Morning Coffee: NHL Western Conference playoff race heats up

The Vegas Golden Knights were +1040 to miss the playoffs on the opening night of the regular season.

Only the Colorado Avalanche had longer odds. As of this morning, Vegas is -220 to miss the playoffs.

The Winnipeg Jets beat the Golden Knights 4-0 on Tuesday night. It was Winnipeg’s second win over Vegas in eight days.

The Golden Knights were 28-16-3 on Feb. 8.

Since then, Vegas has gone 6-12-1, and is now on the outside of a playoff spot looking in with just 16 games remaining.

The Golden Knights’ struggles have opened things up for a pair of Canadian teams that are knocking on the door in a tight Western Conference playoff race heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

Here’s the TSN EDGE Morning Coffee for Wednesday March 23, 2022.

NHL Western Conference playoff race spotlight

Ten points separated third from 11th in the Western Conference standings heading into Tuesday night’s games.

All three home favourites on the bubble won last night.

The Jets, which went from -130 to -170, beat Vegas 4-0. Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers finished with a goal and an assist.

Big night, #NHLJets fans. Sleep tight