Playoff picture tightens
The NHL playoff race tightened over the weekend with Monday featuring ten matchups that carried seeding and wild‑card implications as teams close out their regular seasons. (espn.com). Specific clinching scenarios were in play — for example, the Anaheim Ducks would clinch a berth with any kind of win over the Vancouver Canucks on April 12 — while Boston has clinched a playoff spot though its first‑round seed remains undecided. (nhl.com) (nesn.com).
The National Hockey League playoff race reached its final squeeze on Monday, April 13, with 10 games on the schedule and multiple spots and seeds still unsettled. (nhl.com) Boston and Ottawa already locked up the Eastern Conference wild cards on Saturday, April 11, after New Jersey beat Detroit in regulation and Ottawa shut out the New York Islanders. One Eastern berth still remained open entering Monday: third place in the Metropolitan Division. (espn.com) Boston’s place is secure, but its seed is not. NESN reported the Bruins had 98 points to Ottawa’s 97 with one game left, and the difference between the first and second wild card would likely mean opening against either Atlantic leader Buffalo or Metropolitan leader Carolina. (nesn.com) In the East on Monday, Carolina could clinch the conference’s top seed with one point against Philadelphia, or if Chicago beat Buffalo in any fashion. Buffalo could clinch the Atlantic Division with a regulation win over Chicago plus anything but a Tampa Bay regulation win, or with an overtime or shootout win plus a Detroit win of any kind over Tampa Bay. (nhl.com) Philadelphia had the clearest single-game path: beat Carolina in any fashion and the Flyers would clinch the Metropolitan Division’s third seed and a first-round series against Pittsburgh. That would end Philadelphia’s playoff drought dating to the 2019-20 season, according to Daily Faceoff. (nhl.com) (dailyfaceoff.com) The Western Conference was even tighter because two berths were still open and the Pacific Division order was still moving. ESPN reported Sunday that Vegas had clinched a playoff spot and moved into first in the Pacific, while Edmonton also clinched despite a loss. (espn.com) Anaheim missed its easiest chance Sunday night when it lost 4-3 in overtime to Vancouver. ESPN’s recap said the Ducks stayed at 90 points and could still secure a playoff spot with a win Tuesday at Minnesota. (espn.com) Monday gave Anaheim a second route without playing: the Ducks would clinch if San Jose beat Nashville in any fashion. Los Angeles could also clinch Monday, but only by beating Seattle and getting a Sharks regulation win over the Predators. (nhl.com) If the bracket froze Monday morning, the National Hockey League’s official playoff page showed Buffalo versus Boston and Carolina versus Ottawa in the East, with Colorado versus Nashville, Dallas versus Minnesota, Edmonton versus Utah and Vegas versus Anaheim in the West. The league’s regular season ends Thursday, April 16, so those matchups can still change over the final three days. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) That is why Monday’s 10-game slate carried more than scoreboard value: some teams were playing to get in, others to avoid Carolina, Buffalo or a road-heavy first round. By Saturday, April 18, when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, the bracket will stop shifting and every one of these late-season tiebreakers will be locked in. (nesn.com) (nhl.com)
