There are only 2 teams in the East who are out of playoff contention - Washington and Philly. And Washington wasn't really out of it until Kolzig got hurt, they traded Zubrus and Semin started to slack. The Bruins are beating up on Detroit today which will put them in a tie with Florida at 71 points and 13 games remaining. Carolina holds the final spot with 75 points, that means there are 5 teams within 5 teams currently out of the playoff picture who are no more than 4 points back. It's pretty crowded, especially compared to the West.
My apologies to ICE; after my post a while back about how the Habs looked like a contender, ICE said I jinxed them. Looks like I did. I'm trying to figure out what went wrong there. Samsonov is a waste, but he was a waste when they were doing well too. I don't understand why they didn't waive him and go for someone at the deadline... but Gainey is a smart guy, so I'll wait to see what he has in store.
The Leafs are, well, the Leafs... lingering around with their hodge-podge roster. If they get in, they are an easy out for whoever gets them. Raycroft is not Belfour or Cujo, so don't expect any first-round upsets by the Laughs.
Florida is doing remarkably well considering they gave up Luongo for Bertuzzi, didn't have Bert all year, and are doing better than last year. Nathan Horton is a pretty good young player, and Jokinen is a star. Martin behind the bench and some good young d-men. Don't write them off until the final stages of the season.
The Rangers miss Shanny, but still have a well rounded roster. I wouldn't mind seeing them snatch the last playoff spot because I can see them giving Buffalo a tough time.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Bruins are a decent team despite their crazy trades. The only weak spot, IMO, is their coach. But they're still in it and have the talent to push through to the final spot.
Posted on Mar 11, 2007, 12:06 PM from IP address 76.11.22.211