Playoff Teams in the West are set, East plays on

The Eastern Conference playoff teams aren't set yet - the Rangers still have a very slim chance - but last night the Colorado Avalanche, with a win over the Vancouver Canucks, clinched.  At the same time, the Calgary Flames lost their "must win" game against the San Jose Sharks, knocking them out of the playoffs.  Also knocked out of the West are the Anaheim Ducks and the Dallas Stars.

So the Western Conference Playoff teams are set:

Western Conference

Team GP Pts  1. y-San Jose 80 109    2. y-Chicago 79 107    3. y-Vancouver 80 101    4. x-Phoenix 79 102    5. x-Nashville 80 98    6. x-Los Angeles 79 97    7. x-Detroit 79 96    8. x-Colorado 79 93    9. Calgary 80 89    10. St. Louis 79 87    11. Anaheim 79 86    12. Dallas 80 84    13. Minnesota 80 81    14. Columbus 80 78    15. Edmonton 79 58    * = Division Leader

In the West, the Canadian teams have struggled terribly in the second half of the season.  No one would have thought the Oilers (well, maybe except Flames' fans) would finish in the absolute basement.  It almost seemed, with the Flames at least, that the Olympic break completely derailed their season.  The Canucks, however, with Luongo coming off the Gold Medal win against the US team in the Olympics, only seemed to get stronger. 

Oddly enough, although the playoff teams are determined in the West, the Conference Champion has not.  In the East with the top five positions determined, the Washington Capitals have clinched the Eastern Conference Championship.  Montreal, Philadelphia, Boston, and yes, the New York Rangers, are still fighting it out for a chance to play hockey instead of golf when the regular season ends. 

As Puck Daddy puts it, the Playoff Death Watch continues.