Eastern Conference

TORONTO - Like the colorful flags that hang outside most major league ballparks to depict the day's standings, the Flyers have a whiteboard just feet from their dressing room at their Voorhees practice facility, a constant reminder of the sacrifice it takes to remain on top. For the NHL, it might as well be a Wheel of Fortune board. The colors - and teams - can move from top to bottom from night to night. Take, for instance, Los Angeles. Terry Murray's Kings entered last night's action in eighth place in the Western Conference.

Who will be No. 2 in the NBA's Eastern Conference this season? The defending champion Miami Heat are prohibitive favorites as long as LeBron James stays healthy and hungry, but after that there appear to be several candidates, including the 76ers, for that second spot. Anything can happen in a long NBA season, so Miami will have to do more than show up, but if Dwyane Wade comes back strong after offseason knee surgery, Chris Bosh remains healthy after last season's abdominal injury, and newcomer Ray Allen still has the shooting touch at the age of 37, then Miami will be difficult to dethrone.

Claude Giroux's first year as the Flyers' captain will not be remembered fondly. It's not that the slick-passing, 25-year-old center played poorly - it's that his team, for a variety of reasons, never clicked until they were eliminated from the playoffs and the pressure had been removed. Eight Eastern Conference teams are competing in the theatrical Stanley Cup playoffs, arguably the toughest two-month stretch in any sport. The Flyers are not one of them. "We can't blame anybody but ourselves," Giroux said.

Phil Kessel scored twice to lead the host Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Monday night to open an important home-and-home series between the Eastern Conference rivals. Toronto remained fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, moving four points ahead of idle Ottawa. The Rangers remain tied with the idle New York Islanders for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Also in the East: The host Boston Bruins topped the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-2, and moved one point ahead of Montreal in the Northeast Division.

Matt Martin scored the go-ahead goal with less than seven minutes left in the third period, and Evgeni Nabokov made 19 saves to lift the playoff-hopeful Islanders to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Lightning on Saturday night. The Islanders started the night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and kept pace in their drive for their first postseason appearance since 2007. Michael Grabner and Josh Bailey also scored, and Andrew MacDonald added an empty-net goal.   Devils fall Rookie Leo Komarov and Tyler Bozak scored, and the Maple Leafs extended the reeling host Devils' losing streak to six games with a 2-1 victory.

NO TEAM in memory was more guaranteed to win a championship than the 1982-83 Sixers. With the acquisition of Moses Malone, the Sixers had the dominating inside presence they had lacked since trading Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers 14 years earlier. There was no way this team was going to lose four times in a seven-game series. The fact that the team lost at all surprised people, it was that good. All of the Sixers' weaknesses were addressed since losing to Magic Johnson and the Lakers in 1980.

The Flyers have released the schedule for their first season in the new Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, and, as you might expect after expansion and realignment, it looks a little different. Under the old format, the Flyers competed against five other Patrick Division teams for four playoff berths. This season, the Flyers will be among 14 Eastern Conference teams competing for eight playoff berths. Instead of playing divisional teams seven times each, as was the old norm, the Flyers now play each Atlantic foe five times, and each team from the Northeast Division - the other component of the Eastern Conference - four times.

Pascal Dupuis scored twice and had an assist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied at home to beat the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, on Wednesday night for their seventh consecutive victory. Jordan Staal added a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to a career-best six games and rookie Brad Thiessen stopped 22 shots. The Penguins started the day by unveiling a statue honoring Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux outside Consol Energy Center. The three-time MVP, now the team owner, watched from his box as Pittsburgh won for the 11th time in its last 12 home games to strengthen its hold on fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Rick Nash had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Ryan Callahan had a pair of assists as the New York Rangers hung on to eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 home victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. Derick Brassard and Nash both scored power-play goals, with help from Callahan in the first, and Mats Zuccarello found the net for the second straight game to give the playoff-hopeful Rangers their sixth win in nine games (6-2-1). New York's lackluster, 4-2 loss at the Flyers on Tuesday had allowed Winnipeg to get even in points in the tight Eastern race.

      Jordan Crawford equaled a season-high with 32 points, and John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists Wednesday night as the Wizards dealt a crippling blow to the Milwakee Bucks' attempt to make the final playff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 121-112 defeat in Washington. Milwaukee began the day 11/2 games behind the 76ers for eighth place in the East, but lost a game as the Sixers won in Cleveland. Monta Ellis had 31 points for Milwaukee, which has lost four of five.

