Spring Is Here—Time To Polish Lord Stanley's Cup, Pt. 2: Eastern Conference

(Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)

In my first volume of this article, I looked at the standings and playoff prospects of the Western Conference. In this one, I look at East and the Stanley Cup finals.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Bruins (.699), nine games remaining, four at home

Boston is 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and has not looked the same since having their nine-game point streak snapped in February by the visiting Sharks, going 7-9-3 since facing off against the best of the West. Even a trade to bolster their already healthy roster has not worked out as yet.

One thing is playing in Boston's hands: of their nine games remaining, an astonishing five are against teams no longer in the playoff chase, and two more (Canadiens, Sabres) may be by the time they match up. Then again, two of those games are against the red-hot Ottawa Senators.

That may be good, because while a weak schedule can help a team get a higher seed, it does not prepare them for playing when it counts, and this team has not won a playoff series in a decade. But they do have the best goal differential in the league and thus obviously are solid in every phase of the game.

By virtue of their home victory over New Jersey, the Bruins opened up a two-game lead over their foes, all but locking up the top seed. They are two and a half games behind the Sharks for the President's Trophy, but even their easy schedule makes that mountain a tough one to climb.

Boston will be the top seed, but will not make it out of the second round.

2. New Jersey Devils (.674), 10 games remaining, four at home

New Jersey is 7-3 in their last 10 games and has won nine of 10 games record-setting goaltender Martin Brodeur has played in since his return from the injured reserve list; the team is now healthy. Three of their remaining games are against teams playing for nothing, but two of those are home games they should win anyway.

The Devils are built for the playoffs, however, with great balance, attention to detail, a veteran roster that is cohesive, and championship experience.

Brodeur has suffered in recent years in April and May, because he carried a 75-game workload during the regular season. But being out for about four months will solve that problem—he will be rested for the first time since the Devils' title run of 1995.

He will also have one thing he has not had: scoring. The Devils are one of only nine teams in the league to average over three goals per game, and yet, they have maintained their trademark defence, being tied for fourth in the league in goals against even with Brodeur's injury. They are, however, barely in the top half for power play and just under the median penalty kill, despite playing in a division with three substandard power plays.

New Jersey will hold on to the second seed and win the Eastern Conference.

3. Washington Capitals (.649), eight games remaining, four at home

Washington is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and will be able to rest a bit down the stretch, having the fewest games remaining in the league.

They are healthy now but played through injuries earlier in the season, helping to give them meddle against adversity and broaden their number of contributors—four players have more than a point per game including Norris Trophy favourite Mike Green on the blue line, and four others have 30-plus points.

That kind of balance and last year's experience make them a threat. They are seventh in the NHL in scoring and second on the power play.

At the same time, their goaltending is mediocre, with both net minders having just over a .900 save percentage contributing to their defence ranking in the bottom half of the league and their penalty kill in the bottom third. While Jose Theodore has never lost in the first round of the playoffs, he has also never won in the second round.

Nevertheless, the Capitals are three wins away from securing their second consecutive division title and are only one point behind New Jersey for the second seed.

However, they have played two more games...they are not likely to be caught or catch anyone, even though six of their remaining games are against teams not in the playoff chase. That weak schedule is due to their weak division, and may be their undoing in the playoffs.

Washington will hold on to the third seed but be upset in the first round.

4. Philadelphia Flyers (.620), 11 games remaining, six at home

The Flyers are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have incredible forwards, with six of their seven players scoring more than a point per two team games and two more on that pace who missed time. Philadelphia is now healthy for the stretch, missing only Derrian Hatcher, who they have been without the entire season.

Obviously, their offence is top-notch, ranking sixth in the league in both goals scored and power play. What may be surprising is that they also have an exceptional penalty kill, not only ranking sixth in success but elite in terms of the threat of shorthanded goals. However, they still manage to rank in the bottom third of the league overall in goals against.

There are questions about the goaltending, but this has not been the problem in the regular season, as Martin Biron has a save percentage of .916. Their inability to stop the opposition stems from team defence: only four teams give up more shots per game than Philadelphia. This could lead one to question a blue line that produces only one scoring threat and fails to clamp down in its own end, but I believe a bigger problem is the offence-only mentality of their forwards.

Five of their remaining 11 games are against teams not in the playoff chase and four of those are on the road. This not only gives them a chance to make up ground but makes those games still competitive enough so as to avoid complacency.

Winning in Pittsburgh Sunday all but assures the home ice in the first round with a two and a half game lead. But to succeed in the postseason these days, teams need skilled defencemen and a balance between offence and defence.

Philadelphia holds on to the fourth seed but loses in the first round

5. Pittsburgh Penguins (.581), eight games left, four at home

The Penguins have been hot, since firing Michel Therrien, who at the time I thought was being made the scapegoat. But they are 12-2-3 since his dismissal (7-1-2 in their last 10).

Certainly, the return of Sergei Gonchar to the blue line shortly before the change behind the bench was also significant, showcasing the necessity of a puck-moving defenceman. Only one role-player (Michael Zigomanis) is on injured reserve now, so their roster is strong.

They feature balanced scoring, with three centres among their six players with over 40 points. Even with early struggles, this team is now eighth in scoring, although only eight teams are worse on the power play. Conversely, while they are in the bottom half of the league in goals against, their penalty kill is in the top half of the league.

While Philadelphia is almost certain to be out of reach, Pittsburgh will have to work to hold off the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers who both trail them by only a half game. Two of their final three games are against non-playoff teams (one on the road), and their last is in Montreal, who may be fighting for their lives or may be out of it. But last year's conference championship should help this team in its push for both position and series victories.

Pittsburgh holds on to the fifth seed and beats their in-state rivals in the first round before going down in a tough series to New Jersey.

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