Here's what postseason matchups look like after play after March 29:
Eastern Conference
Team
Team
Season Series
A1 Lightning
W1 Islanders
1-1-0
A2 Panthers
A3 Bruins
3-1-0 Bruins
M1 Capitals
W2 Flyers
2-0-1 Capitals
M2 Rangers
M3 Penguins
3-1 Penguins
As a result of Florida's loss to Toronto, idle Tampa Bay moved into first in the Atlantic, thereby acquiring a potential first-round date with the Islanders.
Wild-Card Race
Team
Points
Games Remaining
1. Islanders
91
7
2. Flyers
87
7
Red Wings
87
5
Devils
82
5
Hurricanes
82
5
With a win over Boston, New Jersey kept its faint playoff hopes alive, while Detroit's failure to pick up even a point in Montreal could be problematic.
Western Conference
Team
Team
Season Series
C1 Stars
W2 Wild
4-1 Stars
C2 Blues
C3 Blackhawks
2-2
P1 Kings
W1 Predators
2-1 Kings
P2 Ducks
P3 Sharks
3-1 Ducks
Nothing changed here Tuesday, but a Nashville loss to Dallas kept the Predators from moving to within two points of Chicago - who also lost - for third place in the Central Division.
Wild-Card Race
Team
Points
Games Remaining
Predators
91
5
Wild
87
5
Avalanche
82
5
A Wild over the Blackhawks win coupled with an Avalanche loss to the Blues has all but ended this race for good.
"There's a sense of fulfillment that we said we were going to do some things and we accomplished them so far and we've still got some things to accomplish. The season's not over because we wrapped this up."
The Capitals earned home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs and ensured they'll finish with the best record in the league, but defenseman Matt Niskanen knows their work is far from over.
"I think we all knew it was coming," he said. "We're not spraying champagne or anything, but I think guys are happy. It's a marathon. We won the marathon, and now we get to prepare for the seven-game sprints."
The Capitals improved to 54-16-5 and 113 points in the standings with seven games remaining. No other club has reached the 100-point mark.
Here's what postseason matchups look like after play on Monday, March 28:
Eastern Conference
Team
Team
Season Series
A1 Panthers
W1 Islanders
2-1 Panthers
A2 Lightning
A3 Bruins
2-1-1
M1 Capitals
W2 Flyers
2-0-1 Capitals
M2 Rangers
M3 Penguins
3-1 Penguins
The Panthers, Islanders, Lightning, Bruins, Rangers, and Penguins are all separated by between only three and five points.
If the Flyers make the dance, they have a date with the Capitals. That's rough.
No team wants to play the Penguins in the first round - especially not the Rangers, who've won only one in four against Pittsburgh.
Wild-Card Race
Team
Points
Games Remaining
1. Islanders
89
8
2. Flyers
87
7
Red Wings
87
6
Hurricanes
81
6
The Islanders are by no means safe, and the Hurricanes need a miracle.
The Flyers play the Red Wings on April 6, and close their season on April 10 against the Islanders. Big games.
Western Conference
Team
Team
Season Series
C1 Stars
W2 Wild
4-1 Stars
C2 Blues
C3 Blackhawks
2-2
P1 Kings
W1 Predators
2-1 Kings
P2 Ducks
P3 Sharks
3-1 Ducks
The West is ultra-tight, too. Except for Stars-Wild, the other six teams slated to face each other are all separated by only four points.
Every series could be great, especially considering the way Devan Dubnyk is playing in net for the Wild, and how hot the Predators are. And an all-California battle is most welcome.
Wild-Card Race
Team
Points
Games Remaining
Predators
91
6
Wild
85
6
Avalanche
82
6
The Predators are all but officially in. They can clinch Tuesday in Dallas.
The Avalanche rebounded after a devastating 4-0 loss to the Wild on Saturday, but they need help. All six of Colorado's remaining games are against playoff teams: Blues (2), Capitals, Predators, Stars, and Ducks. It's going to be real tough, especially without Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon.
It took a few tries, but the San Jose Sharks will have a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
The club officially clinched a playoff berth Monday night when the Arizona Coyotes lost to the Calgary Flames, but San Jose also took care of business on its own. The Sharks registered a 5-2 win over in-state rivals the Los Angeles Kings in a hard-fought game that felt a lot like a postseason encounter.
