The West is Just as Fun as the East: NHL Bubble Chronicles Pt 2
Don't let the quantity of teams fighting for a playoff spot in the East fool you -- the bubble situation out West is worth our attention, too.
A thought I had recently that made me laugh the second it floated out of my head: “Does East Coast bias really exist in hockey, or is there just More Going On in the Eastern Conference?”
Yeah, genius, it’s almost like thinking that is the textbook definition of East Coast bias.
Are there more teams in the infamous Eastern Conference Wild Card sweepstakes of 2025? Yes, we’ve got the Senators, Canadiens, Islanders, Rangers, Blue Jackets, and Red Wings all hovering in the 70-point range. Meanwhile out West, we’ve got the Blues, Flames, Canucks and Hockey Club in the low 80s to high 70s still in serious contention for a playoff spot.
What the West’s race lacks in quantity it makes up for in drama, and perhaps in deserve-to-win-ometer. If the Blues and their seven-game win streak hold on to the No. 2 spot, for example, no one can say they didn’t earn it. I don’t feel that way about maybe half the teams in the East Coast race, as they keep slipping on banana peels every time some momentum starts to build.
So, can we get a little commotion for the West? Here’s a reason to root for and against each team on the bubble.
St. Louis Blues (WC2, W7, 83 points, +15 goal differential)
Reasons to cheer: The Blues’ seventh consecutive win Tuesdaywas a 6-1 thrashing of the Habs. East Coast who?