from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

Forget the suddenly fearsome Bruins. Maybe the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers should be setting their sights on the reeling Red Wings in their desperate bids to crack the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

Both the Sens and the Panthers were winners Thursday -- Ottawa nipping the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 and Florida crushing the Carolina Hurricanes 6-1 -- but the interesting dynamic was Boston's 3-2 come-from-behind win (do they win any other way these days?) over Detroit at Joe Louis Arena, the fourth straight win for the B's.

The win moves the Bruins into a tie with Detroit at 93 points, although Detroit has a game in hand. The Sens are three points back of both Boston and Detroit with five games to go. Florida's situation is bleaker, six back with four to play.

If you're Ottawa, you have to be hoping Detroit continues to go sideways in their remaining games, which include dates with playoff-bound the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens, although they do have two softies (on paper at, least) against Carolina. The Wings have one win in their last six games and play three of five on the road to close out the season, while the Senators are also on the road for three of their last five. Stay tuned, folks.

read on for Strang on the Islanders, LeBrun on the Capitals and more....