Breaking down each NHL Eastern Conference Wild Card contender

The NHL Eastern Conference Wild Card race is heating up. As the league continues down the final stretch of the season, six teams are competing for two Wild Card spots. Let’s take a look at each of them and weigh their chances of finding an NHL playoff spot and playing in the big dance at the end of the season.

Lets have a look at the Eastern Conference contenders in the NHL

New York Islanders

When the Islanders bought in on Bo Horvat, everyone in the NHL questioned the move as the Islanders were on the outside looking in, well outside of a playoff spot. That all changed as the Islanders have maybe been the best team in the league since then. Currently, the Islanders have 74 points, one point ahead of the second wild card spot.

The Islanders have been putting the puck in the net at a ridiculous clip in the past two months, and with a goalie like Ilya Sorokin, that’s going to get you a few wins.

Pittsburgh Penguins

How does a team fix a bad blue line? Double down on forwards. The Penguins needed to upgrade their defensemen, and Dmitry Kulikov was the best the Pens could do. Fortunately for the Pens, it’s working.

The Penguins have been red hot since the NHL Trade Deadline, winning five of their past six games. Part of the reason has been the drastically improved goaltending the Penguins have seen with Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry in net. The Penguins currently hold a three-point lead in the second Wild Card spot at 73 points.

Florida Panthers

Florida is usually where senior citizens go when they're about to retire. Ergo, Marc and Eric Staal. It will also be seen whether the Panthers will be able to keep up with the young guns that occupy the same playoff race as them.

On paper, the Panthers should be a playoff team, but it just hasn’t played out that way so far. If the Panthers want to make a run at the playoffs, they just have to be more consistent. The Panthers are three points out of a playoff spot, and with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league, they should get there.

Ottawa Senators

Every time someone doubts the Sens, they’ve proved them wrong this season. By Christmas, everyone in the NHL had written off Ottawa, but the Senators have ridden a wave of wins and OT losses to be just a couple of points out of a playoff spot.

Ottawa could be a dangerous team if they get there, too. Brady Tkachuk is a prototypical playoff player. There are still questions in net, but acquiring Jakob Chychrun should help with that. Ottawa has the second most difficult schedule in the NHL down the stretch, and with five points separating them from the playoffs currently, they'd have to play even better than they have been to get in.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have a ton of young talent, and the expectation isn't there yet to make the playoffs. The Sabres are playing with house money this year and that could be the scariest thing.

Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens lead a young crop of talented forwards. Rasmus Dahlin is the leader for a blue line that has been sneakily one of the best in the NHL. Watch out for the Sabres, something is brewing. Buffalo has the fifth toughest schedule for the remainder of the season, so there's a slim chance, but they'll be exciting as they develop.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals wisely sold off a good chunk of their team at the NHL Trade Deadline. They had one of the worst months of February for any team in the league, losing six in a row at one point. The Capitals' blue line has been gashed by trades and injuries.

Their goaltending has taken a massive dip as well. The Caps can score goals and still have a prolific offense, if they somehow get to the playoffs that will be why. Washington is also five points out of the playoffs with the ninth toughest remaining schedule in the NHL.