NHL Playoff Odds Tighten as the Standings Picture Gets Weird

The playoff race is doing what it always does this time of year - turning neat projections into a grind. This piece tracks who is in, who is hanging on, and who still has a pulse as the standings start to harden. The real story here is not just the bracket, but how quickly a hot week can wreck a team’s pretty numbers. In this league, the math matters until it suddenly does not.