Magic Numbers

I'm a big fan of The Magic Number. The combination of the end of the season, your team being in the hunt down to the last day, and having one be-all-end-all number to strive for - it's what sports is all about.

Of course, the NHL likes to sabotage anything that would draw in sports fans. The ugly points system rears its head again.

I'm going to run 3 separate magic numbers here on The Chum Bucket - one for clinching a playoff spot, one for eliminating Dallas from the Pacific Division crown, and one for eliminating Anaheim from the Pacific Division crown.

For the Dallas and Anaheim numbers, subtract each time San Jose accumulates points or Dallas/Anaheim leaves points on the table (i.e. SJ over DAL in overtime would yield -3 to that magic number). For the playoff number, use the same formula except for whichever team is currently in 9th. This one will likely be in flux.

As of March 6th:

Playoff Magic Number: 21
Dallas Magic Number: 28
Anaheim Magic Number: 24