The bad news, though, is that if you’re more than five points out at this point, your chances of making the playoffs are almost non-existent. Which means that if history is any indication, Ottawa, the Islanders, Florida, Buffalo, Dallas, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton can begin making plans for next season right now. Only twice in the past 10 years has a team that was more than five points out at this point in the season made the playoffs. The New York Islanders in 2002-03 were 8-13-3-0 and 13th in the Eastern Conference, but went 27-21-8-2 to make the playoffs. The 2005-06 San Jose Sharks, who were 8-11-4 and in 12th place in the Western Conference, went 36-16-7 the rest of the way to reach the post-season.

But the numbers get more daunting when you look at them more closely. Of the 41 teams that have gotten themselves back into the playoff picture after U.S. Thanksgiving, 22 of them have been only two or fewer points out of a playoff spot. That means historically, if you’re more than two points out of the playoffs at this point of the season, your chances of making the playoffs are just over 10 percent.

Since the 2005-06 season, NHL teams in postseason position entering the American Thanksgiving holiday have gone on to make the Stanley Cup playoffs 77.3 per cent of the time, according to STATS. (Globe and Mail) - szoval van azert ott kb 25%-nyi hely.

Magyarul inkabb statiszika (trendekkel) mint kobe vesett dolog, de azert erdekes.:nemtudom: