Have you ever watched a turtle race? No? Well, I guess you never spent any time with an old friend of mine down at the Jersey shore. He spent many a summer weekend watching those hard shelled-creatures deliberately make their way to the finish line. Of course, the drawn-out nature of the contest gave my pal several hours to guzzle beer. See, there can be good in anything, if you look for it.
Right now, the race for the final playoff spots in both conferences reminds me of those turtles. Slowly, painfully, teams are struggling for the finish line. They're all desperate to win those precious playoff berths, which could be worth a couple of million at the box office. After that, they're hoping for an act of God or a hot goalie.
On Tuesday, both current eighth-place clubs took a long overdue step forward. In the East, the Bruins snapped their nine-game winless streak by beating the Carolina Drizzle (formally known as the much more imposing Hurricanes), 4-2, in Raleigh. Out West, the Oilers put an end to a similar nine-game winless skid, sinking the Sharks, 2-1.
With approximately one month left on the regular season schedule, the turtles are cautiously moving down the stretch. Here's a look at each of the clubs in the hunt for the final playoff spots in each conference.
All records and stats through March 4.
Eastern Conference
Washington Capitals (32-25-7-4, 75 points, 14 games remaining): Believe it or not, the Southeast Division-leading Caps still have a long way to go to assure a spot in the postseason. If they win the division, they'll capture the third seed and home-ice advantage in the first round. If they don't, they'll be fighting for one of the final three spots. Their six-game road trip through Canada in late March could tell the tale for the Caps, who haven't been very good out of their division (19-21-6-4) or away from D.C. (12-14-6-2). They're trying to add a veteran defenseman for the stretch run. "Their third pair of defense (rookie Joel Kwiatkowski and Jason Doig) is very vulnerable," said one veteran scout. "But, Kolzig eats up a lot of mistakes." It will be interesting to see if Jaromir Jagr's tax problems will be a distraction to him or the team.
Tampa Bay Lightning (29-22-10-5, 73 points, 16 games remaining): They're trying to be like last year's Islanders. A surprisingly good start, followed by a long mediocre stretch, followed by a strong stretch run. The club's confidence was boosted by road wins over the conference-leading Senators and the Isles. In a perfect world, they'd love to re-gain control of the Southeast, which is still possible. But after spending the last six years watching other teams play in the postseason, the Bolts will be happy just to get in. "I wouldn't be surprised to see them add a veteran at the deadline," said one scout. "They don't have a ton of experience in that room." The Lightning still must make a three-game Western swing (L.A., Phoenix, S.J.) in late March. They finish the season in Atlanta.
New York Islanders (30-25-9-2, 71 points, 16 games remaining): They face a killer schedule down the stretch. They have a six-game road trip that takes them from Vancouver to Montreal and is sandwiched between a pair of home games against New Jersey. They play 11 of their final 16 games on the road, where they're a respectable 12-11-5-2. "We have a lot of confidence playing on the road," said team captain Michael Peca. "We feel we can beat anybody on their home ice." Their playoff drive might be hampered by injuries to key D-men Kenny Jonsson and Roman Hamrlik. Both guys, who usually eat up a lot of key minutes, are dinged up. GM Mike Milbury has been trolling the trade waters for a lefty shooting forward and some defensive depth. No doubt, the club could use the help. On the bright side, the Isles finish with a home game vs. Atlanta and a road tilt in Carolina.
Boston Bruins (29-26-8-3, 69 points, 16 games remaining): The slumping Bruins are in the midst of a stretch where they play five games in seven days (ridiculous) and eight games in 13 days. After that, they go cross-country to play the Coyotes, Sharks and Kings. Somewhere along the way, they hope to recapture their early-season success. Coach Robbie Ftorek is fighting to turn the team around and keep his job. GM Mike O'Connell says he's happy with the job that Ftorek is doing, but won't make a firm commitment to him for the remainder of the season. No doubt, that is a cloud that is hanging over this team. Goalie Jeff Hackett hasn't been able to get into a groove since coming over from Montreal after the All-Star break. If Hackett or Steve Shields can't provide consistent goaltending, the B's are going to have a hard time holding onto their playoff spot. "Their goalies haven't been good and they have some young, inexperienced guys on defense," said one scout. "Those guys might be wearing down."
New York Rangers (27-31-9-2, 65 points, 13 games remaining): The Broadway Bankers are hot, but is it too late? Since Alexei Kovalev arrived from Pittsburgh via a Brink's Truck and Brian Leetch and Pavel Bure returned from injury, the Rangers have been a different team. They're 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. But, they need a train-wreck in front of them (in the standings) to have a shot at their first postseason appearance since 1997. With almost no margin for error -- everybody has games in hand on them -- the Rangers have key games remaining against the Islanders (twice), Bruins and Canadiens. "If they get in, with that lineup, I don't want to play them," said an Eastern Conference scout.
