Want Some Good News?

So apparently I'm supposed to be the emotional guy (Dave suggests this below). Which I suppose is a fair claim to make since everything I've posted so far has been based on emotion. I guess all my posts are underlined by emotion though, regardless of whether it is here, elsewhere, or even in relation to my other sports teams (Packers and Jays by the way). The fact is, I love sports, and I get extremely emotional about it. I don't know how Dave can stay so calm. A win makes me exstatic. A loss crushes me, usally for days (I'm still fuming about Friday night, despite the big win on Saturday). Anyway, this post wasn't supposed to be emotional, and yet I started getting worked up again. I'm stopping now, and going to mention what I originally came for.

I was just checking the schedule for tomorrow night; this is where the good news comes in. As you should know by now the Leafs have an ENORMOUS game against Carolina ... at home. The good news is (or bad news depending on the results) everyone we are chasing is also playing. How is that good news you ask? Well dear readers take a look at the opponents.

New York Rangers (87 Pts; 6th in East) @ Montreal Canadiens (84 Pts; 10th in East based on Tiebreakers)

The Canadiens have been playing really well as of late (see Dave's post below) but the Rangers have been playing even better (and as Dave may have mentioned; I can't actually remember if he did) are probably out of reach by now. With Lundqvist on our side, the Rangers should (and hopefully will) beat the Canadiens Tuesday Night.

New Jersey Devils (96 Pts; 2nd in East) @ New York Islanders (84 Pts; 9th in East based on Tiebreakers)

The Devils might not win the Atlantic this year when you combin their recent play with that of the Penguins (the two teams are currently tied with 96 point apiece). But they are the Devils afterall. They're just one of those teams that constantly scares me. As many injuries as they have, they still have a fucking wall in Martin Brodeur. That's all the reassurance I need. Good chance the Isles lose this one.

Florida Panthers (76 Pts; 12 in East) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (86 Pts; 7th in East)

While the Lightning aren't sitting in the "three prong 84 point" teams ahead of the Leafs, they are still ahead of us - but not by much anymore. They currently sit at 86 points and are struggling lately (4-6-0 in previous 10), so I thought it was worth mentioning their game too. Also, Florida currently trails the Leafs (albeit by 6 points) and could mathematically pass them (chuckles at the thought of Florida passing the Leafs). I guess it would be helpful if the Panthers won, but I won't hold my breath.

Carolina Panthers (84 Pts; 8th in East based on Tiebreakers) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (82 Pts; 11th in East)

How could I leave this one out? All the other games I mentioned will mean nothing if the Leafs don't take care of business themselves. At this point we need wins, while the teams ahead of us need to lose (pretty crazy thought eh?). As you can see by the point totals of all the teams the Leafs are fighting with, there's a serious opportunity to gain ground on all of them come Tuesday night. Let's hope to hell the Leafs can pull out another win.