The Hockey News recently published its annual NHL yearbook and as usual one of the notable features is its Top Fifty NHL Players listing for the upcoming season.

Although I’m now a free-lance contributor to THN.com that won’t prevent me from critiquing this list, and no, this isn’t a free plug for The Hockey News on my part as I reviewed their rankings last summer prior to contributing to their site.

Anyway, here’s how THN ranked their top fifty players for the upcoming season:

1.       Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Henrik Zetterburg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Vincent Lecavalier
6. Niklas Lidstrom
7. Roberto Luongo
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Evgeni Malkin
10. Dany Heatley
11. Chris Pronger
12. Daniel Alfredsson
13. Marian Gaborik
14. Henrik Lundqvist
15. Brendan Morrow
16. Evgeni Nabokov
17. Marian Hossa
18. Ilya Kovalchuk
19. Eric Staal
20. Zdeno Chara
21. Joe Thornton
22. Dion Phaneuf
23. Martin Brodeur
24. J-S Giguere
25. Martin St-Louis
26. Scott Niedermayer
27. Brian Rafalski
28. Sergei Gonchar
29. Marty Turco
30. Ryan Getzlaf
31. Andrei Markov
32. Zach Parise
33. Ales Hemsky
34. Jason Spezza
35. Vesa Toskola
36. Rick Nash
37. Joe Sakic
38. Scott Gomez
39. Ryan Miller
40. Jonathan Toews
41. Daniel Sedin
42. Daniel Briere
43. Anze Kopitar
44. Miika Kiprusoff
45. Paul Statsny
46. Shane Doan
47. Derek Roy
48. Mark Savard
49. Mike Richards
50. Patrick Kane

If we’re going by last season’s performance I’d rank Ovechkin over Crosby but they’re definitely 1-2 in my estimation and the case can be made for either to be ranked as the league’s top player.

Lidstrom should’ve been ranked higher, perhaps 3rd or 4th, but he’s definitely the league’s best defenseman.  

As for Luongo, he’s a great goaltender and perhaps will justify that higher ranking this season but I’d swap Brodeur for Luongo if we’re basing this on last season’s performance. I know Brodeur’s getting older and he’s fast approaching his best before date but until he does in my opinion he’s still the league’s best goaltender.  Nabokov, Luongo and Lundqvist are nipping at his heels though.

I would also rank Malkin higher than Iglinla and Lecavalier, ranking him no lower than 6th.

Pronger’s ranking will likely draw some criticism given his penchant for dirty play but he’s still among the game’s elite defensemen and every team (yes, even the Oilers) would love to have him on their roster.

Morrow deserves to be on this list but I wouldn’t rank him above Kovalchuk, Staal, Thornton, Brodeur and Nash and consider him ranked far too high.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, it’s good to see him finally getting his due from THN as his ranking last season (48th) was in my opinion an insult.

And why is Thornton, who was again among the league’s leading scorers, not in the top ten? Or even the top 15? Sorry, but this is far too low for a player of his caliber. Sure, the case can be made that he struggles in the playoffs, but there’s no denying his obvious talent and skills. I certainly wouldn’t rate Alfredsson, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Morrow, Gaborik, Hossa, Staal and Chara above Thornton.

Lundqvist is a terrific goalie but I don’t believe he ranks higher than Nabokov. If it were up to me, I’d rank Brodeur, Nabokov and Luongo over Lundqvist.

I also disagree with Phaneuf dropping in the rankings compared to last season and I’d give him a slight edge over Chara in ranking defensemen.

Niedermayer missed most of the first half of last season before deciding to return to action and that cost him in the rankings. Had he played a full season his ranking likely would’ve been higher.

And Toskala ranked higher than Nash, Sakic, Gomez, Toews, Kopitar, Richards and Kane?  Gimme a break!  In fact, why is Toskala even on this list? Mats Sundin or Tomas Kaberle would’ve been better choices if one is seeking decent Leafs (or former Leafs) to be on this list.

I would also rank Richards higher than where he placed (probably about ten spots higher), but there’s no question he deserves to be on this list and his stock will continue to rise.

As for the rest of this listing, I really don't have much of a quibble over where most were ranked. Some could probably be moved up or down a spot or two but for the most part I have no real argument over the rest of these rankings.

That’s my two cents, folks.  Let me hear yours in the comments, and remember, this is THN’s listing, not mine, so don’t complain to me about where they placed these players as I had no input in this.

