As the NHL season winds down, you can practically see the NHL playoffs around the corner. As the playoff match-ups are still up in the air, I’ll take a look at a few possible scenarios which may play themselves out in both conferences.

In the East, the Sabres look to be losing steam thanks to a slew of injuries that left the team struggling to find enough players to fill its four lines. I see the New Jersey Devils quietly, as is their style, sneaking into the top spot in the East, leaving Buffalo in the two spot. I also see Tampa Bay overtaking Atlanta for the Southeast Division lead. The Lightning currently trail by two points but have a game in hand. Atlanta just does not have the offensive firepower of Tampa Bay, and it is difficult to find any team that would match up well against Lecavalier, St. Louis and Richards. With the top three spots locked up, we now look at the muddled middle.

Ottawa, Pittsburgh and the loser of the Tampa Bay/Atlanta battle look to continue to duke it out until the final game of the season. The Penguins, despite their recent play, should play well enough to hold on to the five seed, with Ottawa maintaining a slim lead for the four seed. That leaves seven teams with a realistic shot at the remaining two playoff spots. Currently, the Islanders and Rangers hold those two spots, but with Carolina, Montreal, Toronto, Boston and Florida all within five points of the final playoff spot, the rest of the season will be played with a playoff mindset for all of these teams.

I see the Islanders playing well enough to hold on to the seventh seed, but the Rangers will falter due to inconsistencies on offense. Carolina will make a final push to take and hold the eighth seed thanks to the strong play of Cam Ward.

Look for the Eastern Conference Playoff Scenario to go as follows

1. New Jersey
8. Carolina

2. Buffalo
7. New York Islanders

3. Tampa Bay
6. Atlanta

4. Ottawa
5. Pittsburgh

Out West, things are far more settled. The teams that currently hold the top eight spots in the conference are all but assured of making the playoffs. However, what seeds these teams earn is far from decided. Nashville holds a slim three-point lead over division rival Detroit, but that lead could evaporate quickly. I see Nashville holding on to the top seed and relegating Detroit to the fourth seed.

Following Nashville is Anaheim, which will continue to hold the second seed with no real competition from Dallas within its division. Dallas should remain steady at the fifth spot, with San Jose trailing the Stars by two points at most at the end of the season. Vancouver’s hold on the third seed is even more perilous than Chris Simon with a hockey stick. Only three points separate the Canucks, Calgary and Minnesota. Even with Roberto Luongo, I see Vancouver falling within its division to Calgary, with Minnesota dropping down to the eighth playoff seed.  So here’s how I see the playoffs looking at season’s end.

1. Nashville
8. Minnesota

2. Anaheim
7. Vancouver

3. Calgary
6. San Jose

4. Detroit
5. Dallas

With three weeks remaining in the season, a lot can still happen and all of this could be thrown out of the window. I hope everyone is ready for an exciting time.

On a side note, I would like to thank the city of Pittsburgh for working diligently to keep the Penguins. The Lemieux Group made things very difficult throughout the process due to some of their exorbitant demands, but Governor Ed Rendell and Mayor
Luke Ravenstahl worked very hard and managed to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

As a Penguins fan and a hockey fan in general, this is the best news that could have come from this situation, and I’m sure the fans of this proud franchise will show their appreciation throughout the remainder of the season.