The Ottawa Senators are in a bit of a free fall at the moment and the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking advantage.
The Sens fell 5-1 to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, marking their third straight loss. The defeat even prompted a team meeting, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
The Maple Leafs meanwhile have won five of their past six games and now sit just two points behind Ottawa in the Atlantic Division. Should the teams flip-flop in the standings, that could result in Toronto earning home-ice advantage in a potential Battle of Ontario playoff matchup.
Here’s a closer look at where things stand in the NHL post-season race.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
If the season ended today…
Here’s what the Eastern Conference standings look like today:
What’d I miss?
Teams on the bubble in the East just refuse to die. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes each recorded wins on Thursday night, ensuring the race for the final wild-card spot will get even hotter. One note to keep in mind: The Bruins have played one more game than the Lightning or Hurricanes, making Tuesday’s game against Tampa Bay all the more important.
Also the New York Islanders dropped a 6-3 affair to the Philadelphia Flyers, which could very well be the nail in the coffin for their post-season hopes.
Fun fact
Boy, is Carolina on some kind of streak.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
If the season ended today…
Here’s what the Western Conference standings look like today:
What’d I miss?
Unlike the East, we know which teams in the Western Conference will make the post-season. It’s just a matter of jockeying for position. The Edmonton Oilers continued their winning ways on Thursday with a key 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers have now won eight of their past nine and if the playoffs began today, they would meet those Pacific Division-rival Sharks in the first round.
But things could change quickly for the Oilers …
Fun fact
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