The Baseline March 9th

This weeks Baseline appears below. The Baseline is an indication of the final standings assuming all teams go .500 for the rest of the season. If a team remains steady from previous baselines they are playing .500 hockey. If they climb, they are doing better. Teams that expect to make the playoffs should generally climb for the remainder of the season.

1 NJD 99
2 MON 98
3 CAR 90
4 PIT 97
5 OTT 95
6 NYR 94
7 BOS 93
8 PHI 91
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9 BUF 87
11 WAS 84
10 NYI 83
13 FLA 83
12 TOR 82
14 ATL 80
15 TBL 73

Of the teams in the thick of the division and conference title races, New Jersey, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Carolina have all improved their position while Ottawa has remained steady.

Carolina has solidified its hold on the southeast division title.

Of the remaining teams in the playoff hunt, the Rangers have jumped past the Bruins, while the Bruins have held steady. The Islanders and Panthers have also improved their positions somewhat.

A good target for making the playoffs remains 94 points. For the Bruins to make that total they will need to go one point better than .500 for the remaining 13 games. Here's hoping they are over their Jeckyll and Hyde routine and start playing more consistently. If they do they should end with 95 points or more.