plus a loss by the Rangers puts the Canadiens in the 7 seed. As it is, they are in the drivers seat over the Rangers due to their game in hand.

3) Senators @ Bruins: Caps are 7 points back and the Bruins have a game in hand. Conference pretty much belongs to the Bruins. Senators are eliminated by a loss or a single point earned by Montreal.

I hope I didn't miss anything. You can also see the updated Playoff Tracker here. Feel free to comment on anything I messed up above.

Updated Eastern Conference Playoff Tracker

RickyRage — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:31:19 -0000

Updated Eastern Conference Playoff Tracker

Update (squared): glitch referenced below has been fixed.

Couple updates:
- Some rows were not calculating the winners correctly
- Magic numbers are actually correct now, not just quick comparisons against the #2 player in the division/conference race
- Games remaining reflects today's date as well as the predicted/actual game results.

Let me know what you think. And thanks to whoever it was who put this thing together in the first place.