Lake Erie ain't no joke. Since last playing with Texas, they've rattled off four straight victories allowing just three total goals. Those four games were all against divisional foes, which pushed the Monsters to third place in the Central Division.
It seems like the Central has settled in a bit and the teams that will make the playoffs are mostly settled. Chicago, in sixth place, needs 8 wins ignoring all other factors to climb to fifth place and take the crossover spot to the Pacific (according to the playoff projections). That seems unlikely right now, putting Lake Erie into the playoffs for just the second time in their nine year history.