Take Town: Some friendly advice

Go ahead and take a guess on this question: How many teams have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs?

The answer may shock you. It's zero. Not a single one. Columbus is 27 points behind the Islanders for the final Wild Card spot in the East – and in fact, they have a game in hand – so if they win almost every one of their remaining 16 games and a bunch of other stuff breaks their way, they can technically make it. That obviously won't happen, but mathematically, it's not impossible.

Likewise, in the West, San Jose is 28 points back of Winnipeg, and with 14 games left, they would have to run the table and have the Jets lose out, but again, they are mathematically alive.

This is what the loser point gets you, folks. The Sharks, for instance, are 14-36-18 in regulation. They are also