The grind of the Eastern Conference playoff race was never more evident than what has happened to the Boston Bruins' playoff chances over the past week. The Bruins won five consecutive games before heading to Florida for the Stadium Series and a game against the Panthers, but after losing both games in shootouts, the ground they made up nearly vanished.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have won nine of their last ten games, and the Toronto Maple Leafs won three in a row in their pre-Olympic break road trip to get within four and six points, respectively.