It's called: Game of the Night. Usually, this won't involve the Bruins. The idea being to get a look at Eastern Conference playoff contenders in games that preferably have implications on the standings right away.
Last night's winner: Sabres (10th seed, 78 points) hosting the Panthers (9th seed, 81 points).The story: Down 3-1 in the third, the desperate Sabres score two even strength goals followed by a PPG in 2:07 (!) to go up 4-3 and add an empty netter for the win. In doing so, they pull to within 5 points of the crumbling Canadiens and their 8th seed while hurting the other team they need to hurdle. This is the type of loss that could kill the young Panthers, though the fact that they were on the road will likely lessen the blow. Game video highlights can be seen on the Game Center at NHL.com, here.
To watch tonight: Florida (on the road again) in Philly (probably a season determining game for the Panthers)
Also in action: TB in MTL (Can TB push the Habs towards the cliff some more?)
Can't really say the Panthers deserve the 8th seed after last night. But they've still got a decent shot, especially since Montreal's final 3 games are all very tough.
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