Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Predators, Kings can each clinch berth in West

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

Clinching scenarios for Sunday

Eastern Conference
The Toronto Maple Leafs will clinch the No. 2 playoff seed in the Atlantic Division:
If they defeat the Washington Capitals in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SNO) and the Florida Panthers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU).
OR
If they get one point vs. Washington and Florida defeats Tampa Bay in regulation.
Western Conference
The Edmonton Oilers will clinch the No. 2 playoff seed in the Pacific Division:
If they defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets in any fashion (1 p.m. ET; BSO, SNW ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The Los Angeles Kings (idle) will clinch a playoff berth:
If the San Jose Sharks defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in regulation (10:30 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, NBCSCA, ESPN+. NHL LIVE).
Edmonton and Los Angeles will clinch a P2-P3 First Round matchup:
If San Jose defeats Vegas in regulation.
The Nashville Predators will clinch a playoff berth:
If they defeat the Minnesota Wild in regulation (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSN, BSWI, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) AND San Jose defeats Vegas in regulation.

On Tap

There are 11 games on the NHL schedule Sunday, 10 with playoff implications.
Carolina Hurricanes at New York Islanders (1 p.m. ET; TVAS, MSG+, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Hurricanes can tie their records for wins and points in a season -- 52 and 112, respectively, set in 2005-06, when they won the Stanley Cup -- and pad their two-point lead over the New York Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan Division. They have won three in a row. The Islanders have lost four straight (0-3-1) and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets (1 p.m. ET; BSOH, SNW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Oilers can reach 100 points and clinch second in the Pacific Division with a win any kind. They are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday but are 9-2-1 in their past 12 games. The Blue Jackets have lost four straight (0-3-1) and have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers (4 p.m. ET; TNT, TVAS, NHL LIVE)
The Penguins have a two-point lead for third place in the Metropolitan Division over the Washington Capitals. They are 4-1-1 in their past six games. The Flyers, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, are 1-6-0 in their past seven and 3-11-0 in their past 14.
Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; TSN3, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Avalanche can tie their record for points in a season, 118, set in 2000-01, when they won the Stanley Cup. They have clinched the Western Conference but are four points behind the Florida Panthers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the top regular-season team. Colorado has lost three in a row in regulation. Winnipeg, which has been eliminated from playoff contention, has lost four straight in regulation.
Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, NESN, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Bruins are three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division and two ahead of the Capitals for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Boston is 3-1-0 in its past four games. The Canadiens, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, have lost eight straight in regulation. This will be their first home game since Montreal legend Guy Lafleur died Friday at 70.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
The Panthers can extend their record for a winning streak to 14 games. They have clinched the Eastern Conference and have a four-point lead over the Avalanche in the Presidents' Trophy race. The Lightning have a three-point lead over the Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division and are 3-0-1 in their past four games. This will be the final game of the regular season in the Battle of Florida. The Panthers are 2-0-1 against the Lightning after losing to them in six games in the first round of the playoffs last year and watching them win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SNO, NHL LIVE)
The Maple Leafs can clinch second in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in their first-round series with any kind of win against Washington combined with a Florida win against Tampa Bay. The Capitals are two points behind the Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division and two points behind the Bruins for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Minnesota Wild at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSN, BSWI, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Wild and the St. Louis Blues will play each other in the Western Conference First Round. The question is who will have home ice. Minnesota and St. Louis are tied for second in the Central Division, but Minnesota has four games left and St. Louis three. The Wild are 7-0-2 in their past nine games. The Predators are tied with the Dallas Stars for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, but they have four games left, the Stars three. Nashville will clinch a playoff berth if it defeats the Wild in regulation and the San Jose Sharks defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in regulation.
St. Louis Blues at Anaheim Ducks (8:30 p.m. ET; SN360, SNW, SNP, BSSC, BSSD, BSMW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Blues are 13-0-2 on a 15-game point streak, a team record. This will be the final NHL game for Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, who has announced his retirement and will not play in Anaheim's last two games on the road. The 36-year-old center has played his entire 17-season NHL career for the Ducks and is their leader in games played (1,156), assists (736) and points (1,018). He won the Stanley Cup in 2007.
San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, NBCSCA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Golden Knights hope goalie Robin Lehner will be available to play after coach Peter DeBoer denied multiple reports Lehner will have season-ending knee surgery. Lehner was pulled after the first period of a 4-3 win against the Capitals on Wednesday after allowing one goal on 13 shots, and he did not practice Friday or Saturday. The Golden Knights are four points behind the Predators and Stars for the two wild cards into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The Sharks, eliminated from playoff contention, have won two of their past three games after a 10-game losing streak. A Vegas win would eliminate the Vancouver Canucks from playoff contention.

