The 2021 NHL season is just under a month away from it’s tentative completion. Although this season has been one unlike any other, one thing remains constant this season: there are playoff races heading into the final games. As the teams continue to jockey for position, there are several intriguing races to watch down the stretch. The race for the Central Division title is wide open with the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers all separated by a few points. The North Division race is very top heavy, as the Maple Leafs and Jets continue a dogfight for the top spot in Canada. As for the West, two of the league’s best in the Golden Knights and Avalanche are in a neck-and-neck race for the division title heading down the stretch. However, the NHL East Division playoff picture is arguably the most difficult to predict.

With several great teams in that division, the top-four seeds are very difficult to predict at this moment. The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils have been eliminated from the playoffs. From there, the East Division spots are essentially anyone’s game. With the East Division race coming down to the wire, let’s take a look at the teams in question and the schedules for these teams as the season concludes.

All statistics courtesy of Monday, April 19, 2021. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Contenders:

With enough separation from the bottom-two teams, there are six teams remaining in the NHL East division playoff race. Inside the top four are the Washington Capitals (62 points), New York Islanders (60 points), Pittsburgh Penguins (59 points) and Boston Bruins (54 points). Sitting outside are the New York Rangers (52 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (47 points). As of right now, the hottest teams right now are the Bruins and Rangers, each going 7-2-1 and 7-1-2 in their last 10, respectively. The Bruins in particular received a shot in the arm with the acquisitions of Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar at the trade deadline, and Hall has made an immediate impact with three points in four games. For the Rangers, the big guns have continued to do their thing. Artemi Panarin continues to play like an MVP candidate, Adam Fox has emerged as a future Norris Trophy winner and Igor Shesterkin has picked up the slack in net. Although they have had the Devils and Sabres for six of the 10 games in their stretch, they still took three of four points from the Isles and another win from Pittsburgh.

Washington and Pittsburgh are in the second tier of teams in the past 10 with 6-4-0 and 6-3-1 records respectively. The Caps also received a jolt to their lineup by acquiring Anthony Mantha from the Detroit Red Wings. It may have been a steep price to pay with Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a first-round pick and second-round pick going the other way, he’s lived up to the price with four goals and a helper in four games in D.C. Add the elite production of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, and the Capitals have once again played as a top seed in their division. The Penguins, even in a year where many predicted them to fall off, have maintained form as a playoff contender. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel have each continued to do their things, but Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry have carried their ends as well as a rock solid goalie tandem.

However, the coldest teams have been the Islanders and Flyers. The Islanders, even after getting Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, have struggled to find traction as of late. Although they hold a 6-4-0 record in their last 10, it’s very deceiving as most of their wins have been ugly. The goaltending has had to bail them out of some ugly spots as of late, and that is a funk the Islanders will need to break out of moving forward. As for the Flyers, the entire year has been a trying one for them. Several of their breakout players from last year have fallen off, including several names on defense and Carter Hart in net, leading to a 20-18-6 record and 3-4-3 stretch in their last 10.

The Schedules:

MassMutual – East Division Playoff Race#nhlplayoffrace pic.twitter.com/tt0NPc5r3I

— Damian Echevarrieta (@Ech28) April 19, 2021

With the geographic divisions, the only way the division will be settled is by all the teams playing each other. Looking at the NHL East Division playoff picture today, the Capitals are all but a lock to make the postseason, but their hold on the division will be tested. Their next six games are against the two teams below them in the division: three with Pittsburgh and three with the Islanders. Pittsburgh also remains likely to make the dance, and they have arguably the best situation moving forward. Aside from two games a piece with Washington and Boston, the remaining six are all split between the Devils, Flyers, and Sabres, but the division hopes are riding on the two in D.C. For the Islanders to move up, the three games with the Caps loom large with no remaining games with the Penguins. Although they do have two games each between the Devils and Sabres, they still have to play three games with the rival Rangers and a season finale with the four seed Bruins.

As for the Bruins, they have a favorable schedule to maintain their hold on the four-seed. They have five games with the Sabres and two with the Devils in their final 13 games, but their chance to move up will have to come in their two games with the Penguins. Although they do have one game each between the Islanders and Capitals, they are unlikely to catch them barring a hot streak. However, the true test to retain the playoff spot will come with two games against the Rangers, as four points separate the two teams. Speaking of the Rangers, their schedule is difficult but doable to climb the ranks. They have some tough rivalry matchups in there with the Islanders for three and Capitals, Bruins and Flyers twice, but two games with Buffalo can only help their case. However, the big games to watch entering today are the games with Boston down the road. As for Philadelphia, their odds are on life support. They couldn’t pick up a win against the Islanders on Sunday, and they face heavy odds against them with games against Washington, the Rangers, and Penguins down the stretch. They do have New Jersey five times in their final 11, but it can only help if Pittsburgh falls to the four seed so they can catch up.

Regardless of how the division looks right now, the races to the finish will be very interesting to watch. While some games with eliminated teams look easier than others, it is always possible a team with nothing to play for can provide a major upset. Add some potential heavyweight battles for the East division title, and the hockey over the next month should be very fun to watch. Even with the uncertainty, the unexpected upsets and tense games are what make hockey so enjoyable, both late in the season and in the playoffs.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.