Somehow I missed that the SPHL upped playoff participation from six teams to eight this season, so missed that some teams have already clinched.
Magic Numbers:
Augusta - CLINCHED (12 games remaining) - 18 points to clinch the #1 seed
Columbus - CLINCHED (12 GR)
Knoxville - CLINCHED (13 GR)
Pensacola - 7 points (14 GR)
Louisiana - 8 points (11 GR)
MS Surge - 9 points (13 GR)
Huntsville - 14 points (12 GR)
MS Riverkings - 15 points (15 GR)
---------- Tragic Numbers:
Fayetteville - 15 points (10 GR)
Magic Numbers:
Augusta - CLINCHED (8 games remaining) - also clinched first-round home ice, 12 points to clinch the #1 seed
Knoxville - CLINCHED (9 GR) - 5 points to clinch first-round home ice.
Columbus - CLINCHED (8 GR) - 5 points to clinch first-round home ice.
Pensacola - CLINCHED (8 GR) - 12 points to clinch first-round home ice.
MS Surge - CLINCHED (7 GR)
Louisiana - 2 points (6 GR)
MS Riverkings - 7 points (10 GR)
Huntsville - 7 points (7 GR)
---------- Tragic Numbers:
Fayetteville - 7 points (7 GR)
With Fayetteville's loss last night, Louisiana clinched a post-season berth. The Riverkings will clinch a berth with a win tonight, or a Fayetteville regulation loss, or if both the RKs and FireAntz lose in OT/SO, since the RKs have already clinched more Wins than Fayetteville and would win any tiebreaker. Huntsville has the same scenario as the Riverkings, except instead of the Wins tiebreaker, the Havoc own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the FireAntz.
So, if the FireAntz lose in regulation tonight to Pensacola, then they are eliminated, and the playoff field will be set, other than the specifics of who will pay whom.
By my numbers, that does it -- Fayetteville has been eliminated with their loss last night. The best they can manage is a tie for 8th with Huntsville in both points and wins, and as perviously mentioned, Huntsville owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Now it's just a question of seeding.
Augusta has clinched first-round home ice (in fact, no worse than the #3 seed), and is five points from clinching the overall #1 seed. The only other teams still mathematically in the running for the regular-season title are Knoxville and Columbus.
Huntsville cannot get home ice in the first round - the best they can manage is the #6 seed.
Louisiana can do no better than a tie for the #4 seed with Pensacola in points and wins, but Pensacola has clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker there, so Louisiana will also not be able to have home ice in the first round.
After last week's games, two playoff matchups are already determined, and the slots are almost set.
Augusta has won the league and #1 seed, and will play #8 seed Huntsville in the first round.
The Surge and Pensacola WILL play each other in the first round as the #4 and #5 seeds -- but which team will have home ice is still to be determined. Pensacola trails by a point, but has a game in hand, and also holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
For the other two matchups, Columbus and Knoxville will have home-ice advantage as the #2 and #3 seeds, but which gets which seed is still up in the air. They will host Lousiana and the Riverkings, who will get the #6 and #7 seeds, but again, which team gets which seed (and which opponent) is still up in the air going into the last week of the regular season.
