Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Kings seek 1st place in Pacific Division

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2023 NHL postseason. There are 17 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.

Here are the Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for March 28:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Boston Bruinswill clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the
Presidents' Trophy
:
If they defeat the Nashville Predators in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, NESN, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW) AND the Carolina Hurricanes lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning in regulation (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSSO, BSSUN, ESPN+, SN NOW).

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The Vegas Golden Knightswill clinch a playoff berth:
If they defeat the Edmonton Oilers in regulation (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN1, TVAS).
OR
If they defeat the Oilers in overtime or a shootout AND either of the following occurs:
- The Winnipeg Jets lose to the San Jose Sharks in any fashion (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, TSN3, ESPN+, SN NOW).
- Any result in the Predators-Bruins game other than a Predators regulation win.
OR
If they get one point against the Oilers AND anyof the following occurs:
- The Jets lose to the Sharks in overtime or a shootout ANDthe Predators lose to the Bruins in any fashion.
- The Jets lose to the Sharks in regulation ANDany result in the Predators-Bruins game other than a Predators regulation win.
- The Predators lose to the Bruins in regulation.
OR
If the Jets and Predators each lose in regulation.

On Tap

There are 10 games on the NHL schedule Tuesday, eight with playoff implications.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSG, BSOH, ESPN+, SN NOW): The Rangers (43-20-10) became the fifth team to clinch a playoff berth following the Montreal Canadiens' 4-3 shootout win at the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators' 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Monday. The Rangers have won two straight, are 8-1-1 in their past 10 and are third in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the second-place New Jersey Devils with a game in hand.
Nashville Predators at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, NESN, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW): The Bruins (57-11-5), who have won seven straight, can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Presidents' Trophy for best regular-season record in the NHL with a win and a regulation loss by the Carolina Hurricanes to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Predators (36-28-8) can move within three points of the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference with a win. Nashville has lost two in a row and is 2-4-1 in its past seven games.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSSO, BSSUN, ESPN+, SN NOW):The Hurricanes (47-16-9), 8-4-1 in their past 13 games, look to pad their three-point Metropolitan Division lead over the idle Devils; Carolina holds two games in hand. The Lightning (42-26-6) are third in the Atlantic Division and will try to end a four-game losing streak when they have been outscored 17-7. A win would move them within five points of the second-place Toronto Maple Leafs, who have a game in hand.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW):The Penguins (36-27-10), who hold the second wild card in the East, are 2-5-0 in their past seven games but can move within one point of the idle New York Islanders for the first wild card with a win; Pittsburgh holds two games in hand. The Red Wings (31-32-9) are 3-11-1 in their past 15 games and 11 points behind the Penguins for the second wild card in the East.
Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, BSSW, ESPN+, SN NOW):The Stars (39-20-14), 2-3-1 in their past six, can tie the idle Colorado Avalanche for second in the Central Division and move within a point of the also-idle Minnesota Wild for the division lead with a win. Dallas holds a game in hand on Minnesota.
Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, BSW, ESPN+, SN NOW):The Kings (43-20-10) will look to extend their team-record 12-game point streak (10-0-2) and move into a tie with the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division lead with a win and a Golden Knights regulation loss. The Kings begin a four-game road trip following a 5-0-2 homestand. The Flames (33-26-15) can move within two points of the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card in the West with a win.
Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights(10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN1, TVAS, SN NOW):The Golden Knights (46-21-6) have won four straight, are 11-2-0 in their past 13 and can become the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth and maintain sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division with a victory. The Oilers (42-23-9) are 6-0-1 in their past seven and can move within a point of the Kings with a win and a Los Angeles loss.
Winnipeg Jets at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, TSN3, ESPN+, SN NOW):The Jets (41-30-3) are 6-9-2 in their past 17 games but hold the second wild card in the West. They can move within one point of the idle Seattle Kraken for the first wild card with a win.

If the playoffs started Tuesday

Here is a look at the
matchups for the first round
as they stand entering games Tuesday:
Eastern Conference
(1A) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Pittsburgh Penguins
(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) New York Islanders
(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) Minnesota Wild vs. (WC1) Seattle Kraken
(2C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (3C) Dallas Stars
(2P) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3P) Edmonton Oilers

About last night

There were six games Monday, all with playoff implications.
Ottawa Senators 5, Florida Panthers 2:Brady Tkachuk had a goal and an assist to help the Senators (36-33-5) move within five points of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card in the East.
Tim Stutzle
, Alex DeBrincat, Derick Brassard and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa, which was 3-for-4 on the power play. Gustav Forsling scored twice and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for the Panthers (36-31-7), who have lost four straight and remain three behind the Penguins in the wild card race.
Lukas Rousek had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut and Eric Comrie made 38 saves for the Sabres (35-31-7), who have lost five of their past seven games (2-3-2) but moved within five points of the Penguins for the second wild card in the East. Jordan Harris, Alex Belzile and Brendan Gallagher scored for the Canadiens (30-38-6), who have won three of their past four.
New York Islanders 5, New Jersey Devils 1:Kyle Palmieri broke 1-1 tie at 14:21 of the second period then scored to extend the Islanders lead at 15:25 in the third to help pad their hold on the first wild card in the East. Palmieri has five goals in his past six games. Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves for the Islanders (38-28-9), who moved three points ahead of the Penguins for the first wild card in the East. Erik Haula scored for the Devils (46-20-8), who have lost six of eight (2-4-2) and remain second in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Hurricanes and four ahead of the Rangers.
Minnesota Wild 5, Seattle Kraken 1: Matt Boldy scored his second hat trick in five games to help keep the Wild (43-22-9) atop the Central Division. Minnesota, which has one regulation loss in its past 20 games (15-1-4), is one point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche, who have one game in hand. The Kraken (40-25-8) fell five points behind the Oilers for third in the Pacific Division and remain three points ahead of the Jets for the first wild card from the Western Conference. Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle, which is 3-4-2 in its past nine games. Philipp Grubauer allowed four goals on 13 shots and was replaced by Martin Jones, who made six saves in relief.
Colorado Avalanche 5, Anaheim Ducks 1: Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and assist for the Avalanche (44-23-6), who remain in second place in the Central Division, one point behind the Wild. Bowen Byram also had a goal and an assist and Cale Makar had two assists for Colorado, which has won nine of its past 10 and six in a row on the road. Derek Grant scored, and John Gibson made 39 saves for the Ducks (23-41-10), who have lost five straight and finished 1-6-1 on an eight-game homestand. Anaheim has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Edmonton Oilers 5, Arizona Coyotes 4: Connor McDavid had an assist to become the 10th player in NHL history with a 140-point season and the first with at least 140 points since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the go-ahead goal and an assist, and Leon Draisaitl scored his 300th NHL goal for the Oilers (42-23-9), who extended their point streak to seven games (6-0-1) and moved within three points of the Kings for second in the Pacific Division. Matias Maccelli and Barrett Hayton each scored twice for the Coyotes (27-35-13), who have lost five straight (0-3-2) and have been eliminated from playoff contention.