As it is with every season, we're drawing closer to the playoffs, and the race to get into them is heating up. Although some teams have locked up their playoff spot (and what the heck is St. Louis doing sitting first in the league?), there are a bunch of teams just a couple of wins or so out in both the Eastern and Western Conference. They're all going to be playing hard to get into the bottom four. Here is where some of them currently sit, and how likely they are to actually make the playoffs this season:

Winnipeg Jets: Only a few points out of eighth, the Jets could be poised to bring playoff hockey back to Winnipeg for the first time in well over a decade. No one would have expected it based on their roster at the beginning of the season, but, led by the productive Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane, the Jets have had a successful season, even if they don't break into the playoffs. It's tough, because only seventh and eighth place in the East are within range, and Peg City is competing with Buffalo, Carolina and Toronto for that final spot, but so far this season the Jets have proven the unlikely is possible. They may continue to do that.

Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres are competing with Winnipeg for one of the bottom spots in the East. Their star player is, of course, Ryan Miller, and whether they make it into the playoffs depends much on him. Unless Miller gets hot (and it could happen), I don't think they have the team to get deep this year anyway, should they sneak into one of the last spots. However, Buffalo needs to justify their high payroll by at least making it into the East's top eight, otherwise changes could come to the Sabres over the summer.

San Jose Sharks: The West has a few more horses in the race for its final playoff spots, and San Jose is one of those horses. They're competing with Phoenix, Colorado, Los Angeles and Calgary for one of the bottom two spots. Led by Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, they might make that final spot. They've been a team poised to win the Cup for a few years now, but have underachieved. If they miss the playoffs entirely this year, that could be the end of the Sharks in their current incarnation.

Phoenix Coyotes: Where this team will be located in a few years' time is anyone's guess. It could be Mars for all we know. But they're making another solid push for the playoffs this year, and they might make it. The Coyotes have never been successful, particularly in the playoffs, whether it be in the desert or in their past life as the NHL's first version of the Winnipeg Jets. Led by 30-goal man Radim Vrbata and resurgent goaltender Mike Smith (replacing Ilya Bryzgalov), they could be a Cinderella story this year. A few of their long-suffering players (here's to Shane Doan) would be justly rewarded for being with the fledgling team for so long.

As for who wins the Cup, who knows? The New York Rangers have been solid, but they're the New York Rangers and have decades' worth of playoff futility behind their name, so I won't be making any huge bets on them. With Sid back in Pittsburgh, that throws predictability in the East out the window. Anything goes. In the West, Vancouver could go the distance and Detroit is always a threat. Who knows with St Louis? We might see Pittsburgh versus Vancouver in the finals, but there are so many possible combinations this year, it's unpredictable.