The gates to the Stanley Cup playoffs are completely shut, but like on Tuesday, there are still other aspects to look forward to. For instance, not every team that has clinched a post-season berth knows who they will face in the first round. The Art Ross Trophy race, Rocket Richard Trophy race and rookie scoring leaders are updated daily as well, although after Tuesday's matchups, we're getting a clearer picture of who will finish on top of those. With just two more days until the 2025-26 regular season is officially complete, here's what you need to know about the seeding in the NHL standings and how much of a race is left for each NHL award that can be won once the campaign is over. WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE - With just one game remaining for most Western Conference teams, still only one playoff matchup is confirmed, and that's between the Dallas Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars] and Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild]. - The Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights], Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers], Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] and Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] can all get shifted around in the Pacific Division standings in their regular-season finale. Of those teams, the Golden Knights end their season the soonest, with Game 82 coming on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken] at 10 p.m. ET. If they earn one point, they'll clinch the Pacific Division and take on the Utah Mammoth [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah] in the first round of the playoffs. If Vegas loses, the Oilers could overtake them for the division title with a win in their final game. - The Mammoth are secured in the first wild-card position in the Western Conference, thanks to a 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. How Golden Knights Match Up Against 5 Potential Playoff Opponents [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c080b7e9-6566-480c-afd4-9b10ebe28d8b.jpeg] How Golden Knights Match Up Against 5 Potential Playoff Opponents It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the Vegas Golden Knights. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights/latest-news/golden-knights-5-potential-playoff-opponents-how-they-match-up] EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE In contrast to the uncertain finish in the Western Conference, every first-round series in the Eastern Conference is confirmed. - With a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils], the Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] locked themselves in the first wild-card spot in the conference, setting them up to face the Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres] in the opening round of the post-season. - Boston's result means the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators] will face the top team in the East, the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes]. Ottawa's last game of the season comes on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs], but they can't improve in the standings regardless. - The Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] and Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] were a confirmed matchup before Tuesday's fixtures. But Montreal's 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] in Game 82 helped Tampa Bay secure home-ice advantage for that series. Lightning Clinch Home-Ice Advantage for First-Round Series vs. Canadiens [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d60a9e4d-7346-48c4-8327-2d60e2379cbe.jpeg] Lightning Clinch Home-Ice Advantage for First-Round Series vs. Canadiens It’s official: the Tampa Bay Lightning will have home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/latest-news/lightning-clinch-home-ice-advantage-for-first-round-series-vs-canadiens] MAURICE 'ROCKET' RICHARD TROPHY RACE 1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 53 goals, one game left (Colorado is idle) 2. Cole Caufield, Montreal: 51 goals, no games left 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 plays NY Rangers at 7 p.m. ET) 3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado: 127 points, one game left ROOKIE SCORING RACE 1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal: 62 points, no games left 2. Beckett Sennecke, Anaheim: 60 points, one game left (Anaheim is idle) 3. Matthew Schaefer, NY Islanders: 59 points, no games left -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/ceade378-2d1b-4f5b-9427-fb5dc159b112.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?_gl=1*fuv41c*_ga*NDAxOTY4NTMuMTc1NTg5NTA0Mg..*_ga_ZET34ZFCGX*czE3NzUzOTUwMzMkbzI5MyRnMSR0MTc3NTQwMjM3NCRqNTIkbDAkaDA.]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
