Battle Royale in the East Round 1

It’s that time of year again, one month left to go until the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. For hockey fans this is the most wonderful time of the year. Both Conferences have log-jams in their respective play off races. In the West as many as thirteen teams are in serious contention, and the stronger Eastern Conference, ten teams are battling for eight spots. I am well aware many people believe the West is the better conference, and back-to-back Cup champions certainly adds weight to that theory, but this years it looks like it’s going to take more points to make it to the Eastern Conference dance than the West. As a point of reference, the 11th seeded Toronto Maple Leafs are all but mathematically eliminated from contention in the East with 67 points, while in the West the 13th seeded LA Kings have the same 67 points yet find themselves only 4 points out.
Starting Saturday I’ll begin attempting to break down the congestion in both conferences, but for today I’ll stick to the East.
All fifteen Eastern Conference teams will be in action tonight and Saturday, which means that the entire playoff picture could be in for a massive overhaul. Only Boston and Philadelphia can rest assured of their spot come the end of the night. There could be a flop of the two-three seeds, and the 5-9 slots are all up for grabs. Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Montreal will all still be in a playoff position at the end of the night, but a regulation loss by any of the three in conjunction with a Rangers or Panthers win could leave them within a point of falling out.