* The West is not set thanks to the Blues, who are now three points back of the reigning Stanley Cup champions for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
* The regular-season will end one week from today, with four playoff spots still up for grabs (two in each conference) and all eight First Round matchups to be determined.
* None of the 12 teams that have clinched a playoff spot have secured a specific seed, and each of them have at least four potential opponents in the First Round. Click here to see all the possible outcomes.
* All five contenders in the Eastern Conference playoff race are in action tonight, with the Capitals able to overtake the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division standings. If that doesn’t happen, the winner of the Red Wings-Penguins matchup could move back into the second Wild Card spot.
BLUES GO FOUR-FOR-FOUR TO KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE
Needing a win to ensure their Stanley Cup Playoffs aspirations would survive the night, the Blues (42-32-5, 89 points) scored on each of their first four shots on home ice – all within the first seven minutes of play – to secure a second straight win and move within three points of the Golden Knights (42-28-8, 92 points) for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. St. Louis is competing with Vegas and Los Angeles (41-26-11, 93 points) for two remaining playoff spots but can only finish as Wild Card 2, while the others also have a shot at securing a top-three spot in the Pacific Division.
* The Blues have the fewest games remaining among the three clubs in contention (STL: 3; LAK & VGK: 4 each), and will contest each of them on national telecasts: Friday vs. Carolina (8 ET on NHLN, TVAS), Sunday vs. Seattle (1 ET on TNT, Max) – part of a doubleheader that also features Vegas – and Wednesday at Dallas (9:30 ET on TNT, Max).
* Five teams in NHL history have overcome a standings deficit of three or more points in their final three games of a season to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs: the 2006-07 Islanders, 1989-90 Islanders, 1987-88 Devils, 1958-59 Maple Leafs and 1925-26 Pittsburgh Pirates.
* In 2022-23, the Panthers finished as Wild Card 2 in the Eastern Conference and came within three victories of winning the Stanley Cup. They are one of two Wild Card clubs to reach the Final since the format was introduced in 2013-14 (also NSH in 2016-17).
* Jordan Kyrou scored twice in the opening 2:46 of the game to mark the fourth-fastest two goals by a player from start of game for the Blues and trigger the rare sequence of four goals on four shots.
OILERS GAIN A POINT ON THE CANUCKS, PUSH FOR FIRST DIVISION TITLE SINCE 1980s
Playing without the services of 99-assist and 130-point captain Connor McDavid, the Oilers tallied five goals against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights to prevent them from climbing the standings and secure themselves a top-three spot in the Pacific Division.
* Edmonton has a League-high five games remaining (tied w/ CGY & SEA) and will finish the season in one of five ways – a list that includes the possibilities of claiming a division title, conference title and/or Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in more than 35 years. The last time they secured any of those three rankings was in 1986-87 when they nabbed all three and then won the Stanley Cup.
* The Oilers (48-24-5, 101 points) will have a chance to narrow the gap behind the Pacific Division-leading Canucks (48-22-9, 105 points) to only two points on Friday when they host the Coyotes – who helped Edmonton’s cause with a victory in Vancouver on Wednesday thanks to a four-point birthday performance by 21-year-old Dylan Guenther. If the Oilers win Friday, they would be able to overtake the Canucks for first place in the Pacific Division when they go head-to-head on the final Hockey Night in Canada of the regular season Saturday (by virtue of the games played tiebreaker).
* Zach Hyman scored his 53rd goal of the season, a total that includes a League-high 43 from the high-danger zone (via NHL EDGE), 35 on home ice and 11 in games broadcast nationally on TNT – which has helped him become “a frontrunner for the very super serious, definitely not fake Mr. TNT Award.”
QUICK CLICKS
* Everything was happening Monday night, so let @NHL recap it for you
* Red Wings feel playoff urgency, look to ‘seize opportunity’ against Penguins
* Sidney Crosby voted most complete player in NHLPA poll for 5th consecutive season
* Jets prospect Rutger McGroarty aiming to win NCAA title before deciding NHL future
* Alex Ovechkin sets record with 18th 30-goal season, continues resurgence for Capitals
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE INTENSIFIES WITH ALL 5 TEAMS IN ACTION. . .
The Islanders (36-27-15, 87 points), Capitals (37-30-11, 85 points), Penguins (36-30-12, 84 points), Red Wings (38-32-8, 84 points) and Flyers (36-32-11, 83 points) – five teams separated by four points in the Eastern Conference playoff race – are each in action during a 10-game Thursday. Four of the five teams, excluding Detroit which can only conclude the season with the second Wild Card spot, can finish as either the No. 3 seed in Metropolitan Division or Wild Card 2 and could face Boston, Carolina, Florida or NY Rangers in the First Round.
* The Islanders (5-0-0 since April 1) own the NHL’s longest active win streak and host the Canadiens with an opportunity to register their second six-game winning streak since late February (6-0-0 from Feb. 26 – March 10). New York can register multiple stretches of six or more contests for the fourth time, with the previous instances taking place during the franchise’s dynasty years in the 1980s.
* Alex Ovechkin has been pivotal in Washington’s pursuit of a playoff spot, with 14 goals in 20 games since March 1 – tied for the fourth in the NHL through that span. Fresh of establishing an NHL record for most 30-goal seasons, Ovechkin (30-33—63 in 75 GP) sits one tally shy of becoming the fifth different player, age 38 or older, in League history with at least 31 in a single season (age based at start of season).
* Sidney Crosby (590-998—1,588 in 1,268 GP) and the Penguins find themselves in playoff contention thanks in part to an active nine-game point streak (6-0-3 since March 24) – the NHL’s longest active stretch. Crosby, closing in on becoming the first player to enter the NHL’s top 10 in all-time scoring since Jaromir Jagr more than 16 years ago, has collected multiple assists six times in 2023-24 and with a seventh would become the 14th player in NHL history to record 1,000 career assists.
. . . WHILE CLUBS CONTINUE TO CHASE PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY
Nine teams are still in the contention for the Presidents’ Trophy, include four in action Thursday, with the two frontrunners looking to claim wins to narrow the list of those in the running. The Rangers (53-22-4, 110 points) and Stars (50-20-9, 109 points), who sit first and second overall in the NHL standings, each play at home as they seek their fourth and third Presidents’ Trophy wins, respectively.
* New York, within one win of establishing a single-season franchise record, has clinched home-ice advantage in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it has yet to be determined what position it will hold. The Rangers can finish as the first or second seed in the Metropolitan Division – with the former also giving them a shot at securing the No. 1 seed in the overall NHL standings – and have seven potential First Round opponents (DET, NYI, PHI, PIT, TBL, TOR or WSH).
* Jake Oettinger has captured eight straight wins and has helped Dallas open their leads over the Avalanche (49-24-6, 104 points) and Jets (48-24-6, 102 points) atop the Central Division, as well as a four-point gap on the Canucks (48-22-9, 105 points) for top spot in the Western Conference. It is guaranteed that Dallas, Colorado and Winnipeg will finish among the top three in the Central Division, though none of their seeds are locked – though that would change with Stars win Thursday against Winnipeg.
