Playoff field jumps to 13
The NHL playoff picture tightened over Saturday’s 15 games, with the confirmed field expanding from nine teams to 13 as races for final berths and seeding accelerated. (usatoday.com) (espn.com). Several teams were eliminated during that stretch — the Seattle Kraken out for a third straight season and the Detroit Red Wings also officially eliminated — while others like the Nashville Predators remained perilously close to the final wild‑card line. (spokesman.com) (freep.com) (tennessean.com)
The National Hockey League’s playoff field expanded to 13 teams after Saturday’s 15-game slate, leaving three berths still unsettled with four days left in the regular season. (usatoday.com) USA Today reported that four teams clinched on April 11, pushing the confirmed field from nine to 13. ESPN’s standings page on April 12 showed the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in from the Atlantic, plus the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan. (usatoday.com) (espn.com) In the West, ESPN listed the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth in from the Central, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers holding playoff spots in the Pacific on April 12. The National Hockey League had published clinching scenarios for April 11 that included Vegas, and The Associated Press reported the Golden Knights got in by beating Colorado 3-2 in overtime. (espn.com) (nhl.com) (msn.com) The format is driving the squeeze now: each conference sends eight teams, with three automatic qualifiers from each division and two wild cards. ESPN’s current matchups had Boston and Ottawa in the East wild-card slots, while the West still had one wild-card race unresolved. (espn.com) That left the biggest pressure point in the Western Conference, where Nashville was still chasing the final spot. The Tennessean reported on April 11 that the Predators were one point behind the last Western wild card, and a separate Tennessean report said Nashville stayed alive by beating Minnesota 2-1 that night. (tennessean.com 1) (tennessean.com 2) Two teams were knocked out Saturday. The Seattle Times reported the Seattle Kraken were eliminated before puck drop for a third straight missed postseason, and the Detroit Free Press reported Detroit’s 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils ended the Red Wings’ season and extended their playoff drought to 10 years. (seattletimes.com) (freep.com) Seeding is still moving even for teams that are already in. ESPN’s April 12 standings showed Tampa Bay at 104 points, Buffalo at 106 and Montreal at 104 in the Atlantic, while Carolina led the Metropolitan with 110 and Colorado led the Central with 112. (espn.com) The regular season ends April 16, according to ESPN’s playoff tracker, so the next few days will decide not just the final three entrants but several first-round pairings. After Saturday’s surge to 13 clinchers, the bracket is mostly built, but not yet locked. (espn.com)
