Southeast Division Playoff Race Update

Team	W	Pts	Corsi Tied.	Fen Close	ST PDO	GF	GA	Exp. W	Pace
Florida	36	87	0.507	50.03	1.001	186	206	34	95
Washington	38	84	0.497	49.93	0.984	205	214	36	91
Winnipeg	35	78	0.497	51.01	1.002	201	217	35	85
Tampa Bay	34	75	0.472	48.79	0.979	209	252	30	83
Carolina	30	75	0.479	48.23	0.993	202	228	33	81

It's time for our weekly look at the Southeast Division and it looks like things have boiled down to a two-team race as the Jets have fallen out of the picture. The Southeast Division will likely be won by either the Florida Panthers or the Washington Capitals and from the looks of things, the Cats have a big advantage. They have a three point lead and one game in hand over the Caps which means that they will probably win the division unless they lose out or something drastic. The Panthers also have games against Columbus, Minnesota and Carolina, which gives them an advantage compared to the Caps who have to play Boston, Buffalo and the Rangers to close out the year.

Based on schedule alone, Florida has a huge advantage even though they don't appear to be much better than any other team in the division. Washington has a shot at the division but it might take them winning out and getting a little bit of luck along the way. They haven't been getting much of it on special teams lately, so they will need for things to turn around there.

Regardless, I think Washington is good enough to at least make it in the playoffs but they really need to win their next game against Buffalo and at least earn points in all of their remaining games to solidify their chances. Ottawa winning tonight makes things slightly more difficult for them.