Path to the Playoffs | Standings, tonight's games to watch, and more

If you chose to go to bed early, that sound that woke you up around 1 a.m. was one loud, collective “LUUUUUK,” ringing out from living rooms throughout Western New York.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen pitched a brilliant 28-save shutout last night in Vegas, and it was a big one. That’s because all the teams chasing the Sabres managed to get points on Tuesday: The Lightning, Canadiens, Blue Jackets and Islanders all won while the Bruins picked up a point with an overtime loss.

Instead of worrying about any of those teams closing the gap, last night’s 2-0 win over the Golden Knights allows us to focus on the one team in front of the Sabres. That would be the Hurricanes, who lost 5-1 to the Blue Jackets.

All of which is to say: For the first time this season, the Sabres are tied with the Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference with 90 points. The Hurricanes have one game in hand, so they technically hold the tiebreaker.

It’s yet another benchmark on what’s been an incredible run, but there’s still plenty of hockey to be played – including a game featuring the Hurricanes tonight.

Here’s your Wednesday viewing guide.

Sabres' playoff odds, according to MoneyPuck.com: 99.7%

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Standings

Tuesday’s scores

• Sabres 2 – Golden Knights 0
• Islanders 3 – Maple Leafs 1
• Canadiens 3 – Bruins 2 (OT)
• Blue Jackets 5 – Hurricanes 1
• Canucks 5 – Panthers 2
• Lightning 6 – Kraken 2

Wednesday’s games to follow

Penguins at Hurricanes – 7 p.m.

Implications: The Hurricanes can grab the top spot in the conference right back with a point here. If they lose in regulation, however, they’d no longer have a game in hand – and the Sabres would own the tiebreaker by virtue of regulation wins.  

Senators at Capitals – 7:30 p.m.

Implications: The Senators have been hot, but they’ve struggled to make up ground in the standings as the teams they’re chasing continue to collect points. A win here would bring them within three points of a wild card spot. This one shouldn’t have huge ramifications on the Sabres, so root based on whether you’d like to see Ottawa in the playoffs.

Playoff format

Eight teams from the Eastern Conference will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The format is a set bracket that is largely division-based with wild cards. 

The top three teams in each division will make up the first six teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The remaining two spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference (wild cards), based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

 Tie-breaking procedures

If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

1. The fewer number of games played (i.e., superior points percentage).
2. The greater number of games won, excluding games won in Overtime or by Shootout (i.e., 'Regulation Wins'). This figure is reflected in the RW column.
3. The greater number of games won, excluding games won by Shootout. This figure is reflected in the ROW column.
4. The greater number of games won by the Club in any manner (i.e., 'Total Wins'). This figure is reflected in the W column.
5. The greater number of points earned in games against each other among two or more tied clubs. For the purpose of determining standing for two or more Clubs that have not played an even number of games with one or more of the other tied Clubs, the first game played in the city that has the extra game (the 'odd game') shall not be included. When more than two Clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any 'odd games') shall be used to determine standing.
6. The greater differential between goals for and against (including goals scored in Overtime or awarded for prevailing in Shootouts) for the entire regular season. This figure is reflected in the DIFF column.
7. The greater number of goals scored (including goals scored in Overtime or awarded for prevailing in Shootouts) for the entire regular season. This figure is reflected in the GF column.