After missing the playoffs last year, and parting ways with head coach Todd McLellan, the Sharks are headed back to the dance for the 11th time in 12 seasons, and 18th time in franchise history.
Monday night's win was only the Sharks' 17th at home. Peter DeBoer's troops have been road warriors all season, their 25 wins away from the SAP Center tying them with the Washington Capitals for most in the NHL.
The win was goaltender Martin Jones' 36th, in a season in which he's proven he's a No. 1 goalie.
Now the hard part: 16 more wins in the postseason.
That distinction was set in stone with a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, whereby the Capitals clinched both the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best overall record and home-ice advantage in all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, should they indeed make it that far.
The win gives Washington 113 points with seven games remaining on the schedule. To date, no other team has eclipsed the 100-point mark this season.
Incredibly, the Caps have clinched the Presidents’ Trophy before any other team in the East has clinched a PLAYOFF SPOT. Incredible.
The first-place finish comes with a caveat, however, as only eight Presidents' Trophy winners have gone on to win the Cup since the award was introduced in 1986.
The defending Stanley Cup champions are heading to the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, as the Chicago Blackhawks clinched a playoff berth Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. It will mark their 61st postseason appearance in franchise history.
The Blackhawks needed just one point to book their ticket to the playoffs, but they picked up two thanks to Andrew Ladd, who scored the game-winning goal with under three minutes remaining. The trade-deadline acquisition now has three goals and four points in his past two games.
With Corey Crawford sidelined for the sixth game in a row due to an upper-body injury, Scott Darling filled in and picked up his second win in as many days with a 26-save performance.
Kuznetsov is having a breakout season with the Capitals, leading the team with 53 assists and 73 points, and was named a NHL All-Star. His rookie campaign last year was rather unimpressive, seeing him manufacture just 37 points. But then the playoffs happened.
The 23-year-old shared the team lead with five goals in 14 games during the postseason while giving a sneak peak of his pure offensive skill with an incredible solo-effort goal that would hold up as the game-winner in the first round against the New York Islanders.
One year later such pretty goals have become the norm for Kuznetsov, and who can forget that deadly no-look pass he seems to have mastered.
The Capitals will be a fun team to watch this spring, and you can thank the new kid on the block for that.
The 20-year-old rookie has really started to produce like a pro with 11 points in his last 12 games. He's shown he belongs at the NHL level, scoring 18 goals and chipping in 19 assists, while earning his minutes on the second line and the second power-play unit.
The playoffs are a different beast, though, and the pressure is squarely on Hitchcock and the Blues, who've been ousted in the first round in each of the last three seasons.
Alex Steen should be back for the playoffs, but St. Louis' additional forward depth should continue to allow Fabbri to succeed in a supporting role. While much will be expected of the Blues, Fabbri won't be held to the same standard as his veteran teammates in his first postseason experience, and that lack of pressure could help him extend his recent success into the playoffs.
Andrew Ladd
Ben Whyte: After being traded by the Winnipeg Jets in late February, Ladd started his second stint with the Chicago Blackhawks at an impressive pace with points in four of his first five games, but his play - and the team's - has since gone sour.
Prior to his three-point night Saturday, the forward had just one point in six games, which came in the Blackhawks lone win over that stretch.
The reigning Cup champions remain at risk to drop into a wild-card position if their struggles continue. If the Blackhawks hope to defend their title, and the 30-year-old hopes to take a second drink out of Lord Stanley's Mug in the Windy City, he will need to be a key contributor come playoff time.
While many expected him to push for 40 goals while playing wingman to either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, he's sitting on a modest 22 through 74 games, and is on pace for his lowest point total since his first year in Toronto back in 2009-10.
The potent winger leads the Penguins in total shots (242), but his shooting percentage sits below his career average and is well down from the success rate posted during his two 37-goal seasons with the Maple Leafs.
The 28-year-old has scored an impressive 13 goals in the 22 playoff games on his NHL resume, and he will be called upon to step things up in the first round especially, to make up for the absence of the injured Evgeni Malkin.
Kessel, who carries a hefty $8-million cap hit (part of which is still being paid by Toronto), broke out in a big way with a five-point game Saturday against Detroit, and can write a new story about his first year with the suddenly rolling Penguins by making an impact when it matters most.
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