Montreal Canadiens (24-27-8-7, 63 points, 16 games remaining): The Canadiens open a six-game trip across the USA in Anaheim on Wednesday. If they're still in the race when they return home, they'll have five straight home games against conference foes. They have two games with the Lightning, and one with Islanders and Rangers. In fact, they finish the season with a Saturday night tilt against the Rangers at the Bell Centre. The Habs will need Jose Theodore to be at his best down the stretch. After winning the Hart and Vezina trophies -- and signing a new big-money contract -- Theodore hasn't been able to relocate his game on a consistent basis. His 2.96 goals-against average is among the worst in the league. The Habs could be a player at the trade deadline. They've cleared some salary in recent weeks and should have a little more room in the budget to take on a big name forward.
Western Conference
Anaheim Mighty Ducks (31-24-8-4, 74 points, 15 games remaining): They play nine of their final 15 games on home ice, where they have a strong 16-9-6-1 record. Under new coach Mike Babcock, the Ducks have played in a league-high 40 one-goals games and have lost just eight of them. In other words, these Ducks like a close game. While the power play has struggled a bit in recent weeks, their penalty-killing unit remains the best in the league. They have a key home game against the Oilers on Friday. They'll be catching the Oilers on the rear end of back-to-back games. They also have two games left against the free-falling Hawks and one against the upstart Predators. If they don't stumble, they should nail down the No. 7 spot.
Edmonton Oilers (27-23-8-8, 70 points, 16 games remaining): The health of forward Ryan Smyth (shoulder), defenseman Jason Smith (shoulder) and goalie Tommy Salo (groin) will play a big part in determining whether or not the Oilers can hang on to a playoff spot. "It's important for any team, but they always need that extra playoff revenue," said one NHL general manager. So important, in fact, that Mike York tried to play with a broken hand in Tuesday's 2-1 skid-breaking win over the Sharks. Smyth and Salo also played, but Smith remains on the shelf. The Oilers have a tough road back-to-backer against the Kings and Ducks later this week. They also have two games with the Predators. If it comes down to the last game, the Oilers will have to beat the rival Flames on a Saturday night in Edmonton.
Nashville Predators (26-25-9-5, 66 points, 17 games remaining): The organization showed a willingness to spend a little extra cash by acquiring Oleg Petrov from Montreal on Monday. The speedy little forward makes $1.2 million and is under contract through next season. "Petrov is a pretty good offensive player," said one scout. "I'm surprised that Montreal would give him away." If the Preds are going to make good on their playoff pledge, they're going to have to start winning on the road. They'll play 10 of their final 17 games outside of Music City. Unfortunately, they're road mark is a not-so-good 8-12-6-5. The Predators, who are 8-2-0-1 in their last 11 games, will get two shots at the Oilers in the final month.
Los Angeles Kings (28-30-4-4, 64 points, 16 games remaining): The Kings playoff hopes were dealt a severe blow on Tuesday when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Ducks at the Staples Center. The Kings lost the game (and the point) in the final three minutes on a fluke goal by Samuel Pahlsson. Now, L.A. must beat visiting Edmonton to keep their injury-riddled season alive on Thursday. If the Kings lose to the Oilers, they'd be eight points out of the final spot. At that point, GM Dave Taylor would be wise to start taking offers on unrestricted free agents Bryan Smolinski and Aaron Miller. He can't afford to have either player walk away without getting anything in return. And he can still try to re-sign either player after July 1. The Kings finish the season on the road in Vancouver.
Phoenix Coyotes (26-27-8-4, 64 points, 17 games remaining): Several league sources say the Coyotes have serious money issues. That would lead you to believe they'd like to sell off some of their higher-priced players, like goalie Sean Burke and defenseman Teppo Numminen. But, for now, the Coyotes remain in the hunt for the eighth spot. Upcoming pre-trade deadline games against the Blues, Sharks and Avs will determine which direction the Coyotes are going to go. Three wins might force them to stand pat. Anything less, though, will send GM Mike Barnett running for the phone. Phoenix has a six-game homestand in mid-March. With the exception of games against Boston and Tampa Bay, the Coyotes play Western Conference opponents in the final month. They have two games with the Oilers and one against the Ducks, Predators and Kings.
So, there are your turtles. Sorry, I just couldn't include the Panthers or the Blackhawks. I figure those creatures are just too far behind the pack to make a run in their present condition.
Who's going to grab the lucky spots? Great question. With these clubs, it might take a while to decide. You might want to get yourself a beer.
E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.
