The Detroit Red Wings are going to the playoffs

Granted, that's not such a bold prediction when the team is sitting pretty in 8th place, 3 points away from the LA Kings in 5th, and 4 points clear of the Calgary Flame in 9th place in the Western Conference standing. But I'd intended to post something along these lines on the weekend, before life got in the way.

I'm glad I waited, since a couple of kind people on other team blogs went ahead and did the work I was planning to do, in breaking down what games remain for which teams in the playoff race.

DanGNR over at St Louis Game Time brings it in chart form, accessible at

http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2010/3/23/1386686/a-look-at-the-western-conference

Click on the chart to bring up a larger view.

The text breakdown of what's represented there can be seen on Quisp's excellent post at Jewels from the Crown, covering the Kings.

http://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com/2010/3/24/1389392/tom-brokaw-is-calling-it-the-ducks

As Quisp puts it:

The Flames face NYI, BOS, WAS, PHX, COL, CHI, SJS, MIN, VAN. They need at least six of those, and that's if you think Detroit is only going to win four of its remaining nine games. Which I would have said was possible a couple of weeks ago, but now? And, also, look:

Detroit, in contrast, has: MIN, NAS, EDM, CBJ, NAS, PHI, CBJ, CBJ, CHI. Yes, three against the Jackets. 

Given that Calgary sits 4 back, with the same number of games to play, I think it'd be a fair bet to say that the Detroit Red Wings will likely make the playoffs.

Then again, we got to the point where that was actually an open question post Olympics because this has been a season unlike any we've witnessed, as Red Wings fans, over the past 17-18 years. So I wouldn't be betting the house on it, quite yet. But it does look good.