NHL playoff races getting intense

By Jeff

The NHL isn't the NFC West of the NFL or the Eastern Conference of the NBA. Teams with losing records are not going to make the playoffs and the last week of play is going to be very intense for a number of very talented teams.

It's not just the teams battling for the final eight spots. It's the scenarios and drama occurring between the teams that have already clinched the playoffs. The top seed in the West in the only playoff spot that can't changed between now and the end of the season. And we're 96 percent through the season.

Eastern Conference


Nobody seems to want to win the No. 1 seed. The Pittsburgh Pens could have made a run at it with wins against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, but they crapped the bed and scored a combined three goals. But then the Flyers dropped two games in row and opened the door for the Washington Capitals. Hell, the Pens are only three points out and could still steal the top seed.

Of course, the Pens could fall to the No. 5 seed, as the Lightning are only one point back and playing some very good hockey right now. The Flyers could also drop to the No. 4 seed despite leading the Eastern Conference the entire year.

At the bottom, there seems to be a different team in the eighth slot every day. Right now it's the New York Rangers. The same Rangers who have the NHL's shutout leader Henrik Lundquist in net and have been in the top eight all year. Today, they are just two points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. But the No. 7 seed, the Buffalo Sabres, are only one point ahead of the Rangers and could easily fall out of the playoffs. All three teams have three games left.

Let's say the Rangers or the Hurricanes win the No. 8 spot. Would any team at the top want to play against Lundquist or Cam Ward? Especially after seeing what Jaraslav Halak did to the Capitals and Pens last year? Not like playing against Buffalo and Ryan Miller would be enticing either.

So you have these teams at the top fighting for that No. 1 seed and home-ice throughout, but can you really give them that much of an advantage considering what they will have to face? Any matchup should be fun to watch. Even the Montreal Canadiens series could be fun if they are facing the Boston Bruins. Well, the hockey won't be fun to watch, but at least the intensity and hatred for each other will be there.

And let's not forget the best part of the Eastern Conference this year. The New Jersey Devils won't be in the playoffs. That's right. No one will be forced to watch their boring style of play for four more games this year. Wooo!

Western Conference


Unlike the East, there is some certainty in the West. The Vancouver Canucks will be the No. 1 seed. After that it gets a little murky.

The seventh through tenth place teams are within four points of each other. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks are the No. 8 seed right now with Calgary and Dallas breathing down their necks. Calgary only has two games left compared to Chicago's four, but that's not who the Blackhawks should be worried about. The Dallas Stars are three points back, but their remaining four games are against four non-playoff teams, including two against the lowly Colorado Avalanche. In contrast, the Blackhawks have two against the Detroit Red Wings and another against playoff-bound Montreal.

The middle of the conference could also completely change by the time the playoffs begin. The way it's set up now, The Los Angeles Kings would host the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round. But the Kings and Coyotes are only one point ahead of the Nashville Predators and three points ahead of the No. 7 Anaheim Ducks. So the Kings or Coyotes could go from playing each other in the first round, to playing a powerhouse like Detroit or San Jose. You think they're not going to be playing their hearts out to get those Nos. 4 and 5 seeds?

Taking all of that into consideration, there is then the total insanity that is the NHL playoffs, and you can pretty much throw any analysis out the window. Some people (I'm looking at you, Bob Smizik) who say the regular season in the NHL is pretty much meaningless, as the best teams often get bounced in the first round. I disagree. Because playoff spots are always decided for multiple teams in the final week, I see it as an extra week of playoff-caliber hockey. The type of hockey where nobody takes a shift off and they could be playing with broken wrists, foots, etc. without any of us knowing.

If you love hockey, the span of the next two months is the best time in sports.

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