Still a Fight to Finish for Playoff Spots

With less than two weeks left in the regular season, only a few teams know they’re free to schedule tee times April 14.

The playoff scramble continues from top to bottom for almost everyone else. In the West, Detroit appears locked as the third-seeded team, and in the East, Buffalo will be seeded second and Florida will probably hold onto fourth and get home-ice advantage.

Here’s how the stretch drive shapes up:

WEST

Colorado--The Avalanche is tuning up and begging Patrick Roy to stay out of brawls. Three of its last six games are against non-playoff teams.

Dallas--The Stars are making the Avalanche more than a little nervous. Five of their last seven games are against probable playoff teams.

Detroit--Six of the Red Wings’ last seven are against sub-.500 teams. A good chance to tinker with the power play, which is two for 17 in their last four games.

Edmonton--The Oilers play four of their last five at home, where they’ve done well. They’re 5-5-2 against teams they play in final five games.

Mighty Ducks--They face only two playoff teams in their last five, but the Kings will give them an emotional battle. They’re going to make it.

Phoenix--The Coyotes play four of their last six games on the road but are better away than at home. Count them in.

St. Louis--The Blues may have the worst schedule: Detroit twice, New Jersey, the hot New York Islanders, Chicago and Toronto. They’re iffy.

Chicago--Four of the Blackhawks’ last six are on the road, also good for them. The next three--at Anaheim, Edmonton and Calgary--should determine their fate.

Calgary--The Flames are 8-8-1 against the teams they have left, but .500 won’t be good enough.

Vancouver--The Canucks have Edmonton twice, Calgary, Phoenix and the dead-in-the-water Sharks. They’re a longshot to vault into the top eight.

EAST

Philadelphia--The Flyers face two playoff wannabes--Tampa Bay and Ottawa--the Rangers twice, New Jersey and Montreal in a rugged stretch drive.

Buffalo--The Sabres sagged without Dominik Hasek but should keep the second spot. However, they have only one gimme left, against Boston.

New Jersey--The Devils play five of their last seven games on the road, including visits to Washington, Florida and Philadelphia. They could overtake the Flyers.

Florida--The Panthers are clinging to fourth, but have two non-playoff teams among their final five. They will stay where they are.

Pittsburgh--The Penguins finish with two against Boston and only one game against a team above .500. They could stay ahead of the Rangers.

New York Rangers--Two games with Philadelphia and two with Buffalo will be tough, but they also face Boston. They could slip but won’t move up.

Montreal--Two games against Hartford and the Islanders, and one each against Washington and Philadelphia. It won’t be easy.

Washington--The Capitals are 7-12-3 against the six teams they have left but must do better than that to squeeze in.

Hartford--Impending move could provide inspiration. The Whalers have seven left, three against equally desperate teams. They could pass the Capitals.

New York Islanders--They’re 5-8-2 against the teams they face in their last seven games. An uphill climb, but they’re hot.

Ottawa--The Senators are 5-12-3 against the teams they have left. They’re a very dark horse.

Tampa Bay--Daunting schedule includes the Devils twice, the Rangers, Islanders and Flyers. Very doubtful.

FEELING A DRAFT

The Islanders’ season-best five-game unbeaten streak couldn’t have come at a better time. Then again, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

The Islanders have charged to within a point of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, but if they make it, they will get a later pick in the June entry draft, which could prolong their rebuilding efforts.

Given a choice, General Manager Mike Milbury would take the playoff spot.

“We have a team that was put together under stringent budgetary constraints [before being sold to John Spano], and you have to hope we make it,” he said. “We do have another wild card in Toronto [which traded its first-round pick to the Islanders]. They have Phoenix and Colorado and a tough schedule. I’m pulling for this team to make it because we deserve a chance.”

As for the draft, which has been touted as one of the deepest in years, Milbury predicts it won’t live up to the hype.

“It’s dramatically overrated,” said Milbury, who gave up coaching earlier this season primarily to concentrate on scouting and preparing for the draft. “One and two are pretty well established in [Joe] Thornton and [Patrick] Marleau, but then there are arguments as to who’s next, [Daniel] Tkaczuk or [Olli] Jokinen. As far as marquee, impact players, there are not that many. There will be good ones, but you’ve got to be lucky.”

WAILING FOR THE WHALERS

The Whalers’ announcement last week that they will leave Hartford after the season was no surprise. Their losses were mounting, making it a matter of when they would leave, not if.

Despite a planned new arena that would have given the Whalers an estimated $50 million in revenue annually, they said no, claiming salary escalation would eat their profits. The city and state made many concessions but wouldn’t cover owner Peter Karmanos’ losses until the new arena opened, which would have amounted to about $60 million.

It’s unclear where the Whalers will go. Karmanos favors Columbus, Ohio, but that city has no NHL-sized arena. A referendum on raising taxes to finance a new arena is scheduled May 6, but even if the measure passes, the Whalers will still need a temporary home for two years.

One scenario has them going to Cincinnati and then to Columbus when the arena is completed. St. Paul, Minn., is an option, but its Civic Center needs major renovations. Only Nashville’s arena is ready, but the NHL would probably prefer to put an expansion team there to get the expansion fees.

SLAP SHOTS

It’s absurd that NHL disciplinarian Brian Burke imposed no suspensions after the Colorado-Detroit brawl last Tuesday. Does the NHL want goalie Roy leaving his crease to join a brawl and hurt his shoulder? And why wasn’t Detroit’s Darren McCarty--who declared he was going to avenge Claude Lemieux’s hit on Kris Draper in last year’s playoffs--ejected for drilling Lemieux in the head and kneeing him in the face? McCarty got a double minor--and returned to score the game-winner. . . . More evidence Buffalo goalie Hasek is the NHL’s most valuable player: The Sabres are 1-5 since he was idled because of a broken rib and have lost four in a row. Before his injury, they hadn’t lost more than two consecutive games. He’s due back today.

St. Louis winger Brett Hull is expected to miss at least one game because of the strained groin he suffered Sunday. . . . Florida defenseman Jovanovski was benched Saturday for the second time this season. . . . Islander winger Ziggy Palffy had reason to celebrate his 40th goal. It triggered a $75,000 bonus clause in his contract and bumped his salary for next season to $1.675 million. . . . The American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch gave Gordie Howe a graceful way out of his comeback, saying the team had to concentrate on its play after losing 16 of 18 games. Unfortunately, Howe said he hasn’t given up the idea. He should.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Top Picks

The New York Islanders, Boston Bruins and Kings each have two first-round draft picks and may miss the playoffs, increasing their chances of picking first overall. Here’s a list of No. 1 picks over the last 10 years: *--*

Year Player Position Drafted by 1996 Chris Phillips Defenseman Ottawa 1995 Bryan Berard Defenseman Ottawa 1994 Ed Jovanovski Defenseman Florida 1993 Alexandre Daigle Center Ottawa 1992 Roman Hamrlik Defenseman Tampa Bay 1991 Eric Lindros Center Quebec 1990 Owen Nolan Right Wing Quebec 1989 Mats Sundin Right Wing Quebec 1988 Mike Modano Center Minnesota 1987 Pierre Turgeon Center Buffalo

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