I'm dying to see what Ottawa can do against the Devils if they meet eachother. Two different yet effective styles of play. I think the Senators would win that series.
Buffalo is playing out of their minds, but I think they are just a notch below the top teams. That said I would not be surprised to see them make the ECF.
The Rangers and Flyers got f***ed by the Olympics, Rangers moreso. Philadelphia wasn't that good of a team this season, and for whatever reason had a good record. They were +8 on Goals for/against, whereas the Rangers were +42.
The Rangers were 10-1-1 before the Olympics started, and have gone 9-14-3 since then. Injuries caught up to them. Losing your leading scorer, top goaltender and top defensemen often leads to problems as well. My eulogy for the Rangers is largely positive despite the disappointing finish. They got valuable experience for a lot of players (like Lundqvist, Prucha, Tyutin. Ortmeyer and Hollweg) and are building an impressive core for the future. Korpikoski (F), Staal(D) and Montoya(G) are all young blue chippers who can contribute in the near future.