Way to the finals in the East

Finally, the playoffs are here and it's game time! It's also a time to throw in a bold prediction on how the whole show will unwrap. These have reached some legendary levels of missing the mark, so why wouldn't I give a go?

Let's not waste any more time here. In depth analysis can be left for explaining the unexpected. But now, the Eastern Conference.

First round in the East. Rangers will beat Senators in five. Regardless of regular season struggles they just have way more in the tank. Bruins will crush the Capitals in straight four. Despite the return of Niklas Bäckström, the Caps can't get their act together this season. Panthers will be wiped out in clean fashion by Devils, in five games. Way more playoff experience in New Jersey and Panthers are just happy to reach the postseason. Penguins will have rough time with Flyers, but now that they have the full lineup, they'll take the victory in six. Banged and bruised.

Second round in the East. Rangers will handle the neighbors from New Jersey in six. These two know each other really well, but Rangers have a slight edge after a confidence boosting regular season. Bruins will upset the Cup favorite Penguins. They had all the time to recover and prepare after first round and Penguins arrive exhausted and hurt. Maybe even without a key player or two. With an easier route, the Penguins could have taken it, but battling the two toughest teams in the league in a row just wasn't fair.

Third round in the East. Bruins have the mental edge over Rangers after last season's Cup victory. They don't have to squeeze the stick and the media hasn't put as much pressure on them for a repeat. In the end it's the black and gold, standing tall and waiting for a date from the West.

Playoff race - Apr 8 - Final shuffle

Okay, it's over. The regular season 2011-2012 and this series of daily updates. The last night of play was action packed. Some teams played at ease, just for fun, when they either were locked for a certain spot in the playoffs or heading for summer vacations.

A lot of moves within the playoff setup still happened last night. Ottawa Senators had another loss to end the regular season in a rough fashion. That took them down all the way to the eighth spot and booked a date in the first round with conference best New York Rangers. While Washington Capitals ended their regular season with a high note, beating the same Rangers, they earned a seventh spot and first round match up with defending cup champions Boston Bruins. I wouldn't be so sure that they actually gained here. Rangers seem to have lost some momentum and Bruins have gotten bigger and tougher in the light of playoffs. Either or, the pressure is on the top seeds anyway. Caps must be just thrilled to end up in the playoffs after a horrible season and loads of critique.

Rangers' loss combined with Vancouver Canucks' win over Edmonton returned the Presidents' Trophy to Vancouver for second year in a row. The last stretch by last seasons runner ups paints the picture for another lengthy run in the playoffs.

In the Western conference race there was Pacific division that provided the most excitement. In the end it was workmanlike Phoenix Coyotes that took the ultimate prize of division crown and third seed with home ice. Seeds seven and eight were divided between San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings in the last game between the two. It had to be done all the way in the overtime, the Sharks taking the win and a higher seed.

Playoff race - Apr 6 - Suddenly, it's all over

Second to last round of regulation for most teams. Lots of hopefuls entering the games. And in the end, no more playoff spots to reach. It's all over in regards of making the playoffs or not. The games played the way that separated the sighs of relief from sighs of disappointment. What is left for the last round of play, are some positions within the playoff bound.

Thursday night's games ended with Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars all out of playoffs this season. At the same time it helped even more teams clinch the playoff spot. Kings, Sharks, Coyotes, Panthers and Capitals, to be exact.

The biggest remaining battles are for home ice. Washington could overtake Florida with a win and regulation loss respectively for Southeast crown and third seed in the East. San Jose and Los Angeles duel out the last game and winner takes a hold of the Pacific crown and third seed in the West. Phoenix Coyotes could take over both of them with four points in the remaining two games. There's St. Louis Blues in their way tonight, which makes it a tough task. Third race for home ice is between Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. If both win their last games, it's Nashville, if they end up even in points, it's Red Wings. Despite the outcome, these two will face each others in the first round for an epic battle.

Playoff race - Apr 5 - Calm before the storm

Wednesday night in NHL was quiet in NHL. Only two games and out of them, only one had teams that will continue to the postseason. Detroit Red Wings took the two points in a shootout win over division leading St. Louis Blues. This takes the Wings back to home ice. The battle for Western fourth place continues until the end with the Nashville Predators.

