The NHL Playoff Push is our daily look back and ahead at the post-season picture as teams position themselves for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
If the season ended today…
(A1) vs. 
(WC2)
(M1) vs. 
(WC1)
(A2) vs. 
(A3)
(M2) vs. 
(M3)
Note: The NHL changed the playoff format last season. Click here for full details.
Series we’d love to see: Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators — Two Canadian teams. Two great goalies. Carey Price, a legitimate Hart Trophy contender, against the Hamburglar, who very well may be the best story in hockey this year. Sign me up.
What’d I miss? The Canadiens regained the top spot in the conference by earning a single point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. Montreal became the first team this season to reach the 100-point plateau…The Canadiens jumped past the Rangers, who fell 4-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in a Stanley Cup rematch. New York remains just one point behind the Canadiens with two games in hand…The Penguins and the Islanders held steady in the standings. Both teams earned one point as the two clubs picked up overtime losses to the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, respectively…The Red Wings were upset by the Coyotes in a 5-4 loss but it didn’t have much of an impact on the standings…In the same division, the Lightning added two third-period goals to beat the Panthers, who are slipping out of wild card contention.
Wednesday’s game to watch: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers — The Flyers realistically don’t have a chance of qualifying for the post-season. They are 11 points out of a wild card position with nine games to play. Philadelphia has just two wins in their last 10 games.
The rest of tonight’s sked: There are no other games involving Eastern Conference teams.
Fun fact: Per @SNStats, the Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup in eight of the previous 17 seasons in which they reached the 100-point mark.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
If the season ended today…
(C1) vs. 
(WC2)
(P1) vs. 
(WC1)
(C2) vs. 
(C3)
(P2) vs. 
(P3)
Series we’d love to see: St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets — This would be a fast, physical matchup between two teams that roll out four effective lines and three effective defence pairs every night.
What’d I miss? The Canucks picked up their third straight win with a 5-2 victory over the Jets…The Blues jumped past the Ducks to reclaim the top seed in the West. St Louis snapped a three-game skid after Alex Steen tipped in the overtime winner to beat Pittsburgh 3-2…The Ducks couldn’t keep pace by losing to the Blue Jackets in Columbus. Scott Hartnell recorded a hat trick…However, Nashville did keep pace by beating the Canadiens in overtime…They remain one point back of the conference-leading Blues…The Kings made up ground in the wild card race with a 4-2 victory over the Rangers. They are now tied in points with the Flames and both have nine games left to play…Devan Dubnyk made 37 saves as Minnesota beat the Islanders in a shootout. The Wild are still comfortably in the top wild card position…
Wednesday’s game to watch: Dallas Stars vs. Calgary Flames — Calgary wraps up a five-game homestand with a critical game against the Stars. They are in a tight battle with the Kings and Jets and need at least a point to gain some breathing room. The Flames and Kings are tied in points but Los Angeles does not have as many regulation wins as Calgary. The Canadian franchise hasn’t qualified for the post-season since 2009.
The rest of tonight’s sked:
-Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers: This game really doesn’t impact the post-season. Sorry, Colorado.
Fun fact: Minnesota became the first team to win 10 straight road games in a single season since the San Jose Sharks in 2007.
