Crunch Time

With only a few short weeks remaining in the season, teams are seeing new faces in action in fighting for postseason berths in two of the tightest playoff races in recent years. Teams who are struggling need to up their game or risk missing the playoffs, and teams that are hot need to keep the fire going. It's shaping up to be one hell of a stretch run. Here are my analyses of the Conference races. For each teams, the three numbers after their name shall indicate (points, games remaining, streak, record in last ten games). NR stands for Non-Regulation Loss (shootout, overtime). For now here's the East. The West is coming soon.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Not quite the crap shoot that the West is, but still, 6 teams are fighting for 7th and 8th in the East. The top 6 teams are probably safe at this point, and the bottom 3 are probably out as they are more than 10 points back from Buffalo. But 7th and 12th are still only separated by 10 points, and the way things are going this year, it could come down to the last game of the year for some of these teams. Just remember, Philadelphia made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last year after their playoff berth rested on winning a shootout in the final contest of the season. Anything can happen.

1. Philadelphia Flyers (86, 17, Lost 4, 4-5-1)
playoffs: safe
The mighty Flyers are beginning to show signs of weakness. Once way ahead of the pack, they now hold the top position in the East by only two points. They have lost 4 in a row, including losses to Toronto and Ottawa, and yesterday got embarassed 7-0 by the Rangers. They obviously have a secure hold on a playoff spot, and even home-ice advantadge in the first round, but if they want to hold onto their Conference title and compete with Vancouver for the President's trophy, they need to turn their game around with strong play against the tough teams, and now even the weaker teams it would seem. The recent stumble certainly cannot be blamed on Deadline moves; they gave up no roster players and added Kris Versteeg, who has been an offensive force for them already. Perhaps the question mark in goal is becoming a more pressing matter, and could have serious implications for them in the postseason. They have 8 home and 9 road games remaining, which shouldn't matter much as their records are about equal, with 20 wins apiece.
Key games: 3/10 @ Toronto, 3/19 @ Dallas, 3/22 vs. Washington, 3/24 vs. Pittsburgh, 3/27 vs. Boston, 3/29 @ Pittsburgh, 4/1 @ New Jersey, 4/3 vs. NY Rangers, 4/8 @ Buffalo

2. Boston Bruins (84, 17, NR Loss, 7-2-1)
playoffs: safe
Despite a weekend setback in overtime against the Penguins, the Bruins are playing some of their best hockey of the season, energized by recent acquisitions Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly, and Tomas Kaberle. Going into their loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, they had won 7 games in a row, including all 6 games of a road trip, the first time they have done this since their lat Cup season of 1971-72, including wins against Vancouver and Calgary. They now find themselves only two points behind Philly for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and if they keep up this recent tear are just about guaranteed home-ice advantadge through at least the first round of the playoffs.They have been lackluster at best when playing at home this season, but are one of the best road teams in the league. They have 8 road games remaining, including a 4 game trip including Western Conference games against Columbus and Nashville, and 9 games left at home. They are going to need to find their game in front of the home crowd if they want to have greater playoff successes this year. With a fairly tough remaining schedule, the B's will have to stay at the top of their game. They also have 2 games remianing againt the Maple Leafs, whose first round pick they own, and will do their best to push them further down the standings to secure a better draft position.
Key games: 3/8 @ Montreal, 3/10 vs. Buffalo, 3/15 @ Columbus, 3/17 @ Nashville, 3/19 @ Toronto, 3/22 vs. New Jersey, 3/24 vs. Montreal, 3/26 vs. NY Rangers, 3/27 @ Philadelphia, 3/29 vs. Chicago, 3/31 vs. Toronto, 4/4 @ NY Rangers, 4/10 @ New Jersey

3. Washington Capitals (82, 16, Won 4, 7-3-0)
playoffs: safe
The Capitals' offense has been shockingly impotent this year, but Alex Ovechkin is heating up and so is the team. They just passed Tampa Bay to take the lead in the Southeast Division Winners of four straight, they have been playing very strong hockey and have added three strong players to the team in Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, and Dennis Wideman. While they have two young unproven goaltenders in Semyon Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth, they have a fairly experienced offense now, who are poised to make up for last year's playoff disaster. The Capitals are heating up at the right time and are ready to show the hockey world what they failed to show it last year, a shining chalice with their newly engraved names on it. They need to do more damage away from D.C., however. They are a much better home team, but have 9 of their last 16 games on the road. This includes a 6 game road trip that starts and ends in Montreal and also hits Philadelphia, Detroit, and New Jersey.
Key games: 3/7 @ Tampa Bay, 3/11 vs. Carolina, 3/13 vs. Chicago, 3/15 @ Montreal, 3/16 @ Detroit, 3/18 @ New Jersey, 3/22 @ Philadelphia, 3/26 @ Montreal, 3/29 vs. Carolina, 3/31 vs. Columbus, 4/2 vs. Buffalo, 4/5 @ Toronto

