Who Will Get In? Hurricanes or Rangers?

The last weekend of the NHL regular season is upon us, and this means that teams are pushing to get into the playoffs. Teams like Dallas, New York Rangers, Carolina, and Chicago are the last remaining teams to bid for playoff births and so far it sounds like it's going to be a battle til the end.

Chicago and Dallas both won tonight, and have days off tomorrow. Then Chicago will take on Detroit at home, while Dallas will finish their regular season off in Minnesota.

But that's a story for tomorrow or Sunday. Today it's all about the New York Rangers who are struggling right now to get into the playoffs and are hanging on by a thread. Tied with Carolina with 91 points, both teams are trying to get that final eighth spot. So what happens?

Well, the New York Rangers have a home date with the New Jersey Devils and it seems like the Devils will want to play spoiler to the Rangers. Meanwhile, Carolina plays host to the Tampa Bay Lightning, already a team in the playoffs.
The thing is, Carolina just beat Atlanta silly. So it looks like Carolina might have more upside to try and nab that last playoff spot. The New York Rangers, on the other hand, have more problems. Ryan Callahan is out and it seems like the goaltending is just not what it used to be. They lost a 3-0 game AT HOME to the lowly Atlanta Thrashers who are out of the playoffs. It seems like the Thrashers have started the spoilers and the Devils are just waiting to finish it.

The Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Rangers? Who will pull the spoiler: Tampa Bay Lightning or New Jersey Devils? For me, it seems like the Hurricanes are plugging in the right direction while the Rangers are biting their nails, hoping that Tampa Bay helps them out and beats Carolina. They are also hoping that they can beat New Jersey and get in. But it all comes down to this: the team with the most willpower will get their spot in the playoffs.

Saturday night should be an interesting couple of games. The Eastern Conference playoffs will be finalized tomorrow night. The Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers will meet their match tonight and we'll see who takes home that final playoff spot. Enjoy your intense Saturday hockey, puckheads!