Hockey

The standings are incredibly tight in the East, with 10 teams separated by just two points
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The standings are incredibly tight in the East, with 10 teams separated by just two points
Credit: Getty Images

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the United States. The NHL calendar is therefore representative enough to analyze.

In the East, no fewer than 10 clubs are currently separated by just two points in the overall standings.

You read that correctly.

(Credit: NHL.com)

If you take out the three best and three worst clubs in the Association, all the teams have between 26 and 28 points. So tonight's games can change everything.

That explains why nobody wants to sell in the East: everybody's in. Except, like, the Sabres.

The Canadiens are currently on the doorstep of the playoffs, in ninth place in the East. However, the picture could be a little different tomorrow morning.

Every game is important, under the circumstances.

And while the last few weeks have been tough on everyone's mind, it's still impressive to see the Habs in such a position, when you put things in perspective.

Why is that? Because the club is so young and played six rookies the day before yesterday. To still be in the playoff mix a quarter of the way through the season isn't all that bad for a club turning the corner on its rebuild.

Obviously, the hardest part is yet to come, as 3/4 of the season is still to be played. The teams at the bottom of the Eastern standings still have a chance to bounce back.

Nobody's going to bury the Maple Leafs or the Panthers just yet.

But given that it could come down to just a few points at the end of the season, it's good to see that the Canadiens are getting a bit of a head start on some of their rivals as the season draws to a close.

Better than the other way around, at least.


overtime

– Good question.

– Normal.

– Four years already.

– Well done.

– Andrei Markov is still loved in town.

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