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 - 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 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.