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| Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs |
The Gatineau Olympiques upset the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 2-1 on Wednesday, pushing them three points ahead of the Sea Dogs in the overall standings. Gatineau currently owns the 16th and final playoff spot.
Saint JohnSaturday, March 15 at MonctonSunday, March 16 at CharlottetownFriday, March 21 vs Cape BretonSaturday, March 22 vs Cape BretonGatineauFriday, March 14 vs Baie-ComeauSaturday, March 15 vs RimouskiFriday, March 21 at VictoriavilleSaturday, March 22 vs DrummondvilleHalifaxFriday, March 14 at Cape BretonSunday, March 16 vs Cape BretonFriday, March 21 at MonctonSaturday, March 22 vs Charlottetown
Simply put: this is not a great situation for Saint John.
The Sea Dogs do own the tie-breaker (regulation wins plus overtime wins) over the Olympiques and Mooseheads so all they need to do is match one of them in points. Still, earning three points in the final four games will not be a simple task for Saint John – and that's not considering Gatineau picking up more points down the stretch.
The Olympiques have a challenging schedule to finish the year but that March 21 showdown against the last-place Victoriaville Tigres could prove to be huge.
The biggest wildcard in this entire situation is what kind of lineup opponents dress in the final weekend. That March 22 game in Saint John may end up being a meaningless tilt for Cape Breton, so will they opt to sit some regulars? The same could be said for Drummondville's March 22 game in Gatineau.
The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-1 win in Halifax on Saturday. The team hasn't won back-to-back games since mid-December.
Saint John has just five wins since Christmas with four of those coming against the Mooseheads. The other win was against Quebec.
The Sea Dogs haven't missed the playoffs since 2019. The good news is that Saint John does own their own first-round pick, so finishing lower would give their draft lottery odds a boost.
Did we make playoffs
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