There were 14 games Saturday, 12 with playoff implications:
Nashville Predators 4, Chicago Blackhawks 3: Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist, and Juuse Saros made 28 saves for the Predators, who are tied with the Dallas Stars for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Blackhawks have been eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston Bruins 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1: Trent Frederic and Erik Haula scored 1:12 apart in the first period, and Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves for the Bruins, who ended a three-game losing streak and clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston is three points ahead of the Washington Capitals for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference and is three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins have clinched a playoff berth and are third in the Metropolitan Division, seven points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers.
New York Rangers 4, Detroit Red Wings 0: Alexis Lafreniere scored two goals and Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves as the Rangers won for the fifth time in six games and moved into a tie for first in the Metropolitan Division with the Hurricanes. New York has allowed one or fewer goals in five of its past six, including three shutouts. The Red Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.
St. Louis Blues 6, Minnesota Wild 5 (OT): Brayden Schenn scored 56 seconds into overtime for the Blues, who clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with their eighth straight win. Ville Husso made 31 saves for St. Louis, which moved one point ahead of Minnesota for second place in the Central Division. Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who have a five-game point streak (3-0-2) and are third in the Central, eight points ahead of the fourth-place Predators and Stars.
Edmonton Oilers 4, Vegas Golden Knights 0:Mike Smith made 39 saves for his second straight shutout for the Oilers, who are second in the Pacific Division, seven points behind the first-place Calgary Flames and four points ahead of the third-place Los Angeles Kings. The Golden Knights are 2-2-1 in their past five games and three points behind the Kings for third place in the Pacific. Vegas is four points behind Nashville and Dallas for one of the wild cards from the Western Conference.
Washington Capitals 8, Montreal Canadiens 4: Alex Ovechkin scored his 47th goal for the Capitals to move within three of a ninth 50-goal season, which would tie Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. Washington has won five of six and is three points behind Boston for the first wild card into the playoffs from the East, and three points behind Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Canadiens have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Ottawa Senators 4 (OT): Mark Giordano scored 3:26 into overtime and Mitchell Marner scored two goals for the Maple Leafs, who are 4-1-0 in their past five games and in second place in the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of the third-place Lightning and eight points behind the first-place Florida Panthers. The Senators have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Tampa Bay Lightning 7, Winnipeg Jets 4: Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists for the Lightning, who reached 100 points for the fifth time in nine seasons and are third in the Atlantic, four points behind the second-place Maple Leafs and three points ahead of the fourth-place Bruins. The Jets are 10 points behind the Predators and Stars for one of the wild cards from the West with six games remaining.
Dallas Stars 2, San Jose Sharks 1: Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are 3-0-1 in their past four games and are tied with the Predators for the first wild card in the West. The Sharks have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Colorado Avalanche 7, Carolina Hurricanes 4: J.T. Compher and Nathan MacKinnon each scored two goals for the Avalanche, who clinched the top seed in the Western Conference with their ninth straight win. Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen allowed seven goals on 33 shots before leaving because of an undisclosed injury during the third period. Carolina is tied with the New York Rangers for first in the Metropolitan Division.
Calgary Flames 9, Arizona Coyotes 1: Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk each had two goals and two assists for the Flames, who clinched a playoff berth earlier Saturday when the Oilers defeated the Golden Knights. Calgary is first in the Pacific Division, seven points ahead of second-place Edmonton with one game in hand. The Coyotes have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Los Angeles Kings, 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1:Phillip Danault scored for the third straight game for the Kings, who are third in the Pacific Division, three points ahead of the fourth-place Golden Knights and four points behind the second-place Oilers. The Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention earlier Saturday when the Capitals defeated the Canadiens.
