Panthers' Eastern Conference Combat - Thursday

Good news from last night? Little to be found here; but the evening was only "Alien" bad, as opposed to "Cloverfield" bad. Games-in-hand, Short Round...games-in-hand.

The Panthers - today - sit in the seventh slot in the East.

YESTERDAY

• The Rangers predictably got their act together just in time to tease the visiting Isles, ultimately winning 3-1, and garnering two over-the-top mucho-mongo important points to finish the evening in with 68 in fifth place.
• Obviously missing the spotlight, Ovie pulled off another stunner in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Canadiens in D.C. Montreal now has 67 points and resides in the sixth spot.  

TONIGHT IN THE EAST

All the clubs battling for playoff seeds will be scoreboard-watching tonight. Lots of shuffling is to be expected, so buckle up for an evening of roller coaster-style mood swings.

• Carolina (61P) @ NY Islanders, 7p. The Hurricanes continue hunting for points. W4E say: Perhaps the Isles will show up for us tonight. Perhaps not. In any event, New York should rebound from a poor effort at MSG yesterday, against a sputtering Carolina squad. Jimmy Rutherford: ya buying or selling?
• Buffalo (66P) @ Philadelphia (69P), 7p. Want a matchup with serious implications on the playoff race? This is that game. W4E say: My brain is set to explode if I think about this one any further. Technically, the Panthers' postseason shot is ever-so-marginally improved with a Flyers win.
• Montreal (67P) @ Pittsburgh (60P), 7p. Not to be outdone, the Habs' road swing continues into the Igloo tonight for an extremely important date with the Pens. W4E say: The Dan Bylsma Bump will be in effect for at least the next week, to the detriment of the Canadiens. Root for the Habs to increase their point total an bury Pittsburgh for good? Or go with the Penguins to - however unlikely - crawl toward the playoff pack and keep points out of Montreal's hands?

Very cool site I stumbled upon covering the NHL and it's divisions in an illustrated fashion:  Billsportsmaps.com. Explore it all...good stuff.