Just over a month remains before the regular season gives way to the 2017 playoffs, and the league's contenders and pretenders continue to emerge from the pack.

The top of the pile has looked the same for much of the season, with the usual powerhouses looking most likely to add to their championship counts. But it's the other end of the spectrum that's most intriguing.

While some of the teams on the playoff bubble gain momentum and tease the promise of a miracle run, others seem unsure of why they're even in the picture.

Let's take a closer look at who may be in over their heads:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner show has been a treat to watch, but clinching a playoff spot would likely be where the good times end for the blue and white in 2017.

It the Maple Leafs do indeed snag the final wild-card spot, they'll likely find themselves face to face with the Washington Capitals in round one, with the current top-ranked club also the most motivated to prove itself in the postseason.

The mismatch here is pretty clear.

Toronto has allowed the eighth-most goals per game thus far, as Frederik Andersen has looked brilliant at times and downright terrible at others. He's shown promise, but Andersen's .916 save percentage suggests he isn't going to hold up for 4-7 games against Alex Ovechkin and the rest of Washington's third-ranked offense.

Making matters worse, the Leafs hold the fifth-worst penalty differential in the league, having taken 23 more penalties than they've drawn. So take that offensive mismatch and add in the man-advantage factor.

Not ideal.

And then there's the issue of the Leafs' frequent third-period meltdowns - Washington scores more goals in the third than in any other period, their 81 tallies in the final frame ranks fourth-most in the league.

Again, not ideal.

Toronto has talent, but the Capitals are heading into these playoffs with fire in their eyes, as Ovechkin and company know their window is closing. They were just a few one-goal losses away from advancing to the conference finals last year, and they're not about to be quashed by a bunch of teenagers this time around.

2. Ottawa Senators

Elsewhere in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators are similarly in danger of getting rolled over once the playoffs begin.

The Senators have managed to hang on to second place in the Atlantic Division, but with the injury cloud hanging over them, the club's depth remains in question at the worst possible time.

Of all the teams bound for the playoffs via top-three division finishes, Ottawa's goal differential ranks last - they've scored just one more goal than they've allowed up to this point. Even one of the potential wild-card teams boasts a better differential, as the New York Rangers have potted 37 more goals than they've allowed.

Regardless of the injuries, Ottawa just doesn't seem to have the offensive firepower necessary to contend with any of their conference's big guns.

Consider the top names on the roster.

Can Erik Karlsson, Kyle Turris, and Mark Stone cancel out Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel? Or Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie?

The Senators' playoff hopes have a hard cap in this regard, as they can't match the top-end skill of their conference's best, let alone overall depth throughout the lineup.

Even their likely first-round matchup, the Boston Bruins, has a better top-three in Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. That line remains the most dominant regularly-used trio in the league in terms of puck possession, and Marchand's breakout year has him fourth in league scoring.

New additions Alex Burrows and Viktor Stalberg put up a few goals early in their tenures with their new club, but they aren't the catalysts that spur true contention from the Senators.

They'll make it to the dance, but they won't be staying long.

3. Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators have found new life as of late, with Filip Forsberg piling in three-point games seemingly every night. But even with everything going right at the moment, the Predators are about to run into a brick wall in the first round.

Nashville currently sits third in the Central Division, with the stumbling St. Louis Blues closest to taking their spot. Winnipeg is coming, but if Nashville holds on, they'll punch their playoff ticket in that No.3 position.

That gives them either the Minnesota Wild or Chicago Blackhawks in round one - whichever of the two dominant squads doesn't claim the division title.

Good luck.

If the Predators draw Minnesota, they get the club with the highest goal differential in the West, and second-highest in the league overall - the Wild have potted 61 more than they've allowed this season.

Minnesota boasts 11 different players with double-digit goal totals, more than any other team in the league. Seven forwards rank above star winger Zach Parise in that regard. If he turns it up, and the rest of Minnesota's offense keeps rolling, Nashville will have its hands full.

And answering back won't be easy, not with the league's current top netminder, Devan Dubnyk, manning the Wild cage.

But maybe Nashville will catch a break and get Chicago. The Blackhawks have won seven in a row and 12 of their last 13. Throughout those 13 tilts, star forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have posted a dominant 41 combined points - both ranking among the top-three scorers in the league over that span.

Anything can happen once the playoffs begin and the stakes change, but all things considered, it's safe to assume the Predators' yellow threads won't be making an appearance in the second round.

(Photos courtesy: USA Today Sports)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.