The race for a coveted playoff spot is on! As we head into the final quarter of the 2018-19 season, some real dogfights are taking place in both conferences.

In the Plante Conference
Salem and Parry Sound continue to lead the way — the Orrsmen will have to make up six points to seal home ice advantage throughout the postseason. Denver slipped big in the third quarter, and indeed if the playoffs started today, only the Sabercats would be repping the Plante East — the next four contenders are all in the West. The real race is for the fourth seed, with Baltimore (70) just four points up on Charleston (66).

In the Sawchuk Conference
Delta seems to have a firm grip on the top seed over Boston, but a late surge from the Banshees could change all that. Like in the Plante, the real race is for the fourth and final playoff birth. Just four points separate third place Ice Harbor (72) and fifth place Farmington (68), with West Virginia (69) sandwiched in the middle. Vancouver and Adirondack are a mere five points back of that pack. It’ll be tight!

Stat-Watching
With 90 points (37 goals and 53 assists), Winnipeg’s Jamie Benn has taken over the scoring lead from Salem’s Anze Kopitar (88 points). Benn’s teammate Tyler Seguin and West Virginia sophomore Patrik Laine share the goal-scoring lead with 43. Farmington rearguard John Carlson still leads defensemen with 57 points, although El Dorado’s Jeff Petry deserves notice for his whopping 52. Salem’s Yanni Gourde (60 points) has taken over the rookie lead from Vancouver’s Mathew Barzal (58). Salem’s goaltending tandem of Frederik Andersen (21 wins, 2.19, .923) and Marc-Andre Fleury (24 wins, 2.43, .927) have been putting up the best numbers for netminders.