The Score Sports Forecaster was first out of the blocks with their NHL Season Preview for 2008-09, and the good folks at Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has a quick review of the magazine's preview of the Stars, but also the projected playoff teams and where they'll finish the season:

Western Conference
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. Dallas Stars 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. San Jose Sharks 5. Chicago Blackhawks 6. Anaheim Ducks 7. Calgary Flames 8. Phoenix Coyotes

Eastern Conference
1. Philadelphia Flyers 2. Washington Capitals 3. Ottawa Senators 4. Montreal Canadiens 5. Pittsburgh Penguins 6. Carolina Hurricanes 7. New Jersey Devils 8. New York Rangers

---

I'll have my projections by late September as we get closer to the season and we have a better idea of what the rosters will look like.

As for the Forecaster, you'll have to buy the issue (I don't get any kickbacks for this) to find out why they're ranking the teams as they have.

And since I'm going on vacation for a few days starting August 14th, this is as good a topic as any for you folks to discuss in the comments, and please, keep it clean!

I don’t usually engage in this much but since there’s been a dire dearth of any real hockey news to comment on I suppose it’s as good a time as any to shoot down some of the wacky trade and free agent rumors flying around.

First off, the Florida Panthers are not shopping defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Sure, the fact that he signed a one-year contract taking him up to UFA status next summer likely means this is his final season with the Panthers, but as long as GM Jacques Martin believes there’s a chance to re-sign Bouwmeester he won’t be dealt, at least not at this time of the year.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe may apparently be willing to consider waiving his movement clause to accept a trade but that doesn’t mean he’ll be dealt soon.

According to recent reports out of Toronto the Leafs are believed waiting for a list from McCabe of teams he’d waive his clause to be dealt to, and the odds are that list will likely be a short one containing Cup contenders or perennial playoff teams.

And no, I don’t see him accepting a trade to the NY Islanders, because quite frankly I don’t think the Islanders, who now appear committed to rebuilding with youth, would be interested in his fat contract.

The Minnesota Wild are not shopping Marian Gaborik. That rumor is pure BS. They’re hoping to re-sign him and have no “contingency plans” to trade him now. As of this writing GM Doug Risebrough will be meeting with Gaborik in Slovakia this week to open contract talks.

Maybe later on in the season if Gaborik decides that he wants to test next summer’s UFA market Risebrough will shop him. Not now.

 Oh, and while I think of it, Bouwmeester isn’t being shopped for McCabe or Gaborik.

How do I know this? Because most NHL general managers are either on vacation, just back from vacation or soon to be heading out on vacation. Most teams have committed their cap space and have their rosters pretty much set. Heck, even a good number of player agents are taking this time to get in a little R&R.

That’s why there’s been almost nothing to report in terms of real hockey news. It’s the same thing every year.

Since the 2005-06 season ended, few significant trades have occured between the months of August and December, none of those involving players of the caliber of Gaborik, Bouwmeester and McCabe.

The reason for that is, quite simply, limited cap space, significantly limiting the market for players of that caliber during that time period.

Teams that will be busy in the coming weeks are those currently over the salary cap, like Philadelphia, Anaheim, Calgary and Chicago, who’ll have to dump some salary via trade or demotions to get under the cap by the start of the season.

The Nashville Predators could be forced to make a move or two via trade or free agency if Alexander Radulov remains in Russia for next season, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are heavy on forwards but light on defensive depth which suggests they might have a move or two remaining before next season begins.

That’s where your focus should be, rumormongers, not on dreaming up fantasy trades. 

Two fading NHL power forwards have found new homes for next season.

On Sunday the Minnesota Wild signed 36-year-old right wing Owen Nolan to a two-year, $5.5 million contract (worth $2.75 million per season) and on Monday the Calgary Flames inked 33-year winger Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year, $1.95 million contract.

Not very long ago these two would’ve commanded top dollar on the open market. Bertuzzi earned $6.8 million in 2003-04 with the Vancouver Canucks after coming off a 46-goal, 97-point performance with the Canucks the previous year.

Last summer Bertuzzi signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks but cap constraints, a need to re-sign Corey Perry and Bertuzzi’s 40-point performance in 68 games forced the Ducks to buy out the remaining year of his contract last month.

Nolan made $6.5 million with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2003-04 season but injuries and a contract dispute saw him miss the 2005-06 season, and the last two seasons he played for Phoenix and Calgary earning $1.225 million and $1.75 million respectively.