4. Pittsburgh Penguins (84, 15, Won 1, 3-3-4)
playoffs: safe
The big story for two months has been the lack of Sidney Corsby and Evgeni Malkin on the Penguins roster. Malkin is definitely out for the remainder of the season, and Crosby's return looks less and less likely with each passing day. Ray Shero did his best to spark the offense by adding James Neal and Alexei Kovalev, but so far, neither has been able to produce for the Pens. They have somehow managed to stay in 4th place for quite a while, but I have to wonder how. They just haven't been good enough without their two big stars, and as much as a few weeks ago I said otherwise, that is seriously going to hurt them down the stretch. They will make the playoffs, but don't expect them to go to far once they get there. Still, in the meantime, they can work on improving their game and try to figure out how they can make a decent run. With Philly's recent stuble, they are now only 2 points out of both the top spot in their division, and the top spot in the Conference. 8 of their remaining 15 games are at home, where their record is about equal to that of the road.
Key games: 3/8 vs. Buffalo, 3/12 vs. Montreal, 3/20 vs. NY Rangers, 3/21 @ Detroit, 3/24 @ Philadelphia, 3/25 vs. New Jersey, 3/29 vs. Philadelphia, 3/31 @ Tampa Bay, 4/5 vs. New Jersey

5. Tampa Bay Lightning (81, 17, Lost 3, 4-4-2)
playoffs: safe
Armed with one of the most potent offenses in the league as well as a sturdy veteran defense, the Bolts have the firepower they need to bring home their second Stanley Cup in seven seasons. But there's something wrong. They've lost three in a row, and the league's leading scorer, Steven Stamkos, is experiencing a bit of a drought. Some may want to panic, but don't worry; every team has some struggles now and then, and this team is just far too good to keep stumbling. They will fight to retake control of the Southeast Division, and they will turn this dry spell around. The turnaround begins with Steven Stamkos; he had a brief drought earlier in the season, but then exploded once again. He is a game-changer, and when he is scoring, the team is winning. They are a better home team, and have 8 remaining home and 9 remaining away games.
Key games: 3/7 vs. Washington, 3/9 vs. Chicago, 3/14 @ Toronto, 3/17 @ Montreal, 3/25 vs. Carolina, 3/26 @ Carolina, 3/31 vs. Pittsburgh, 4/2 @ Minnesota, 4/3 @ Chicago, 4/5 @ Buffalo, 4/9 @ Carolina

6. Montreal Canadiens (79, 16, Won 4, 6-3-1)
playoffs: safe
Winners of 4 straight, the Canadiens continue to surprise me. Their roster has been devasted by injuries all season long, but they continue to hold sixth place in the East. Whether or not they can catch the Bruins in the Northeast division remains to be seen, but they have been playing extremely well, and have a good chance at a deep run in the postseason. After they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals as the 8th seed last year, and after fighting through all their injuries this year, nobody should count the Habs out until they are actually eliminated. They dominate at home, but 9 of their remaining 16 games are on the road.
Key games: 3/8 vs. Boston, 3/12 @ Pittsburgh, 3/15 vs. Washington, 3/17 vs. Tampa Bay, 3/18 @ NY Rangers, 3/20 @ Minnesota, 3/22 vs. Buffalo, 3/24 @ Boston, 3/26 vs. Washington, 3/30 @ Carolina, 4/2 @ New Jersey, 4/5 vs. Chicago, 4/9 @ Toronto

