With the NHL playoffs quickly approaching, the race toward the Stanley Cup is about to begin for 16 teams. However, the remaining 16 have failed to get the job done during the regular season. For the Buffalo Sabres, this is their 14th straight time missing the post season, whereas for the Boston Bruins, this is the first postseason since 2016 where they were unable to advance.
The San Jose Sharks (28-48-11) were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth consecutive season. The last time the Sharks had a chance at the cup was the 2018-2019 season, where key players such as Patrick Marleau, Joe Thorton and Joe Pavelski had a dominating regular season. However, after losing in the Western Conference Final to the St. Louis Blues, the Sharks have failed to return to the playoffs and are currently in a rebuilding phase. The team has potential with young players such as Macklin Celebrini and Filip Bystedt, but their lack of points during the regular season causes them to miss their chance at the Stanley Cup yet again.
The Chicago Blackhawks (23-46-11) were the next team to be eliminated. Right behind them were the Nashville Predators (29-43-8). The Blackhawks star player Connor Bedard has yet to make an appearance in the playoffs, as the team has failed to move on since 2020. Meanwhile, the Predators were eliminated from playoff contention causing them to miss the postseason for the second time in three years. The Predators advanced to the playoffs last season but were a first-round exit when they lost to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Anaheim Ducks (35-37-8) are in a similar situation to the Sharks as they have young top draft picks giving it their all each game, but the overall poor performance on each teams end results in no chance at the Stanley Cup.
One shock in this season was the Boston Bruins who, for the first time since 2016, failed to advance to the playoffs. Losing captain Brad Marchand was a huge blow to the team along with other key players such as Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and Trent Frederic, who were all traded away during the most recent trade deadline. The Bruins (32-39-9) currently sit at 29th place in the league, when just two seasons ago they were the team to beat, winning the President’s Trophy for the 2022-2023 season.
Both Pennsylvania teams: the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers were also eliminated from playoff contention within just a few days of each other. The Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan most recently coached the U.S. Men’s National Team in the Four Nations Face-Off. The United States came just short of a victory, losing 3-2 in overtime to Canada.
In a post-game interview, Sullivan stated that “Obviously, we’re not where we want to be. We all understand that. We know where we’re at. We know where we’ve got to go, and we’ve got to keep working toward that.”
Like in any professional sports league, teams are constantly changing, having one recording breaking season one year and going through a serious downfall the next. Just look at the New York Rangers from last season compared to now.
In the 2023-2024 season, the Rangers held a 55-23-4 record, sat at the top of the league, secured the President’s trophy and made it to the conference finals where they eventually lost to the Florida Panthers. This season, they currently hold 23rd place in the league with a record of 37-36-7 and were eliminated after a regular season loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
New team additions to the NHL like the Utah Hockey Club and the Seattle Kraken have also been eliminated from the playoffs, meaning that both teams will need to wait until next season to make their playoff debut.
The Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings were all recently eliminated from the playoffs as well and it can be expected that the Columbus Blue Jackets might be joining them soon, as they currently sit five points behind the Montreal Canadians for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
With the playoffs officially starting this Saturday, every game is crucial, even for the teams that have already secured their spot as home ice advantage is up for grabs for some teams.
The two confirmed matchups for the first round in the playoffs are currently the Dallas Stars versus the Colorado Avalanche with the Stars having home ice advantage, and the Los Angeles Kings versus the Edmonton Oilers with home ice advantage still to be determined.
Something to note is that this season marks the first time in NHL history that all four original American teams, including the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks did not make the playoffs. Maybe next year we will get to see a playoff push for one of these original six teams.