His point production over the past two seasons (40 and 32) suggests the Wild, to put it kindly, overpaid for the aging Nolan and was likely based on his playoff performance (5 points in 7 games) with the Flames this spring.

In signing Bertuzzi to replace Nolan the Flames get him at a reasonable price, although that combined with what he got in his buyout (approximately $2.6 million) means he’ll actually earn more next season than he would made had the Ducks not bought him out.

For both players, this could be their last opportunities to prove themselves still worthwhile NHL forwards.

At 36 Nolan’s NHL career appears to be rapidly winding down as he’s now more of a checking forward than the high-scoring power forward he was at the turn of this century, while Bertuzzi still toils under the shadow of his infamous attack on Steve Moore over four years ago and a recent injury history that limited him to 83 games over the last two seasons.

The Columbus Blue Jackets wasted little time in replacing winger Nikolai Zherdev, whom they deal t to the NY Rangers earlier today.

It was reported Wednesday evening the Jackets had signed former Calgary Flames winger Kristian Huselius to a four-year contract worth $4.75 million per season.

Jackets GM Scott Howson needed to bring in a more experienced winger for his first line and Huselius certainly has that, posting up 77 and 66 points respectively in the last two seasons.

While Huselius has scored more than the departed Zherdev over the last two years he no less an enigma who seems to score more in the first half of the season than in the second, disappears in the playoffs, doesn’t like the rough going nor being leaned on by a demanding coach.

Huselius twice wilted under Mike Keenan’s iron hand in Florida and Calgary and he won’t face any less pressure in the demanding Ken Hitchcock.

Howson is also taking a heck of a risk committing $4.75 million per season to Huselius, considering he only made $1.4 million last season, but in this summer’s wild spending on free agents that’s what it took to get him to Columbus.

The Ottawa Senators have found a replacement for the recently bought out Ray Emery, signing former Bruins goalie Alex Auld to a two-year contract worth $1 million. $2 million. 

That ‘ll make him a more affordable cap hit to the Senators cap, and Auld will be hoping to stick with the Senators for a while and perhaps re-establish himself as a potential starter he was once envisioned to be with the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the decade.

Adam Hall’s solid performance this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, especially during the playoffs, landed him a three –year contract extension worth $1.8 million.

Sorry about that, folks, the feed I received had Hall re-signed with the Penguins. He in fact signed a three-year, $1.8 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. My apologies for the confusion.

The Pens also signed former Calgary Flames forward Eric Godard to a three year contract.

Thus far the Penguins have retained two of their UFA forwards but of course they were the most affordable to re-sign. It remains to be seen if they can retain Marian Hossa and defenseman Brooks Orpik.

Reports out of Toronto claim the Maple Leafs have signed their former starting goaltender to a one-year deal believed worth $700K.

Things have changed since Joseph last joined the Leafs ten years ago. Back then he was brought in as their starting goaltender, but this time he’ll be used as a backup and tutor for current starter Vesa Toskala.

The Carolina Hurricanes have further bolstered their blueline corps by bringing back defenseman Anton Babchuk, signing him to a one-year, $ 1million contract.

Babchuk spent last season playing for Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League after a contract dispute with the Hurricanes last summer.

The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed one of their unrestricted free agents today, inking forward Pascal Dupuis to a three-year contract worth an average of $1.4 million per season.

Dupuis joined the Penguins at the trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Marian Hossa from Atlanta to Pittsburgh and quickly established himself as a valuable energetic forward capable of playing on the scoring lines as well as the checking lines.

The Calgary Flames added some affordable depth at forward by acquiring Rene Bourque from the Chicago Blackhawks for a draft pick.

Bourque was once considering among the Blackhawks most promising players but injuries hampered his development and with the emergence of other young ‘Hawks prospects he no longer fit into their roster.

Sorry for the absence, folks, I took a day off on Friday and my wife and I are spending some time with my son before he heads out for basic training with the Naval Reserve on Sunday.

Lots of activity leading up to July 1st as teams scramble to lock up their RFA players and cut loose some cap space via waivers and buyouts. Here’s the most significant as of today (June 28):

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired the rights of forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2009. Should the Bolts re-sign Malone prior to July 1st the pick is upgraded to a third rounder.  

