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The NHL Eastern Conference playoff race is coming down to the wire, with four teams vying for the final wild card spot. The Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers have all played 81 games, and their fates will be decided in the final matchup of the regular season.
NHL analyst Frank Seravalli took to X/Twitter to break down the clinching scenarios for each team in the NHL Eastern Conference playoff race:
For the Capitals, the simplest path is a win against the Flyers. However, they can also secure a playoff berth with a single point against Philadelphia, combined with a Red Wings loss to the Montreal Canadiens and a Penguins loss to the New York Islanders.
The Red Wings' chances hinge on a victory over Montreal and the Capitals earning one point or less against the Flyers.
Alternatively, Detroit can clinch a spot with an overtime loss to the Canadiens, coupled with a Capitals regulation loss and the Penguins gaining one point or less. A regulation loss to Montreal would eliminate the Red Wings from playoff contention.
The Penguins' road to the playoffs requires a win against the Islanders and both the Capitals and Red Wings earning one point or less in their respective games.
Pittsburgh can also clinch with an overtime loss to New York, provided that both Washington and Detroit lose in regulation. A regulation loss to the Islanders would spell the end of the Penguins' playoff hopes.
The Flyers face the toughest odds, needing a regulation win over the Capitals, a Red Wings regulation loss to the Canadiens and a Penguins regulation loss to the Islanders to claim the final wild card spot. Anything short of a regulation win would eliminate Philadelphia from the NHL Eastern Conference playoff race.
NHL Eastern Conference standings
Atlantic Division
#1. Boston Bruins (47-19-15) – 109
#2. Florida Panthers (51-24-6) – 108
#3. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-24-10) – 102
Metropolitan Division
#1. New York Rangers (55-23-4) – 114
#2. Carolina Hurricanes (52-22-7) – 111
#3. New York Islanders (38-27-16) – 92
NHL Eastern Conference playoff race
#1. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-29-8) - 96 (Clinched Playoffs)
#2. Washington Capitals (39-31-11) - 89
#3. Detroit Red Wings (40-32-9) - 89
#4. Pittsburgh Penguins (38-31-12) – 88
#5. Philadelphia Flyers (38-32-11) - 87
NHL Western Conference standings
Central Division
#1. Dallas Stars (51-21-9) – 111
#2. Winnipeg Jets (50-24-6) – 106
#3. Colorado Avalanche (49-25-7) - 105
Pacific Division
#1. Vancouver Canucks (49-22-9) – 107
#2. Edmonton Oilers (49-25-6) – 104
#3. Los Angeles Kings (43-27-11) – 97
West Wild Card
#1. Nashville Predators (47-30-5) – 99
#2. Vegas Golden Knights (44-28-8) - 96
Despite winning only four of their last 10 games, the Nashville Predators have secured the top wild card spot in the Western Conference with 99 points.
The Vegas Golden Knights (96 points) secured the other wild card spot after defeating the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3 in their most recent game.
