Race For Eighth

In the Eastern Conference of the NHL, there are many teams looking for a playoff birth and a championship. Unfortunately, only 8 teams can get into the postseason, so all the teams have to battle it out for the8th spot.

There are 5 teams in the hunt for 8th spot. The NY Islanders, Carolina, Toronto, Montreal and the NY Rangers.

The Islanders right now are in 7th spot, have 78 points and have 13 games left in the season. Since the acquisition of Ryan Smyth, this team has been on a roll.

Carolina is now in 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, have 78 points but only 11 games left. The Canes will have to get lucky to get into the playoffs as the only team they face in their last 11 games that is in this playoff run is Toronto.

The Leafs right now are in 9th spot in the Conference, have 77 points and have 12 games left in the regular season. The Leafs are very much in control of their own destiny as they face almost all of the teams who are in this playoff run in their final 12 games.

The Rangers right now are in 10th spot, 76 points and 12 games left. The Rangers also play many games against playoff hopefuls down the stretch and look to make the playoffs for the 2nd straight year.

Finally, the Habs are in 11th place with 76 points and 11 games left. The Habs have a big game coming up against the Leafs on Saturday and will face them again on the final day of the season.

I predict that the race will probably come down to the lat day of the season. In 7th place will be the Islanders with Ryan Smyth. Right now they have 78 points and 2 games at hand at 8thplace, so that's why I think they'll be 7th. In 8th place will be the Leafs. The have a game at hand on Carolina and face almost all of the teams in this playoff hunt sometime in their final 12 games.

To me, those are going to be the final 2 playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.