In case you missed it, and judging by TV ratings, you are, the NHL is in the midst of one of the tightest playoff races ever. In the Eastern Conference, only four teams have secured themselves playoff spots: the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and New Jersey Devils. Those final four spots for the playoffs are going to be a fight to the death, with eight (!!) teams in the running for those spots. The teams that seem to be the front runners for spots are the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, both are red hot and pulling away from the pack.

What makes things interesting in the East are those other six teams fighting for the bottom two spots. The Philadelphia Flyers (7th – 77 points) seemed to be coasting into the playoffs until they lost goalie Ray Emery for the year last week, and backup goalie Michael Leighton to a high ankle sprain last night. That leaves third stringer Brian Boucher between the pipes for the majority of the games down the stretch. Then there’s the Boston Bruins(8th – 74 points), who lost top line center Marc Savard to a vicious hit by Matt Cooke, leaving Savard concussed and out for the season. Last night, they lost leading scorer Patrice Bergeron to what is being called a lower body injury after taking a slap shot off his foot. For a team that can’t score, those are two key players that they can ill afford to lose.

On the outside looking in are the New York Rangers (9th – 71 points), capable of sneaking into the playoffs behind one of the best goalies in the league in Henrik Lundqvist. For the Rangers to make the playoffs, Lundqvist will need to single handedly support a team that simply cannot score. Then there are those enigmatic Atlanta Thrashers (10th – 69 points), who went on a run after trading star Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils. However, that is another team that simply can’t score anymore, but they don’t have the goaltending that the Rangers are lucky to have.

Further down the standings are Tampa Bay (11th – 68 points), who were in a better position before dropping their last two games. Tampa, like the Rangers and Thrashers above them, and the surprising New York Islanders (12th – 67 points) below them, will need a lot of help getting into the playoffs. Right now, the only team that controls their own destiny is the Rangers, as they will face off against the Bruins on Sunday at 12:30. They also have a home-and-home against the Flyers to end the season.

The playoff race will go right to the wire, with teams jostling for seeding, especially at an attempt to avoid playing league best Washington in the first round. With Philly and Boston injury riddled, the Rangers, and possibly Thrashers, have the potential to play themselves into the postseason by spinning off a winning streak to end the season. Each remaining game has the feel of a playoff game, and nothing beats playoff hockey.