Magic Numbers for Friday
How many games need to go Ottawa's way?
It's the time of the year for scoreboard watching, so it's time for the "magic number".
The magic number is the number of games that need to go Ottawa's way for them to finish ahead of that team - either an Ottawa win or that team losing, and 0.5 for an overtime or shootout loss. The percentage is that number out of the number of games Ottawa and that team have remaining.
Currently, this does not account for tie-breakers. We're too far out for those to actually be determined just yet.
| Team | Magic Number | Percentage of Remaining Games |
| ATLANTIC | ||
| BOSTON | 28.5 | 86% |
| TORONTO | 20 | 65% |
| TAMPA BAY | 20.5 | 62% |
| METROPOLITAN | ||
| PITTSBURGH | 29 | 85% |
| COLUMBUS | 19 | 58% |
| NY RANGERS | 18 | 56% |
| WILD CARD | ||
| MONTRÉAL | 19.5 | 61% |
| PHILADELPHIA | 19.5 | 57% |
| OUT OF PLAYOFFS | ||
| DETROIT | 18.5 | 54% |
| NEW JERSEY | 17.5 | 53% |
| WASHINGTON | 16 | 50% |
| CAROLINA | 15.5 | 47% |
| NY ISLANDERS | 10.5 | 33% |
| FLORIDA | 9.5 | 29% |
| BUFFALO | 5 | 15% |