While Wednesday was calm, the storm will break loose on Thursday. This is a straightforward day for many teams. Winning is the only option for survival. Playoff chances are on the line for Dallas and Colorado, who are already beyond having the control to themselves. A win today may postpone the inevitable, and keep the slight hopes for miracles alive.

There's big clashes on both conferences. Washington will meet Florida in the Southeast division battle. One point for the Panthers will give them the crown and a long sought after playoff berth. A loss here keeps them wondering. Both teams need to peek at the scoreboards for happenings in Philadelphia, where Buffalo Sabres continue their desperate push to overtake either of the teams.

At the same time in the West, San Jose and Los Angeles will duel the first part of home and home to finish off the season. Winner there will take over the Pacific lead and third seed in the West.

The rest of the teams who are already destined for playoffs have interesting matchups, setting the tone and sending the final messages for the potential playoff foes. A good round of hockey!

Playoff race - Apr 4 - Taking control of your destiny

At this time of the regular season, it's nice to be already locked for the playoffs. However, there's still a bunch of teams fighting for their lives in the postseason. Some teams control their own destiny, and will reach the playoffs if they win the remaining games. Others look for the momentary lapse of those and try to sneak in in the final stretch.

The Florida Panthers managed to salvage yet another point in an overtime loss to already fallen Winnipeg Jets. This brings them to the edge of clinching the division crown and a sure playoff spot. There's still a chance that they'll fall out of the playoffs but that would require them losing the remaining two in regulation and both Capitals and Sabres taking four points in their final two. All the signs point to Florida making it's first playoff appearance in a long time. The more interesting question is that can the Capitals fight off the final push of Buffalo Sabres or will they bend under pressure and fall out? The prize for the winner is a series against league best NY Rangers. An obvious underdog chance for a major upset.

In the West it was San Jose Sharks who took matters to their own hands (fins?) by beating Pacific rivals Dallas Stars. They can now hold on to the playoff spot by winning last two games. To make matters interesting, these games will be against Pacific leaders, Los Angeles Kings, who sit one point ahead of the Sharks. This battle may well decide the home ice of the division champion. Of course there's Phoenix Coyotes, who have two detached games of their own and can overtake both of the Californian teams with a proper spread of points.

Dallas may just have lost their season on this game against the Sharks. They now need to take all four remaining points and hope Sharks or Coyotes don't pick up any. One point for Sharks would also hand the last playoff spot to Stars on a tiebreaker if they win the last two.

Playoff race - Apr 3 - Kings roll, Caps fall

Monday night had only two games, but both showcased a team in tough spot. Los Angeles Kings took another low scoring victory behind their amazing goalie Jonathan Quick. 2-0 against the young Edmonton Oilers positions the Kings steadier to the pedestal in Pacific division. Now it's the rest of the division that needs to push further to challenge the Kings. Falling out of playoffs seems now next to impossible for LA.

Meanwhile in the East, Washington Capitals suffered a devastating defeat in the hands of Tampa Bay Lightning and league's number one sniper, Steven Stamkos. Now the Caps need to follow closely the efforts by Buffalo Sabres tonight against lowly Toronto Maple Leafs. A likely victory for Buffalo brings them even with Capitals, but leaves Washington in with the tiebreaker. It's obvious that neither team can afford another loss in the last few games without the other stumbling similarly. The one with better precision will enter the playoffs. Monetary gains are obvious, even though facing the juggernaut Rangers on the first round might not look too promising.

Playoff race - Apr 1 - From home ice to no playoffs in one night

The West is a mess. Another round of play and everything is shuffled. And not much is settled, yet. The teams fighting for the final playoff spots seem to struggle evenly, switching places almost every night. No one seems to have the upper hand to be able to take all the games and even the teams outside of the playoff race seem sometimes too difficult to handle under this extreme pressure.

Last night it was Dallas Stars who started the night as Pacific division leaders and third seed in the West. One loss to division rivals San Jose Sharks and their home ice was swapped for the ninth spot and looming early summer vacation. This was the sum of Phoenix and LA gathering the necessary points to climb over the Stars. The next round of this epic battle will be on Tuesday when most of the teams in the mix have another go at it.

