The Playoff Picture

Look at it right now. It's ridiculous.

Four of the five teams in the Atlantic Division are in it. I dislike these teams. With a passion. They are the enemies of the New Jersey Devils and because the Islanders lost back-to-back games to the Rangers, the Rangers are now at the #8 slot, when they should have been knocked out of the playoffs a long time ago. The Islanders are at #7 and the Penguins, who are going to remain in the playoffs, are currently at #5.

If it can narrow itself down to just the Pens and the Devils, that would be much better. And it could happen. Carolina and Toronto have the same number of points as the Rangers and no doubt will finish the year on a better note. So the Rangers are probably out. The Islanders are harder to figure out and have gotten better lately, so they might be in. That would be sad.

Another big thing to look out for is Buffalo. They are at 93 and the Devils just joined the 90-club last night. If the Minnesota Wild beat them tonight and the Devils beat them tomorrow night, only 1 point will separate the teams, making the battle for the #1 spot that much more interesting. It's a battle the Devils would like to win, considering they will face, as it stands right now, the winner of Tampa Bay/Atlanta and those teams have had their way with the Devils this year. Not to mention the first round opponent Islanders wouldn't be all that easy either. It would be good for them to get the #1 spot, but Buffalo is dang good. If the Wild take care of them tonight, which will be very difficult, the Devils have a great shot tomorrow.