The NHL's goal-scoring title, home-ice advantage and a chance to avoid the Colorado Avalanche in the first round are part of what's still up for grabs. Here are the breakdowns.
No more teams can punch their tickets to the NHL playoffs.
The Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings booked their place in the post-season on Monday.
With that, a couple of first-round playoff matchups have been confirmed. In addition, other teams have clinched their division or conference. The playoff picture and the final NHL standings are getting clearer, with one or two games remaining for every team.
On Tuesday, all that can change is the seeding and home-ice advantage for those headed to the post-season.
That said, we will likely see the grand finale to the 'Rocket' Richard Trophy race between Nathan MacKinnon and Cole Caufield on Tuesday.
So, here is what you need to know about how the post-season is shaping up, and the different races for individual awards down the stretch.
Western Conference Playoff Race
- The Ducks and Kings will be the California representatives in the Stanley Cup playoffs this time around.
With the Nashville Predators losing to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Monday, Anaheim clinched its playoff berth. Later that evening, Los Angeles confirmed its spot with a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken and a Nashville Predators regulation loss. Anze Kopitar's career isn't over just yet.
- In the Central Division, the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth all have their spots secure and cannot move positions in the standings. However, in the Pacific Division, no team is safe in any position, and the only guarantee is a post-season appearance.
Even as the second wild-card team in the Western Conference, the Kings can still finish as high as second in the division. That's a testament to how closely matched the teams in the West are.
- The Stars and Wild are still the only first-round matchup that is confirmed in the conference.
Aside from that, whoever finishes atop the Pacific will have home-ice advantage in a first-round series against the Mammoth. The Vegas Golden Knights are in the driver's seat to claim that spot, earning another two points in their 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Eastern Conference Playoff Race
- The Flyers snatched the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in a dramatic 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
With that shootout win for Philadelphia on Monday, it's confirmed they will see state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the opening round. The Penguins will have home-ice advantage for that series.
The Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets were ultimately eliminated from playoff contention, as they were the remaining two teams in the East in the hunt for a spot in the post-season before Tuesday.
- Speaking of the Hurricanes, because they got a point against the Flyers, they've officially clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history. Between the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, Carolina will see whoever finishes in the second wild-card spot.
- Another confirmed first-round matchup is between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. It's still to be determined who has home-ice advantage for that series.
- The Buffalo Sabres have clinched the Atlantic Division thanks to their 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It's pretty remarkable that the Sabres have been able to earn the divisional title after their 14-year playoff drought, the firing of GM Kevyn Adams and being out of a playoff position as late as Jan. 13.
Buffalo will take on whoever finishes in the first wild-card position.
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy Race
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 52 goals, two games left (Colorado plays Calgary at 9 p.m. ET)
2. Cole Caufield, Montreal: 51 goals, one game left (Montreal plays Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET)
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 48 goals, one game left (Edmonton is idle)
Art Ross Trophy Race
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 134 points, one game left
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay: 130 points, one game left (Tampa Bay is idle)
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 126 points, two games left
Rookie Scoring Race
1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal: 62 points, one game left
2. Beckett Sennecke, Anaheim: 60 points, two games left (Anaheim plays Minnesota at 8 p.m. ET)
3. Matthew Schaefer, NY Islanders: 59 points, one game left (New York plays Carolina at 7 p.m. ET)
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