NHL Playoff Standings 2020: Predicting Which Teams Will Fall Short of Postseason

How close are the races for the final spots in the NHL playoffs? At the top of the wild-card standings, there are four Eastern Conference teams separated by three points and four Western Conference teams separated by two.

That means we should be in store for an exciting final month to the regular season with no NHL team having more than 15 remaining games.

Here is a look at the current NHL standings, followed by predictions for three teams that are going to fall just short of getting into their conference's top eight.

Eastern Conference Standings

Atlantic Division

1. Boston (98 points)

2. Tampa Bay (92)

3. Toronto (79)

Metropolitan Division

1. Washington (90)

2. Philadelphia (89)

3. Pittsburgh (84)

Wild-Card Race

1. Columbus (81)

2. Carolina (79)

3. N.Y. Islanders (79)

4. Florida (78)

5. N.Y. Rangers (76)

6. Montreal (71)

7. New Jersey (68)

8. Buffalo (68)

9. Ottawa (62)

Western Conference Standings

Central Division

1. St. Louis (92)

2. Colorado (90)

3. Dallas (82)

Pacific Division

1. Vegas (86)

2. Edmonton (83)

3. Calgary (79)

Wild-Card Race

1. Winnipeg (78)

2. Minnesota (77)

3. Vancouver (76)

4. Nashville (76)

5. Arizona (74)

6. Chicago (70)

7. Anaheim (65)

8. San Jose (63)

9. Los Angeles (62)

Teams That Will Fall Short of Postseason

Columbus Blue Jackets

Things have not been going well for the Blue Jackets over the past month.

Since Feb. 8, Columbus has lost 12 of its last 15 games. On the bright side, it got one point in six of those losses, as it fell in either overtime or a shootout, and its three victories over that stretch have all come in the past seven games.

However, the Blue Jackets are going to have a tough path to the playoffs. Even though they're currently the top wild card in the Eastern Conference, they've played three more games than the Hurricanes and Islanders, who are both only two points behind them.

Columbus also has some tough matchups down the stretch, as seven of its remaining 12 games are on the road. And at home, it must face talented teams such as Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa Bay.

The Blue Jackets play the Islanders and Hurricanes over their final three games, but by then, it will be too late, as their recent defensive struggles will continue to push them out of the postseason.

Minnesota Wild

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

The Wild may be surging right now, as they've won eight of their last 11 games, but there are reasons to believe that this may not continue and that they will fall short of reaching the postseason.

Minnesota's defense has not been great this season, as it has allowed 3.14 goals per game, which ranks ninth-worst in the NHL. Part of that is because the Wild have particularly struggled at penalty-killing, as they rank eighth-worst with a 77.2 percentage.

In the final month, the schedule is only going to get tougher for Minnesota. Of its remaining 13 games, six are against teams currently in the playoffs and several others are against teams that are just out.

Plus, the Wild's four-game road trip to end the regular season against the Blues, Islanders, Capitals and Predators could be particularly challenging. Expect that stretch to keep them out.

Arizona Coyotes

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Only three points behind the second wild-card team, Arizona is still within striking distance of its first playoff appearance since the 2011-12 season with 12 games to play. But the Coyotes are running out of time, and they're having trouble establishing momentum of late.

Arizona hasn't won more than two games in a row since a four-game win streak from Dec. 31-Jan. 7. And since then, it has lost 25 of 33 games.

The Coyotes have had trouble generating offense, as they rank 23rd with 2.72 goals per game. They also rank in the bottom half of the league on power plays at 18th (19.3 percent).

There are some winnable games down the stretch for Arizona, and it plays eight of its final 12 games at home. However, there just won't be enough time for the Coyotes to pass three teams in the standings, all of which have games in hand against them.