The NHL regular season is roughly a month from the finish line, and as fans fill out brackets after Selection Sunday the hunt for a Cinderella is on. Last spring’s Panthers were the ultimate No. 1 bracket buster — last team in, all the way to the Final — so who might play that role this year?
Eastern wild-card picture Boston (80 points) sits in the first wild-card spot and plays New Jersey Monday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). If Boston holds WC1, it will face the Atlantic division winner with the lower point total. Boston’s head-to-head ties this season include a 2-1-0 edge on Buffalo, 0-1-1 vs. Tampa Bay (two meetings remaining) and 1-1-0 vs. Carolina (one left).
Detroit (80 points) occupies the second wild-card slot but has struggled in head-to-head matchups with key rivals: 1-2-0 vs. Carolina, 0-1-1 vs. Buffalo (one game left) and 1-2-0 vs. Tampa Bay (one left).
Columbus (79 points) is close behind Detroit. The Blue Jackets are 2-0-0 vs. Buffalo (one meeting left) and 3-0-0 vs. Tampa Bay, and while they lost their only game to Carolina, three games remain between those clubs.
Stathletes’ playoff-progression model tilts toward Columbus among the Boston/Detroit/Columbus group: Columbus p
