The race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference is going down to the wire. Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens lost their games in New York on Thursday, leaving eighth place in the East unclaimed with three teams still in the hunt.
The New York Rangers clinched a playoff spot with a 3-1 win over Montreal at Madison Square Gardens. The Canadiens are still in the best position to claim eighth, as they need only hold Toronto to a tie after regulation in Saturday's season-ending game.
The New York Islanders reasserted themselves in the playoff hunt with a 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs. Both teams still have a chance to finish eighth, but they need help. Toronto needs to beat Montreal and hope the Rangers lose to either Philadelphia or New Jersey. The Isles need to win both their season-ending games and hope the Leafs knock off the Habs.
"We have not done one thing this year the easy way," Toronto coach Paul Maurice said. "We've had to scratch and claw and fight back, and now we need some help, but we're still in the thick of things."
The Isles need to win both games this weekend -- road games at Philadelphia and New Jersey -- and hope Toronto beats Montreal on Saturday.
John Pohl and Carlo Colaiacovo scored for Toronto on Thursday night, while Andrew Raycroft stopped 22 shots.
"We lost a chance to control our own fate here," Toronto forward Matt Stajan said. "We need to win Saturday, and get help from either Philadelphia or Jersey."
