What's Happening: Teams mostly play teams from within their own division to end out the season. Metro and Atlantic have 10 game weeks. Look for @APsychicTaco 's posts on the Eastern/Western playoff races that will culminate at the end of this week. Game of the Night: Sunday April 15th - 9:00 PM San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks The Sharks have been below average (by their own standards) last week and the Canucks have been hot. Four points separate these teams currently, and the Canucks need this win if they want to have a chance at winning the Pacific Division. The Sharks haven't had much to worry about most of this season, and a win tonight would give them some more peace of mind as they close out the season this week. Monday April 16th - 9:00 PM Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils Two teams that have to be nervous looking at the standings will play Monday night. The Penguins are currently losing the tiebreaker for the 2nd wildcard spot and 2 points behind the Devils for 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins have won all 3 previous meetings between teams this season. Will the Penguins make a push for a playoff berth, or will the Devils sink the Penguins chances with a defeat? Tuesday April 17th - 11:00 PM Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators Toronto is flirting with missing the playoffs this season while the Senators are agonizingly close to being crowned the regular season champs of the Atlantic. It's hard to say what this game will means to either team come Tuesday, but expect a game that still has meaning to both teams. The Maple Leafs fighting their way into the postseason, or the Senators wresting the regular season crown from the Bruins. Wednesday April 18th - 10:00 PM Calgary Flames at Arizona Coyotes "Two hot teams, both with just two losses in their last ten games, will face eachother on Wednesday night." That's what I said last week, and the same scenario has happened here. The Flames are attempting to decide their first round opponent in either the Canucks or Sharks. The Coyotes are likely just trying to stay ahead of the other playoff-hopeful teams in Vegas and Edmonton. With Anaheim currently tied with Calgary at 91 points, the Flames might be the hungrier team when this game comes around on Wednesday. Calgary has found a way to win all season, but the Coyotes are one of the most improved teams of the second half of the season. The last game of the season for both squads could be a good one. Players to Watch: @Karmuh x 86 and his Leafs are barely holding the wild card spot at the start of week 9. This Toronto team has had some trouble scoring after their undefeated stretch this season, and much like his team, Karmuh has had his own rough patches this season. The Leafs need some scoring and their GM is just the person to lead the way in the last week of the season. The Senators are a few points from leading the Atlantic Division and will need a few big performances to top the Bruins. @x Neal x 18 x has quietly had a strong defensive season being a top penalty killer on the Senators as well as trailing only @Pandaleupagus in own end efficiency for defensemen on Ottawa. The top spot in the Atlantic could come down to the team that has a better performance from their depth lines. If Neal and his linemates can get 3 wins this week they'll have a good chance. The Canucks have the Sharks 4 points above them and the Flames/Ducks 5 points beneath them. Just having an average week should be enough to stay where they are and secure home-ice advantage in their first round matchup. The performance of their top players should be enough to carry them into the postseason. One of their leaders on the blueline, @FlowMaster Joe , is tied for the most wins on the team with the other two members of management in @PaulyChunks and @Kbsmith37 . A good week for him means, at the very least, they will capture 2nd in the Pacific. Who's Got the Picks? A few teams are looking to use their picks acquired during this season to bolster their roster (and team success) for next season. A quick snapshot of the league in terms of draft picks. (Teams that had no notable picks were left out to keep the article a little shorter.) Metropolitan Division: New York Rangers Notable picks: 2nd Philadelphia Flyers Notable picks: 1st New Jersey Devils Notable picks: 1st, 2nd Columbus Blue Jackets Notable picks: 1st, 1st, 2nd Carolina Hurricanes Notable picks: 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd New York Islanders Notable picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Atlantic Division: Florida Panthers Notable picks: 3rd Detroit Red Wings Notable picks: 3rd Tampa Bay Lightning Notable picks: 1st Montreal Canadiens Notable picks: 1st, 3rd, 4th Central Division: Winnipeg Jets Notable picks: 4th Minnesota Wild Notable picks: 4th Nashville Predators Notable picks: 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd Dallas Stars Notable picks: 1st, 2nd, 2nd St Louis Blues Notable picks: 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd Pacific Division: Vancouver Canucks Notable picks: 1st Anaheim Ducks Notable picks: 4th Edmonton Oilers Notable picks: 2nd Look for my next media posts: The "next week previews" will continue into the playoffs. Also, there will be, potentially, a series of draft recap articles pertaining to the top ten picks, good/bad and sleeper picks, what teams/managers did a good job, and some other areas of some of the recent drafts (if you'd be interested in reading this vote in the poll above). These articles would likely release at the start of the playoff rounds assuming some demand for them. Thanks for reading.
