Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Bruins, Penguins, Lightning, Flames can clinch

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2022 NHL postseason. There are 17 days left in the regular season, and the races in each of the four divisions are tight. The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the next two highest-place finishers in each conference reach the playoffs.
Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture:

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Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for Thursday:

The Boston Bruins will clinch a playoff berth if:
They defeat the Ottawa Senators in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; NESN, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) AND the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the New York Islanders in any fashion, or if they get one point against the Senators and the Penguins defeat the Islanders in regulation.
The Penguinswill clinch if:
They defeat the Islanders in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, MSG+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The Tampa Bay Lightning will clinch if:
They defeat the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSUN, BSSC, BSSD, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) or get one point against the Ducks AND the Penguins defeat the Islanders in any fashion, or the Islanders lose to the Penguins in regulation.
The Calgary Flames will clinch if:
They get at least one point against the Vegas Golden Knights (9 p.m. ET; SN360, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The Colorado Avalanche will clinch the Central Division if:
They defeat the New Jersey Devils in any fashion (9 p.m. ET; ALT, MSG, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) AND the Buffalo Sabres defeat the St. Louis Blues in any fashion AND the Dallas Stars defeat the Minnesota Wild in regulation.

On Tap

There are 12 games on the schedule Thursday, all with playoff implications
Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Bruins have an opportunity to move into third place in the Atlantic Division with a win and a loss of any kind by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who play the Anaheim Ducks at Amalie Arena, or if Boston gets at least one point and Tampa Bay loses in regulation. The Bruins are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Blues on Tuesday and have lost three of four in regulation. The Senators have been eliminated from playoff contention.
St. Louis Blues at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, BSMWX, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Blues have won six in a row and have points in nine consecutive games (8-0-1). They have a chance to move past the Minnesota Wild and into second place in the Central Division. The Blues and Wild each have 96 points, but Minnesota has one game in hand. The Wild visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday. St. Louis is 14-for-14 with two shorthanded goals on the penalty kill in its nine-game run. The Sabres have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, NBCSWA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Capitals have won four in a row to move three points behind the Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division and they hold the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs' eight-game point streak ended in its loss to the Sabres. They are second in the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of the Lightning and five ahead of the Bruins. Toronto center Auston Matthews needs two goals to become the first 60-goal scorer in the NHL since Lightning center Steven Stamkos (60) in 2011-12. Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is four goals from reaching 50 for the ninth time in his NHL career. At least one point earned by Washington will eliminate the Columbus Blue Jackets from playoff contention.
Anaheim Ducks at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSUN, BSSC, BSSD, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Lightning are coming off a 1-0 loss to the Stars on Tuesday, dropping to 1-3-2 in their past six games. They will retain third place in the Atlantic with a win or if the Bruins lose in regulation.The Ducks have been eliminated from playoff contention, are 2-11-4 in 17 games since March 8 and have not won against a team in playoff position since Jan. 24 (5-3 at the Bruins).
New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, MSG+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Pittsburgh is 2-5-1 in its past eight games, including a 5-4 shootout loss to the Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Kyle Palmieri scored the shootout winner for the Islanders. The Penguins will be playing their second of four games without center Evgeni Malkin, who was suspended for cross checking.
Detroit Red Wings at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
The Hurricanes have a two-point lead and one game in hand on the New York Rangers for first in the Metropolitan Division. They want to get their power play going against the Red Wings. They are 0-for-14 in their past six games. The Red Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, SNW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Oilers are trying to secure second place in the Pacific Division and the Predators hope to hold onto the first wild card from the Western Conference. Edmonton has a three-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings for second. The Predators have a one-point lead on the Stars for the first wild card. Edmonton is coming off a 5-1 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday that ended a seven-game point streak (6-0-1). Nashville won 1-0 in overtime against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. The Predators are 5-2-1 in their past eight.
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, NHL LIVE)
The Wild will retain their hold on second place in the Central Division with a win and can stay in second by getting one point and the Blues losing in any fashion to the Sabres. Minnesota has one game in hand on St. Louis. Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has scored 12 goals in 14 games since March 16. Dallas is looking to move ahead of Nashville and into the first wild card.
San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, NBCSCA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Sharks will be eliminated from contention if they lose to the Blackhawks in any fashion or win in overtime or a shootout and either the Stars or Golden Knights earn at least one point. San Jose has lost seven in a row (0-5-2). Chicago has lost eight straight (0-6-2) and has been eliminated from playoff contention.
New Jersey Devils at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; ALT, MSG, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Avalanche could win back-to-back division titles for the first time in nearly 20 years. They've finished first 12 times including a run of nine straight from 1994-95 to 2002-03. Colorado has won seven straight games, including 9-3 against the Kings on Wednesday. The Devils have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Vegas Golden Knights at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SN360, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Golden Knights are 6-1-1 in their past eight games and three points behind the Stars for the second wild card and three points behind the Kings for third in the Pacific Division. Vegas forward Jack Eichel has points in five straight games (four goals, two assists). The Flames are moving closer to clinching first in the Pacific Division. Calgary has won five in a row, outscoring opponents 20-10. It has a nine-point lead with one game in hand on second-place Edmonton.
Arizona Coyotes at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSAZ, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Canucks have remained alive in the playoff race with four straight wins and points in five consecutive games (4-0-1). They're six points out of a wild card spot and third in the Pacific Division. Vancouver's power play has come alive, going 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) in the five-game point streak. The Canucks are also 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) with a shorthanded goal on the penalty kill. The Coyotes have been eliminated from the playoffs.

If the playoffs started Thursday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Thursday:
Eastern Conference
(1A) Florida Panthers vs. (WC2) Washington Capitals
(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) Boston Bruins
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(2M) New York Rangers vs. (3M) Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
(1C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Dallas Stars
(1P) Calgary Flames vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators
(2C) Minnesota Wild vs. (3C) St. Louis Blues
(2P) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Los Angeles Kings

About last night

There were three games Wednesday, all with playoff implications:
New York Rangers 4, Philadelphia Flyers 0:The Rangers moved to within two points of first place in the Metropolitan Division. They have 102 points in 75 games; the Carolina Hurricanes have 104 points in 74 games. Kaapo Kakko scored two goals, the forward's first goals since he scored two in a 3-2 win at the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 15. Kakko missed 31 games from Jan. 22-April 7 with an upper-body injury. Artemi Panarin scored to give the forward nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past six games. Alexandar Georgiev made 28 saves for his second shutout in five starts.
Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Montreal Canadiens 1: The Blue Jackets stayed alive in the playoff race for at least one more day. They got two goals from forward Jack Roslovic, giving him five in his past two games. Patrik Laine had a goal and two assists and Elvis Merzlikins made 20 saves. Columbus forward Kent Johnson, the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and undrafted defenseman Nick Blankenburg each made his NHL debut. Blankenburg had an assist in 16:46 of ice time. Johnson played 11:05.
Colorado Avalanche 9, Los Angeles Kings 3: Nathan MacKinnon had a hat trick and tied his NHL career high with five points, and the Avalanche set records for wins in a season (53) and at home (29). MacKinnon, a forward, scored in the first period and twice in the third. Colorado had a 4-0 lead before Los Angeles scored twice in the second to make it 4-2. The Avalanche scored the next five goals. Defenseman Cale Makar had a goal and three assists. Colorado took a two-point lead on the Florida Panthers for first in the overall NHL standings. The Kings are still two points behind the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division with Edmonton holding two games in hand. The Kings are also three points ahead of the Golden Knights for third with Vegas having two games in hand.