Crossing The NHL’s Atlantic Division: Week 19
By Tim Bayer
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlantic Division playoff race looks more like a crawl these days. The Boston Bruins continue to open up their lead atop the division while the Tampa Bay Lightning tread water in second place. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ three-game win streak came to a spectacular crash in an awful showing against the Florida Panthers last night, and the Montreal Canadiens leap-frogged them for third place with a win over the Calgary Flames.
The Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators are a part of a milieu of Eastern Conference teams fighting for the last wildcard spot, a group that also includes the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals.
Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers might be 10 points back of Ottawa, but they proved last night they have plenty of fight left in them. The Buffalo Sabres just keep Buffaloing at the bottom of the table.
With all that in mind, let’s cross the Atlantic for Week 19 of the 2013-14 NHL season.