Meanwhile in the East, Washington Capitals were able to pull the needed two points from disappointing Montreal Canadiens. At the same time Buffalo Sabres were surprised by Toronto Maple Leafs and fell two points behind the last playoff spot. The Caps now have a significant edge over Sabres, having a two point lead and also owning the tiebreaker. In the remaining three games, the Sabres need to get three more points than Caps to make it. Washington goes to the playoffs unless they completely collapse in the end.

Playoff race - Mar 30 - Capitals holding on, Sharks out of water

Another night of play in the NHL and the smiles have moved to new teams' faces. Washington Capitals can breathe again, they delivered a mandatory victory after a tight game against Bostob Bruins. Now the ball is in Buffalo, where Sabres need to take points from recently struggling Pittsburgh Penguins to stay in the playoff bracket. Sabres' recent roll may put them as favorites, even though Penguins are widely considered a way better team.

In the West, Phoenix Coyotes, and their goalie Mike Smith, closed the door for the San Jose Sharks. Now Coyotes are again in the playoff mix, while Shars need to wait and see how far the playoff line slips before they play again. It's cruel, and losses like these can be extremely costly in the Pacific.

The road to finish the regular season is very different for these two teams. While Coyotes play four teams that either are already in or out of the playoffs, the Sharks play twice against two Pacific division playoff hopefuls - Stars and Kings - for the final four. And the Kings have another pair of games against lowly Edmonton Oilers while Stars need to wrestle against powerhouses from Nashville and St. Louis. All this adds up to a finale that no hockey fan should miss. The final setup of this year's postseason may well be settled on the last day of regular season.

Playoff race - Mar 28 - Two in, one out in the East

The race for the final Eastern conference playoff spots is between three teams, Panthers, Capitals and Sabres. Florida Panthers went for another overtime, and this time came out as the shootout winners. Valuable two points to pad their division lead and steady hold of the high seeded playoff spot and home ice advantage.

The real deal happened in Washington, where visiting Buffalo Sabres stomped over the hosting Capitals with a 5-1 victory. A big part of the result was difference in goaltending, but one can not overlook the troubles in the Caps team. Somehow they haven't been able to really turn the machine on the whole year and this is the last moment to turn things around. They're running out of games to catch the Panthers, unless there's a complete collapse in Florida in the end. Capitals' only possibility is to regain the eighth spot from the Sabres. And comparing these two teams' last weeks of play we can all see it isn't going to be easy. Both teams will have games against some teams that are out already and others against the conference leaders. The grind of remaining five games will decide who's taking the last East spot.

A special mention needs to be given to St. Louis Blues' netminders. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have combined for a record tying 15 shutouts this season. And as a Cherry on top, Elliott now has three in a row for the franchise record. This team is definitely a tough nut to crack in the playoff series to come. Surprise cup to St. Louis, who knows?

Playoff race - Mar 26 - Capitals in, Sabres out, Coyotes in doubt

Sunday evening saw Washington Capitals retake the eighth position in the Eastern conference with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Minnesota Wild. Led by captain Alex Ovechkin's continued goal scoring streak, they jumped over idle Buffalo Sabres. This race is now looking to be between these two teams. Florida Panthers seem to have locked the Southeast crown by collecting enough points by reaching at least overtime. They now have a game in hand and three point lead. Meanwhile, the final push of newcomers Winnipeg Jets, doesn't seem to carry quite the distance. They sit six points behind the playoff spot and are simply running out of games.

The race may be decided on Tuesday evening when Capitals host the Sabres in Washington. A regulation win for either team may be the final blow. Expecting playoff hockey already.

In the West, the tension builds up for Phoenix Coyotes and their suspended captain Shane Doan. A reckless elbow, followed by couple of losses now put Coyotes in the scoreboard watching mode for a three day break they're facing. They're still seventh in the West, but have played two more games than Pacific rivals Dallas, LA and San Jose who are tied or one point behind in the standings. After games are even, Phoenix is likely out of the playoff bracket and needs extremely strong finish to climb back in. The pivotal point will be a match up against San Jose Sharks on Thursday, when the Sharks have played the two games they're due and head for the third game in four nights. The Coyotes need to be able to take advantage of fresher legs to have a chance.

Playoff race - Mar 25 - Suddenly Sabres, Western 3-pointers

The Buffalo Sabres finally hopped over idle Washington Capitals to take the lone possession of eighth and last playoff position in the East. The Caps have their say tonight, facing disappointing Minnesota Wild who are only playing for their pride at this point. Sabres' run has been phenomenal and Washington really has to pick up their game for the final stretch to keep up.

