"The NHL playoff bubble is pretty much the size of that one Glinda flies around in during "Wicked." Heading into Tuesday night, no team in the East was more than four points out of the wild-card spot. In the West, all but three teams were within three points of a playoff spot. If the NHL is striving for parity, this has been an ideal start."
"All of these factors have contributed to the Lightning's power play sputtering to 29th in the NHL this season, which is a huge reason their offense ranked 17th after 18 games. Since 2022, Tampa Bay's power play (26.6%) was second only to Connor McDavid and the Oilers (27.8%) in conversion rate. There's a reason the Lightning were a popular pick to win the Atlantic, and Stathletes still has them projected for 103 points this season."
NHL standings are tightly packed early in the season, with no Eastern team more than four points from a wild-card and most Western teams within three points of a playoff spot. Playoff probabilities and points projections from Stathletes cover all 32 teams and identify squads already headed for the draft lottery. Several teams inside the bubble show early points of concern. Tampa Bay's power play has dropped to 29th and its offense ranked 17th after 18 games, despite a 26.6% conversion since 2022 that was second only to Edmonton. Stathletes projects Tampa Bay for 103 points.
Read at ESPN.com
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