From Jeff Paterson at Canucks.com:

For most of the season, conventional wisdom has suggested – and many pundits have concurred – that it would take 92, and perhaps as many as 94, points for a team to make the playoffs in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference. But a closer look at the numbers and some quick math reveals a much different story.

As things stand with a month to go in the regular season, not one of the teams below the Vancouver Canucks in the playoff chase is on pace for even 90 points and none of the teams currently outside of the top eight in the west is on pace for more than 88 points.

And considering the fact that all of the teams chasing the Canucks still play each other a handful of times, it appears that it will be difficult for eight teams to reach that 88 point mark. That means it could take a few as 87 points to make the playoffs.

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