In the West, the final two or three playoff spots seem to switch owners every night. There's still six teams in the mix. However, Calgary Flames are up against the wall after a regulation loss to division leaders Dallas Stars. While the Stars are still only tied for the best in Pacific and need to carry on pushing, the Flames basically need to win the final six games to be sure to make the playoffs. Late inter division losses are a luxury that not many can afford.

To make matters worse, most of the rest of the competition in the West took points in overtime games. Only Los Angeles Kings were left with zero against Boston Bruins who hope to find their groove for a run at a repeat charge for the Stanley Cup. Calgary now sits three points behind the three teams tied for the last playoff spot. It's hard to believe that all of them could choke at the last stretch. Truthfully spoken, the Flames seem like the weakest team to produce anything even if they reach the playoffs. The rest of the pack might be able to surprise the top teams if the stars align perfectly.

Playoff race - Mar 24 - Even East

Now it's even steven at the East playoff bubble. Buffalo Sabres continued a strong run and beat the conference leading New York Rangers. And easily. Assisted a bit by countless turnovers and resulting odd man rushes. A comfortable 4-1 victory puts them tied on the eighth spot with inconsistent Washington Capitals, who only managed to salvage one point from Winnipeg Jets after leading the game already 3-0. Total collapse and loss in overtime do not promise much for the end of the stretch. A welcome surprise may come in form of Ottawa Senators who have now lost three in a row and are having real trouble keeping their playoff spot that looked sure a while ago. At this pace they will be overtaken by both the Capitals and the Sabres.

Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers again collected one point with a disappointing shootout loss to lowly Edmonton Oilers. They still hold a four point cushion and keep a hold on the home ice advantage of third seed.

Friday night's honorable mention goes again to Eric Cole. To make history in such a storied franchise as Montreal Canadiens is something special. And to do it in positives, even better. Cole posted the fastest hat trick in franchise history by scoring three times in a bit over five minutes in the first period. Kudos!

Playoff race - Mar 23 - Western shuffle and suddenly slim hopes for Flames

Another round of play behind and lots of points shared at the playoff bubble. In the East, Washington Capitals had to settle for one point in loss to Philadelphia Flyers. The Caps still sit on the eighth spot and control their own destiny. However, Buffalo Sabres are charging hard and one slip could throw Capitals to the role of a challenger. Friday night the Caps have a critical game agains still hopeful Winnipeg Jets. Win for Washington would give them some breathing room and basically end Jets' run. At the same time, recently rejuvenated Sabres take on the conference leading New York Rangers. A tough game to beat for Buffalo, but who knows. Their desperation levels are at the maximum and Rangers are already easily in and a likely home ice starters anyway.

To the West then, where the race is even more thrilling. Thursday night's round shuffled the playoff chasing crowd big time. Dallas Stars had to give up the division lead after a loss to mighty Vancouver Canucks. Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes wrestled victories and jumped to shared lead of the Pacific. Colorado Avalanche lost a tough one to the Coyotes and now sit on the outside. At the same time San Jose Sharks found the heroic effort to beat league leaders, St. Louis Blues to sneak one step closer to the playoffs. All of the teams in the bubble still have a chance to storm into the postseason, but it will take a high winning percentage in the remaining 6-8 games.

Calgary Flames took another dent in their hopes, losing in shootout to lowly Minnesota Wild. One point salvaged, but the Flames need to win at least five out of remaining seven to make it. Their next two will be against Dallas Stars, who sit above them. Those two games will basically decide which one of these two still has a chance. Cruel, but extrtemely entertaining.

Playoff race - Mar 22 - Raging Buffalo

There was only a few exciting games last night in regards of making the playoffs this season. Biggest impact was another solid win by Buffalo Sabres, this time over weak Montreal Canadiens. Another shutout for Ryan Miller and the team climbed to a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Washington Capitals have a game in hand, but haven't been playing with much consistency or confidence lately. Buffalo has earned points in eight of last ten and with six victories and is on a trajectory to overtake the Capitals before the end of the regular season. Winnipeg Jets seem like one loss away from falling out, and the battle for the final playoff berth looks to be between Sabres and Capitals.

