Top games to watch as season comes to exciting end

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If you were one of the smart ones who laid out the $159 for the NHL's Center Ice package, this is the week your investment pays off. With seven teams contending for three playoff spots in the East, and with crucial seeding battles going down to the wire in the West, it's time send the wife and kids to the in-laws, set the TiVo to record your other favorite shows, settle onto the couch and see who wants it the most.

The season's final week features 48 games, just four of which have no playoff implications. With so much critical action on the docket, we've chosen the seven tilts you need to clear your schedule for this week.

Thursday: Pittsburgh at Ottawa

A first-round preview? That's the way things are stacking up. The second-place Sens can't catch the Sabres, and the Pens seem likely to wind up behind the Devils, leaving these two teams to battle for home ice in the match-up between the fourth and fifth-place finishers.

Both teams come into the contest red hot. The Senators have been the best team in the East down the stretch, going 8-1-1 in their last 10. The Penguins are right behind at 7-2-1 and are playing as though they feel destiny will hand them a way to win every night. Adding to the intrigue -- the Pens have beaten the Sens twice in March, but on both occasions they needed the shootout to finish off their rivals.

Friday: Anaheim at Dallas

A hot start that included just two regulation losses through November allowed the Ducks to build a nearly insurmountable lead over their rivals in the Pacific ... emphasis on nearly.

Since then, both teams have faced long-term injuries to key contributors (among them Chris Pronger, J-S Giguere, Mike Modano and Brenden Morrow). But while the short-handed Ducks stumbled, Dallas found a way to make up ground while battling through its troubles. The Stars have patiently whittled that lead down to four points heading into the final week, with each side having three games remaining.

If it comes down to a tie, this game should decide the order of finish. Dallas has a 48-47 edge in wins -- the first tie-break -- but the Ducks hold a 4-3 edge in the season series.

The Pacific title not only grants home ice in the first round, but it also means avoiding a first-round draw of the Predators or Red Wings on the road.

Saturday: Montreal at Toronto

Any time the Habs and Leafs tangle on Hockey Night In Canada, you've got a game that stopx most of the country. Put the final playoff berth in the East on the line, and the streets should be deserted from Kenora to St. John's.

The Habs enter the week with 88 points, one ahead of the ninth-place Leafs. More important, they're playing some of their best hockey of the year. Despite the loss of All-Star goalie Cristobal Huet on Valentine's Day, the Habs are soldiering along, finally getting the timely offense that deserted them in February along with some solid work in the nets from 21-year-old rookie Jaroslav Halak.

The Leafs, on the other hand, are struggling with the inconsistency that's left them on the outside looking in most of the season. Blowing a late three-goal lead at home Saturday night against Pittsburgh (although they pulled out a win in OT) and the 7-2 shellacking at the hands of the Rangers last night suggests they might not have the heart -- or the talent -- for the fight.

But Toronto has two winnable games against playoff outsiders before Saturday's tilt -- at home to Philly and then a trip to Long Island. Win 'em both, and they have a chance to clinch a spot on home ice where they've won seven in a row.

Saturday: Tampa Bay at Atlanta

After years of futility, the Thrashers have sealed up their first playoff berth. The key now is to hold on for their first-ever Southeast Division title and the first-round home-ice advantage that comes with it.

Atlanta enters the week with a three-point bulge over Tampa Bay. The Thrashers look to be the better balanced squad since the trade deadline acquisitions of Keith Tkachuk, Alexei Zhitnik and Eric Belanger salvaged what looked to be a rapidly sinking ship.

Despite having two of the league's top four scorers, the Lightning have struggled in their own end. They've been submarined by a woeful penalty kill all season, but the Thrashers are almost as bad. The ability to stay out of the box may play a deciding role in this race.

Sunday: Islanders at New Jersey

Assuming the Flames have taken care of business by winning at least one of their first three games this week, this contest could have the greatest meaning of the season's final day. Not only are the Devils -- and new/old head coach Lou Lamoriello, who's taken over for the fired Claude Julien -- hoping to stave off a last-minute charge by the Penguins, but the NHL's single-season wins record for a goalie could be on the line.

New Jersey's Martin Brodeur enters the week with 46, just one off the mark of 47 set in 1973-74 by Bernie Parent. With the Atlantic title on the line, Brodeur should start all of the team's remaining games. He's owned the Islanders this season, going 6-1 with three shutouts. He also faces the Senators (Tuesday) and Flyers (Thursday), giving him two shots to tie the record earlier in the week.