Despite the fantastic play of the top teams in either conference, it is hard to guarantee that the two top teams from each will even make it past the first round. As past match-ups in the postseason have shown us, upsets do happen, and it is quite possible that a hot St.Louis Blues – if they take eighth place in the West from Nashville – could upset the first seeded San Jose Sharks who may take too much comfort in first place. Likewise, the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference may fall to the eighth seeded New York Rangers or Florida Panthers, two teams that have picked up their game in order to clinch the final spot in the East. As many NHL faithful will have you know, the regular season stats can mean nothing come playoff time, and the giants on top can fall to the little teams down below.
With the closing of the regular season on Sunday, April 12th – a day that may decide the fate of a few playoff-hopeful teams, and the match-ups of those who have already clinched a spot – the playoff season finally begins. The intensity of play has picked up toward the end of the season and will no doubt continue into the post-season. The playoffs will display some of the best hockey fans can see, as teams will battle in best of seven series’ – a schedule that allows the teams to learn each other’s tactics and develop grudges, two integral ingredients to a great series. So as the regular season gives way to the playoffs in two weeks time, prepare yourself for the best sporting event of the year!
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2009 NHL Playoffs: Eastern Conference yet to determine final contenders
With the playoffs just around the corner, both the Eastern and the Western conferences are looking rather similar in terms of standings, posing a problem for those looking to finally decide which is the better conference. With the two top spots on either coast taken by teams that are miles ahead in points, and the last few berths in each conference still under contention, both conferences are offering up an exciting race to the finish going into the playoffs.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the battle for playoff berths remains a little more reserved compared to the frantic West, though the level of play is just as intense. Three possible teams can claim the final position in the Eastern Conference: current eighth placed New York Rangers are tied at 89 points with the Florida Panthers, both of whom are ahead of the final contender, Buffalo, by four points. Both Florida and New York share the same record in the last 10 games at 5-4-1, though New York has lost their last two, whereas Florida is coming off a big win in Pittsburgh and looking to continue this new trend into the post-season. With the standings where they are right now, Florida may be the best bet to take eighth, dropping New York into ninth, leaving them to play the Boston Bruins who are currently riding a 6 game winning streak with an 8-1-1 in their last ten.
On the opposite end of the Eastern Conference, Boston is dominating the points column with 112, eight above second place Washington. Coming in at third are the New Jersey Devils who may be the last team in the conference to break the 100 point mark if Philadelphia – who hold fourth place – and Carolina – currently placed fifth – fail to find success in their last four and three games, respectively. However, Carolina is riding an eight game winning streak going into their next game against the New York Islanders who are placed last in the league. If Carolina can continue their success, they may be able to grab home ice advantage against their first round match-up Philadelphia – a team they are 1-1-2 against this season.
While Montreal hasn’t clinched their current seventh playoff berth as of yet, they are currently on a three game winning streak going into a game against a struggling Ottawa Senators, a team that has failed to even contend for a spot in the East despite their success in recent seasons. If the Canadiens can manage to win their remaining four games, they could possibly overtake Philadelphia and their fourth spot, guaranteeing them home ice advantage in the first round; an advantage that would benefit Montreal and their solid 24-8-7 record at home this season.
2009 NHL Playoffs: Struggle for the final berths in West show signs of a great race for the cup
The Stanley Cup Playoffs, stage to some of the greatest moments in professional sports history, is fast approaching, and the struggle for the last remaining spots in both the Western and Eastern conferences is coming to an end. With less than one week to go in the regulation season, few teams have more than four games left to clinch a playoff berth. If this last week of play is any indication of what fans can expect in the first round of the playoffs, look forward to a hard-hitting and fast-paced race for the series, and an even more intense fight for the cup.
The 2008-09 NHL season was host to a number of surprise successes and failures. The seemingly relentless Detroit Red Wings dominated most of the opposition, landing them a second place spot in the Western Conference behind the San Jose Sharks. This is an outcome every fan of the NHL could predict, with the Red Wings having made the playoffs 18 seasons in a row – the longest streak of post-season appearances in all of American professional sports.
The San Jose Sharks, looking to continue their string of post-season success with another playoff spot since the 2003-04 season, currently hold the top spot in the Western conference. However, despite their success this season with standouts like Captain Patrick Marleau, assistant Joe Thornton, and Jonathan Cheechoo, the real news around San Jose is which team they will meet in the first round. The eighth spot in the West is currently up for grabs by no less than four teams, with the Nashville Predators grasping to the last berth ahead of St.Louis, Minnesota, and Edmonton.
Each of the four teams battling for eighth have three games remaining that will decide whether they will be hitting the ice or hitting the links when the post-season begins. St.Louis, despite being tied in points with Nashville, falls in ninth due to the Predators being up one win overall in the season, and both Edmonton and Minnesota are tied for points at 83, and games won at 37. With only 3 games remaining for each of these four contenders, San Jose’s opposition is still up in the air, although with St.Louis’ 6-2-2 record in the last ten games, they may be able to take the final spot away from Nashville.