Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Hurricanes can clinch with win against Sabres

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2022 NHL postseason. There are 23 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 Thursday:

Eastern Conference
The Carolina Hurricanes will clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs if:
They defeat the Buffalo Sabres in any fashion (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).

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On Tap

There are 10 games on the NHL schedule Thursday, eight with playoff implications.
Nashville Predators at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS2, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Predators, who have won three of their past four games, hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for the second wild card and two ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights. Nashville's Roman Josi leads NHL defensemen with 84 points (19 goals, 65 assists) in 67 games and is one away from his first 20-goal season. The Senators were eliminated from playoff contention with the Washington Capitals' 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SNE, SNW, SNP, NHL LIVE)
The Rangers can strengthen their hold on second in the Metropolitan Division and potentially tie the Carolina Hurricanes for first with a victory against the third-place Penguins. New York, which is 7-2-1 in its past 10 games, leads Pittsburgh by four points and is two points behind Carolina. The Penguins are 2-4-1 in their past seven games.
Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; BSOH, NBCSP+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The conclusion of a home-and-home set that began with Columbus' 4-2 win at Philadelphia on Tuesday. Columbus is 14 points behind Washington for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Flyers have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
Carolina can clinch a playoff berth for the fourth straight season with a win in any fashion. With losses in their past two games and three of their past four, the Hurricanes have seen their lead in the Metropolitan Division cut to two points by the Rangers. The Sabres, who defeated the Hurricanes 4-2 in the opening game of this home-and-home set Tuesday, were eliminated from playoff contention with the Capitals' victory Wednesday.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSW, SNO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Center Auston Matthews leads the NHL with 54 goals and needs one to pass Rick Vaive for the Maple Leafs single-season record. Toronto, which is 5-0-1 in its past six games, is second in the Atlantic Division, eight points behind the first-place Florida Panthers and three points ahead of the Boston Bruins and the Lightning, who are tied for third. Dallas holds the second wild card from the West, one point behind Nashville for the first wild card and one point ahead of Vegas.
Vancouver Canucks at Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET; BSAZX, SNP, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Canucks trail the Stars by seven points for the second wild card from the West following a 5-1 win against the Golden Knights on Wednesday. The Coyotes have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; SN1, BSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
A showdown for second in the Pacific Division and a potential first-round playoff matchup. Edmonton has won five in a row, including a 4-3 shootout win against Los Angeles on March 30, is second in the Pacific, one point ahead of third-place Los Angeles and six behind the first-place Calgary Flames. Oilers center Connor McDavid has scored 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) during a 14-game point streak.
Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, SNW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Flames will try to increase their six-point lead in the Pacific with a third straight win. The Sharks are 16 points behind the Stars for the second wild card from the West.

If 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) Tampa Bay Lightning
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Boston Bruins
(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 five games Wednesday, each with playoff implications:
Washington Capitals 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3: John Carlson matched his NHL career-high with four points (two goals, two assists) for the Capitals, who strengthened their hold on the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Washington is seven points behind the Lightning and the Boston Bruins, who are tied for the first wild card and for third in the Atlantic Division, and 13 ahead of the New York Islanders. Tampa Bay has lost three in a row (0-2-1). Washington's victory eliminated the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators from playoff contention.
Detroit Red Wings 3, Winnipeg Jets 1: Michael Rasmussen scored 9:11 into the third period to snap a 1-1 tie for the Red Wings, who avoided elimination from playoff contention and remained 21 points behind the Capitals for the second wild card from the East. The Jets lost their third straight-game and missed an opportunity to cut into their seven-point deficit behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild card from the Western Conference.
St. Louis Blues 4, Seattle Kraken 1: Robert Thomas scored a first period goal to extend his point streak to an NHL career-high seven games (four goals, eight assists) and the third-place Blues improved to 5-0-1 in their past six games to move within one point of the second-place Minnesota Wild in the Central Division. The Kraken have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Vancouver Canucks 5, Vegas Golden Knights 1: Elias Pettersson scored four points (two goals, two assists) to help the Canucks move within seven points of the Stars for the second wild card from the West. The Golden Knights' five-game winning streak ended, and they missed a chance to move one point ahead of the Stars into a tie with the Nashville Predators for the first wild card.
Calgary Flames 4, Anaheim Ducks 2: Elias Lindholm scored his team-leading 36th goal for the Flames, who increased their Pacific Division lead to six points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers. The Ducks lost for the 13th time in 14 games (1-10-3) and remained 15 points behind the Stars for the second wild card from the West.