MARCH 23, 2010 -- As we head toward the regular-season finish line, here is a look at the contenders and pretenders from the Eastern Conference.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

The Washington Capitals are well on their way to the Presidents Trophy for best regular season record. Washington also leads the league in goals scored and have the game's most electrifying player in Alex Ovechkin. Moving in for a closer look, it is clear all that glitters is not goals.

Consider the division. The Capitals play a combined 24 games a year against Carolina, Florida, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay. In goal, Jose Theodore is still living off the glory of that unfathomable 2002 season in which he won the Vezina trophy while a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Theodore never has been and never will be a clutch goaltender. Last year, rookie Semyon Varlamov came on in relief of Theodore and proved a revelation as Washington pushed Pittsburgh to seven games before bowing out in the Conference semifinal.

This season however, not only has Varlamov had to fight injuries, but his .908 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average are also cause for concern. The Caps are fun to watch, but in the playoffs, when goals are at a premium, their weak goaltending will ultimately be their undoing.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

The New Jersey Devils have gone back to their roots.

Jacques Lemaire, who coached the team to its first championship in 1995, is back behind the bench. The addition of Ilya Kovalchuk gives them that dynamic scoring element and speed through the neutral zone which had been sorely lacking in recent years. The defensive discipline is still there, and the Devils swept the season series 6-0 against the defending Stanley cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The big question mark is 37-year-old future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur. Marty has looked shaky at times, and was pulled in favor of Roberto Luongo in this year's Olympics. If Brodeur can return to the form that brought New Jersey 3 Stanley Cups between 1995 and 2003, the Devils have a great shot at winning the Conference championship. As Marty goes, so go the Devils.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Eastern Conference the last two years, and are the reigning Stanley Cup champs.

Sidney Crosby has elevated his game to new heights this season and is now truly laying claim to being the best player in the game.  His gold medal-winning goal in overtime for Team Canada offers further evidence of his dominance.

25-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury has proven himself to be a reliable goaltender in crunch time. The Pens are going to be in the hunt not only this year, but for years to come.

Now the bad news. 

For all their firepower, the Pens power play has been ridiculously bad at 17% which currently ranks 22nd in the league of 30 teams.  As we all know, special teams play often is the difference between life and death in the playoffs. The other Achilles’ heel is the New Jersey Devils. Should the Pens have to meet New Jersey, they will need to summon more discipline than ever in order to beat the Devils in a 7 game series. The obvious mental edge would go to the Devils, having already swept the season series.

BUFFALO SABRES

The Buffalo Sabres are the X factor amongst the top four teams. This is the Eastern Conference version of the Nashville Predators.

Not only does Buffalo have the same great work ethic as the Preds, but they have an All-World goaltender in Ryan Miller. One cannot count Buffalo out, and if Miller can show his Olympic form, they could very well wind up in the Eastern Conference Final. To that end, it behooves Head coach Lindy Ruff to have his squad spend a little more time on improving their anemic 16.9 % power play before the playoffs start.

THE REST

As for the rest of the pack, Philadelphia, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, Atlanta, and the New York Rangers are locked in a cruel unforgiving game of musical chairs for the last 4 playoff spots.

The most interesting of the bunch is the New York Rangers with their bloated payroll and roster of underachievers.

One must wonder just how long Goalie Henrik Lundqvist will be okay with being the hardest-working player on the roster night after night. The most entertaining part of watching a Rangers game these days is seeing the many different looks of amazement on the face of Head coach John Tortorella as he watches his team make tactical errors the likes of which are normally not seen after junior hockey.

If and when the Rangers do finally give GM Glen Sather his walking papers, the next logical step would be to go into the locker room and announce that unless your last name is Lundqvist, Dubinsky, Callahan, or Staal, you may start packing your bags. The services of 33 year old Chris Drury might also be retained, but that is all.

That covers the beasts of the East, and the least of the East.

The Eastern Conference playoffs will not be quite as wide open as the West, and while it is all but guaranteed that one of the top four regular season teams will win the Conference championship, there is still plenty of drama to be had. If a much-anticipated Pens/Devils playoff series does take place, it will be an instant classic.

Contact Charles: Charles@officialinsidesports.com

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