7. New York Rangers (74, 14, Won 2, 5-3-2)
playoffs: in the hunt, holding on to a spot
Despite a recent upswing, the Rangers 74 points make it impossible to say the Rangers will definitely make the playoffs. However, they have managed to hold onto the 7th spot in the Conference through a down period and now that they are heating up, they have a very, very good chance of keeping their spot in the postseason. With the addition of Bryan McCabe, their defense is much stronger, which will make Henrik Lundqvist's job easier. The entire weight of the team has been put back on his shoulder's with the injury to Martin Biron, but he has gotten more rest this season than he is used to and is still playing as dominantly as ever. The Rangers are a much better road team; they are sub-.500 at Madison Square Garden, and they have 7 games apiece left at home and on the road.
Key games:  3/9 @ Anaheim, 3/12 @ San Jose, 3/18 vs. Montreal, 3/20 @ Pittsburgh, 3/26 @ Boston, 3/30 @ Buffalo, 4/3 @ Philadelphia, 4/4 vs. Boston, 4/9 vs. New Jersey

8. Buffalo Sabres (72, 17, Won 2, 5-3-2)
playoffs: in the hunt, holding on to a spot
After an extremely slow start to the season, tj Sabres have found their game. They have been playing strong hockey of late, and have recently supplanted Carolina for the last playoff position. Since being picked up by Buffalo, Brad Boyes has been paying off, and the only subtraction the Sabres made to their roster was Criag Rivet, who was not playing anyway. The Sabres are starting to come together at the right time. If they remain hot, they could be a dangerous challenger to a higher-seeded team in the postseason, as they have a better record on the road. It's too soon to think about that though; with a tough remaining schedule, right now they are still fighting for survival and 9 of their last 17 contests are at home, where the Sabres have not been particularly sharp this season.
Key games: 3/8 @ Pittsburgh, 3/10 @ Boston, 3/12 @ Toronto, 3/15 vs. Carolina, 3/20 vs. Nashville, 3/22 @ Montreal, 3/26 vs. New Jersey, 3/29 @ Toronto, 3/30 vs. NY Rangers, 4/2 @ Washington, 4/3 @ Carolina, 4/5 vs. Tampa Bay, 4/8 vs. Philadelphia, 4/9 @ Columbus

9. Carolina Hurricanes (71, 16, Lost 1, 5-4-1)
playoffs: in the hunt, could make it
Led by the hockey world's Justin Bieber, rookie scoring sensation Jeff Skinner, the Hurricanes have held on to the 8th spot in the East for a while now. But they have been recently tossed aside by Buffalo and are eager to take their playoff spot back. A team that is historically good in the playoffs, the Hurricanes could be dangerous should they manage to clinch a spot. If they can turn their game up a notch, they will have the 8th spot locked up, but they need a strong finish. They have a solid, decenlty talented, hard-working team who can shock dominant opponents. They have been a very good home team this year, and the fans in Carolina are in a hockey mood after the All-Star game this year. The Canes have the enviable situation of being a strong home team with 10 of their last 16 games at home. Also, 7 of the last 16 games are against familiar divisional opponents. The odds seem to be in Carolina's favor, but they will still need to play excellent hockey to stay alive in this tight race.
Key games: 3/11 @ Washington, 3/12 vs. Columbus, 3/15 @ Buffalo, 3/16 vs. Toronto, 3/25 @ Tampa Bay, 3/26 vs. Tampa Bay, 3/29 @ Washington, 3/30 vs. Montreal, 4/3 vs. Buffalo, 4/6 vs. Detroit, 4/9 vs. Tampa Bay

10. Toronto Maple Leafs (67, 16, Lost 1, 6-1-3)
playoffs: in the hunt, could make it
The Maple Leafs are a team currently in a very good situation. They made a bunch of trades leading up to the Trade Deadline in a season that seemed lost. Their roster isn't particularly impressive. Still, they are somehow only 5 points out of a playoff spot and are playing some great hockey. They are a team with absolutely nothing to lose, and they will go all out to try to clinch a very surprising playoff berth. They have a young team who will gain some experience through winning games, winning enough games will earn them a playoff spot, and the best part is they don't have a draft pick to worry about. Some weak teams would not have a prblem playing poorly, because a bad record yields a high draft pick. But the Leafs pick is owned by Boston, who already took Tyler Seguin with Toronto's pick last year. The position of the pick means nothing to the Leafs and they have nothing holding them back from making a strong playoff push. Even if they don't make the playoffs, they can spoil some teams' records, and they have also shown that the future looks bright for the blue crew.

