Atlantic, East will come down to the very last minute
by Chuck Gormley / NHL.com![]() |
The Flyers have needed extra time to decide four of their last five games and all four were against division opponents. ![]() |
Good luck.
Let's see. We've got the eighth-seeded Bruins visiting the top-seeded Canadiens next week, right?
Scratch that.
Make it the eighth-seeded Flyers visiting the top-seeded Penguins, right?
(Erase, erase)
OK, we've got the fifth-seeded Rangers visiting the fourth-seeded Devils, right?
What's that? The Senators just won and knocked the Rangers from fifth to sixth?
If the NHL schedule makers wanted mass confusion over the final week of the regular season, they succeeded.
One look at the final seven days of the Atlantic Division schedule is enough to make your head spin.
"I said a month ago no team is really out of it and no team is safe," Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan said. "Yeah, there might be a couple teams out of it now and there might be one or two teams safe, but there's a lot to be decided yet."
While the mathematic possibilities are virtually endless, one thing appears clear heading into the final week: the Penguins and Canadiens will win their respective divisions and one of those teams will earn the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
Aside from that, anything goes.
The Capitals could catch the Hurricanes and win the Southeast. Or, they could fall just short and miss the playoffs altogether. The Flyers could catch the Devils and earn the fourth seed and home ice in the first round. Or they could miss the playoffs altogether.
The Bruins could make a late push and catch the fifth-place Senators. Or they could miss the playoffs altogether.
"It's been like that the last couple years," said Rangers center Scott Gomez when asked how he feels about facing the Penguins twice, the Islanders twice and the Devils once in the final five games. "If anything, you're kind of sick of seeing these teams. As much as you hate seeing them, you know you have to play them to get where you want to go."
And more than likely, play them again in the playoffs.
By the time all is said and done and Conference finalists are determined, there is a very good chance two teams will meet each other 15 times in one season -- eight times in the regular season and seven more times in the playoffs. And we're not even counting preseason games.
"I think it's great," Flyers goaltender Marty Biron said. "It makes every point that much more important."
Biron should know. The Flyers have needed extra time to decide four of their last five games and all four were against division opponents.
In a span of eight days the Flyers saw:
* Jeff Carter beat Rangers goalie Stephen Valiquette with a game-winning shootout goal;
* Mike Richards fend off Rangers defenseman Marek Malik and beat Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist in overtime;
* Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner beat Biron for a shootout game-winner;
* And Daniel Briere fake the stick out of the hand of Islanders goaltender Wade Dubielewicz for a shootout game-winner.
If your pulse wasn't racing in those game, well, you don't have one.
"I just like the character of this team," Briere said of the Flyers, who have gone 10-3-4 since a franchise record 10-game losing streak. "I know it's been questioned a lot this year, but when everything is on the line, this team has been showing up and it's exciting to see."
What will be even more exciting will be the final weekend of the regular season when it is entirely possible that all eight playoff positions change hands in a span of 48 hours.
In those final two days, the Bruins may have their playoff fate determined at home against the Sabres.
The Canadiens could clinch a conference title at home against the Maple Leafs.
The Capitals could clinch a playoff berth at home against the Panthers.
The Rangers could climb past the Devils with a win in New Jersey.
And the Penguins could clinch a conference title with a win in Philadelphia.
So don't book those playoff flights just yet. The NHL's week of musical chairs is just getting started.
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Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards shoots the puck past New York Islanders goalie Wade Dubielewicz on Saturday, March 29, 2008 in Uniondale,NY. |