As usual, there was wall-to-wall action in a tight Eastern race with nine teams jockeying for eight seeds.  Only the Pittsburgh Penguins are in a comfortable position, and may even get Sidney Crosby back before the playoffs.  In this case the rich are definitely getting richer, especially after a 3-2 win in Boston that officially clinched the top seed for the Pens this afternoon.

Other than the Penguins, only the top three Northeast teams (Montreal, Boston and Toronto) have clinched spots in the postseason, with Toronto breaking an eight-year drought without playoff hockey after a 4-1 win over rival Ottawa, in spite of being outshot 50-22 by the Sens.  So far four of the Original Six have clinched, with the Rangers currently in a position and Detroit of all teams being the only ones on the outside looking in, at least for the moment.

While Toronto celebrated, things weren’t as rosy for a slumping Montreal team, booed off their own ice after getting whipped 5-1 by a Caps team that had barely cooled off from having its eight-game winning streak snapped.  Despite the fact the Habs are currently pacing the Northeast, their position is extremely tenuous with Boston having two games in hand.

2. Montreal 59 points (24 ROW) – 3 games left
4. Boston 57 points (22 ROW) – 5 games left
5. Toronto 55 points (25 ROW) – 3 games left

With the Caps winning yet again, Winnipeg’s shootout defeat in a stirring game against the Isles up north could prove costly, as they moved three points behind Washington with just three games remaining for each team, though their head-to-head showdown still looms large on Tuesday in DC.  Winnipeg showed resilience, coming from 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 down to force overtime but couldn’t find a way to get that all-important second point, while the Isles inched closer to their first postseason berth in five years.

3. Washington 52 points (22 ROW) – 3 games left
— Winnipeg 49 points (21 ROW) – 3 games left

6. Islanders 53 points (20 ROW) – 3 games left
7. Ottawa 52 points (19 ROW) – 4 games left
8. Rangers 50 points (19 ROW) – 4 games left
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Winnipeg 49 points (21 ROW) – 3 games left

Outside of the top nine, only the Devils haven’t officially been eliminated yet after they won two games in a row scoring a shocking six straight goals against Florida.  They’d need divine intervention to make it, even with a chance to stay alive with a win at MSG tomorrow in the day’s biggest game at 3 PM.  Among other East teams, only Boston plays tomorrow, getting those same Panthers at home at 12:30.

On Monday at 7 PM, the Jets go to Buffalo while Ottawa tries to move closer to clinching a spot at home at 7:30 against a Penguin team celebrating its top seed.  With the light schedule the next two days, I’ll probably update the standings again on Tuesday when seven of the top nine teams are in action.