In NHL East all 15 teams have a shot at Play-offs and in the West 14 of 15
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/appThe point difference between 5th and 14th place in both conferences is 10 points before the all-star break.
NBA must learn the lesson.
yup...NFL is the same way. Gotta love a system that actually forces the players to perform as per their pay grade or they get cut.