It’s a bold move by the new Lightning ownership to gain an inside track on signing one or both, but if it doesn’t work out all it costs them is a mid-round pick next season, one that could be easily replaced by trade between now and next year’s draft if required.

If it does pan out and they manage to sign one or both it’s a small price to pay.

The Philadelphia Flyers as expected re-signed forward Jeff Carter to a three-year, $15 million contract extension, and no, this isn’t a “sign and trade” on their part.

This signing pushes the Flyers payroll to over $51 million next season so if they’re still looking at landing a quality puckmoving blueliner via free agency they’ll still have to find a way to free up more cap space.

The Anaheim Ducks bought out the remaining season of Todd Bertuzzi’s contract in a move designed to free up cap space to re-sign key free agents like Corey Perry but they might still need to move another player, possibly Mathieu Schneider, now that Scott Niedermayer has decided to return with the Ducks to play out the final season of his contract.

As expected the Calgary Flames announced the re-signing of impending UFA center Daymond Langkow to a four-year, $20 million contract, but also re-upped Craig Conroy to a two-year, $2.1 million contract and retained forward Eric Nystrom and goaltender Curtis McElhinney to one-way contracts, suggesting the latter two have locked up roster spots for next season.

A solid playoff performance by Loui Eriksson likely cemented a new two-year contract extension worth $3.2 million ($1.5 million for next season and $1.7 million for 2009-10), who also had 31 points in 69 NHL  games last season.

A Campbell was re-signed but it wasn’t the Sharks’ Brian, but rather Gregory Campbell of the Florida Panthers to a two-year contract believed worth more than the $525K per season he earned in his previous contract.

The Panthers also bought out the final season of forward Jozef Stumpel’s contract while the NY Islanders have bought out the remaining season of Shawn Bates’ contract and the Columbus Blue Jackets did the same with Duvie Westcott.

Nothing like a $6 million jump in the salary cap to spur some teams into using the buyout option. Last season only one player of note, the Islanders Alexei Yashin, was bought out; this season, nearly a dozen, although two, David Tanabe and Dan Cloutier, intend to fight the buyout by insisting they’re not medically cleared yet to play next season.  

The San Jose Sharks yesterday re-sign three key players, inking forward Jeremy Roenick and backup goalie Brian Boucher and forward Joe Pavelski to a two-year contract.

Pavelski’s deal is worth $3.3 million, breaking down as $1.65 million per season. Roenick will be paid $1.1 million, Boucher $650K.

Good affordable signings by the Sharks, particularly Pavelski's given his notable improvement in the second half of last season and in the playoffs. Roenick will again provide veteran leadership and timely scoring whilst Boucher is an experienced backup for Evgeni Nabokov.

No word as to how contract talks with Brian Campbell are going. The Sharks gave several Eastern Conference clubs permission to speak to Campbell’s agent but apparently haven’t rule out re-signing him.

The parade of potential buyouts continued on Thursday as the Calgary Flames placed defensemen Rhett Warrener and Anders Eriksson and forward Marcus Nilson on waivers.

Flames GM Darryl Sutter needs to free up cap space in part to absorb the potential new contract of impending UFA center Daymond Langkow and to further bolster the roster.

It’s been speculated for weeks that Sutter tried shopping Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson but could find no takers, which isn’t surprising given the decline in their respective performances last season.

Nilson has one year, $1 million remaining on his contract, Eriksson one-year, $1.5 million and Warrener one-year at $2.5 million. Their buyouts will be spread out over the next two seasons.

The Calgary Flames added a winger and subtracted one during the first round of the NHL 2008 Entry Draft, acquiring winger Mike Cammalleri from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 17th overall pick, and dealing veteran left winger Alex Tanguay to the Montreal Canadiens for the 25th overall pick.

Cammelleri was rumored as a trade candidate during the past week and for good reason given his contentious contract talks last summer with Kings GM Dean Lombardi resulting in a two-year contract through arbitration for less than he sought.

His current contract worth $3.35 million has one year left,  giving the Flames time to determine if they want to re-sign him this summer for more, or see how well he plays for demanding head coach Mike Keenan and make a pitch during next season.

Cammalleri has 80 point potential, having achieved that total in 2006-07 but fell off to only 47 points last season. With the Kings have plenty of depth in young scoring forwards he became expendable, in this case for a 17th overall pick which was then flipped to the Anaheim Ducks along with the 28th overall pick for the 12th overall pick.

