NHL Playoff Standings 2019: Predicting Which Teams Will Fall Short of Postseason

The battles for the final two playoff positions in the NHL's Eastern and Western Conferences are expected to come down to the last week of the regular season. 

In the East, four teams are in the mix for the two wild-card positions, while Carolina could be dragged into the race from its current third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division.

In the West, Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona and Colorado are separated by three points with the two wild-card positions up for grabs. 

At some point during the final month of the regular season, a few teams will separate themselves from the pack with winning streaks, while some playoff contenders could be taken out of the mix because of brutal schedules down the stretch. 

Below is a look at a few teams who will miss out on the 2019 NHL postseason due to a variety of factors. 

Eastern Conference Standings

Metropolitan Division

1. Washington (89 points) 

2. New York Islanders (87 points)

3. Carolina (83 points)

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay (110 points)

2. Boston (93 points) 

3. Toronto (89 points) 

Wild-Card Race

1. Pittsburgh (83 points) 

2. Columbus (79 points) 

3. Montreal (79 points) 

4. Philadelphia (76 points) 

5. Florida (72 points) 

6. Buffalo (69 points) 

7. New York Rangers (69 points) 

Western Conference Standings

Central Division

1. Winnipeg (84 points) 

2. Nashville (83 points) 

3. St. Louis (79 points) 

Pacific Division

1. San Jose (92 points) 

2. Calgary (91 points) 

3. Vegas (81 points) 

Wild-Card Race

1. Dallas (75 points)

2. Minnesota (74 points) 

3. Arizona (73 points)

4. Colorado (72 points) 

5. Chicago (69 points) 

6. Edmonton (69 points) 

7. Vancouver (65 points)

8. Anaheim (63 points) 

Teams Who Will Fall Short of Postseason

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus has a few different avenues available to earn a playoff berth. The eighth-place team in the Eastern Conference is only four points back of Carolina for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

But there's also a chance the Blue Jackets miss out on the postseason completely, with Montreal and Philadelphia lingering right under the playoff line. 

The concerning part of Columbus' recent play is its inability to find the back of the net, as it's been shut out on three occasions in March by Edmonton, Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders. 

Paul Vernon/Associated Press

The good news for the Blue Jackets is they responded to the Pittsburgh loss with a 4-1 win over the Penguins two days later, but then they failed to score Monday against the Islanders. 

A pair of meetings with the Boston Bruins in the next week could strike a blow to Columbus' playoff hopes, as the Bruins recently had a 19-game point streak end. 

With three games left against Boston and a few difficult road trips to Calgary and Nashville, Columbus has far from a favorable schedule to close the regular season. 

The key game to watch for the Blue Jackets comes March 28, when they host Montreal two days after hosting the Islanders. 

The Canadiens have three of their four games at Centre Bell before the trip to Nationwide Arena, while the week before the homestand, Columbus will traverse the Pacific time zone. 

If the Habs can bank momentum from those home contests, they could put the Blue Jackets in a hole they can't get out of with a week left in the regular season.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars have the worst road record of the four teams competing for the two wild-card positions in the West.

In fact, Dallas is the only franchise of the quartet with a below-.500 mark on its travels, which isn't a good sign heading into the final week of March. 

The Stars' playoff hopes could be dashed during a four-game road swing that takes place over six days with games against Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. 

Richard W. Rodriguez/Associated Press

The first leg of that trip could be brutal for the Stars, as they'll be going up against two of the best home teams in the NHL in the Jets and Flames. 

By the second leg of back-to-back games in Calgary and Edmonton, the Stars could be playing with tired legs, as they play eight games in 13 days, with the first four at home. 

If their subpar road form continues into the end of March, the Stars could be playing catchup against Minnesota, Arizona and Colorado by the time the first week of April rolls around. 

Dallas' regular-season finale against the Wild could mean something, but with its three playoff rivals playing much less congested schedules to close out the regular season, the Stars could stumble to the finish line with tired legs and a less-than-average road mark. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.