For the short while I've been doing these quarterly updates, all four of the Bs have ended up making the postseason. And while I suppose it was inevitable that the ending to one team's regular season would really mean the end of the entire year for them, I never would have imagined it might be the Blackhawks—just one year removed from having won the Stanley Cup, no less.
And sure, while the 'Hawks are sitting in second place in their division at the moment I type this (and have also won four in a row), it's that time of the year when the newspaper begins publishing the standings according to the conference rankings that would determine playoff seedings. And today, the Blackhawks would currently be in ninth—on spot short of qualifying.
Now admittedly, only five points separate the No. 4 Phoenix Coyotes from the No. 11 Anaheim Ducks, so there's certainly the possibility that a strong fourth quarter to the season could catapult the Blackhawks considerably higher in the playoffs.
But at the same time, it's also feasible that with three-quarters of the season having gone by with often mediocre hockey, the defending champions might be hanging up their skates after the 82nd game and not playing again until next year's campaign begins.
Summation symbol, in math / MON 2-10-25 / Adoptable playmate introduced in
1982 / Palindromic Parisian periodical / Storks have long ones / Where Z is
in the alphabet / Redhead introduced in 1918 / 18-inch figure introduced in
1986 / Fashionable pair introduced in 1959 and 1961, respectively
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Constructor: Emily Rourke
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (solved Downs-only)
THEME: "HELLO, DOLLY" (64A: Classic Broadway musical about an N.Y.C.
match...
6 hours ago