Dissecting the 2008 NHL's East

Despite everyone talking about how tight the NBA's Western Conference is, people should pay attention to the race in the NHL's Eastern Conference. From the 1^st place Devils to 8^th seeded Flyers, there are only nine points separating them. The top four teams are only separated by a point, with the Senators, Penguins, and Canadiens having 87, and the Devils tallying 88. The southeast division leading Carolina Hurricanes have been coming on strong as of late, winning eight out of their last ten games. The 6^th seeded New York Rangers are also peeking at the right time. Before last night's 3-2 loss to Florida, the Rangers had not lost a regulation game to Florida. Here is a breakdown of every team in the Eastern Conference playoff race:

New Jersey Devils

Strong goaltending is the most important ingredient for any playoff team, and the Devils certainly have that. However, they have scored the 2^nd fewest goals in the conference, only in front of the reeling Islanders.

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa has only dropped one regulation game in March, and have had key wins over Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Boston. Their goaltending has been weak at times, but they do have a great offense and the best first line in hockey. They made it to the cup last year with a similar team so why can't they do it again.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Sydney Crosby isn't in full swing and they're still just a point of first. Marc-Andre Fluery has returned from injury and the addition of Marian Hossa should bolster up and already electric offense come playoff time.

Montreal Canadians

Any team that can come back from five goals down to win a game is a team to be reckoned with. However, I am not completely sold on Carey Price yet. The team traded veteran goaltender Cristobal Huet, leaving the 20-year-old Price to keep things under control in net for the Habs. If he can play well down the stretch, Montreal is one of the favorites to represent the East in the Stanley Cup.

New York Rangers

The aforementioned Rangers lost their first regulation game last night since February 7^th. Henrik Lundqvist is back in early season form and the young guys are stepping up. Guys like Nigel Dawes and Brandon Dubinsky have all been vital in the Rangers recent success.

Carolina Hurricanes

The 'Canes have won eight out of their last ten and should not be looked passed. They have the experience of making a deep playoff run and winning a Cup that most teams and players just don't have. A Rangers-Hurricanes 1^st round match up would be quite a spectacle.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are playing about .500 hockey right now, which is just not good enough to get it done in a tight eastern conference come playoff time. Boston has won just two game in March, and have lost to Tampa Bay, Florida and Toronto.

Philadelphia Flyers

Here is an interesting team. Their offense can be very explosive at times, led by Danny Briere, Mike Richars, and newly acquired Vaclav Prospal. Both goaltenders haven't had great seasons, with both Martin Biron and Antero Nittymaki's goals against averages come in over 2.65.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are three points out of the playoffs, but are not playing well as of late. They are 3-4-3 in their last ten. The Sabres are definitely in trouble now that defensemen Dmitri Kalinin and Jaroslav Spacek are out for the playoff push.

Washington Captials

For the league's sake I really hope that they make the playoffs. Alexander Ovechkin is the most exciting player I've seen in a long time, and recently obtained goalie Cristobal Huet could have Ovy the Great and company in the playoffs. Do I smell Crosby against Ovechkin in the first round?

Florida Panthers

There isn't a whole lot of talent on this team, but they have won six straight games. In that stretch they've defeated Pittsburgh, New York, and Boston, who are all playoff teams.

I think that the seeds will wind up going like this:

Pittsburgh

Montreal

Carolina

New Jersey

Ottawa

New York

Boston

Washington