The Eastern Conference has been trending toward being more competitive than the West for years.
That doesn't necessarily mean the top teams in the East are better—the most recent Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, would like a word. But it does make punching a ticket to the playoffs more challenging.
Just take a look at the Atlantic Division. After the historically dominant Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Lightning are separated by one point in the standings. Then the Panthers (62 points), Red Wings (60 points), Sabres (58 points) and Senators (56 points) are all descending in two-point increments.