As the NHL world draws closer to the annual All Star game in the coming days, the playoff picture in the Eastern conference is already much clearer than it was just a couple of months ago. While the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers appear to be the three locks to make the postseason out east, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Islanders will not have a chance at this year’s dance. As far as the nine teams in between go, there is still a lot of hockey to be played as we try and separate the true contenders from pretenders.

Many sports betting enthusiasts figured that the Montreal Canadiens would take another step forward this season after adding veteran winger Eric Cole and developing much of its young core. But the Canadiens haven’t responded as expected, and after the firing of head coach Jacques Martin and subsequent anointment of Randy Cunneyworth as interim coach, the pot has really been stirred in Montreal. Seven points back of eighth place in the Eastern conference exactly at the halfway mark of the season, the Canadiens have the time and talent to turn things around, but they will have to play with a greater sense of urgency and get on a roll over these next couple of weeks.

The Buffalo Sabres are in the same boat as the Canadiens having spent a ton of money in the offseason, but the play of netminder Ryan Miller has been a concern ever since he returned from concussion, and the offense hasn’t scored at the pace it was expected to. The Washington Capitals have been Southeast division favorites on Betonline ever since Alex Ovechkin’s second year, but are also on the outside looking in at this point. New head coach Dale Hunter appears to be turning things around, but results are needed soon before they fall too far back. The Winnipeg Jets have played excellent hockey in their new home but have been awful on the road, and will need to play better there to have a chance.

While the Canadiens, Capitals, and Jets all appear to have a chance at turning things around over the second half and making a push, qualifying for a playoff spot would mean one of the teams from fourth through eighth slipping, and there are several candidates. The Florida Panthers have several stars that are playing over their heads, and could be coming down to earth with a .500 record over their past 10 games. The Ottawa Senators are a young team with goaltending issues, and the same can be said about the Toronto Maple Leafs. The New Jersey Devils appear poised to make a run in the Eastern conference as long as Martin Brodeur can stay healthy, while the Pittsburgh Penguins should be able to clinch a spot in the elite eight as long as they can get some healthy bodies back soon.

There is still a ton of hockey left to be played and a lot to be determined, but based on what we have seen so far, it should be an exciting year. The pay head bookies did not have the Panthers listed as favorites over the Capitals in the Southeast division, and it is hard to imagine the Penguins holding on with all of their injuries, so the door is open for change as the contenders look to separate from the pretenders over the second half.