This is Bob Cobb coming to you from Rumors Sports Bar with a report on the current FNHL Eastern and Western Conference playoff races~

Playoffs clinched: Ottawa Senators

Sittin' fairly comfy: Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs

That leaves us with 4 more playoff spots up for grabs in the East and a mere 5 points separating the 5th through 10th seeds at the moment. Interestingly, spots 5-7 all sit with 83 total points (Rangers, Penguins, Hurricanes).. with the current 8th seed (Florida) at 82 total points. On the outside-looking-in we have Columbus, New  Jersey, & Washington right on their heels with 80, 79, & 78 points respectively. Looking ahead on the league schedule, you'd hope to find a good handful of games with huge playoff implications for both teams..  but oddly enough, the aforementioned playoff-hungry teams won't face each other but a few times before seasons end. 

In any event, there's no doubt that we'll have some intriguing 1st round matchups in the East. When you land the #1 or #2 seed, you certainly don't expect to face a team as talented as Florida, Columbus, or Washington, ect. 

My wildcard pick out East = Detroit gets hot late & sneaks into the dance..  and then makes a dirty run to glory~ 

A bit less drama out West as there only seems to be 2 available playoff spots left to be settled. The teams currently in the 7th and 8th spots (Canucks & Kings) both have 83 total points, while the current 9th spot (Vegas) sits with 79 points. Arizona (78 pts) and Seattle (77 pts) aren't too far behind either & both teams have a game in-hand, so there's potential there too. Vegas seems to have the most interesting setup however as they'll be hosting the Kings in a couple days. 

If things end up the way they sit today, we'd see another terrible matchup for whomever grabs the #1 seed. The Canucks aren't a team to ever be taken lightly & if they make the dance, they could easily twerk their way to the Finals & beyond*

My wildcard pick out West = the Kracken win their remaining games & snag the 8th seed from the Nucks~