Penguins' Surge Continues

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

Some big games Wednesday night, but there might not have been a bigger result than the 6-1 beatdown Pittsburgh laid on New Jersey. Not only did it lift the Penguins into a tie for fourth place in the East with Philadelphia, but it keeps the Devils in this tailspin they've been in. Losers of six straight, New Jersey is actually in danger of blowing an Atlantic Division title that looked like an absolute certainty a couple weeks ago.

In the East

Eastern Conference, 4/1
1.	y-Boston Bruins	108 pts
2.	x-Washington Capitals	99
3.	x-New Jersey Devils	98
4.	Philadelphia Flyers	92
5.	Carolina Hurricanes	91
6.	Pittsburgh Penguins	90
7.	New York Rangers	89
8.	Montreal Canadiens	88
9.	Florida Panthers	87
10.	Buffalo Sabres	82

Eastern Conference, 4/2
1.	y-Boston Bruins	108 pts
2.	x-Washington Capitals	101
3.	x-New Jersey Devils	98
4.	Philadelphia Flyers	92
5.	Pittsburgh Penguins	92
6.	Carolina Hurricanes	91
7.	New York Rangers	89
8.	Montreal Canadiens	88
9.	Florida Panthers	87
10.	Buffalo Sabres	83

The Penguins have surged to a tie for fourth (fifth thanks to a tiebreaker loss to Philadelphia). The Flyers lost to Toronto, continuing to struggle to gain ground with games they had in hand on the teams near them in the standings.

Also, Buffalo lost a shootout to Atlanta, meaning they are now five points out of a playoff spot. It's definitely not looking good for the Sabres.

Washington's lead over the Devils is now three points for the second seed.

In the West

Western Conference, 4/1
1.	y-San Jose Sharks	111 pts
2.	x-Detroit Red Wings	107
3.	Vancouver Canucks	93
4.	Calgary Flames	92
5.	Chicago Blackhawks	91
6.	Columbus Blue Jackets	88
7.	Anaheim Ducks	84
8.	Nashville Predators	84
9.	St. Louis Blues	83
10.	Minnesota Wild	81
11.	Edmonton Oilers	81

Western Conference, 4/2
1.	y-San Jose Sharks	111 pts
2.	y-Detroit Red Wings	107
3.	Vancouver Canucks	93
4.	Chicago Blackhawks	93
5.	Calgary Flames	92
6.	Columbus Blue Jackets	88
7.	Anaheim Ducks	84
8.	Nashville Predators	84
9.	St. Louis Blues	83
10.	Minnesota Wild	81
11.	Edmonton Oilers	81

Chicago dealt a blow to the Blues' hopes, beating them 3-1 in Chicago. The Blackhawks move ahead of Calgary and into fourth place with that win.

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What's Next

No game on Thursday's schedule is as significant as the matchup in Raleigh between the Rangers and Hurricanes. Carolina can actually move into fourth place in the East with a win. The Rangers, meanwhile, come in just two ahead of ninth-place Florida.

Montreal plays a key road game against the Islanders, as they try to hold on to a playoff spot. The Blues can help themselves significantly with a win at Detroit.

Also, Edmonton tries to stay alive as they host San Jose, Calgary travels to Dallas, and Anaheim plays Vancouver.

x - Clinched Playoff Spot, y - Division Champ, z - Conference Champ; green - Rise in the Standings, red - Fall. The top three teams in each conference are division leaders.