Who wants it?

Years ago, as I coached a tournament championship soccer game, at halftime I sent my kids to just look at the trophies under the tournament tent, and then come back. I explained that whichever team wanted it more would play harder, and then win. Prophetic. 

But what craziness are we watching in the Eastern Conference of the NHL? It's great drama, for sure, but ONLY because some of the teams who were close to nailing down a playoff spot have….sucked.

Two weeks ago, we were set to see the Philadelphia Flyers in the third-place slot in the Metro, and the wild card race was open to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Detroit Red Wings. Of those, the championship pedigree of the Lightning have them (5-1 since March 24) challenging Toronto for third place in the Atlantic.

But the rest? If you counted on these teams for your fantasy playoffs over the past two weeks, Detroit has gone 1-2-2, Washington 1-4-1, and Philly 0-3-2. The Flyers' most recent victory was on March 23. We now see the New York Islanders (4-1 over this span) sitting in the Metropolitan third-place position, while the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-0-1 charge has them in the conversation. Even the perennially "out" Sabres (8-5-0 in the last four weeks) are mathematically alive, but probably out of time. So, who plays harder, smarter, and gets the puck-luck needed to keep playing beyond April 18?

Individually, Sidney Crosby often gets the headlines, but this time it's deserved. In the past two weeks, only Connor McDavid (16) has more points than the Pens' captain (15). Sid is a single goal short of 40, aiming for that mark for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Backup Alex Nedeljkovic has taken advantage of opportunity (Tristan Jarry illness) and has been in net for all of this stretch, posting a 6-1-2 record for the last 40 days. For the Islanders, Mat Barzal (8 points) has led a very balanced attack, while both Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov have made the timely saves with a combined 0.919 SV%.

"The future is in your hands" sounds trite, but it's true for six different clubs fighting for two playoff berths, as they all (except the Sabres) control their own destiny. 

Saturday's matches

There are 11 NHL games today, six of which start at 7 pm Eastern or later. I'll concentrate on two of these which affect the playoff mess above.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Columbus Blue Jackets

Starting with the home team, the Jackets will start Jet Greaves ($7000), as lower-body injuries have claimed both Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov over the past ten days.  Here's an opportunity for the Fly-boys to rebound here. Play Travis Konecny ($6700), Morgan Frost ($4300) and Owen Tippett ($6500), and count on John Tortorella's defense to stand taller, making Samuel Ersson ($8100) a good play despite Philadelphia being on that back-to-back game.  Konecny leads the team with 65 points, and Tippett has racked up 274 shots. Ersson has been hot and cold, sure, but had eight quality starts in March and wants to cement his status as #1 here. 

Nashville Predators @ New York Islanders

The hiccup of three regulation losses, after a 16-0-2 mark…. No, I'll still believe in the Preds tonight. Filip Forsberg ($8300) and Roman Josi ($7900) are worth their price tags, as both have consistently come through in the last month. Forsberg (87) and Josi (77) lead the squad in points and shots, and a less-expensive Gustav Nyquist ($5200) could make a great stack. Juuse Saros ($7600) should get the start, as Nashville plays both days of the weekend and could clinch their playoff ticket.

Late? Vancouver Canucks @ Los Angeles Kings

The Kings need this one.  Not so much to secure a playoff position, because that seems pretty clear, but just to prove to themselves that they are more than just a wildcard, and simply happy to be in. Los Angeles has felt that a series win is essential this year, and closing strong is a necessity. Vancouver has won five of their past 10 games and is vulnerable on the road. My plays will be value ones here, having taken my money shots above – but Kevin Fiala ($5600) and Drew Doughty ($4800) aren't exactly dumpster-diving, and Pierre-Luc Dubois ($3600) has quietly rebounded from an awful season to have 12 points in the last month. The 'Nucks Quinn Hughes ($6100) is always an attractive wager. 

My lineup

Centers: Frost and Dubois

Wings: Forsberg, Konecny, Fiala

Defense: Doughty and Mattias Ekholm ($4600)

Goalie: Saros

Utility skater: Quinton Byfield ($4300)

Last week?  Teams who won included San Jose, Chicago, Ottawa, and Columbus. Tough to have called that. My side bet on Calgary saved my bacon, so I had a slight profit.

An extra prayer for Boone Jenner and his wife, who had a stillborn baby a week ago. A greater pain is hard to imagine, and all the hockey world is with them now.