The Flames however had to make salary room for Cammalleri and that meant moving out Alex Tanguay, who surprisingly agreed to waive his “no-trade” to facilitate a trade to the Montreal Canadiens for the 25th overall pick in this year’s draft.

Surprisingly, because Tanguay last season repeatedly stated he wouldn’t waive his clause to go to Montreal , citing the intense pressure French-Canadien  players feel playing for the Canadiens.

Evidently the pressure of playing for Mike Keenan another season in Calgary was enough to change his mind. By dumping Tanguay to Montreal and taking on Cammalleri’s salary Flames GM Darryl Sutter saves himself nearly $2 million in cap space which could be used to re-sign a key player or perhaps pursue some depth via the UFA market.

Canadiens GM Bob Gainey has repeatedly stated he wants to acquire an impact player and hinted of dealing his first round pick (25th) in this year’s draft to do so.

Tanguay is a skilled offensive winger whose offensive stats have fluctuated throughout his career. He should post up strong offensive numbers with the speedy young talented Canadiens, but he’s not considered an impact player.

It’s a bit of a puzzling move for Gainey, adding another finesse player into a roster already loaded with those kind of forwards, not to mention the huge cap bite his $5.25 million salary for next season will take out of the Habs’ salary cap.

Either Gainey is still shopping for that elusive impact forward (he’s been granted permission by the Toronto Maple Leafs to speak with Mats Sundin’s agent) or Tanguay is the best he could get.

The NHL recently released their All-Star and All-Rookie Teams for the past season:

ALL-STARS:

First team:

Goaltender: Evgeny Nabokov, San Jose Sharks.

Defensemen: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings. Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

Center: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Right Wing: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames.

Left Wing: Alexander Ovechkin.

Second Team:

Goaltender: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils.

Defensemen: Brian Campbell, San Jose Sharks. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins.

Center: Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

Right Wing: Alex Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens.

Left Wing: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings.


ALL ROOKIE TEAM.

Goaltender: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens.

Defensemen: Tobias Enstrom, Atlanta Thrashers. Tom Gilbert, Edmonton Oilers.

Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks.

The Calgary Herald recently reported Flames have apparently taken steps to mend fences with one of their young defensemen, hoping at the same time bolster their blueline corps for next season by re-signing Mark Giordano to a new contract.

Giordano made headlines last summer by spurning the Flames offer of a two-way contract, opting instead to play the 2007-08 season with Moscow Dynamo in the Russian Super League. Cap constraints and questions about Giordano’s ability to stick with the Flames full time last season were behind the Flames offer, and GM Darryl Sutter reportedly wasn’t pleased over Giordano’s decisions.

But time and necessity heal all wounds. The Flames need young, swifter legs on their blueline and they still hold Giordano’s rights, making his re-signing that much easier.

The Herald reported Giordano will be getting a three-year, one-way contract, meaning if he’s demoted to the minors his salary won’t decrease, which was why his rejection of last summer’s two-way deal was a problem for the young blueliner.

No official word from the Flames yet on the re-signing but it’s believed it’ll be made official after July 1st, when the 6’, 205 lb Giordano is no longer under contract with his Russian team and becomes a restricted free agent. A source suggests the deal could be worth $1 million per season, making Giordano an affordable addition to a Flames team that will again face a potential cap crunch for next season.

Giordano, 25, showed promise in his first season with the Flames, with 15 points in 48 games, including 3 powerplay goals and a plus-minus of +7. He had 13 points in 50 games with Moscow Dynamo last season.

Read 'em and weep. Or rage. Or laugh. Or question my sanity. Whatever, just keep it clean and remember, if I didn't pick your team to win, don't take it personally, it's just an opinion, and as the great Toe Blake once said, "predictions are for gypsies". I look forward to your responses, but please, if you disagree, keep it clean, and let's just have some fun, ok?

I'll have the Eastern Conference preview and predictions on Tuesday, April 8th.

Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators: Wings won the season series 5-3. Detroit was the top team in the NHL this season, while the Predators barely scraped into the post-season on the last week of this season. The Predators are well coached and possess good goaltending, a solid defensive system and a dangerous first line centered by Jason Arnott, but have yet to win a playoff series and were barely above .500 down the stretch.  Red Wings are deeper in talent and experience and have proven capable of adjusting to a more physical post-season style. Questions have arisen of late regarding their aging goaltending tandem of Hasek and Osgood and injuries have dogged them in the second half. This could be a closer series than expected but ultimately Detroit’s depth will see them through.  RED WINGS IN SIX.

