Playoff race - Apr 2 - Mental upper hand

Sunday night NHL hockey had very little to do with the race of making the playoffs. It was hockey between teams that are already in and the ones that won't make it this season. It doesn't mean the round didn't have all the intensity, at least in some games.

There were some meaningless, spiritless teams out there, but there was also a chance to take the mental upper hand over the rivals that will stand between you and the cup.

One epic matchup was between Flyers and Penguins, leaving Philly with two points and loads of bad blood for the next game. These two are bound to meet in the first round of playoffs and will still fight for the home ice for the rest of the regular season. One of the toughest bouts in the first round for sure.

Also Boston Bruins landed a statement, beating league leading New York Rangers on a game that may represent the East finals this year. Tight game, but a win is a win.

Near the bubble line, Florida Panthers padded their division lead with another one point performance. They've racked up 17 overtime losses, which is by far the most by any team heading for the postseason. Is it Panthers' resiliency that salvages points in almost lost games or their lack of spirit to go for the victories in overtime, who knows. One thing is for sure and that is the fact that in the postseason, you don't get anything for overtime losses. Now good for a team with Florida's record.

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?