The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially here.

While six of eight matchups were already known, the remaining two were finalized after the conclusion of Thursday's action.

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime on Thursday, passing the Vegas Golden Knights in the standings after the defending Stanley Cup champs lost to the Anaheim Ducks. That moves the Kings into third place in the Pacific Division to take on the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 for the third year in a row. That result also dropped the Golden Knights to the second wild-card spot to set up a 2023 Western Conference Final rematch with the top-seeded Dallas Stars.

The NHL also unveiled the entire schedule for Round 1.

All times ET.
*If necessary

Atlantic Division

Florida Panthers (A1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (WC1)

Boston Bruins (A2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (A3)

Metropolitan Division

New York Rangers (M1) vs. Washington Capitals (WC2)

Carolina Hurricanes (M2) vs. New York Islanders (M3)

Central Division

Dallas Stars (C1) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (WC2)

Winnipeg Jets (C2) vs. Colorado Avlanche (C3)

Pacific Division

Vancouver Canucks (P1) vs. Nashville Predators (WC1)

Edmonton Oilers (P2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (P3)

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Auston Matthews failed to score his 70th goal in the Toronto Maple Leafs' regular-season finale Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it wasn't for a lack of effort.

The soon-to-be three-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner tallied a staggering nine scoring chances and 12 shots on 16 attempts in the contest. His best chance came when he rung one off the crossbar in the second period.

"I wanted it, for sure," Matthews said postgame. "But it just wasn't meant to be."

Matthews leads the league with 20 shots off posts and crossbars this season. His goal total also could've been higher if he notched more than two empty-net goals.

However, Matthews' 69 goals are still the most since Mario Lemieux recorded the same total in 1995-96. One more tally would've given Matthews the most since Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each scored 76 in 1992-93. Only eight players in NHL history have reached the 70-goal plateau.

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The NHL announced the start times for each Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes will get things rolling on Saturday afternoon, while the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs follow suit in the primetime slot. The other two matchups begin Sunday.

All times ET.

The rest of the Round 1 schedule for the Eastern Conference is to be determined.

Start times for the Western Conference remain unknown because only one series - the Colorado Avalanche at the Winnipeg Jets - has been confirmed.

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The NHL announced the start times for each Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes will get things rolling on Saturday afternoon, while the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs follow suit in the primetime slot. The other two matchups begin Sunday.

All times ET.

The rest of the Round 1 schedule for the Eastern Conference is to be determined.

Start times for the Western Conference remain unknown because only one series - the Colorado Avalanche at the Winnipeg Jets - has been confirmed.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL announced the start times for each Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes will get things rolling on Saturday afternoon, while the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs follow suit in the primetime slot. The other two matchups begin Sunday.

All times ET.

The rest of the Round 1 schedule for the Eastern Conference is to be determined.

Start times for the Western Conference remain unknown because only one series - the Colorado Avalanche at the Winnipeg Jets - has been confirmed.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks clinched first place in the Pacific Division by defeating the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Tuesday.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko looked to be in playoff form, making 39 saves in his first appearance since suffering a knee injury on March 9.

It's Vancouver's first division title with the NHL's current alignment. The club last won a division title in 2013 when it sat atop the Northwest Division for the fifth consecutive season.

The Canucks can still claim first place in the Western Conference if they win their last game Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars lose their final contest in regulation against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

As a result, the Canucks' playoff opponent in Round 1 remains undetermined. It could still be the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, or Nashville Predators.

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The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Tuesday to snatch the NHL's final playoff spot.

The Capitals' win eliminated the Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, and Pittsburgh Penguins from postseason contention.

Washington will play the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in Round 1.

T.J. Oshie scored the game-winner on an empty net late in the third period. The Flyers pulled the goalie with the contest tied because they would've been eliminated if it went to overtime.

But little did the Flyers know they'd already been eliminated moments earlier when the Red Wings secured a point against the Montreal Canadiens with David Perron's late equalizer.

Flyers head coach John Tortorella explained how the situation unfolded from his end.

