Things are beginning to heat up in the NHL’s Eastern Conference as the regular season begins to wind down. For a couple of teams, the playoffs are nothing but an inevitable event in their foreseeable future. For others, every last point available to them down the stretch are must haves as they make their final playoff push. Things are about to get interesting.
The back end of the Eastern Conference standings have long been forgotten, perhaps even before the Olympic break. However, from third place in the conference all the way down to about the tenth spot, teams have been playing musical chairs in regards to their placement in the standings. The playoffs are up for grabs for more than the eight teams that currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings. Here is a prediction for how the very tight Eastern Conference playoff picture will finish up come mid-April.
1. Boston Bruins: Having won nine games in a row heading into their Tuesday night matchup against the New Jersey Devils, the Bruins show absolutely no signs of slowing down. With continued solid play from veteran Jarome Iginla, and the intimidation factor coming out of Milan Lucic, the Bruins are a lock to land the top seed in the East heading into the playoffs.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: Although they have lost two in a row heading into their Tuesday night matchup with the pesky Dallas Stars, the Penguins benefited immensely from their torrid start to season. Since coming back from the Olympic break, the Penguins haven’t really looked like themselves but still have a solid grasp on second spot in the East. They will hold down the second seeding all the way through to the start of the playoffs, behind a gritty yet offensively dominating Bruins team.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: Steve Yzerman’s well put together hockey club is beginning to find their recently lost chemistry. The return of Steven Stamkos and the arrival of Ryan Callahan will prove to be too much for many teams to handle down the stretch. If these two snipers continue to gel during the last few weeks of the regular season, they will be a third seed that nobody will want to have to entertain in the first round.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs: After getting a small taste of what the third spot in the Eastern Conference felt like, the Leafs suffered a huge blow when Jonathan Bernier was put on the shelf for 10 days with a lower body injury. All of a sudden, in comes James Reimer, a backup goaltending liability that makes any fan of the Leafs watch their favorite team’s game with their face in their hands. As long as their offense picks up again, and Phil Kessel finds a way to regain his scoring touch, the Leafs should be able to offset their goaltending woes superior offensive power.
5. Philadelphia Flyers: If it wasn’t for the horrendous start to the season that Philly fans had to endure, their club could have been only second to the Bruins in the standings on this very day. After getting snubbed by those that selected the Team Canada Olympic roster, Claude Giroux has led his team back towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings and into a solid position that should see them at least grab the fifth seed heading into the playoffs. Like the Lightning, the Flyers are a team that nobody should take lightly in the first round.
6. Montreal Canadiens: The Habs recently showed signs of just how vulnerable they can be, but have managed to pick themselves back up again over their past two games. Although they don’t possess the toughness that it takes to play well into the playoffs, the Canadiens have enough firepower and goaltending stability in Carey Price to be a lock for at the very least, a sixth seed heading into the postseason.
7. New York Rangers: Although they haven’t looked like a playoff bound team recently, when you have a goalie by the name of Henrik Lundqvist manning the pipes at your end of the ice, anything is possible. The Rangers will go as far as Lundqvist can possibly take them. He is that good. The Martin St. Louis acquisition will surely help down the stretch, as the small forward that owns a big passion for the game, will be able to muster up enough leadership to help the Rangers avoid missing the playoffs.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets: The best part of the Blue Jackets’ roster is that even though they don’t have too many standout players on their roster, they still have the ability to play like a well-oiled machine on any given night. They are well balanced throughout their lineup, and given the fact that a players such as Ryan Johansen and Brandon Dubinsky are leading the their team in scoring, says that this is a team that is built to win just enough to sneak into the playoff picture. Although they may not make it much further than the first round of the playoffs, expect the Blue Jackets to put up a fight until the very end.