Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses	OTL	Points
6th	80	37	30	13	87
7th	81	39	33	9	87
8th	80	40	34	6	86
9th	80	37	33	10	84

The Eastern Conference is jam-packed from spots six-to-nine. So many different scenarios can take place depending on who loses to whom. But it’s also pretty easy.

How they get in:

Bruins: Two-points. A win tomorrow afternoon against the Hurricanes seals-the-deal.

Canadiens: Same. The Habs just need to beat the 29th ranked Maple Leafs tonight.

Flyers: Ditto. But they’ll need to do it in regulation over the New York Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden.

Rangers: Two regulation-time victories over the Philadelphia Flyers.

There are a bunch of different scenarios that you can mix-and-match from now ’til the end of both games tonight. Here are just a few to rattle your brain:

1. It’s amazing how this ended-up; the eighth-place Philadelphia Flyers finish the season with a home-and-home series against the ninth-place New York Rangers, tonight, at Madison Square Garden. A regulation win for the Flyers would clinch themselves a playoff berth with 88 points– all while guaranteeing both the Bruins and Canadiens a spot into the post-season, and allowing the Rangers to make their tee-times as early as this coming Monday…
2. If the Rangers win both games against the Flyers in regulation, the Habs beat the Leafs, and the Bruins get just one-point in their next two games, Philadelphia is history…
3. But if the Habs lose their last game of the season tonight, they could be eliminated themselves….only if the Rangers win both games against the Flyers — one must be an overtime/shootout victory — then both N.Y. and Philly would wind-up in the playoffs with 88 points each.

So it’s all up to the Rangers tonight. With a regulation-time loss tonight, we can quit mixing-and-matching these scenarios and look forward to Montreal, Philly, and Boston duke it out for spots 6-8.

The Bruins are an even .500 with a 5-5-1 overall record this season against their three remaining opponents of the year, and have been outscored 30-29 over those 11 games. The Atlanta Thrashers have been eliminated from the playoff race with their 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils last night in Kovalchuk’s return to the Phillips Arena. But those pesky New York Rangers are still just three-points back of the B’s in ninth-place with two game remaining.

The recent news of Dennis Seidenberg’s season-ending surgery – okay, eight-weeks — definitely limits the Bruins’ chances of a first round upset. But we’ve got the NHL Draft lottery right around the corner, so that’s something positive to look forward to. Plus, Mark Recchi was nominated as a finalist this morning by the Boston chapter of the PHWA for the NHL’s Masterson Award.

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AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Still grasping on to that eighth slot in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins need to keep their momentum rolling right along. Coming off a 2-1 victory at the TD Garden yesterday afternoon, the B’s will face two ninth-place teams this week. Game one versus the Atlanta Thrashers [75] and game three against the Calgary Flames [81].

Here’s how the rest of the week looks for the Black-and-Gold.

Today, Monday Mar. 22 @ 11:30 a.m.: Practice at Ristuccia Arena, 190 Main St. Wilmington, MA
Depart to Georgia.

Tuesday, Mar. 23: Bruins @ Thrashers | 7:00 p.m. EST [NESN, 98.5 FM The Sports Hub]
The fight for the eighth-seed in the East is separated by just one-point; as the ninth-place Atlanta Thrashers [75] host the Boston Bruins [76] at the Phillips Arena. This will be the 40th meeting in their lifetime series, and fourth and final time this season. The B’s will be looking to pull ahead of the Thrashers by three-points with a regulation win, while making it a perfect 4-0-0 sweep of Atlanta this season. Boston has doubled-up the Thrashers with a 14-7 scoring edge over those three games, including one shutout.

[Read the rest of this week's schedule --->]

The Black-and-Gold embark on their longest road trip of the season today, in Long Island, as they battle the John Tavares and the Islanders at 2 p.m. EST. Their seven-game stretch will last 12-days, all against Eastern Conference teams, and end on Tuesday, Mar. 16 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The B’s will be competing in two sets of back-to-back games — sets 14 & 15 of 17 on the season —  during this tough road-trip. Mar. 6 at the Islanders and Mar. 7 against the Penguins; Mar. 15 at New Jersey and Mar. 16 at Carolina. They hold a 5-5-3 record in game ones, and 6-5-2 in game twos in consecutive games’ sets.

Saturday, Mar. 6: Bruins @ Islanders | 2:00 p.m. EST

These two Eastern Conference teams are meeting for the fourth and final time this season. The Bruins are 1-1-1 against the Isles thus far, and have been outscored 10-7 over that three-game span. This will be the 139th meeting in their lifetime series with the Bruins having a 69-46-21-3 record and a 474-419 scoring edge.

