With the NHL playoff race heating up, we track the teams impacted by last night’s results and which of tonight’s games will affect the playoff picture.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
If the season ended today…
Who’s already clinched? Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens
Who can clinch tonight? The Bruins would clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference if they defeat the Maple Leafs in any fashion and the Penguins lose to the Jets in any fashion, or if they get one point against the Maple Leafs and the Penguins lose to the Jets in regulation. The Penguins would clinch the Metropolitan Division title if they get at least one point against the Jets, or if the Flyers lose to the Blue Jackets in any fashion, or if the Flyers defeat the Blue Jackets in a shootout.
What’d I miss? The Detroit Red Wings rallied back in the third period to beat the Boston Bruins 3-2. Gustav Nyquist burned Zdeno Chara to score his 28th goal of the season and the game-winner against the Bruins. The win gives the Wings a much-needed cushion in the wild card standings — three points on Columbus and four points up on Toronto — as Detroit looks to make its 23rd straight playoff appearance. It wasn’t such a good night for the Ottawa Senators. They dropped a 2-1 contest to the lowly New York Islanders, thanks to a 35-save performance from Anders Nilsson. The Sens needed a victory to keep their unlikely playoff hopes alive. They now sit five points out of the final playoff spot (behind New Jersey, Toronto and Washington) in the East with six games remaining.
Thursday’s game to watch: Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs — The Bruins didn’t do the Leafs any favours Wednesday night by a blowing third-period lead and allowing Detroit to pick up two points. All Toronto can focus on is the final wild card spot. The Leafs are one point behind Columbus, but the Blue Jackets have two games in hand. The Leafs cannot afford to drop further in the standings after going 1-8-0 in their past nine games. They have not won two games since early March. The fortunate news for Toronto is it’ll be catching the Bruins on the back end of a back-to-back and may face off against Chad Johnson instead of all-star goalie Tuukka Rask. Regardless, this poses a difficult task for Toronto. Boston has collected points in all but one game since March 1.
Fun fact: Gustav Nyquist’s 12 goals in March were the most by a Red Wing in one month since Johan Franzen scored 14 in March 2008.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
If the season ended today…
Who’s already clinched? St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings
Who can clinch tonight? There are no clinching scenarios in the Western Conference tonight.
What’d I miss? With the Dallas Stars sitting out, the Phoenix Coyotes had the opportunity to jump back into the final wild card position in the West but were shut out 4-0 by the Los Angeles Kings, who clinched a playoff berth with the victory. The Coyotes remain tied in points with Dallas, who have two games in hand. Los Angeles earned its fifth straight playoff appearance after third-period goals from Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar. The Kings haven’t made five straight playoff berths since a stretch from 1987 to 1993. Even with the recent hot play (7-3-0 in its last 10), Los Angeles remains entrenched in third place in the Pacific and appears primed for a first-round matchup with the San Jose Sharks. Staying in the Pacific, the Anaheim Ducks extended their lead in the division with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The Ducks scored three straight after spotting the lowly Oilers a two-goal lead. Heading into Thursday, Anaheim is three points up on San Jose in the division and just one point behind St. Louis for the top spot in the conference.
Thursday’s game to watch: Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks — Speaking of the Kings and Sharks, they’ll face off tonight in what looks like a first-round playoff preview. L.A. has won three of its last four against San Jose but may be fatigued after playing Wednesday night. The Sharks have been sloppy as of late. They had to rally back in the third period to defeat the last-place Oilers earlier in the week and will need to be in top form against a defensively sound team like the Kings. The question will be whether Jonathan Quick plays in net for L.A. He has only allowed 12 goals in his last seven starts and is 6-1-0 over that stretch. If he gets the night off, Los Angeles will turn to Martin Jones, who has been no slouch this season.
Fun fact: Sean Monahan is the first rookie forward for Calgary to score 20 goals since Jarome Iginla accomplished the feat in 1996-97. Wonder what @boringmonahan has to say about this.
The rest of tonight’s schedule:
-Columbus @ Philadelphia: Slumping Jackets in desperate need of cushion in the wild card race. They’ll see a familiar face in Steve Mason.
-Minnesota @ Chicago: Blackhawks take on Wild without Toews, Kane.
-Dallas @ Carolina: Stars must take advantage of idle Coyotes to gain ground.
-N.Y. Rangers @ Colorado: Can Martin St. Louis get hot after scoring his first goal as a Ranger?
-Calgary @ Tampa Bay: A rematch of the 2004 Cup final has little impact in the playoff standings. Whatever happened to Martin Gelinas, anyway?
-Buffalo @ St. Louis: Ryan Miller takes on his former club for the first time, but he won’t be starting; Brian Elliott gets the nod for the Blues
-Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg: The Jets are on the brink of elimination. A loss ends their slim chances.