The Bears won Friday, defeating the Phantoms 5-3 in a game that honestly shouldn't have been that close. It took the opening moments of the third period before John Paddock's team even registered its 10th shot of the game. Without Bryan Helmer, Karl Alzner and Alexandre Giroux, Hershey dominated in winning its 34th game of the season. As I said during the postgame show tonight, it is really becoming a two-team race at the top with the Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Those two clubs look like your home-ice contenders for the first round in the East Division. But what about the next three teams?

Bridgeport lost tonight, shut down by Norfolk 3-0. That's not a good sign for the Sound Tigers, although they did get 41 shots. Binghamton posed a furious rally late in the third period but fell in overtime in Hamilton 4-3. Heading into Saturday, Bridgeport is holding down third place, trailing Hershey by 13 and the Penguins by six. Binghamton pulled into a share of third with a point against the Bulldogs, but has one fewer win. And then there's the Phantoms. Five points behind the Tigers and Senators, with Binghamton holding one game in hand and Bridgeport has two in hand.

We have talked a lot this week about the final games against Philadelphia at the end of the regular season. April 10 is the last game at home for the Phantoms, and April 11 is the last game on the road for Philly at Giant Center. If Philly really does miss the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs, can you imagine the scene in both buildings that weekend? The last game in the Spectrum, that will be epic no matter what because of the history there. But if the franchise is done with a game in Hershey? Could there be any better symmetry than that after the Flyers departed Hershey at the close of the 1995-96 season?

John Paddock is a great coach, perhaps one of the best of all-time in this league. But the talent pool seems awful shallow right now for the Phantoms. 15 home games left, same as Binghamton. Philly is cheering like crazy for Hershey this month, whether they admit it or not. The Bears have three games this month and four total left at Broome County, and the Phantoms have to be hoping for a Hershey four-game sweep. It's certainly not impossible for Philly to make it this year. But the tide certainly seems to be turning against them.

Get your tickets for April 11 right now. Don't wait. It looks like it could be a night to remember.