DENVER - Carve an extra piece of turkey to celebrate, David Backes and T. Cheap Puma Shoes .J. Oshie, because St. Louis is well on its way to the post-season. Treat yourself to another slice of pumpkin pie, Max Pacioretty, since Montreals virtually in, too.At least, the numbers seem to suggest as much.Since the 2005-06 season, NHL teams in post-season position entering the American Thanksgiving holiday have gone on to make the Stanley Cup playoffs 77.3 per cent of the time, according to STATS.So enjoy a heaping helping of mashed potatoes and gravy, Cam Fowler, because Anaheim is in prime position as the Ducks lead the Western Conference. After all, the top three teams in each conference on turkey day make the field nearly 90 per cent of the time.Just dont mention those figures to players, because it is too early to think about playoffs, Washington forward Troy Brouwer said.Its November.Fair enough, but what these numbers illustrate is that a fast start does, indeed, set up a team for success — or the lack of it.A quick start to a season may be even more beneficial in basketball, though. An NBA team in post-season position by Christmas — thats slightly more games than an NHL squad plays by Thanksgiving — goes on to make the playoffs 84.4 per cent of the time since 05-06, according to STATS.Translation: Be good by the holidays or say goodbye to the post-season.I dont believe you can make the playoffs in the first 20 games. But I do believe you can miss the playoffs in the first 20 games, said Eddie Olczyk, an NBC hockey analyst whos also a former player and coach.So if that Thanksgiving stat holds true, come April, these will be your Eastern Conference playoff representatives: Montreal, Pittsburgh, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Washington, Boston and Toronto.In the Western Conference, it would be: Anaheim, Nashville, Vancouver, St. Louis, Calgary, Chicago, Los Angeles and Winnipeg.Most noticeably absent? Philadelphia and the New York Rangers in the East, along with Colorado in the West.All three have some work to do to get back to the playoff stage. Then again, the Flyers werent in the post-season picture last Thanksgiving, only to rally late behind the play of Claude Giroux.No reason to panic, though. Most teams have barely played a quarter of their schedule.I would never think that people should count us out, Avalanche defenceman Zach Redmond said.The teams seeded in the top three at the moment are definitely in solid shape. That would be you, Canadiens, Penguins and Islanders (Lightning in the mix as well). And also you, Ducks, Predators and Canucks (Blues and Flames are right there, too).Only five teams seeded in the top-three at Thanksgiving have failed to make the post-season over the past eight seasons (2012-13 didnt get rolling until January). The last to do so was Minnesota in 11-12, in research provided by STATS.Heres a reason why its so difficult to jump over teams: The NHLs three-point system. A winner of a game receives two points, but if the loser happens to get beaten in overtime or in a shootout, it still gains a point.Olczyk isnt a big fan of that system, believing, if you win, you should get the whole ball of wax. If you lose, you get nothing.His logic is this: A team can go 1-5-4 in a 10-game stretch, but still pick up six points. In any other league, that would be a 1-9 skid and bury a team in the standings.It gets so exhausting when people in January and February talk about, Oh, I cant believe how close the race is, Olczyk said. Well, hold on a second. Why is it so hard to believe? A good percentage of the games have three points being given out. The races should be close. Nobody should be surprised how close it is.The deeper into the season races go, the more conservative teams may play, just to secure at least a point.Playing life and death (hockey) when youre trying to make the playoffs at the end of the season can be taxing, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. Certainly we dont want to be in a position of playing life and death (hockey) to try to get in at games 80, 81 and 82.Not that the Blackhawks have anything to worry about — theyre a virtual cinch to be in. At least, according to the numbers.On the flip side, a team like Colorado is in post-season jeopardy, if you placed stock in those stats.Ive never been a huge believer in stats, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog said. Its a long season and theres a lot of hockey left.