NHL Playoff Bracket Scenarios: What's at stake in Saturday's 14-game slate

X-Files · May 8, 2021

Another night, another playoff spot clinched as we officially welcome the St. Louis Blues to the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Blues earned one point for their overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, and with the Los Angeles Kings' regulation loss to the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis is now locked in to the No. 4 spot in the West Division. Here's what to watch for in Saturday's 14-game slate:

There aren't many other teams that are locked in to particular spots right now, but one of them is the Carolina Hurricanes, who have clinched the Central Division crown. They'll face off against the Nashville Predators, who can clinch a playoff spot with a win. Elsewhere in the Central, it's the latest skirmish in the Battle of Florida, as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers continue to joust for seeding; they're currently tied with 75 standings points, but the Lightning hold the regulation wins tiebreaker. You can catch this game streaming on ESPN+ tonight.

In the North Division, the Montreal Canadiens can move closer to punching their playoff ticket with a win in their contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The idle Calgary Flames will be hoping for a regulation win for the Maple Leafs, while the Vancouver Canucks must win their game against the Edmonton Oilers tonight to keep their hopes alive.

While the Blues are locked into the No. 4 spot, the Golden Knights, Avalanche and Minnesota Wild are all still in the mix for the top seed. Vegas and St. Louis square off again tonight in a potential playoff preview (streaming on ESPN+), while the Avs get the Kings and the Wild face the Anaheim Ducks.

The East Division has had its four playoff teams clinched longer than anyone -- but there's the least clarity as to the order in which they'll finish. The Pittsburgh Penguins have a two-point lead in the standings over the Washington Capitals, and play their final regular-season tilt this afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres. Pittsburgh and the Caps are even in regulation wins, and the Pens won the season series, 6-2. The Capitals get a rematch against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday after losing Friday night. The Boston Bruins are two points back of Washington and four points back of Pittsburgh, but have three games remaining, the first of which is at 3 p.m. ET today against the New York Rangers. Finally, the New York Islanders need a lot of help to move out of fourth into third, but one part of the process would be a win in their game against the New Jersey Devils tonight.

Having reached the final stretch of the regular season, it's time to check in on all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2021 NHL draft lottery.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id...racket-scenarios-stake-saturday-14-game-slate

azbob · May 8, 2021

Might be a case of "Vegas Flu" tonight as STL plays the second of back-to-back vs LVGK tonight after losing the OT game last night, but as stated above, clinched their spot and are locked-in. LV looks like a good play as they are still playing for the number one seed and are -190 or +130 on the PL. Especially if Fluery is in net, a game to consider.

jamerx · May 8, 2021

azbob said:
Might be a case of "Vegas Flu" tonight as STL plays the second of back-to-back vs LVGK tonight after losing the OT game last night, but as stated above, clinched their spot and are locked-in. LV looks like a good play as they are still playing for the number one seed and are -190 or +130 on the PL. Especially if Fluery is in net, a game to consider.

Thanks

X-Files · May 9, 2021

azbob said:
Might be a case of "Vegas Flu" tonight as STL plays the second of back-to-back vs LVGK tonight after losing the OT game last night, but as stated above, clinched their spot and are locked-in. LV looks like a good play as they are still playing for the number one seed and are -190 or +130 on the PL. Especially if Fluery is in net, a game to consider.