Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It is a common refrain among those familiar with the NHL: the teams in playoff position by Thanksgiving are most likely going to be there when the regular season ends in early April.
Although only about 25 percent of the season is played before Turkey Day, this date has proven to be a good indicator in the recent past. According to thn.com, over the last 10 seasons (excluding lockout years) roughly 77 percent of teams in the playoffs by Thanksgiving end up making the postseason in April.
Of course, this means that 23 percent of teams end up falling out of the playoff picture, leaving room for teams that got off to slow starts to sneak in come April.