With just two regular season series remaining, the Boston College Eagles (15-7-1, 31 points) maintain a one-point lead over UMass-Lowell (15-8-0, 30 points) in the Hockey East regular season standings. BC is in a great position to repeat as Hockey East regular season champions,
The website playoffstatus.com calculates the various probabilities of HEA teams making the conference's postseason tournament.
With upcoming series against Providence and Vermont, the Eagles now have a 72 percent probability of winning Hockey East's regular season crown. Despite being a point back of second-place Lowell, Boston University (14-8-1, 29 points) has the second highest chance of earning Hockey East's number 1 overall spot with a 16 percent probability. Lowell has a 12 percent probability, while Merrimack, Maine and Providence all have less than a one percent chance of taking the regular season title.
It's shaping up to be a three-horse race to the finish for Hockey East's regular season crown. Of the three programs vying for the number 1 seed, BC and BU have the much easier schedules from here on out:
Boston College -- (3 home, 1 road) -- at Providence, Providence, Vermont, Vermont
Boston University (1 home, 3 road) -- at Vermont, at Vermont, Northeastern, at Northeastern
UMass-Lowell -- (2 home, 2 road) -- at Merrimack, Merrimack, at Providence, Providence
BC and BU's games against Vermont -- whose already been eliminated from the Hockey East Tournament -- and BC and UML's games against Providence will go a long way towards determining the regular season league champ.
More good news from playoffstatus.com as the Eagles have a 99 percent probability of finishing in the top three spots and earning home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Using playoffstatus.com probabilities, here is how the Hockey East Quarterfinals is shaking out:
No. 1 Boston College (15-7-1) vs. No. Massachusetts (7-12-4)
No. 2 UMass-Lowell (15-8-0) vs. No. 7 New Hampshire (10-12-2)
No. 3 Boston University (14-8-1) vs. No. 6 Providence (10-10-3)
No. 4 Maine (13-9-2) vs. No. 5 Merrimack (11-8-4)
With a victory over Providence on Friday, combined with either a UMass-Lowell victory over Merrimack or a Northeastern victory over Maine, the Eagles can clinch at least the number 4 spot and first round home ice.
Go Eagles!