NHL Playoff Push: Scoreboard watching galore

Mathieu Perreault had a night, Andreas Athanasiou was the hero for Detroit and Tyler Seguin ended it in overtime.

Monday night features a light schedule in the NHL with only six games, but several of those bear watching due to potential playoff implications.

The New York Islanders are in action, against the Nashville Predators, while the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes will also try to make some headway in the tightly packed Eastern Conference.

Here’s a closer look at where things stand in the NHL post-season race.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

If the season ended today…

(M1) vs. (WC2)

(A1) vs. (WC1)

(M2) vs. (M3)

(A2) vs. (A3)

Here’s what the Eastern Conference standings look like today:

What’d I miss?

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ road to the playoffs got a little bumpier with goaltender Frederik Andersen suffering an upper body injury during Saturday’s loss in Buffalo (talk about the Sabres playing spoilers, eh). Andersen practised on Monday but his status remains unclear. We do know backup Curtis McElhinney will start Tuesday when the Florida Panthers visit the Air Canada Centre.

Fun fact

Nikita Kucherov is doing his darnedest to try to push the Lightning into the playoffs.

Monday’s game to watch: Predators vs. Islanders

The Predators visit Brooklyn having won six of their last seven games, outscoring opponents 25-12 during that span. They could throw a wrench into the East’s playoff picture with a win, which could create an opportunity for the Lightning to leapfrog the Islanders in the standings.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

If the season ended today…

(C1) vs. (WC2)

(P1) vs. (WC1)

(C2) vs. (C3)

(P2) vs. (P3)

Here’s what the Western Conference standings look like today:

What’d I miss?

The Minnesota Wild lost in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, continuing a sharp free fall. The Wild have clinched a playoff spot but are winners of just three of their past 14 games. Not exactly the way head coach Bruce Boudreau wants his club performing as the post-season quickly approaches.

Fun fact

Flames goalie Brian Elliot just keeps on keepin’ on.

Monday’s game to watch: Avalanche vs. Flames

Monday night represents a prime opportunity for Calgary, which sits three points behind the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. The Flames host the sad sack Colorado Avalanche, owners of the worst record in the NHL. A victory would inch Calgary to within one point of Edmonton, which next plays on Tuesday against the Kings.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.