11 games to go: Playoff watch
It’s getting down to the nitty gritty in the 2016-17 QMJHL regular season and the playoff picture is muddy at best for most teams in the tightly packed standings. The Halifax Mooseheads have 11 game remaining on the docket which includes just four home dates.
16 of the 18 teams in the league make the playoffs with the top seed facing the 16th seed, the second seed facing number 15 and so on. The top eight clubs will have home ice advantage in the first round.
For information on how to purchase Playoff Packages click here.
Halifax sits 12th overall in the league with 55 points and will play four more games at home and an additional seven on the road. The Gatineau Olympiques sit immediately in front of the Herd with 58 points after a recent hot streak that’s seen the team win eight of its last nine games. Halifax holds one game-in-hand on Gatineau but with the Moose facing the top ranked Saint John Sea Dogs a total of four more times those three points might be difficult to make up.
Other teams to keep an eye on during the final few weeks of the season that could impact the Mooseheads playoff positioning include Rimouski and Val d’Or. The Oceanic are just two points back of Halifax and the Foreurs are three behind.
Remaining Schedule:
| HALIFAX | GATINEAU | RIMOUSKI | VAL D’OR |
| @ MON Feb. 23rd | @ DRU Feb. 22nd | SHA Feb. 24th | BAC Feb 24th |
| BAT Feb. 24th | CHI Feb. 25th | CHA Feb. 26th | BAC Feb. 25th |
| @ SNB Feb. 26th | VIC Mar. 1st | @ CHA Mar. 2nd | DRU Mar. 1st |
| @ SNB Mar. 1st | @ SHE Mar. 3rd | @ SNB Mar. 3rd | @ ROU Mar. 3rd |
| @ CAP Mar. 3rd | @ VDO Mar. 7th | @ BAT Mar. 4th | VIC Mar. 5th |
| @ CHA Mar. 5th | @ ROU Mar. 8th | BLB Mar. 7th | GAT Mar. 7th |
| @ BAT Mar. 10th | SHA Mar. 10th | BAC Mar. 10th | ROU Mar. 10th |
| @ SNB Mar. 11th | QUE Mar. 12th | BAC Mar. 11th | @ ROU Mar. 12th |
| CHA Mar. 15th | DRU Mar. 17th | QUE Mar. 17th | @ SHE Mar. 15th |
| CAP Mar. 17th | BLB Mar. 18th | @ DRU Mar. 18th | @ VIC Mar. 17th |
| SNB Mar. 18th | @ SHA Mar. 18th |
Determining where the Mooseheads will finish is hard enough but to predict who they will face in the opening round might be even more difficult. As of Tuesday, February 21st Halifax would meet 5th place Rouyn-Noranda in Round 1 but the standings at the top of the league are close and have been changing on a nightly basis as you can see below:
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS |
| 1-Saint John | 56 | 39 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 82 |
| 2-Shawinigan | 56 | 37 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 78 |
| 3-Blainville-Boisbriand | 57 | 36 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 78 |
| 4-Charlottetown | 56 | 37 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 77 |
| 5-Rouyn-Noranda | 56 | 34 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 75 |
| 6-Acadie-Bathurst | 57 | 32 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 69 |
No matter how you slice it, the young Mooseheads squad is set to gain valuable experience in the 2017 President Cup Playoffs as they continue to build and strive for future success with an eye on hosting the 2019 Memorial Cup.
