In tonight's episode of the Seattle Sin Bin, Sonics Rising's Brian Robinson joins us to discuss the effort to bring the NBA and NHL to Seattle. It's time to catch up with one of the great leaders of our movement.

Also on tap, Otto Rogers (@smashmode) and I talk about the developing Stanley Cup playoff picture, which you can read about below, with records and standings as of March 9.

LORD STANLEY'S CUP

It's time.  We are reaching a point in the NHL season where it's worthwhile to take a serious look at which teams are jostling for position in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

There are battles brewing at the top of the Central Division of the Western Conference and both divisions of the Eastern Conference.

The Nashville Predators' (42-19) hold on the Central Division lead seems tenuous at best, having lost six of their last seven games and with the St. Louis Blues (41-19) nipping at their heels. In the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens (42-18) are trying to hold off the Tampa Bay Lightning (41-20) in the Atlantic Division, while the New York Islanders (43-21) are jostling with the New York Rangers (40-17).

There have been some surprises, such as the defending champion Los Angeles Kings going home if the regular season ended today. Also, the up and coming Minnesota Wild, who had an exciting playoff run last season, had to be awoken from a mid-season slumber before they were able to claw and scratch their way back into a wildcard slot.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

Team	Record (Pts)	The Breakdown
	42-19 (91)	On the offensive side of the ice, the slumping Predators are led by a pair of centers, Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. Forsberg is a 20-year old with 21 goals and 32 assists, while Ribeiro is a grizzled 35 year old with 13 goals and 41 assists. Pekka Rinne minds the net with a save percentage of 92.7, helping him achieve a 36-13 record.
	41-19 (87)	With the division ripe for the taking, the Blues are led by right winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who likes to distribute the puck as much as shoot it. Tarasenko has amassed 32 goals and 32 assists. Left winger Alexander Steen has 54 points on the strength of 35 assists. Brian Elliott and Jake Allen share significant time in goal, with Elliott taking a slight majority of the work to compile a 21-10 record.
	39-21 (84)	In the midst of a wide open division race, the loss of Patrick Kane to a fractured collarbone is a stinging one. Kane had a shot to be the first American to finish a season as NHL scoring leader, having compiled an impressive 27 goals and 37 assists. With him off of the ice, the pressure is on Jonathan Toews, who has 54 points on 33 assists. Starting goalie Corey Crawford saves 92.3 percent of his chances and has staked out a 26-14 record.

Pacific Division

Team	Record (Pts)	The Breakdown
	42-19 (91)	It's the play making ability of center Ryan Getzlaf that makes the Ducks quack on offence. The 29 year old has racked up a whopping 41 assists and 61 points for the Ducks. His favorite target is right wing Corey Perry, who has 28 goals thus far. Frederik Andersen minds the net with a 91.5 percent save rate to compile a 30-10 record.
	38-24 (80)	After all these years, it's still the Sedin twins that power Seattle's future hated rival. Henrik, the center, has assisted on 45 goals and netted the puck 15 times. Daniel, who plays left wing, scores his points in nearly the opposite ratio, having compiled 14 goals and 44 assists. Right winger Radim Vrbata has also heavily contributed with 25 goals and 23 assists.
	36-25 (77)	It's a well-rounded scoring attack for the flames and Jiri Hudler leads the way with 23 goals and 33 assists. Oddly, a defender has out-assisted him, as Mark Giordano has aided 37 times. The Flames have five players with 41 points or more, two of which are defenders. Goalie Jonas Hiller is 20-17, with a 91.5 percent save rate.

Wildcard Leaders

Team	Record (Pts)	The Breakdown
	36-23 (79)	In spite of the team's successful playoff run last season, it looked like the Wild were headed for a disappointing season in which the playoffs were what other teams got to play in. But a January trade for goalie Devan Drubnyk has helped vault the team into the number one wildcard slot, with higher seeding still very possible. Drubnyk has saved on 93.7 percent of his chances to compile an 18-4 record for the team. On the other side of the ice, Zach Parise has compiled 26 goals and 24 assists in a season that has seen the loss of his father.
	33-21 (78)	It's been a season of turmoil for the Jets, who had to jettison disgruntled but immensely talented Evander Kane to the Buffalo Sabres in February as part of a multi-player deal. Left wing Andrew Ladd has helped keep the team in contention with 22 goals and 31 assists. Michael Hutchinson is the team's best net minder with a 20-8 record.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Team	Record (Pts)	The Breakdown
	42-18 (90)	Max Pacioretty has amassed 31 goals and 26 assists from the left wing, while defender P.K. Subban has 12 and 37, respectfully. Goalie Carey Price has a 93.6 save percentage to carve out a 37-13 record.
	41-20 (88)	Leading the high-powered Lightning offense is a two-headed monster at center in Tyler Johnson and Steven Stamkos, both of whom have compiled over 60 points this season. Johnson has 24 goals and 40 assists, while Stamkos has 36 goals and 25 assists. Goal keeper Ben Bishop has a 32-11 record and a 91.3 save percentage.
	37-17 (85)	Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg each lead the Red Wings with 56 points. Datsyuk has done so on the strength of 33 assists, while Zetterberg has 41. Jimmy Howard minds the net with a 91.7 save percentage and a 20-9 record.

Metropolitan Division

Team	Record (Pts)	The Breakdown
	43-21 (90)	Center John Tavares is having a monster year for the Islanders with 33 goals and 39 assists for a whopping tally of 72 points. Kyle Okposo and Ryan Strome have 30 and 29 assists, respectively. Goalie Jaroslav Halak is 34-14 on the year with a 91.1 save percentage.
	40-17 (87)	Stud goalie Henrik Lundqvist hasn't played since February 2, due to a sprained blood vessel in his neck, which has had a tangible impact on the playoff standings. Lundqvist was saving at a 92.2 percentage and had compiled a 25-11 record. Cam Talbot has done good work in his abscense with a 15-6 record. Left wing Rick Nash leads the Rangers with 39 goals and 23 assists.
	38-18 (86)	Penguin great Sidney Crosby continues to be Penguin great Sidney Crosby with 22 goals and 45 assists. Fellow center Evgeni Malkin has 28 and 39, respectively. Marc-Andre Fleury has a 92.5 save percentage and a 30-14 record.

Wildcard Leaders

Team	Record (Pts)	The Breakdown
	36-21 (82)	The Capitals have 69 points each from Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Ovechkin has done so on the strength of 44 goals, while Backstrom has compiled 51 assists. Goal keeper Braden Holtby has a 32-16 record and a 92.5 save percentage.
	32-22 (76)	Patrice Bergeron leads the Bruins with 29 assists and 18 goals. Tuukka Rask minds the net with a 92.2 save percentage and a 27-16 record. I would write more about them, but I'm rooting for them to drop out of the playoffs because of the Super Bowl. Is that wrong?