Gap in Western Conference closing quickly

In less than a month’s time, the teams sitting just outside the Western Conference playoff picture have closed the gap on the bottom seeds in the top eight. On January 4th, the 13-seed (Anaheim) was 14 points behind the 7-seed (Calgary). Now we sit on January 30th, and that gap has shrunk to just 5 points. 7th-seeded Nashville has 61 points; in 13th, St. Louis has 56.

Sitting just outside of the top eight, teams like the Stars, Wild, Ducks, and Blues have turned it on the last few weeks…
- Dallas is 5-2 in their last 7
- Minnesota is 7-3-1 in their last 11
- Anaheim is 9-4 in their last 13
- St. Louis is 7-3-1 in their last 11

These four teams have made the bubble teams uncomfortable, and all have a legit case for making a second half run to make the postseason.

Dallas Stars (2 points out of 8th)
Alex Auld has provided a bit of a spark to the team, and Mike Modano is currently playing some of his best hockey this season. But will it last? Their schedule hasn’t been too tough lately. We’ll know more about them after the Olympic break when they face a tough stretch. Marc Crawford’s squad has had an up-and-down season, but need to continue this recent momentum going into the break.
Minnesota Wild (3 points out of 8th)
Minnesota was one of three teams of which I predicted would make a 2nd-half run. Todd Richards’ club has been getting contributions from everyone. Martin Havlat is starting to live up to expectations, collecting 26 points in the last 24 games; in the previous 24, he only racked up 11 points. Even though the goaltending is a little banged up right now, I don’t foresee the Wild going away anytime soon.
Anaheim Ducks (4 points out of 8th)
Here in January, the Ducks have proved just how important goaltending is. Jonas Hiller has finally taken the reins as the starter, compiling a 9-4 record and a 2.37 GAA this month – a much better mark than his first half. Just after the Olympics, they have a lengthy stretch of home games, and should be getting Teemu Selanne back from injury. If Anaheim can hang within 3-5 points of the final spot at the break, a late-stretch run is very possible.
St. Louis Blues (5 points out of 8th)
When Andy Murray was fired just after the New Year, I did not expect to see the Blues where they are now – 5 points behind the 8th-place Red Wings. The team has slowly been getting better ever since Davis Payne took over as interim. They’ve been able to keep up their road success, and have even managed to win some home games for once! I’m not sure if St. Louis will be able to keep it up, but don’t rule out another 2nd-half run like last year.

With the Flames and Predators losing ground, and Detroit not showing any signs of taking off anytime soon, the conference standings will continue to stay tight, especially on the bubble.