Playoff push: NHL moves

The National Hockey League playoff field tightened sharply on Saturday: Ottawa, Vegas and Edmonton all secured spots, while Boston moved from “on the verge” to officially in. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) (nhl.com 3) (sportsnet.ca) The Ottawa Senators clinched first. They beat the New York Islanders 3-0 at UBS Arena for a fourth straight win, and Detroit’s loss to the New Jersey Devils closed the door behind them. (nhl.com) Vegas punched in its own ticket later that night. Jack Eichel scored 1:19 into overtime in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, extending the Golden Knights’ point streak to eight games. (nhl.com) Edmonton got there in a stranger way. The Oilers lost 1-0 to the Los Angeles Kings, but still clinched because the Winnipeg Jets did not beat the Philadelphia Flyers in regulation, one of Edmonton’s listed scenarios before the games began. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) (nhl.com 3) Boston’s path was even less direct. The Bruins lost 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but Detroit’s regulation loss later in the day still locked Boston into the postseason. (usatoday.com) (nhl.com) (sportsnet.ca) That is how the National Hockey League bracket works in the final week: the top three teams in each division qualify, plus two wild cards in each conference, so one result in Detroit or Winnipeg can settle a race somewhere else. (nhl.com) Saturday’s squeeze mattered because the regular season ends on April 16, leaving only a few games for teams still chasing the last Eastern Conference and Western Conference places. The league said on April 11 that six days remained and that 14 of the 15 games on the schedule carried playoff implications. (nhl.com) (usatoday.com) The pressure now shifts to the teams below the cut line. Los Angeles helped itself by beating Edmonton and holding the second wild card in the West, while Columbus stayed alive in the East by beating Montreal on the same day. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The standings race is not only about getting in. Dallas also beat the New York Rangers 2-0 on Saturday to secure the No. 2 seed in the Central Division and home ice in its first-round series against Minnesota. (nhl.com) (nhl.com) By the end of Saturday, the “verge” teams had turned the playoff map into something much clearer. With four days left in the regular season, the National Hockey League’s last open spots are now fewer, and every remaining game carries bracket consequences. (nhl.com)