Eastern Conference Playoff Race
4 Original Six Teams Look For Playoff Push
A look Into the dire position many teams in the Eastern Conference are in with the final 15 or so games left on the NHL schedule.
The Eastern Conference playoff race will come down to the wire once again this year as there are 6 teams who are looking to push forward onto the second season, the NHL playoffs. The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes currently hold spots 7 and 8 heading into tonight’s action and they are followed by the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. Coming away from last weeks trade deadline only one team made a significant move, that being the Islanders acquisition of Ryan Smyth. This should help secure them a playoff spot around 7th place and upwards.
So that then leaves 5 teams for the final spot and are all separated by only 4 points. Right now the edge has to be given to the defending champion Hurricanes as they have the best all around team out of these 5 and also acquired Anson Carter at the trade deadline to bolster the offense. Toronto and the Rangers both have two games in hand on Carolina and Montreal, but both Canadian teams in the Leafs and Habs have been struggling of late and recent injuries are not helping. The Rangers and Bruins are on the up swing with the Rangers coming off a huge shootout win over their cross town rivals the Islanders. The Rangers are 5-3-2 in their last 10 and surprising Bruins are 6-3-1.
The final factor that will account for who will fill up the final two or one spots will be the remaining schedules for each team. The Islanders, Hurricanes and Canadiens all have favorable schedules with over half of their remaining games coming against non-playoff teams. The Islanders in particular have two games in hand over both Carolina and Montreal so expect them to lock up 7th place at the least. The final three teams the Rangers, Leafs and Bruins are all facing tough schedules with most of their games coming against playoff teams. But they all have games in hand, both Toronto and New York with 2 and Boston with 3.
The end result, it should be a close race either way, mainly for 8th place though. Carolina and Montreal have the easier schedules but the other three all have at least two games in hand. So it should come down to the wire in this one, and with Montréal’s final three games coming against Boston, the New York Rangers and finally the Toronto Maple Leafs, these will all be key games in a great playoff chase.
Also check out the Western Conference Playoff Race
