The final stretch

Races get tight as NHL teams vie for playoff positioning

STEVE BOHRN STAFF

If you have been watching the National Hockey League lately, you will know that no team knows where they will finish in the standings at season’s end, no matter how well they have played thus far.

But after an exciting regular season that has had many memorable moments: Edmonton hero Ryan Smyth lacing up his skates for someone other then the Oilers, Sidney Crosby becoming the youngest player ever to record two 100-point seasons, and a good old-fashioned all-out brawl between the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators, most teams have switched it into another gear as they make a serious push for the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference, it was the Buffalo Sabres that got off to a terrific start. They started the year on a terrific tear, winning all but five games during the first two months of the season, and held that form for the better part of the first half of the season. It certainly looked like no other team in the East would be able to run the Sabres down.

But as the season wore on, injuries took their toll and slowly but surely the playing field levelled out. The New Jersey Devils, once again riding the play of perennial Vezina candidate Martin Brodeur, sit just five points behind the Sabres for first place in the conference, while the Ottawa Senators are just seven points back of the division lead.

But just like every other year, the real race is the mad scramble for the final playoff spots. Only nine points separate the sixth-place Tampa Bay Lightning from the 13th-place Florida Panthers.

Lumped into that bunch are the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins. With every night of action, teams are constantly jumping up or falling down the standings. Where each team will finish will likely not be finalized until the last second has ticked away on the last game on the last night of NHL regular season action, April 8.

Out west, the situation is a little more clear, as the top nine teams have built some separation from the rest of the conference.

The Detroit Red Wings, who always seem to run away with the President’s Trophy (given to the team with the best record during the regular season), are in a much tighter race than they wished for. As of the beginning of the week, the Red Wings find themselves one point ahead of the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks, and one point behind the conference-leading Nashville Predators. Look for the three teams to fight tooth-and-nail for that all-important number-1 seed in the playoffs.

There is also an interesting fight going on for the fifth position. Only one point separates the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Minnesota Wild. This race is interesting, because the real winner could be the team that finishes in the sixth position. The fifth-place team will likely draw a first-round match-up with the loser of the Predators/Red Wings division battle, while the seventh place will likely have to deal with one of the top three teams.

But just like in the Eastern Conference, all eyes are focused on the battle going on at the end of the playoff spectrum. Right now, the eighth position is being held down by the Calgary Flames. The Flames have their hands full trying to fend off the veteran-laden Colorado Avalanche, who have reeled off three consecutive victories, and eight in their last 10 games.

All these races aside, the most intriguing story of the season has been the Pittsburgh Penguins. The dismal last-place finishers a year ago have come full circle, and are sitting pretty in fourth spot in the East. Already, Pittsburgh has 30 more points than they had during their 2005-06 campaign.

Led by the 19-year-old phenom, the Pens have become one of the most exciting shows in the league. Crosby, along with his fellow young-guns Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin, have become staples on the nightly sports shows with their highlight-reel goals.

Those goals have been adding up to wins.

And with young goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury holding the fort and gaining confidence, and after seeing what Crosby did for Canada at the World Juniors in 2004, it will be worth the one-year wait to see if he can lead his team the same way in the NHL playoffs.