The final week of the season is upon us, so let's start with an updated playoff picture.
First, in the East, the Ottawa Senators are battling the Carolina Hurricanes for the top seed in the Conference. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils have all also officially qualified for the 2006 NHL Playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning are clinging to their playoff hopes in the seventh and eighth spots, respectfully. Most teams have only three or four games left in the 82-game schedule, and those contests could determine a lot.
On Mar. 30, New York's Jaromir Jagr set the Ranger record for points in a season at an astonishing 113. That was two weeks ago; as of Thursday, Jagr has boosted his total to a remarkable 121. He is the clear favorite to win the Hart Trophy for the league MVP, and is currently edging out Joe Thornton for the NHL points lead by two points. The Rangers can lock up the Atlantic Division with a win this weekend, but they're going to have to travel to Philadelphia for a tough game on Saturday.
The entire Western Conference has been absolutely on fire this year, but no team has emerged in the last two months quite like the San Jose Sharks. At the beginning of February, the Sharks were a long shot for the playoffs. As of Thursday, the Sharks clinched not just a postseason berth, but the sixth seed in the West. They have gone a remarkable 18-5-3 since Feb. 8, the second best record of any team in the NHL.
The only team hotter than San Jose is the Detroit Red Wings, whose ridiculous 19-2-3 in that stretch has them on their way to the President's Trophy - given to the team with the best record in the league - for the third time in the last four seasons. They will be joined in the playoffs by the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche. Currently, the Edmonton Oilers are clinging to the eighth and final seed with the Vancouver Canucks only one game behind them with four to play.
The Sharks, however, have thrived on the leadership of Thornton's league second-best 119 points. Thornton has tallied a league-leading 91 assists and has helped 26-year old superstar Jonathan Cheechoo to his first 50-goal season. Cheechoo is currently second in the NHL with 51 goals, tied with the 22-year old Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers and behind Jagr's 53.
Cheechoo and Kovalchuk will probably not be the only young stars to reach monumental goal or point totals by the end of the season on Tuesday. The Washington Capitals' 20-year-old star rookie Alexander Ovechkin is currently at 49 goals and 100 points with four games left in the Capitals' schedule. 21-year-old rookie Eric Staal of the Hurricanes leads his team with 45 goals and 97 points. 25-year-old Dany Heatley, the star winger for the Senators, is currently at 48 goals and 98 points. 26-year old left winger Simon Gagne of the Flyers and 27-year old Brian Gionta of the Devils both have 45 goals.
The rookie story of the year, however, concerns our old friend, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Crosby has been outshone this season by dynamic older rookies like Ovechkin and Staal, he plays for the worst team in the league. On a Pittsburgh squad struggling with the retirement of superstars Mario Lemieux and Ziggy Palffy, Crosby has tallied an unbelievable 93 points. And with four games left in the Penguins schedule, Crosby has the opportunity to become the youngest player to tally 100 points in NHL history.
Crosby doesn't turn 19 until August, and he has already beaten out NHL legend Dale Hawerchuk as the youngest player to score 90 points (18 years, 243 days). Hawerchuk finished his rookie season in 1982-83 with 103 points. If Crosby tallies seven points in the next four games, he will oust Hawerchuk from the record books as the youngest player in NHL history to hit the centennial mark, and in doing so, will provide a definitive answer to preseason doubters.