In the West the battle was between sure playoff contenders Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks. These two have a histrory of not liking each others and of epic playoff matchups. Last night's biggest impact may have been another nasty incident, a vicious elbow to the head of Vancouver's star winger Daniel Sedin. It was served and delivered by Chicago's star defenseman Duncan Keith. It'll be a suspension for sure, but with Keith's status, we're only talking about 2-3 games. Shane Doan from Phoenix got three games for similar, but a bit less obvious elbow on Tuesday night. For a lesser player than Keith, this could easily be judged extremely deliberate and punished to the maximum. Another reality check here for Brendan Shanahan.

The real question is how will Sedin take this, and if he's going down with a concussion, how long will it take to recover. Haven't seen much justice in the past when comparing the suspension and the time lost by the victim.

Playoff race - Mar 20 - Sabres and Capitals fight back, Sharks slip

Playoff race took somewhat expected course last night. Eastern teams on the brink of playoffs, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres, both pulled off comfortable victories to keep their positions on both sides of the playoff line. Sabres are chasing the Capitals. Capitals are chasing division leader Florida Panthers. If anyone falters, they're the one out of the playoffs. Florida has some cushion in points and games in hand, so they control their own destiny. Another hopeful, Winnipeg Jets is looking for an opportunity to break through Sabres and Caps. What a race!

In the West we saw San Jose Sharks waste another opportunity for taking a stand for playoff berth. This time they suffered a disappointing loss in the hands of local nemesis, Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks are out of the playoffs, but surely can find some enegry in trying to spoil the run for dear California neighbors. The Sharks still have games in hand for overtaking Phoenix and Colorado, who currently sit on seventh and eighth in the West. With their recent inconsistent play, it doesn't seem to mean a whole lot. Tonight they have one of the most important games of the season, facing Los Angeles Kings who they are tied with on the ninth spot in the conference. A solidary three point game again? Phoenix and Dallas are also facing off tonight, so we might see the whole Pacific division reogranized once the lights go out in the end. As a cherry on top of the Western race, Colorado Avalanche fights for points tonight against Calgary Flames on a bout that has epic impact for each.

And if the Eastern race is fantastic to follow, the Western one manages to push even further. Tonight we'll see it all on the ice: blood, sweat and tears.

Playoff race - Mar 19 - Eastern stalemate and a big point in the West

Sunday night's round of pre-playoff hockey saw both Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets lose their games. These two Souheast teams are fighting for East's last playoff spot and have little room for losses like this. Capitals were crushed by significantly better and tougher team, Chicago Blackhawks where Jets fell for Carolina Hurricanes who are hanging on extremely unlikely chances to make it. Their zero pint nights open another possibility for Buffalo Sabres who have a chance to tie Capitals for eighth tonight against Tampa Bay.

In the West, Phoenix Coyotes jumped over couple of teams to take their turn for a night in the playoff bound crowd. At the same time Calgary Flames lost one point on an overtime loss against league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flames are now two points out and their lousy performance against two worst teams in the league may have cost them a lot. LA Kings are surging up, Colorado Avalanche has been strong and consistent. Phoenix and San Jose have few points and/or games in hand. With only nine games left, the Flames need to snap out of this funk and finish strong to overtake three out of these four.

All in all, the fans get their money's worth every night on both conferences. The race seems to be extremely tight and entertaining all the way to the finish line.

Playoff race - Mar 18 - West in standstill, determination in Florida and rebounding Bruins

Saturday night provided only few results that could outright be categorized as playoff critical. The teams racing for the last Western conference playoff spots, Colorado, San Jose and Los Angeles, all took victories and kept the balance between them even. However, the other two, Phoenix and Calgary, who still are in the mix but were idle this round, face another must win in their next games. They face the bottom two, Edmonton and Columbus, respectively today. So that should give them likely chances to regain the positions from Friday.

In the Eastern conference, the biggest impact on the standings was Boston Bruins snapping their losing streak on an overtime victory over perennial rivals, Philadelphia Flyers. They regained conference's second seed when Ottawa Senators somehow ended up losing their game against dear old enemy, no longer playoff hopeful, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers took important two points against conference rivals, Buffalo Sabres. While Sabres also took home one point for reaching overtime, they are slowly running out of time in catching Washington Capitals, who are holding the eighth and final playoff spot. Panthers now have 5 point cushion and seem determined in taking the Southeast crown on a year where top two favorites Washington and Tampa Bay have struggled.

