Which struggling Central team could still sneak into the playoffs?

As we dive deeper into the second half of the NHL season, there’s starting to be some separation between the contenders and pretenders in the two conferences.

The Central Division is being dominated by the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, with the Utah Mammoth having a promising year, competing for a wild card spot.

That said, there are a couple of teams that are trying to get back into the mix. The Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets, teams that looked pretty rough in the early going, are quietly creeping up the Western Conference standings and could be contenders for a Wild Card spot if they keep trending upward.

On Wednesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discuss which teams from the division could turn things around and challenge for a playoff spot.

Carter Hutton: I guess depth-wise in goaltending, I think the Winnipeg Jets, but I’m going to go with the Nashville Predators because I just think they’re playing with less expectations and the house’s money. I feel like there’s gonna be more chance that the Winnipeg Jets move off players because of the pressure they’re under in the Central Division. When I think of Winnipeg, and I think of Cheveldayoff, what he’s gonna do. He’s gonna start to move pieces out, in my opinion. I’m gonna err on the side of the Preds, they are playing with the house’s money just to have a chance to make the playoffs. I think if Winnipeg makes a push and makes the playoffs, it’s gonna be a big mistake.

Tyler Yaremchuk: There was a point where their fanbase was kind of sitting there crossing their fingers, going like ‘Oh, maybe this is the year where we just get through it, we get a lottery pick, and we get to add a really young, exciting player.’ Now, that they’ve started to creep together some wins, maybe you do kind of sit there as a Jets fan and go, ‘Okay, we’re eight back. If Hellebuyck gets on a heater, maybe we can find a way to piece things up. But I agree with you, it would be a mistake if they go on a run and finish three points out of a playoff spot, and now you’re picking 14th, whereas three weeks ago you’ve maybe felt there was a chance you’d be picking in the top five. It could get a little frustrating…Another bad scenario would be if they manage to get close enough to that playoff picture, and i think it’d be a bad scenario for Nashville to get close, where their their general manager sits there and go, ‘You know what? Maybe I’m not gonna sell.’

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…