WERE LAST NIGHT'S GAMES CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEWS?

With the NFL playing it's Conference Championship games today, I can't help but wonder about the NHL playoffs coming up in a couple of months; especially with the one versus two matchups taking place in both the west and east last night. But are Boston, Washington, and San Jose, Detroit going to still be the top seeds once the post-season finally does roll around? There is no way to know for sure. What we do know though, is that all four of these clubs will be in the playoffs, and all appear poised to make a run towards Lord Stanley's Cup.

Despite a 2-1 loss in D.C. last night, the Boston Bruins remain the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference. At 33-8-4, Boston is in the driver's seat and seems ready to claim home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The team's 70 points are nine ahead of the second place Capitals, and the B's have played one fewer game than Washington. They lead the Canadiens (4th in the East) by 10 points in the Northeast Division.

Washington too, seems set for the playoffs. They are 29-14-3 and sit 12 points up on Florida in the weak Southeast. Their second win over the Bruins this season shouldn't come as too big a shock. The Caps are 19-3-1 inside the Verizon Center this year, making it the toughest place to play in the Eastern Conference (Boston is 17-3-1 at home).

Out west, San Jose held serve on home ice, defeating the defending Cup Champion Red Wings last night, 6-5. The Sharks and Detroit are clearly the two best teams in the west (sorry Blackhawks), and last night's game proved that they are seemingly interchangeable in going for that number one seed. The Wings sit three points back of the Sharks, but those three points could turn out to be huge. Should these two teams meet in the Western Conference Finals, San Jose would really benefit from playing games one and two (and potentially game seven) in the Shark Tank. San Jose's 21-1-2 record on home ice is the best in the NHL.

While it is certainly too early to be saying last night's games were Conference Final Previews, that really wouldn't be a surprise. Either way, I'm looking forward to April, when we will learn the final standings, and let one through eight battle it out in the quest for the Stanley Cup.