Huge Night in the East

Tonight's match-ups in the Eastern Conference have steep implications for three teams in terms of their playoff hopes and dreams.

The Devils face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Prudential Center in Newark. In order to keep pace with the top 8 teams in the Eastern Conference, the Devils need to win this match up. For a change, it really does not matter if the Devils win in regulation or not, as long as they get those two critical points.

A half hour after the Devils and Penguins face-off, the Rangers begin their critical matchup with the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa. Just a night ago, the Rangers fell to the eighth seed in the East. Just two points are separating the them from the Buffalo Sabres and being on the outside looking in. This is almost a must win for the Blueshirts because not only are they in an absolute free-fall, but they have played a considerable number of more games when compared to every team in the Eastern Conference.

Then at 830 pm, the final game which fans of teams on the bubble are keeping an eye on is the Hurricanes vs the Chicago Blackhawks. This matchup has playoff implications for both conferences as both Carolina and Chicago are in the thick of the hunt, both are in for the time being.

Optimal results for Devils fans is obviously for both the Rangers and Hurricanes to lose their games in regulation. Should the Devils win and these results come to fruition, the deficit would be 8 and 9 points, respectively. This would be a huge turn of events as the Devils have games in hand on both teams to their advantage.

It should be an entertaining Friday night for hockey fans across the league.

It could also be a great start for New Jersey Devils fans with growing dreams.