If playoffs started Sunday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Sunday:
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 12 games Saturday, nine with playoff implications:
Pittsburgh Penguins 7, Detroit Red Wings 2:The Penguins regained sole possession of third place in the Metropolitan Division, pulling two points ahead of the Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby became the third player in Penguins history to score 30 goals in 10 seasons, joining Jaromir Jagr (10) and Mario Lemieux (11). Evgeni Malkin scored twice in his return from a four-game suspension for cross-checking Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki on April 10. The Red Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Carolina Hurricanes 3, New Jersey Devils 2 (OT): Seth Jarvis scored 1:39 into overtime for the Hurricanes, who won their third straight game and took sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of the New York Rangers. Down 2-0 in the third period, Carolina tied it with goals by Brady Skjei and Nino Niederreiter. Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves for Carolina in his NHL debut. The Devils have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Boston Bruins 3, New York Rangers 1: The Bruins moved two points ahead of the Capitals for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Rangers fell two points behind the Hurricanes for first in the Metropolitan Division. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist for Boston after missing eight games with an undisclosed injury, and Linus Ullmark made 30 saves after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Mika Zibanejad scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves for New York.
Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Nashville Predators 2: The Lightning stayed three points ahead of the Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division. The Predators fell into a tie with the Dallas Stars for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and two assists for Tampa Bay, and Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist. Juuse Saros was pulled by Nashville at 2:08 of the third period after stopping 24 of 30 shots.
Florida Panthers 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2 (OT): The Panthers won their 13th straight game, a Florida record, and took a four-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche in the Presidents' Trophy race when Brandon Montour scored at 2:26 of overtime. Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists, and Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves and extended his Florida record with his 39th win. Mitchell Marner and Justin Holl scored, and Jack Campbell made 32 saves for the Maple Leafs, who lost their second straight and lead the Lightning by five points for second in the Atlantic.
Dallas Stars 3, Seattle Kraken 2: Roope Hintz scored twice for the Stars, who ended a three-game losing streak, moved into a tie with the Predators for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, and pulled four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights. Vladislav Namestnikov also scored, and Jake Oettinger made 30 saves for Dallas. The Kraken have been eliminated from playoff contention.
St. Louis Blues 5, Arizona Coyotes 4 (OT):The Blues moved into a tie with the Minnesota Wild for second place in the Central Division when Justin Faulk scored his second goal of the game 30 seconds into overtime. St. Louis and Minnesota will play each other in the first round of the playoffs but are competing for home-ice advantage. The Blues, who are on a 15-game point streak (13-0-2), have three games left. The Wild have four. Arizona has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Calgary Flames 6, Vancouver Canucks 3:The Canucks lost their third straight game (0-2-1) and fell six points behind the Predators and Stars in the Western Conference wild card race with three games left. Dillon Dube scored twice, and Dan Vladar made 30 saves for the Flames, who clinched first place in the Pacific Division on Thursday and are 9-1-1 in their past 11. Elias Lindholm scored his 40th goal of the season for Calgary.
Los Angeles Kings 4, Anaheim Ducks 2: The Kings won their fourth straight game and moved seven points ahead of the Golden Knights for third in the Pacific Division. Anze Kopitar had two assists, including his 700th in the NHL, and Arthur Kaliyev had a goal and an assist for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick made his sixth straight start and 19 saves for the Kings. Ryan Getzlaf had an assist in his final road game for the Ducks, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.