11. Atlanta Thrashers (65, 16, Won 1, 3-6-1)
playoffs: in the hunt, likely will not make it
Though they are only 7 points out of 8th, it doesn't look good for the Thrashers this season. After a strong start, the Thrashers are fading fast, which is evident when looking at All-Star Dustin Byfuglien's 13-game scoring drought. Still, they cannot totally be counted out of the playoffs yet, unless they keep playing the way they have been lately. They need to win big and win often, and do it now if they want to make the playoffs. The Thrash have an extremely difficult schedule ahead of them and only 6 of their last 16 games are at home. The Thrashers just don't seem to have what it takes to make the playoffs this year. But they have a great wealth of young talent in the system mixed with some decent veterans. They made some good pickups this year that should help them in the very near future. Look for them to be a much better team next year.
Key games: 3/9 @ Carolina, 3/11 vs. New Jersey, 3/12 @ Philadelphia, 3/15 @ New Jersey, 3/17 vs. Philadelphia, 3/19 @ Buffalo, 3/25 vs. Vancouver, 3/29 @ Montreal, 3/31 @ Philadelphia, 4/2 @ Boston, 4/5 @ Nashville, 4/7 vs. NY Rangers, 4/8 vs. Carolina, 4/10 vs. Pittsburgh

12. New Jersey Devils (64, 17, Won 4, 9-1-0)
playoffs: in the hunt, could make it
The Devils continue to shock the hockey world with this unprecented climb from the depths of the standings. At this point, it is both hard to believe that they will make the playoffs, and hard to believe that they won't. Led by a different looking Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils have been a winning machine for over a month now and have rocketed from last place to within 8 points of 8th place with 17 games to go. Still, they are not gaining ground as quickly as you'd expect of a team that's picked up so many points in such a short amount of time. With the way they have been winning games, it is hard to believe they are not a shoe-in for the playoffs; but one of 6 teams fighting for 2 spots in the eastern playoffs, they still pretty much have to win out the rest of the season to clinch an historic playoff berth. If they can continue this run, they should be all set, but if they tire and burn out, they can kiss their short-lived playoff dreams goodbye.They have 9 home and 8 road games remaining. The odds are against the Devils, but they've been against them every game for the past few months, and so far they've proven everyone wrong.
Key games: 3/18 vs. Washington, 3/20 @ Columbus, 3/22 @ Boston, 3/25 @ Pittsburgh, 3/26 @ Buffalo, 4/1 vs. Philadelphia, 4/2 vs. Montreal, 4/5 @ Pittsburgh, 4/6 vs. Toronto, 4/9 @ NY Rangers, 4/ 10 vs. Boston


13. Florida Panthers (61, 16, NR Loss, 2-6-2)
playoffs: out
Another year, another let-down for the Panthers. 11 points out of a playoff spot with 16 games to go and a 2-6-2 record in their last 10, the Panthers have virtually no chance of making the playoffs. They will continue to develop their young talent in this last month of the season, but will hope to achieve another top 5 draft pick in June. There is not much motivation to win games anymore. There is a wealth young talent in the system, but the team is still a ways off from being competetive and will be conservative with development. Dale Tallon built the Championship Blackhawk team in Chicago, and knows what he is doing in Florida as well. He just needs some time.

14. New York Islanders (60, 15, NR Loss, 4-3-3)
playoffs: out
The Islanders have been playing very well lately. They have a young team who has been on a scoring mission and has been handing out physical punishment in the process. They have no chance of making the palyoffs, but will continue to play as well as they can to get these younger players experience and confidence. They definitely will have another top 10 pick, if not a top 5, so why not score some goals and try to spoil some teams' playoff hopes while they wait for the summer? They are on the brink of being a highly-competitive team, with a very talented young offensive core, and should work on their defense over the summer. But for now, they should just enjoy the ride.

15. Ottawa Senators (53, 17, Lost 1, 5-4-1)
playoffs: out
The Senators have had an absolutely abysmal season which culminated in Bryan Murray's recent firesale. As the smoke clears, very little remains on the once-mighty Ottawa roster and with lots of picks and prospects in the system, Ottawa looks to the draft and free agency to help bring back their winning form. The turn-around begins in Minnesota in late June, and right now, the Senators are pretty much guaranteed a top 5 draft pick. With the lottery, the top pick is not certain, but the team with the worst record certainly has the best chance of geting it. The Senators don't care about winning games anymore. They care about getting that top pick, and getting some of their younger prospects some experience in the last 17 games of this campaign.