What’s at stake in the NHL, April 4: Clinching scenarios, playoff matchups and more
The NHL season is winding down, with less than two weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule. We’ve reached the point of the campaign at which some clinching scenario is seemingly in play every night, so we’ll keep you abreast on what to watch for each day between now and the end of the regular season.
So what’s at stake in the standings for Tuesday, April 4?
– The Washington Capitals (34-34-9) haven’t really had designs on a playoff berth for a while now. After all, they sold off veterans Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, Lars Eller, Marcus Johansson and Erik Gustafsson in the days leading up to the 2023 Trade Deadline. But they’ve limped all the way into April without being mathematically eliminated. That could change tonight. A win by the Pittsburgh Penguins over the New Jersey Devils would knock the Caps out.
– Even a single point from the Pens will knock Washington out. On paper, the Caps would be eligible to catch the Pens in points (87) and ROW (37) in the best-case scenario, but that would trigger a third tiebreaker: head-to-head points. The Pens won two of three meetings this season.
– In a best-case scenario, if Washington wins its last five games, it still loses the ROW tiebreaker to the New York Islanders, meaning catching Pittsburgh is the only avenue for a Caps playoff berth. If the Florida Panthers defeat the Buffalo Sabres tonight, that also eliminates the Caps from contention regardless of what Pittsburgh does, as it would jump Florida to 87 points with a ROW of 38, topping the Caps’ best-case scenario of 87 points with a ROW of 37.
– The Colorado Avalanche (45-24-6) Can clinch a playoff berth if (a) they beat the San Jose Sharks, (b) they get a single point against the Sharks AND the Calgary Flames lose, or (c) the Nashville Predators lose to the Vegas Golden Knights AND the Flames lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY…
Western Conference
(P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Winnipeg Jets
(C1) Dallas Stars vs. (WC1) Seattle Kraken
(P2) Los Angeles Kings vs. (P3) Edmonton Oilers
(C2) Minnesota Wild vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche
Eastern Conference
(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Pittsburgh Penguins
(M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) New York Islanders
(M2) New Jersey Devils vs. (M3) New York Rangers
(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A3) Tampa Bay Lightning