NHL playoff picture shifts
The playoff race swung hard on March 20 — the first postseason berth was clinched that day and teams like the Sabres climbed into ESPN’s top three in power rankings ( ). Social coverage also flagged a wild night where the Blue Jackets and Kings clinched while the Islanders and Kraken were left out after dramatic results (x.com).
Colorado’s 4-1 victory at Chicago on March 20 featured Martin Necas (1 goal, 2 assists) and three assists from Nathan MacKinnon, and the win pushed Colorado to 100 points while leaving them four points clear of the Dallas Stars in the Central Division. (nhl.com). Necas’ three-point night gave him a career-high 84 points (32 goals, 52 assists) through the game on March 20, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves for Colorado in the United Center win. (nhl.com). ESPN’s March 20 power rankings moved the Buffalo Sabres into No. 3, up from No. 5 a week earlier, listing Buffalo’s points pace at 109.3 and a points percentage of.667. (espn.com). Buffalo’s official ledger entering March 20 showed a 43-20-6 record and 92 points, placing them atop the Atlantic Division race on the league standings. (nhl.com). Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk finished a wild late rally with the game-winning goal with 13 seconds left to beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on March 19/20, a result that dropped the Islanders behind Columbus in the wild-card standings. (nhl.com). The Western wild-card picture on March 20 had the Los Angeles Kings at 72 points and the Seattle Kraken at 71 points, with regulation/OT wins and ROW tiebreakers looming as decisive factors as the regular season heads to its April 16 finish. (nhl.com) (usatoday.com).
