Stanley Cup Playoff races tight entering stretch run of season

EAST WILD CARD

Boston Bruins — 39-23-8 — 86 points — 12 GR 

New York Islanders – 40-26-5 — 85 points — 11 GR 

Detroit Red Wings — 38-24-8 — 84 points — 12 GR

Ottawa Senators — 37-24-9 — 83 points — 12 GR

Philadelphia Flyers — 34-23-12 — 80 points — 13 GR

Washington Capitals — 35-27-9 — 79 points — 11 GR 

Red Wings: Fell out of a playoff spot when the Islanders won Sunday. They have a game in hand on the Islanders and key games against the Senators (March 24), Sabres (March 27), Flyers (March 28, April 2, April 9), Penguins (March 31) and Blue Jackets (April 7). 

Next game: March 24, vs. Senators (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, TSN5, RDS2).

Senators: Have won five of six and are 14-3-2 in their past 19 games. Of their 12 remaining games, seven are at home, including six of their final eight. They have a key game at the Red Wings on Tuesday. Others are against the Penguins (March 26), Sabres (April 2) and Islanders (April 11).

Next game: March 24, at Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, TSN5, RDS2). 

Flyers: Like the Senators, the Flyers have 13 games left (seven at home). They are 5-0-1 in their past six and have a huge game against the Blue Jackets in Philadelphia on Tuesday. They play the Red Wings three times in those final 13 games (March 28, April 2, April 9) and the Capitals (March 31). 

Next game: March 24, vs. Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). 

Capitals: They are 3-0-2 in their past five games but have just 11 left to make a push into the postseason. Of those 11 games, three are at home. Key games include at the Flyers (March 31), home vs. the Sabres (April 4), a home-and-home, back-to-back set with the Penguins (April 11-12) and at the Blue Jackets (April 14).

Next game: March 24, at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MNMT).

WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL DIVISION 

Colorado Avalanche — 46-13-10 — 102 points — 13 GR

Dallas Stars — 43-16-11 — 97 points — 12 GR

Minnesota Wild — 40-19-12 — 92 points — 11 GR

Avalanche: They clinched a playoff berth Friday and have their sights on the Presidents’ Trophy as the No. 1 seed in the League. Of their 13 remaining games, seven are at home and nine are against teams currently out of playoff position. They do have one more game at the Stars (April 4), but appear to be in great shape to lock up home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. 

Next game: March 24, at Penguins (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, ALT, SNP, SNO, SNE). 

Stars: They clinched a playoff berth Sunday and still have a path to win the Central and the top seed in the NHL with home games against the Avalanche (April 4) and Wild (April 9). Though they still are trying to catch Colorado, holding off Minnesota for second place and home ice in the first round is key. 

Next game: March 24, vs. New Jersey Devils (8 p.m. ET; MORE27, Victory+, MSGSN2).

Wild: They have just three home games left. They also are eight regulation wins behind the Stars for the first tiebreaker, so they will have to pass Dallas in points to get second place in the division. 

Next game: March 24, at Lightning (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT). 

PACIFIC DIVISION

Anaheim Ducks — 39-27-4 — 82 points — 12 GR

Vegas Golden Knights — 32-25-14 — 78 points — 11 GR

Edmonton Oilers — 34-28-9 — 77 points — 11 GR

Ducks: The Ducks got a huge win when they rallied to defeat the Sabres 6-5 on Sunday, tying the game with 1:44 left in the third period before Troy Terry scored at 1:29 of overtime. They have eight game-tying goals in the last two minutes of regulation; no other team in NHL history has more than six such goals at this stage of the season. Of their 12 remaining games, six are at home. Though they won’t play the Golden Knights again in the regular season, they visit Edmonton on March 28. 

Next game: March 24, at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, KCOP-13, Victory+).