Vancouver looking for strong finish to avoid the wild card

[VattghernCZ 1,056]

It has been an unconvincing season for the Wolves since the start. First the team's top scorers were snakebitten, then the players struggled to find chemistry, and Brian Payne's every-award-in-existence-worthy season and Hockley Mann's strong start were about the only redeeming qualities.

 

They found their groove later in the season and have been playing like a better team in the second half, but those points they should have won earlier are now missed, as the Wolves sit 4th in the division with 40-19-6 record and 86 points with 7 games left, one point shy of the 3rd place LA Stars.

 

Between now and the end of the regular season, Vancouver is facing six different teams - Toronto twice (1-2-0 against them this season), Calgary (4-1-0), New York (4-0-0), Malmö (1-2-0), Riga (1-2-0) and Seattle (3-2-0). Combined, they went 14-9-0 against these teams, and earned 28 out of 46 possible points (61%). On paper, they should earn 8 or 9 points in the last 7 games, finishing the season with 94 or 95 points.

 

Will it be enough to overtake the Stars in standings? The Stars only have 6 games left to play, one against each D.C. (1-2-1), Prague (0-3-0), Seattle (4-1-0), Calgary (2-3-0), Malmö (2-1-0) and Warsaw (3-0-0). The Stars have gone 12-10-1 against these teams, that's 25 points out of 46 possible (54%). If things go the way they have, they are projected to earn 3 or 4 more points, finishing the season with 90 or 91 points.

 

Considering what opponents these teams have to face in the last stretch, and taking into account Wolves having one game in hand, it is very much possible - some might say likely - for Vancouver to finish above LA.