IF THE Chicago Blackhawks-Detroit Red Wings rivalry is about to undergo a transformation, the Blackhawks want to have the final say. They got the first word. Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger scored in the third period, Corey Crawford made 20 saves and the Blackhawks beat the visiting Wings, 4-1, in the opener of their second-round Western Conference playoff series last night. Detroit moves to the Eastern Conference next season. "As happy as we are about going to the Eastern Conference, we are going to be giving up something that's pretty special," Wings forward Justin Abdelkader said.

Harrison Barnes collected 26 points and 10 rebounds, Stephen Curry scored 22 on an injured left ankle, and the Golden State Warriors rallied past the San Antonio Spurs, 97-87, in overtime Sunday in Oakland, Calif., to even their Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece. Jarrett Jack added 24 points in reserve and Andrew Bogut grabbed 18 rebounds to help the Warriors overcome an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. Golden State scored the first nine points of overtime to whip the yellow-shirt-clad crowd of 19,596 into a frenzy and give this topsy-turvy series another twist.

Claude Giroux's first year as the Flyers' captain will not be remembered fondly. It's not that the slick-passing, 25-year-old center played poorly - it's that his team, for a variety of reasons, never clicked until they were eliminated from the playoffs and the pressure had been removed. Eight Eastern Conference teams are competing in the theatrical Stanley Cup playoffs, arguably the toughest two-month stretch in any sport. The Flyers are not one of them. "We can't blame anybody but ourselves," Giroux said.

John Tavares scored the winning goal in a shootout to give the New York Islanders a 5-4 win over host Winnipeg on Saturday and put a dent in the Jets' playoff drive. Bryan Little tied the game for Winnipeg at 4-4 at 17 minutes, 59 seconds of the third period, just seven seconds after Isles defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky was called for interference. A rebound sent the puck at Little's left skate and he kicked it over to his stick before beating Evgeni Nabokov. The win gave the Islanders 53 points and put them sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Ryan Callahan scored a goal in the opening minute and another in the third period, and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves as the host New York Rangers eliminated the New Jersey Devils from the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 4-1 victory on Sunday. The Rangers remain eighth in the East. Also in the East: Jaromir Jagr scored his second goal as a member of the Bruins and Boston ended a four-game winless streak with a 3-0 victory over Florida. The Bruins pulled into a tie with idle Montreal for first place in the Northeast Division with 59 points.

Rick Nash had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Ryan Callahan had a pair of assists as the New York Rangers hung on to eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 home victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. Derick Brassard and Nash both scored power-play goals, with help from Callahan in the first, and Mats Zuccarello found the net for the second straight game to give the playoff-hopeful Rangers their sixth win in nine games (6-2-1). New York's lackluster, 4-2 loss at the Flyers on Tuesday had allowed Winnipeg to get even in points in the tight Eastern race.

Consecutive wins have revived playoff talk for the Flyers. But they still face long odds in earning one of the eight Eastern Conference spots. Coach Peter Laviolette accurately described the Flyers' plight after Tuesday's 4-2 win over the New York Rangers. "We're in a hole," he said. "We put ourselves here, and we accept that. " And it's a huge hole. But the Flyers remain alive. The Rangers own the eighth and final spot with 46 points. The Winnipeg Jets also have 46 points but, like the Flyers, have played 43 games, one more than the Rangers.

NO TEAM in memory was more guaranteed to win a championship than the 1982-83 Sixers. With the acquisition of Moses Malone, the Sixers had the dominating inside presence they had lacked since trading Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers 14 years earlier. There was no way this team was going to lose four times in a seven-game series. The fact that the team lost at all surprised people, it was that good. All of the Sixers' weaknesses were addressed since losing to Magic Johnson and the Lakers in 1980.

Phil Kessel scored twice to lead the host Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Monday night to open an important home-and-home series between the Eastern Conference rivals. Toronto remained fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, moving four points ahead of idle Ottawa. The Rangers remain tied with the idle New York Islanders for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Also in the East: The host Boston Bruins topped the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-2, and moved one point ahead of Montreal in the Northeast Division.

After a stretch of three games in four nights, 76ers coach Doug Collins gave the Sixers Monday off. Despite a 106-87 loss in Miami on Saturday, the Sixers have won four of their last six games. At 31-45, Collins' team will visit playoff-bound Brooklyn on Tuesday night. The Sixers have six games remaining. They were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss to the Heat. "You keep going out there and giving effort and trying to win, trying to improve on things and get better," Sixers center Spencer Hawes said Saturday.