NHL bubble drama
The NHL playoff race is razor‑tight with three postseason spots still unclaimed and the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin Saturday, April 18. ( ). Injury updates heading into the bracket: Noah Dobson will miss the start for the Canadiens, Brady Tkachuk is out for the Senators, and Sidney Crosby is back for the Penguins. (nhl.com).
Three National Hockey League playoff spots were still unsettled on Monday, April 13, with five days left before the Stanley Cup Playoffs open on Saturday, April 18. (nhl.com, sportsnetpittsburgh.com) In the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Division is still packed at the top: Buffalo has 106 points in 80 games, Montreal has 106 in 81, and Tampa Bay has 104 in 80. Boston has already clinched with 98 points, while Ottawa sits in the first wild card at 97. (espn.com) The Metropolitan Division is just as crowded below Carolina and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia holds third place with 94 points in 80 games, Washington has 93 in 81, Columbus has 92 in 81, and the New York Islanders were eliminated Sunday by Montreal. (espn.com, nhl.com, nhl.com, nhl.com) That leaves two unresolved races in the East: first place in the Atlantic and the final Metropolitan berth. Ottawa also slipped from the first wild card to the second wild card Sunday after a 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey. (espn.com, nhl.com) Pittsburgh’s place is clearer than most. The Penguins clinched a playoff berth on April 9, are locked into second in the Metropolitan Division, and will open the first round at home when the postseason begins April 18. (bleacherreport.com, sportsnetpittsburgh.com, nhl.com) Their likely opponent is still moving. SportsNet Pittsburgh listed Philadelphia as the front-runner for the third Metropolitan spot, but Washington moved within one point of the Flyers on Sunday, and Columbus remains two points back. (sportsnetpittsburgh.com, nhl.com, nhl.com) The injury picture is shifting at the same time. Montreal defenseman Noah Dobson will miss the start of the playoffs and be reevaluated in two weeks after blocking a shot Saturday; he has 47 points in 80 games and ranks third on the Canadiens in ice time at 22:29 per game. (nhl.com) Ottawa will head into the bracket without captain Brady Tkachuk for now. He missed Sunday’s game after leaving Saturday’s win over the Islanders early, and he ranks third on the Senators with 59 points in 60 games. (nhl.com) Pittsburgh got the opposite update. Sidney Crosby returned Sunday after missing one game with a lower-body injury, and Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang were also back in the lineup. (nhl.com) The bracket will not fully lock until the regular season ends, but the pressure is already concentrated in a few places: the Atlantic crown, the third Metropolitan slot, and Ottawa’s push to climb back into the top wild-card position before April 18. (espn.com, sportsnetpittsburgh.com, nhl.com)
