The wild Western Conference race for the NHL Playoffs

With the conclusion of the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 3, the regular season resumes tonight.

In doing so, the remaining portion of the league calendar will be underway until the Stanley Cup champion is crowned in the summer.

When taking a look at the Western Conference specifically, the Vancouver Canucks are at the top with 71 points and a 33-11-5 record.

Following them, the Colorado Avalanche (32-14-3, 67 points), Dallas Stars (30-13-6, 66 points), Winnipeg Jets (30-12-5, 65 points) and Vegas Golden Knights (29-15-6, 64 points) are not too far behind.

Then there is the Edmonton Oilers (29-15-1) who are on a miraculous 16-game winning streak for 59 points, clawing them out from being nearly at the bottom of the conference a bit over a month ago.

After that though, things get interesting.

The struggling Los Angeles Kings (23-15-10, 56 points) are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, and recently fired their head coach Todd McClellan. Still, they sit seventh in the Western Conference and the second Wild Card position with 56 points.

In the last playoff spot though, the St. Louis Blues are leading the pack of five other teams trying to claw their way to play beyond the regular season.

Here is the current standings for the final spot in the playoffs:

Wildcard Race Standings (Italics = In Playoff Spot)

8. St. Louis Blues: 26-21-2 | 54 points

9. Nashville Predators: 26-23-2 | 54 points

10. Seattle Kraken: 21-19-10 | 52 points

11. Arizona Coyotes: 23-22-3 | 49 points

12. Calgary Flames: 22-22-5 | 49 points

13. Minnesota Wild: 21-23-5| 47 points

Only seven points separates the Blues from the Minnesota Wild who are 13th.

Out of all these teams, the Calgary Flames were able to end with win before the All-Star festivities. The others lost including the Arizona Coyotes who have dropped three-straight.

From here on out, every point matters and every team in the hunt will fight until it is mathematically impossible to get into the playoffs.

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