Eastern Conference playoff picture could move and shake Saturday

The Eastern Conference playoff picture bubble isn’t quite as … well … nutty as the Western Conference. That’s because there aren’t as many teams and scenarios as the West, which may see a shift in the final playoff positioning right up until the final day.

But we’re equal opportunity coasters here and a week ago, there were several major Western match ups on Saturday’s slate of games. This week … it’s the Eastern Conference’s turn! Plus, let’s face it, there’s something nice about the simplicity of two teams going for one playoff spot, rather than six going for both Wild Card and divisional positioning.

Are the Ottawa Senators in too much of a food coma from Thursday’s burger-fest to beat the Maple Leafs?

Can the Bruins finish off the Florida Panthers’ postseason possibilities and hence, send Jaromir Jagr to an early summer at the Boca Raton Resort and Club?

It’s not about the quantity in the Eastern Conference, it’s the quality of games and races. And it’s pretty solid this Saturday to be blunt.

A Panthers regulation win boosts their playoff chances by  … 2.1 percent per Sports Club Stats. A Bruins regulation loss lessens their playoff possibility by 12.0 percent. If Ottawa wins in regulation it pushes the Sens up 5.6 percent. Of course, with this site, wild numerical swings are always possible.

Since this is an Eastern Conference preview of course … all times eastern.

Toronto at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Standings implication: Ottawa (81 points) is two points back of Boston (83) for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. The Sens have one game in hand.

Synopsis: Will burgers fly from the rafters again for the Senators? As bad as the Maple Leafs have been this year, this screams ‘it’s a trap’ in a big way. Ottawa just came off an emotional win over Boston to put them back in the race. The Leafs are bad, but Phil Kessel made an ‘emotional’ plea that his team is still trying. Andrew ‘Hamburglar’ Hammond is due for a stinker at some point. You can’t win every game in regulation – he’s 12-0-1 this year – can you?

Boston at Florida, 7 p.m.

Standings implications: The Bruins could move seven points clear of the Panthers (78 points) with 10 games left if Boston wins in regulation. A regulation victory for Florida and the race tightens even more.

Synopsis: The Bruins have lost three games in a row. They’ve let the Senators back in the playoff picture. They need this game. Florida made the quasi all-in trade for Jaromir Jagr around the deadline period and it appeared it was a move to push after the Bruins. But the Panthers simply haven’t made up any ground. They have two games left against Boston and one against Ottawa. This is Florida’s chance to truly commence its playoff push.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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