Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Avalanche can take sole possession of Central

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

There are two games on the NHL schedule Sunday, each with playoff implications.
Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers (6 p.m. ET; TNT, SN1, TVAS, SN NOW)
The Bruins (62-12-5) can set a single-season NHL wins record after they defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Saturday to tie the mark held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins are 10-3-0 in the second half of back-to-back games this season. The Flyers have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Colorado Avalanche at Anaheim Ducks (8:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, SN1, TVAS, ALT)
The Avalanche (48-24-6) are in a tight race in the Central Division. A win would allow them to move two points ahead of the Dallas Stars for first place and four points ahead of the third-place Minnesota Wild. Colorado has won nine straight games on the road, matching the longest run in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history (nine in a row in 2019-20). The Ducks have been eliminated from playoff contention.

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If playoffs started Sunday

Here is a look at the
matchups for the first round
as they stand entering games Sunday:
Eastern Conference
(1A) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) New York Islanders
(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) Florida Panthers
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(2M) New Jersey Devils vs. (3M) New York Rangers
Western Conference
(1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Winnipeg Jets
(1C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC1) Seattle Kraken
(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3C) Minnesota Wild
(2P) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Los Angeles Kings

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About last night

There were 16 games Wednesday, 15 with playoff implications:
Buffalo Sabres 4, Carolina Hurricanes 3: The Sabres (39-32-7) staved off elimination in the race for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. Buffalo got a goal and two assists from Rasmus Dahlin and two goals from Casey Mittelstadt, and has won six of its past eight games (6-1-1). The Sabres are six points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild card, but have two games in hand. The Hurricanes (50-20-9) remained one point ahead of the New Jersey Devils for first in the Metropolitan Division.
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Detroit Red Wings 1: Sidney Crosby became the 15th player in NHL history with 1,500 points (550 goals, 950 assists) when the Penguins captain had two goals and an assist against the Red Wings (35-34-10), in his 1,188th game. With wins by the Florida Panthers and Islanders, the Penguins (40-30-10) stayed one point behind New York for the second wild card in the East. The Red Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Dallas Stars 2, Vegas Golden Knights 1 (SO):The Golden Knights (49-22-9) clinched home-ice advantage in the first round by extending their point streak to six games (3-0-3). They moved two points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. The Stars (44-21-14) got 19 saves from Jake Oettinger and won their fifth game in their past six (5-1-0). Dallas is tied with Colorado for first in the Central but the Avalanche have one game in hand.
Edmonton Oilers 6, San Jose Sharks 1:Connor McDavid reached 151 points (64 goals, 87 assists) with two goals and an assist for the Oilers (48-23-9). It's the most points by a player in a season since Mario Lemieux had 161 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. The Oilers have won seven straight and have points in 13 in a row (12-0-1). Edmonton has secured home-ice advantage in the first round and are second in the Pacific, two points behind the Golden Knights and five ahead of the third-place Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks (22-41-16) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Winnipeg Jets 2, Nashville Predators 0:Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for the Jets (44-32-3), who remained in the second wild card from the West, one point ahead of the Calgary Flames and three ahead of the Predators (40-31-8). Mark Scheifele scored his 40th goal of the season for the Jets, who have won three of their past four (3-1-0).
Florida Panthers 4, Washington Capitals 2:Matthew Tkachuk scored his 40th goal of the season with 1:00 remaining in the third period, breaking a tie with the Capitals (34-36-9), and allowing the Panthers (42-31-7) to hold the first wild card in the East. Tkachuk also had two assists. The Panthers are tied in points with the Islanders but have one more regulation win (36-35). The Capitals have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Toronto Maple Leafs 7, Montreal Canadiens 1: Mitchell Marner had two goals and an assist and Auston Matthews had a goal and three assists for the Maple Leafs (47-21-11). They are second in the Atlantic Division and will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round. The Canadiens (31-43-6) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
New York Rangers 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 0:Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves and the Rangers (47-21-12) pulled within two points of the second-place Devils in the Metropolitan Division, and within three of the first-place Hurricanes. They are 3-0-2 in their past five games and 12-2-3 in their past 17. The Blue Jackets (24-47-8) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Ottawa Senators 7, Tampa Bay Lightning 4: Victor Hedman had a goal and two assists for the Lightning (45-29-6), who lost their third straight game. They are third in the Atlantic and will play the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs. The Senators (38-35-7) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
New York Islanders 4, Philadelphia Flyers 0:Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves for the Islanders (41-30-9), who kept pace with the Panthers and Penguins in the wild card race in the East. Sorokin has an NHL-high six shutouts this season. New York has won two in a row and has the second wild card, one point ahead of the Penguins. The Flyers (29-37-13) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Minnesota Wild 5, St. Louis Blues 3:Ryan Hartman and Sam Steel scored short-handed goals 20 seconds apart in the first period for the Wild (45-24-10) and kept pace in the Central Division with the Avalanche and Stars, each of whom also won. The Wild are third in division, two points out of first. The Blues (37-36-7) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Boston Bruins 2, New Jersey Devils 1:The Bruins (62-12-5) got two goals from Pavel Zacha and tied the single-season NHL wins record. Linus Ullmark made 29 saves to help Boston win its fifth straight game. The Bruins clinched the Presidents' Trophy on March 31 and are 24 points ahead of the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division, which they clinched March 25. The Devils (50-22-8) are one point behind the first-place Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division, and two ahead of the third-place Rangers.
Vancouver Canucks 3, Calgary Flames 2 (SO):The Flames (37-27-16) were unable to keep pace in the West wild card race despite third-period goals from Elias Lindholm and Nazem Kadri to tie the game. They are one point behind the Jets for the second wild card, and Winnipeg has one game in hand. The Canucks (36-36-7) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Seattle Kraken 7, Chicago Blackhawks 3:The Kraken (45-26-8) got a goal and two assists from Daniel Sprong and they won their fourth straight game. They have the first wild card in the West, seven points ahead of the Jets, and are two points behind the third-place Kings in the Pacific Division with one game in hand. Goalie Martin Jones sustained an undisclosed injury and was replaced at the start of the third period by Philipp Grubauer. There was no update after the game on Jones' status. The Blackhawks (25-48-6) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Colorado Avalanche 4: Los Angeles Kings 3:The Avalanche (48-24-6) got two goals from Denis Malgin to stay atop the Central. Colorado is tied with Dallas in points but has one game in hand. The Avalanche also are two points ahead of the third-place Wild, and have one game in hand on them as well. The Kings (45-25-10) have lost three straight and five of seven (2-5-0). They are third in the Pacific, five points behind the second-place Oilers and two ahead of the fourth-place Kraken, who have one game in hand.