NHL Playoffs: Rangers and Penguins Battling to Win Eastern Conference

With five games remaining in the regular season, the Eastern Conference Championship and the Atlantic Division Championship are still up for grabs.

The Rangers have been in command for most of the season, and at one point it seemed that no team had any chance of challenging them for the conference or division title.

Not to mention the last time the Rangers won the Eastern Conference was in 1994.

That was also the last time they won the Stanley Cup.

But, an 11-game win streak by the Penguins can make a world of difference when it comes to the Rangers trying to repeat their 1993-1994 season. 

And that Sidney Crosby guy, he can do some damage too.

Crosby returned on March 15^th against the Rangers, nine games into the Penguins winning streak.

Since his return, Crosby has 13 points in nine games and has proven that he can take a puck to the face and not become concussed again. 

The Penguins had cut the Rangers' lead to one point, but since losing two games in a row to the Islanders, the Penguins have given the Rangers a little more wiggle room.

Since the Atlantic Division has proven to be the best division in the conference, the five points separating the Rangers and Penguins separate first place and fourth place in the east.

First and fourth place is the difference of playing an eighth seed or a fifth seed in the first round of the playoffs.

The fifth-seeded Flyers (or possibly fourth-seeded, they are only two points behind the Penguins) have been great against the Penguins this year. They are 3-1 against them, and the teams will meet two more times before the end of the regular season.

By getting the first seed, the Penguins would play either the Senators, Capitals, Sabres or Jets. These matchups are much more favorable.

Both teams have a very tough schedule coming up, which means five or more points can swing in either direction.

Not to mention the two will meet on Thursday in Pittsburgh on national television.

Its come to the point in the season where it feels like every game is more important than the last, and these last few down the stretch can really make an impact in playoff matchups.