___AP freelance writer Dale Bublitz contributed. Wholesale Puma Shoes . Case in point: LeBron James vs. Ben McLemore. James was driving to the rim in the first quarter and McLemore decided to try to take the charge, which was quite admirable and predictably futile. Discount Puma Uk . -- ETwaun Moore had 14 points in 30 minutes, and the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 87-86 on Sunday night. http://www.discountpumauk.com/ .J. -- Rampage Jackson scowled, howled, then bellowed to the crowd: "Im back! Im back!" With rebuilt knees and a new promotion, Jackson might have one more act left in MMA.MIAMI -- Suspended Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito says teammate Jonathan Martin sent him a threatening text message as an apparent joke only a week before their relationship became the subject of a harassment case that has prompted an NFL investigation. In an interview with Fox Sports televised Sunday, Incognito said he never took the threat seriously. Incognito said he regrets the racist and profane language he used with Martin, but said it stemmed from a culture of locker-room "brotherhood," not bullying. "A week before this went down, Jonathan Martin texted me on my phone -- I will murder your whole ... family," Incognito said, quoting Martin as using a profanity. "Now did I think Jonathan Martin was going to murder my family? Not one bit. ... I knew it was coming from a brother. I knew it was coming from a friend. I knew it was coming from a teammate. That just puts in context how we communicate with one another." Responding to the interview, Martins attorney tweeted the message Incognito quoted. The message was accompanied by two photos of a laughing woman holding a dog, suggesting it was intended as a joke. "JMarts text 2 Richie Incognito. U decide....." attorney David Cornwell tweeted. That was the only response by Cornwell or Martins agent to requests from The Associated Press for comment on Incognitos interview. Incognito said Martin also sent him a friendly text four days after leaving the team to undergo counselling for emotional issues. The message came on the heels of the Dolphins overtime victory against Cincinnati. "Wassup man? The worlds gone crazy lol. Im good tho congrats on the win," Martin said in a text verified by Fox Sports. "Yeah Im good man. Its insane bro but just know I dont blame you guys at all. Its just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little." Martin left the team two weeks ago, and Cornwell alleges the second-year pro was harassed daily by teammates, including Incognito. Martin hasnt spoken publicly but will discuss the case late next week with a special investigator hired by the league. "This isnt an issue about bullying," Incognito told Fox. "This is an issue of my and Jons relationship. You can ask anyone in the Miami Dolphins locker room who had Jon Martins back the absolute most, and theyll uundoubtedly tell you me. Cheap Puma Shoes Uk. "All this stuff coming out, it speaks to the culture of our locker room, it speaks to culture of our closeness, it speaks to the culture of our brotherhood." Incognitos phone showed 1,142 text messages between the two players over the past year, Fox reported. The network said Incognito declined to answer only one question: Did coaches order him to toughen up Martin? The NFL will investigate the role of coach Joe Philbin, his staff and Miami management in the case. The Dolphins (4-4) play for the first time since Incognito was suspended when they face Tampa Bay (0-8) on Monday night. Incognito is white and Martin is biracial. Teammates both black and white have said Incognito is not a racist, and theyve been more supportive of the veteran guard than they have of Martin. Incognito acknowledged leaving a voicemail for Martin in April in which he used a racist term, threatened to kill his teammate and threatened to slap Martins mother. "When I see those words come up across the screen, Im embarrassed," said Incognito, adding that Martin used the same racist term "a lot." "Im embarrassed by my actions. But what I want people to know is the way Jonathan and the rest of the offensive line and our teammates communicate. Its vulgar. Its not right. ... I understand why a lot of eyebrows get raised when people dont know how Jon and I communicate to one another." Incognito said he never sensed that football or the locker-room culture were getting to Martin. "As his best friend on the team, thats what has me miffed -- how I missed this," Incognito said. "I never saw it coming." Long labeled one of the NFLs dirtiest players, Incognito acknowledged his reputation for out-of-bounds behaviour -- and the impact the much-quoted, threatening voicemail has had on his image. "It sounds terrible. It sounds like Im a racist pig. It sounds like Im a meathead. It sounds a lot of things that its not. ... If you go just by all the knucklehead stuff Ive done in the past, youre sitting in your home and thinking, This guy is a loose cannon. This guy is a terrible person. This guy is a racist. That couldnt be farther from the truth." Incognito said if he met with Martin and his family, he would apologize for anything they took as malicious. ' ' '