Playoff race - Mar 17 - Kings rising and new lead in Northeast

At this time of the year, there is lots at stake on a game or two. Friday night the tension was at its highest everywhere. Five games and all had playoff impacts. In the West, Calgary Flames dozed off for a defeat in the hands of league's bottom dwellers, Edmonton Oilers. Losing this "sure win" game may well cost them the playoffs this year. At the same time, Los Angeles Kings took their two points from deflated Anaheim Ducks to hit 80 points for a three way tie on the ninth spot and one behind Coyotes and Avalanche, who are holding the final playoff spots. LA has a game in hand to all but San Jose Sharks and thus control their own destiny now.

In the East the biggest impact was Ottawa Senators overtaking Boston Bruins for the Northeast crown and second seed in the conference. The fight for that home ice advantage may have a huge impact in the end. Despite the recent struggles, I believe there's no team in the Eastern top seeds that looks forward to meeting the reigning Stanley Cup champions in the first round. It feels more like a punishment than a reward for a high seed. Of course the Bruins still have two games in hand and may well turn things around in the final stretch, but still there is this possibility in the air.

Another high profile game in East was played on the bubble between Southeast division rivals Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. The Jets managed to take a regulation victory with one goal difference and cut the difference of these teams to two points. Washington's recent surge really hasn't secured anything for them yet. This opens up another window of opportunity for Florida Panthers to stretch their lead in the division and grab a tighter hold of the home ice advantage of second or third seed in the East.

Playoff race - Mar 12 - No one giving up today

Many teams had a lot at stake on Sunday's round and the ones that had most, held their ground this time. The action showed Washington Capitals earn a desperately needed victory both in pursuit of Florida Panthers for the Southeast division crown and to keep the other East hopefuls behind them for the last chance of ending up as the eighth seed. The Capitals' 2-0 victory came at the cost of Toronto Maple Leafs, whose playoff hopes are faltering fast. Florida raced ahead, finishing with same numbers, 2-0, against Carolina Hurricanes who basically are already out of competition. Spirited victories for teams who've struggled of late and loads of bad news for Winnipeg, Buffalo and Tampa, trying to catch them.

In the Western race, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings picked up two points each to continue the pressure on the playoff bubble. Now it's a three way tie for the eighth seed for Flames, Kings and Avalanche, Colorado having played one more game. San Jose Sharks' misery was underlined on a day off. They now sit 11th in the West in the standings, but still have a few games in hand.

Last night's round also witnessed league leading St. Louis Blues hit 97 points with another win. That's enough points to make it to the playoffs already with 12 games to play. No question about the coach of the year award going to Ken Hitchcock.

Playoff race - Mar 9 - Bittersweet dreams

Thursday's action saw many of the playoff hopefuls fall under pressure. Teams chasing the last playoff spots like Anaheim, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Colorado, all took losses that at this point may prove to be very costly. Anaheim Ducks have the worst of these and their hopes for the playoffs hang on a thin thread. Basically they need to win all of the remaining games. And that won't happen.

Washington Capitals managed to overtake Tampa Bay with a crucial inter divisional battle for the playoff spot. The game went to overtime so also the Lightning got something out of this contest. Meanwhile, Winnipeg Jets suffered a heartbreaking one goal loss to Vancouver Canucks and had to give up the last playoff position for the Capitals for now.

San Jose's miserable run in the West continued with another shootout loss. One point salvaged and still hanging on the final playoff spot, but looking terribly shaky.

This is the time, where teams have to dig deeper than before and grind out the necessary victories to make it to the playoffs. The value of experience and cool nerves goes up in the market.

On the top of the league, some teams keep on making even stronger statements for the playoff expectations. Philadelphia Flyers' troubled 10 million dollar goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov, seems to have finally found the necessary calmness to be the backbone of the team. Another shutout under his belt and convincing 5-0 victory for the Flyers over Panthers. Also the New Jersey Devils are on a great run. This time they beat lowly Islanders easily with their superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk leading the pack with a hattrick.

No matter how hard the bubble teams fight to get into the playoffs, it's very unlikely they will survive on the first round in the hands of these continuously stellar teams leading the league.