The Playoff Push: March 16, 2024

8 games today, 18 total remaining.

New England

The Islanders Hockey Club (No. 2) visit South Shore (No. 1). The winner takes first, unless South Shore get a loser point in OT/SO.

Tied in points, the Kings would hold the head to head 12 points to 7 and squeak into first (please double check). 

The Cyclones will visit the Bruins in the 4v5 Play-In. Utica (No. 3) will visit somebody in Massachusetts first round. We’ll know who today.

Atlantic

The Jersey Hitmen (No. 4) host the Rockets Hockey Club (No. 3). Connecticut (No. 5) visits Mercer (No. 2). They play again tomorrow.

P.A.L. (No. 1) visits the WBS Knights (No. 6), and they also play again tomorrow. 

The Atlantic finishes this weekend. Two points currently separate third from last. Four teams scratching and clawing.

Should the Hitmen, Connecticut and Wilkes-Barre all win their remaining games (Hitmen in regulation), they and the Rockets would finish in a four-way tie at 49 points.

Head to Head Points Tiebreakers Status:

Hitmen 9, Rockets 7

Rockets 10, Rangers 8

WBS 12, Rockets 6

Rangers 10, Hitmen 8

Hitmen 12, WBS 7

Rangers 12, WBS 5

The Rockets are in the playoffs. They need a single point to take sole possession of third. 

The Hitmen currently hold the head to head, 9:7, so a Hitmen regulation win would have them finish over the Rockets, tied with 49 points.

In each game, there are four possible distributions of points. That means 1,024 possible endings to the weekend. Around 4 p.m. today, that number drops to 64.

Mountain Division

Two games

Provo (No. 3) at Ogden (No. 1)

Idaho Falls (No. 4) at Rock Springs (No. 6)

Provo clinched third place on Friday. 

Ogden needs a point today to clinch first over idle Utah. Otherwise, they will need a point in their two-game set vs. Utah next weekend.

Idaho Falls still needs four points to clinch fourth over Pueblo. That won’t happen today. Idaho Falls has a game in hand on Pueblo.

After tonight, there no games in the Mountain until next Friday, March 22.