"I get info on the Detroit game right after (Capitals) scored their empty-netter," Tortorella told reporters postgame. "I think it happened pretty close together. But I'm pulling him. That was the right time to pull him. I didn't know anything was going on with Detroit at the time, but immediately after that, our video guys told us that Detroit just went to overtime."

Alex Ovechkin was pleased with the result.

"Detroit get a point, and they still pull the goalie," the Capitals captain said postgame, per The Associated Press. "They didn't know that. But we'll take it. Thanks, Philly."

Detroit ended up beating Montreal in a shootout, but its postseason drought still extended to eight years - the NHL's second-worst active skid - because the club has fewer regulation wins than the Capitals. If the Flyers had won the game in any fashion, the Red Wings would've been postseason-bound.

The Penguins are missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in Sidney Crosby's 19-year career. Pittsburgh didn't earn a postseason spot in Crosby's rookie campaign and didn't miss again until 2022-23.

The Flyers will be without playoff hockey for the fourth straight year.

The Capitals have made the playoffs in 15 of Ovechkin's 19 seasons. Their minus-37 goal differential is the worst by a playoff team since the Hartford Whalers (minus-38) and Vancouver Canucks (minus-72) in 1990-91.

Washington's matchup with the Rangers means the Caps will face their former coach, Peter Laviolette. The veteran bench boss coached the Capitals for the last three years before New York hired him this past offseason.

The Rangers and Capitals haven't met in the playoffs since 2015.

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The New York Rangers are taking home the 2023-24 Presidents' Trophy after securing the most points in the NHL following Monday's 4-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

New York's 114 points are the most in franchise history, surpassing the 2014-15 club. The Rangers' 55 wins are also a club record.

It's the fourth time the Rangers have won the Presidents' Trophy since the NHL began handing out the award during the 1985-86 campaign.

The Rangers' Round 1 opponent has yet to be determined. It could still be any one of the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, or Washington Capitals.

The 2013 Chicago Blackhawks are the last team to win the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season. That feat has been accomplished on eight occasions, including by the 1994 Rangers.

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The New York Islanders clinched a postseason berth for the fifth time in six years by defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Monday.

The victory also guarantees the Islanders third place in the Metropolitan Division and facing the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1. The two teams met in the first round last year, with the Canes winning in six games.

There's now just one playoff spot remaining in the NHL, with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals left to duke it out. The Wings, Pens, and Caps all won Monday while the Flyers were idle. Each team has one game remaining.

RW = Regulation wins, the NHL's first standings tiebreaker.

The Capitals control their own destiny and will earn the last postseason spot with a win Tuesday in Philadelphia. Washington can also clinch with an overtime or shootout loss and Detroit and Pittsburgh losses in any form.

The Red Wings can snap their seven-year playoff drought with any form of win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday and any form of loss by the Capitals. Detroit could also get in with an overtime or shootout loss, a Capitals regulation loss, and a Penguins loss in any form.

The Penguins can return to the playoffs by winning Wednesday against the Islanders. But before that, they need the Capitals and Red Wings to gain no more than one point each Tuesday. Pittsburgh can also get in with an OT or shootout loss and regulation losses by Washington and Detroit.

The Flyers still have a chance, but it's slim. They'll need to beat the Capitals in regulation and have the Red Wings and Penguins both lose in regulation. Philadelphia would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Washington if it wins in regulation.

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The Vancouver Canucks are getting a big boost between the pipes ahead of the playoffs.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko will return Tuesday against the Calgary Flames for Vancouver's penultimate game of the season, head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed, per Sportsnet's Brendan Batchelor. The Canucks finish off their season Thursday in Winnipeg.

Demko hasn't played since suffering a knee injury March 9 against the Jets. He was originally supposed to be out just two-to-three weeks but ended up missing 14 games. Backup Casey DeSmith handled the bulk of the workload in his absence with mixed results, as his save percentage was just .888 while Demko was out.

Demko was enjoying the best season of his career before the injury, posting a .917 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average in 49 games. He still ranks fourth in Evolving-Hockey's goals saved above expected metric despite the missed time and will likely garner some Vezina Trophy consideration.

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