Shortened schedule adds twists to post-season equation

The last time the NHL played a shortened, post-lockout season, three teams made the playoffs with sub-.500 records.

It was 1994-95, and in the Western Conference — where the Maple Leafs resided at the time, finishing fifth — the San Jose Sharks (1925-4) placed seventh in the regular season, tied in points (42) with the eighth-place Dallas Stars (17-23-8). In the East, the New York Rangers (22-23-3) squeaked in ahead of the Florida Panthers (20-22-6). In the end, the surprising New Jersey Devils swept the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final.

In other words, a 48-game schedule can make the playoff picture look quite different.

Even a losing record can get you to the post-season, where anything can happen.

(Detroit had won the Presidents’ Trophy as top regular-season team that season.)

After 48 games last season, the Leafs (53 points) were tied with the Washington Capitals for the eighth and final Eastern spot.

In the final 34 games, the Leafs only managed 27 points, whereas the Capitals bagged 39 to finish seventh.

The Buffalo Sabres (43 points) were in the basement after 48 games, and the Montreal Canadiens (45 points) weren’t much better. The Sabres ended up taking a run at eighth, finishing three games behind the Ottawa Senators, while the Canadiens plummeted to dead last.

In the West, the Minnesota Wild (53 points) were just one point out of eighth spot after the first 48 dates, chasing the Colorado Avalanche. The Los Angeles Kings (56) sat seventh, four points up on the eighth-place Avalanche. Neither the Wild nor the Avalanche were playoff contenders in the end, though, while the Kings held on for eighth — and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

From another angle, the standings for just the final 48 games of last season would look drastically different. In that scenario, the Boston Bruins would fall from second in the East to ninth and out of the postseason. The New York Rangers would drop from first to fifth. The Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes would have finished tied for first in the Southeast Division with 56 points if those last 48 games comprised an entire season, with the Caps winning the tiebreaker and second seed in the East. The Hurricanes would have made the playoffs, seeded seventh, instead of finishing a distant 12th. The Sabres would also have squeezed into the playoffs in eighth, while the Florida Panthers, the third seeds in reality, would have plummetted to 11th. The Leafs would have finished last in the East with 42 points based on the final 48 games of last season, nine points behind the New York Islanders.

Any way you measure it, though, no team can afford a long losing streak in a shortened season — and games against weaker opponents become even more important. The Leafs, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2004, must keep this in mind to have any shot at ending the drought.