OK, so the Canes have a few days to practice and catch their breath before heading out west. Good time to look at the standings.
Barring a seismic shift, 1 through 3 in the Metro looks pretty much set. Washington has run away and hid with the top spot, the Canes have carved out an 8 point lead on the Devils (with a game in hand) and despite their injuries the evils still have a 6 point cushion on the Rangers. Speaking of the Rangers, they're in that wildcard mosh pit and seem unable to do more than slog along at NHL .500 so that mess might come down to the last few games. You'd think they would be able to leg out the 8th spot over the likes of Montreal, Columbus and Detroit but nothing is given this season.
In the Atlantic, the top 4 look pretty locked in, but the order is up in the air. Ottawa has crept to within 4 points of 3rd place and probably a lock for a wildcard at a minimum. I wouldn't venture to guess how the top 3 will play out, as Florida, Tampa and Toronto all have enough juice to have a hot stretch ... like they all have enough flaws to have a cold stretch.
Either way, Carolina's early path looks pretty well settled. They're all but locked in to a 1st round tilt with the Devils followed by a 2nd rounder with Washington or whatever wildcard team has upset Washington. For all the chatter over the last few weeks, that's about what you would have predicted back in January. Weird, huh?