San Jose Sharks vs Calgary Flames: Flames won the season series 3-1, but down the stretch the Flames were merely a .500 club whilst the Sharks were red-hot, losing only once in regulation in their last 22 games. The Sharks received Vezina-worthy goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov and possess a good defense corps buoyed by recently acquired Brian Campbell. Their offense has significantly improved in the second half, led by Joe Thornton who’ll once again try to answer his critics with a strong post-season. The Flames playoff hopes will once again rest with captain Jarome Iginla, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and blueliner Dion Phaneuf. However, Kiprusoff has had an average season, Phaneuf has yet to step it up in the post-season and concerns over their offensive depth should once again hold them back.  SHARKS IN SIX.

Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche: Wild won the season series 5-2-1 and clinched the Northwest Division, while the Avs battled through injuries to finish sixth overall. Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams in the league so expect them to aggressively check the Avs and make the most of their offensive opportunities, led by offensive star Marian Gaborik. There is however concern over their lack of depth at center, and if the Avalanche can match their physical play the Wild could find it rough going. The Avs have experienced leadership in Sakic, Forsberg, Smyth, Foote and Hejduk, rising young players like Paul Statsny and solid netminding in Jose Theodore. Still, most of their key players are long in the tooth and it remains to be seen if they have enough in the tank for a long playoff grind. WILD IN SIX. 

Anaheim Ducks vs Dallas Stars: Stars won the season series 5-3, but down the stretch these were two teams going in different directions, with the Stars floundering and the Ducks surging. Anaheim is the defending Stanley Cup champion, possess a proven playoff goalie in JS Giguere, the deepest blueline corps in the league and can wear down opponents with their physical play. The Stars enter this series with too many questions. Can Marty Turco win big in the playoffs? Can they recover from the loss of Sergei Zubov to injury? Can Brad Richards find his scoring groove in the post-season? Can they physically match up against a driven Ducks team?  DUCKS IN FIVE.

It’s been said that the best hockey of an NHL season isn’t truly seen until the playoffs, but in my humble opinion the race for the playoffs in the final month of the regular season can bring about excitement every bit as worthwhile as a playoff game.

This season is no exception, as once again several teams are battling to clinch the final two playoff berths in each conference, and every remaining game in this season for those teams carries the same importance as a post-season contest.

In the Eastern Conference, seventh and eighth overall are very much up for grabs, with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers desperately clinging to those two berths, with the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals breathing down their collective necks.

As of this writing, only five points separate seventh-place Boston from 11th place Florida, with the Flyers, Capitals and Sabres sandwiched between them.

Looking at the standings as of March 19th, the Bruins have 83 points, the Flyers 82, the Capitals 80, Sabres 79 and Panthers 78.

Of these five team, the Capitals and Panthers have been red-hot, both clubs winning seven of their last ten games, which doesn’t bode well for the struggling Bruins (3-4-3), Flyers (4-3-3) and Sabres (4-4-2). If the Caps and Panthers can keep up their torrid pace they could end up playoff bound.

The race isn’t quite so close in the Western Conference, as a four-point gap separates the eighth overall Colorado Avalanche from the 9th overall Nashville Predators and the Avs also enjoy a five point gap over the 10th overall Edmonton Oilers.

As of March 19th the Avalanche had the same number of points (84) as the sixth overall Vancouver Canucks and seventh overall Calgary Flames. These three clubs appear to control their destiny over their final handful of games.

Still, these three clubs cannot afford a letdown. The Predators may be struggling (4-6-0 in their last ten games) but they’re not out of the hunt yet, and with 8 games remaining still have enough time to claw their way into a berth of the Avs, Flames or Canucks stumble.

The Oilers also cannot be completely counted out, having gone on a remarkable 8-2-0 streak in their last ten games and with 8 games remaining they too have enough time to catch those ahead of them if they falter.

Wouldn’t it be great if it came down to a final game of the season for one of these teams, as it did last year for the NY Islanders?

The Isles blew a two-goal lead in their final game of the 2007 season against the New Jersey Devils but won it in a shootout thanks to a savvy poke-check by Islanders backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz, clinching the last playoff berth in the East in a thrilling contest.

Consider this battle for the final playoff spots a primer for the upcoming 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. Who knows, maybe one of these teams could go on to become a “giant killer” in this year’s post-season.