Sens Week Ahead : Mar 15 to 21

When the Flyers management did a bit of selling at the deadline, it might be reasonable to believe that they were giving up their shot at the wild card spot.

The team has somewhat followed suit - what was six points at the deadline is now 10, with only two wins in the seven games since then.

Part of their recent problems has been scoring. Sure, 24 goals in their last 10 games doesn't seem outright terrible - until you consider seven of those were in one game, leaving a paltry 1.89 goals per game in the other nine. Their recent goaltending hasn't been spectacular, but at pretty much middle of the pack it hasn't really been hurting them either.

The special teams in Philadelphia have been at opposite ends of the spectrum this season. Despite the recent scoring issues, the power play is still third overall. The penalty kill, however, is in the basement at 29th.

Besides Chris Pronger on IR, the Flyers injuries are Michael Del Zotto and R.J. Umberger listed as day-to-day.

Carolina have likely played their way out of the McDavid-Eichel race, but as of right now they would still be guaranteed a top five pick.

The Hurricanes have been badly bitten by the PDO bug this season. They've got the third lowest at 5 on 5 in the league, and unlike the other teams with PDO numbers that low they've actually got genuinely good possession numbers. They've got the second worst shooting percentage, and the third worst save percentage.

Part of that is come by honestly - Cam Ward is dead on his career average with a save percentage of .910. Anton Khudobin is well below his career average at .902, but this season also accounts for almost one third of his NHL games.

Despite their 5 on 5 numbers, Carolina has seen some decent success from their special teams. Their power play is ranked ninth, and the penalty kill is ranked fourth overall.

Jack Hillen is the only Cane on the injured list, but only as day-to-day.

The problems that have plagued the Bruins for most of the season just haven't been present in the past 10 games.

Their scoring is way up, to 3.2 goals per game in that stretch. Goaltending? A combined .941 SV% in the last 10. They're riding a high, and it's been a high that has let them not just gain breathing room on Florida and Ottawa, but has also let them pass Washington - a team that was 8 points up on them in the standings just one week ago.

Last week I mentioned their PDO being slightly above one on the season, with the conclusion "This just appears to be what the Bruins are this season". They've been working hard to prove me wrong there, but it has come with a lot of luck. Their PDO in the last 10 games where the differences have really been noticeable has ballooned to 1.038. While we can't expect a full correction down the stretch, it does beg the question of if the Bruins are really as good as their 8-1-1 recent record might suggest, or if they're just benefiting from some lucky bounces (and yes, the same could be asked of Ottawa).

The injury situation hasn't changed in the past week for Boston. It remains Kevan Miller and David Krejci on IR along with Marc Savard, and Brett Connolly is on day-to-day after breaking his finger before playing a single game with the team.

For the first time ever, we might possibly see a game where the overwhelming majority of the fans in the building are cheering for a win for the home team when Ottawa hosts the Maple Leafs. I won't say all, because I'm sure there will still be a sizable number of die-hards in attendance who are willing to put the tank in park for the provincial rival - I know I have been when a loss was logically better for Ottawa.

Much of the Toronto fan base has embraced the tank, and for the most part the team has been obliging. Both goaltenders are under .900 in team's last 10 games, allowing more goals over that stretch than any other team. Scoring has also been an issue, with only Arizona scoring fewer goals in their last 10.

The power play has been a complete disaster in that stretch as well. Not only has it been running under 10% with only four goals on 41 opportunities, but they've also allowed three shorthanded goals against. The penalty kill has been struggling as well, likely partially linked to the struggles of the goaltending duo.

Stephane Robidas and Roman Polak are both listed as day to day - despite both having season-ending surgery neither seems to have officially been placed on IR.