The Golden Knights leapfrog the Edmonton Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division, but both teams clinch playoff spots. There's one clinching scenario on Sunday, but there's a lot at stake in the playoff race.
The Edmonton Oilers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the Pacific Division on Saturday.
And yet, they fell to second in the division.
Their 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Anze Kopitar's final regular-season home game meant the Oilers needed help to clinch on Saturday. The Philadelphia Flyers got the Oilers a playoff spot when they beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-1.
Later Saturday evening, Jack Eichel skated through all three zones with the puck and beat Mackenzie Blackwood in overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. That not only punched their ticket to the post-season but brought them to 91 points, one more than Edmonton, with two games left each.
Four out of five teams that could have clinched a playoff spot on Saturday did so. The one that didn't could still do so on Sunday.
Here's Sunday's look at the NHL standings and the races for the 'Rocket' Richard Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and rookie scoring lead.
Western Conference Playoff Race
- The Anaheim Ducks did not play on Saturday but were able to clinch a playoff spot if the Nashville Predators and Jets lost in regulation, and the San Jose Sharks lost in any fashion. Nashville beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1, delaying the Ducks' ticket to the post-season.
Nevertheless, if the Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks in any fashion on Sunday, they will officially end their seven-year playoff drought. That game starts at 8 p.m. ET.
- The Dallas Stars and Wild now officially know who has home-ice advantage for their first-round series.
Dallas beat the New York Rangers, and the Wild lost, so they're now six points apart with two games left each.
That means the Stars will host Games 1 and 2, as well as 5 and 7, if necessary.
- None of the teams in the Western Conference wild-card race play Sunday, so let's take a closer look.
They're chasing the Kings, which hold the second wild-card spot with 87 points. They have three games left, meaning they can finish with up to 93 points.
Nashville has 86 points with two games left. They can finish with as many as 90 points.
The Jets and Sharks each have 82 points with three games left. They can finish with as many as 88 points, so they will need a miracle to make it in at this point. The Kings' final three games come against the Seattle Kraken, Canucks and Calgary Flames.
Eastern Conference Playoff Race
- No team in the East can clinch a playoff spot on Sunday.
- The only playoff spot left up for grabs in the East is third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Flyers (idle) are in that spot with 94 points and two games left. They can finish with up to 98 points.
The Columbus Blue Jackets (6 p.m. ET versus Boston) have 92 points with two games left. Winning both games would bring them to 96 points.
The Washington Capitals (3 p.m. ET versus Pittsburgh) have 91 points with two games left. The most they can finish with is 95 points. A loss in regulation on Sunday would eliminate them from playoff contention. Since Alex Ovechkin said he would decide whether to play another NHL season during the off-season, this could be the final home game of his career.
The New York Islanders (6 p.m. ET versus Montreal) also have 91 points with two games left. They have six fewer regulation wins than Washington. Losing to Montreal in regulation would eliminate them from playoff contention. Washington and Columbus winning their games would also eliminate the Islanders on Sunday. But if the Islanders lose in overtime or a shootout, Columbus and Washington just need at least one point each on Sunday to eliminate them.
- The Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins booked their place in the post-season on Saturday.
The Senators shut out the Islanders, and although the Bruins lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Detroit Red Wings ended up losing to the New Jersey Devils in regulation. That was enough for Ottawa and Boston to clinch the wild-card spots, meaning Detroit will miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season.
Ottawa actually passed Boston in the wild-card standings with the win. They each have 96 points, but the Senators hold the tiebreaker with six more regulation wins.
If Ottawa beats the Devils on Sunday, and Boston loses to the Blue Jackets in regulation, they will remain in the first and second wild-card spots, respectively. If the standings hold, Ottawa would play the Buffalo Sabres, and Boston would face the Carolina Hurricanes.
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy Race
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 52 goals, three games left (Colorado is idle)
2. Cole Caufield, Montreal: 51 goals, two games left (Montreal plays NY Islanders at 6 p.m. ET)
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton, 47 goals, two games left (Edmonton is idle)
Art Ross Trophy Race
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 133 points, two games left
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay: 128 points, two games left (Tampa Bay is idle)
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 126 points, three games left
Rookie Scoring Race
1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal: 61 points, two games left
2. Beckett Sennecke, Anaheim: 60 points, three games left (Anaheim plays Vancouver at 8 p.m. ET)
3. Matthew Schaefer, NY Islanders: 59 points, two games left (New York plays Montreal at 6 p.m. ET)
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