NYI: 26-30-8, 60 points, 5th Atlantic Division, 13th Eastern Conference

• 29th w/ 75.3% success rate on the penalty kill
• 15.3% on the power play for 29th in the NHL
• 3.09 goals-against per game, 26th overall
• 25th with 2.50 goals-for per game

BOS: 28-23-11, 67 points, 3rd Northeast Division, 7th Eastern Conference

• 30th with 2.32 goals-for per game
• T-4 with 2.44 goals-against per game
• 18% on the power play for 18th in the NHL
• 1st w/ 86.4% success rate on the penalty kill

Sunday, Mar. 7: Bruins @ Penguins | 3:00 p.m. EST

The Bruins travel to the Mellon Arena to take on the Atlantic Division leaders and reigning Stanley Cup champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins. This will be the third of four meetings between the two clubs; with a 1-0-1 record for the B’s and outscoring the Pens 10-6. Boston holds a 100-51-22-3 record against Pittsburgh with a 697-549 scoring edge

PIT: 38-22-4, 80 points, 1st Atlantic Division, 2nd Eastern Conference

• 5th in the NHL with 3.06 goals-for per game
• 2.88 goals-against per game in 21st in the league
• 2oth overall in the power play, 17.3%
• 11th with an 82.9% success rate on the penalty kill

Tuesday, Mar. 9: Bruins @ Maple Leafs | 7:00 p.m. EST

This will be the fourth of six meetings between these two longtime rivals. The Bruins hold a 3-1-0 record against the Leafs this season and have outscored Toronto 15-8. In their lifetime series, the B’s are 273-253-98-5 against Toronto in 632 meetings, but have been outscored by the Maple Leafs 1,884-1,861.

TOR: [will be updated per games played] 19-32-12, 50 points, 5th Northeast Division, 15th Eastern Conference

• 72.2% success rate on the penalty kill for 3oth overall
• 26th overall with a 16.3% power play
• 3.38 goals-against per game, 29th
• 2.60 goals-for per game, 21st

Thursday, Mar. 11: Bruins @ Flyers | 7:00 p.m. EST

The Big Bad Bruins and the Broad Street Bullies will meet in their fourth-and-final game on Thursday. Boston is 1-1-1 on the season against Philadelphia, and have been outscored 8-6 over that span. This will be the 169th lifetime meeting between the two rivals, with the Bruins holding a 86-56-21-5 overall record and 551-508 scoring edge.

PHI: [will be updated] 33-26-4, 70 points, 3rd Atlantic Division, 6th Eastern Conference

• 81.2% success rate on the penalty kill for 18th overall
• 3rd overall with a 22.6% power play
• 2.70 goals-against per game, 14th
• 3.00 goals-for per game, 7th

I’m sure the Bruins are the happiest team in the NHL to see January finally end. After losing 3-2 in the shootout last night to the LA Kings, Boston finished with a  3-10-1 record for the month – including a 0-6-1 record in the final half. The B’s schedule gets no easier this week, as they play games two through four of a four-game home-stand, against some serious competition.

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010: Practice

• The Bruins are scheduled for a rare Sunday practice at Ristuccia Arena, at 11:30am EST. Ristuccia Arena is located at 190 Main St. Wilmington, MA. and is free to the general public.

Monday, Feb. 1, 2010: Practice

• Schedule for 10:30am EST at Ristuccia Arena.

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010: Bruins vs. Washington Capitals – 7pm EST at the TD Garden

• The Bruins will be seeking revenge in this one, after losing 4-1 to the Caps in the season opener on Oct. 1 2009, at the TD Garden. The Capitals are the hottest team in the league – winning their last nine, while outscoring opponents 45-19 during that span – and are 12-2-0 in January. Washington [36-12-6, 78 points, 1st Southeast Division, 1st Eastern Conference] hosts the Tampa Bay Lighting on Sunday afternoon, so there’s a solid chance they end the month with another “W”.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010: Practice

• Schedule for 11:30am EST at Ristuccia Arena

Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010: Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens – 7pm EST at the TD Garden

• The B’s lost 2-1 in a shootout in their first of two meetings with the Habs, at the TD Gardenon Nov. 5; and a 5-1 debacle on Dec. 4.  inorth of the border. Montreal posts a 25-25-6 record this season [56 points, 3rd Northeast Division, 8th Eastern Conference] and will host the Western Conference, Vancouver Canucks, on Tuesday night. Les Canadiens went 4-8-1 for the month of January, so these are two-points that are very possible, and necessary, for the Black and Gold.

• Boston will be wearing their Third Uniform System, and are 3-4-1 this season wearing such uniforms.

Friday, Feb. 5, 2010: Practice

• Schedule for 11:30am EST at Ristuccia Arena.

