Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Capitals look to gain ground in Metropolitan

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2022 NHL postseason. There are 12 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.

Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for Wednesday

Western Conference
The Calgary Flames (idle) will clinch the Pacific Division:
If the Dallas Stars defeat the Edmonton Oilers in regulation (8:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN360,SNW, TVAS, BSSWX, NHL LIVE).

On Tap

There are four games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, three with playoff implications.
Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers (8:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN360,SNW, TVAS, BSSWX, NHL LIVE)
The Oilers, second in the Pacific Division, are 8-1-1 in their past 10 and will attempt to extend their two-point lead over the third-place Los Angeles Kings. The Stars hold the second wild card from the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights and two points behind the Nashville Predators for the first wild card.
Washington Capitals at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET: ATTSN-RM, NBCSWA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Golden Knights have lost two straight and are four points behind the Stars for the second wild card from the West and five points behind the Kings for third in the Pacific. Alex Ovechkin needs two goals for his ninth 50-goal season for the Capitals, who hold the second wild card from the Eastern Conference and trail the Pittsburgh Penguins by one point for third in the Metropolitan Division and the Boston Bruins by three points for the first wild card.
Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET: ROOT-NW, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Avalanche are 9-1-0 in their past 10 and tied with the Panthers with 116 points atop the race for the Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the team with the most regular season points and guarantees home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Kraken, winners of their past two games, have been eliminated from playoff contention.

If playoffs started Wednesday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Wednesday:
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 10 games Tuesday, nine with playoff implications:
Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Philadelphia Flyers 2: William Nylander scored twice and has an NHL career-high 31 goals this season for the Maple Leafs, who are 11-1-1 in their past 13 games. Toronto extended its lead for second place in the Atlantic Division to eight points over the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers have lost six in a row and been eliminated from playoff contention.
Florida Panthers 3, New York Islanders 2 (OT): Aleksander Barkov scored the winner at 0:37 of overtime to complete his third NHL hat trick and give the Panthers their 11th consecutive win to maintain an eight-point lead over the Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic. The Islanders, 2-3-1 in their past six, have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Minnesota Wild 2, Montreal Canadiens 0: The Wild moved into a second-place tie with the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division thanks in part to Cam Talbot's 27th NHL shutout and two points (one goal, one assist) from Kevin Fiala, who extended his points streak to seven games. The Canadiens have lost six straight and been eliminated from playoff contention.
Detroit Red Wings 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3: The third-place Lightning fell eight points behind the second-place Maple Leafs in the Atlantic despite three assists from captain Steven Stamkos, who tied Martin St. Louis for the most points in franchise history (953). The loss to the Red Wings, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, left the Lightning 4-4-2 in their past 10.
New York Rangers 3, Winnipeg Jets 0: The Rangers moved into a first-place tie with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division with their third straight shutout victory. Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves and Ryan Strome scored two goals for New York. The Jets remain 10 points behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild card from the Western Conference.
Boston Bruins 3, St. Louis Blues 2 (OT): Charlie McAvoy scored 48 seconds into overtime for the Bruins, who moved within one point of the third-place Lightning in the Atlantic. Boston leads the Washington Capitals by three points for the first wild card from the Eastern Conference. The Blues, who had their nine-game winning streak end, fell into a second-place tie with the Wild in the Central.
Nashville Predators 3, Calgary Flames 2 (SO): Matt Duchene's goal made him the first 40-goal scorer in the history of the Predators, who moved two points ahead of the Stars for the first wild card from the West. The Flames picked up a point and moved 10 points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division.
Los Angeles Kings 2, Anaheim Ducks 1: Phillip Danault scored the go-ahead goal in the third period for the Kings, who've won three of four. Los Angeles moved within two points of Edmonton for second in the Pacific and extended its lead over the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks to five points. Anaheim has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Ottawa Senators 4, Vancouver Canucks 3 (SO): Vancouver had its six-game winning streak end, but the single point earned moved it within four points of Dallas for the second wild card from the West. The Senators have been eliminated from playoff competition.