Saturday, Feb, 6, 2010: Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks – 1pm EST at the TD Garden

• One of the hottest teams in the West. And to put it bluntly, this game – along with Washington’s game on Tuesday – will be a true testament if boys in Black and Gold are in fact a legitimate team to make a legitimate run into the playoffs. The Canucks are loaded on offense with the Sedin twins and Alexandre Burrows – name just a few – and are backstopped by one of the NHL’s best goaltenders in Roberto Luongo. Vancouver notched a 10-3-0 record in January, and 7-0-0 in their last seven while outscoring their opponents 29-15 during that span.

• Boston will be wearing their Winter Classic Vintage Uniforms in this game. The B’s are 1-1-0 while sporting these Classics.

Tim Thomas and the Bruins can only sit and watch teams pass them up the standings.

Well, we knew the worst that could happen was a 13th place Boston Bruins team come Friday night. The right teams won [depending on which way you look at it] tonight – all making their mark up the Eastern Conference standings – as the Bruins can merely sit back, watch, and play the waiting game from 10th place overall in the East.

The Florida Panthers, now 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, slipped by the seventh-place Montreal Canadiens [55 points] tonight at the Bank Atlantic Center, 2-1. The Panthers [55 points] have leapfrogged over the Black and Gold into ninth-place in the Eastern Conference with tonight’s victory – while hanging on to second place in the Southeast Division by a point.

Panthers’ net-minder Tomas Vokoun kicked aside 16 of 17 shots he faced against the Habs, en route to his 18th victory of the season, and a 3-1-1 record in his last five starts.

Still one-point behind the Panthers in the Southeast are the Atlanta Thrashers, who also won tonight, 2-1. Atlanta’s win was backstopped by The Moose, Johan Hedberg, as he stopped 34 of 35 shots the Anaheim Ducks put his way for his 11th “W” of the season. The Thrashers lost a season-high nine straight games [0-6-3] before rolling out a 5-3-2 record in their last 10 contests.

Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers sit in 11th place in the East [54], just one point behind the Bruins, and could leapfrog the B’s on Thursday night as they take on the Flyers in Philadelphia.

It wasn’t a full trifecta tonight against the Bruins, but two-out-of-three was just as bad. The New York Islanders are jockeying for that 11th seed with the Atlanta Thrashers with their 54-points. Let me say that again. Yes, the New York Islanders are just one-point behind the Bruins in the Eastern Conference. The Isles lost their second-straight tonight, 7-2 against the Washington Capitals, remaining in fifth-place in the Atlantic Division.

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The Bruins open up this week, Saturday the 23rd – Friday the 29th of January, with a series of back-to-back games. This will mark the Bruins’ 11th set of consecutive-night games [17 total] of the season – with a 5-3-2 record in game ones, and 5-4-1 in games twos.

Good news for the B’s, and their fans: Boston will not be playing in any games outside the Eastern Time Zone for the remainder of the 2009-10 season. So no more west coast traveling “excuses” from here-on-out.

Jumping ahead: The Bruins have 11 more games lined-up from now until the Olympic break – Feb. 13. Of those 11 games, five are Division rivals – so those would be 10 much needed, and valuable, points.

Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010: Bruins vs. Senators at the TD Garden, 1pm EST start time.

The Bruins will host the Senators for the sixth and final time this season. The Bruins hold a 5-1-0 record against the Sens this season, and are coming off a 5-1 lackluster defeat from their last meeting on the 18th.

Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010: Bruins @ Hurricanes at the RBC Center, 5pm EST start time.
The Bruins hold a 1-0-0 record against the ‘Canes this season after beating them up, 7-2, on Oct. 3, 2009. This will be their second of four contests this season, and 172nd meeting in their lifetime series. Boston holds a 90-63-16-2 record over Carolina, with a 592-509 scoring advantage.

Last season, the Bruins swept the Hurricanes in their regular season series – before losing in the second round of the playoffs in seven games.

The ‘Canes will be playing on Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers, and will be playing in conse3cutive nights for the 10th time this season. Carolina posts an 0-8-1 record in game ones, and 3-5-1 in game twos.

Monday, Jan. 25 – Thursday, Jan. 29, 2010: No games scheduled

Monday, Jan. 25: practice is scheduled for 11:30am EST at Ristuccia Arena – located at 190 Main Street, Wilmington, MA.

Tuesday Jan. 26 – Thursday Jan. 29: practices are scheduled at 10:30am EST at Ristuccia Arena; and 11:30am on Thursday.

Friday, Jan. 30, 2010: Bruins vs. Sabres at the TD Garden, 7:30pm EST start time.

The Bruins host the Northeast Division-leading Buffalo Sabres on Friday night – their third of six meetings this season. Boston took the previous two contests; 4-2 in Boston on Nov. 7 and a 2-1 victory in Buffalo on Nov. 20.

Buffalo [30-12-7,  5th in the NHL, 3rd Eastern Conference] are currently tied with second-place New Jersey Devils with 67 points. The Sabres will be playing three games from now until Friday: Tonight @ San Jose; Monday @ Vancouver; Wednesday vs. New Jersey.