NHL teams
Tim Kavanagh, ESPN.com 3y

NHL Playoff Bracket Scenarios: Monday's games yield two clinched spots, three eliminations

NHL, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets

Heading into Monday's slate of action around the NHL -- featuring 14 games, nine of which started at 7 p.m. ET for some reason -- we knew there would be significant fallout in the playoff races. And there certainly was.

Thanks to their win over the New Jersey Devils, the Boston Bruins clinched a playoff spot; with the New York Islanders losing to the Buffalo Sabres, Boston jumps into the No. 3 seed in the East Division. Everyone in the East is chasing the Washington Capitals, who won a controversy-filled game against the New York Rangers. Our four East teams are set; now it's just a matter of determining seeding. The Bruins will take on the Devils again Tuesday, while the Isles get a rematch against the Sabres.

Our other clinchers from Monday are the Edmonton Oilers after their win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Toronto Maple Leafs are all but set in the No. 1 spot in the North, and Edmonton is distancing itself in the No. 2 position. As for the other two, the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens seem all but destined to make the playoffs, but they are tied in the points column after Monday (57); Winnipeg holds the head-to-head and regulation-wins tiebreakers over Montreal currently.

There were some eliminations from the playoff races Monday, as we officially said goodbye to the Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks. All three clubs have some encouraging trends to build on, so we hope to see them back in the thick it in 2021-22.

Having reached the final stretch of the regular season, it's time to check in on all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2021 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Money Puck. Tragic numbers are courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Race for No. 1 pick

East Division

Washington Capitals - x

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: E1
Games left: 4
Next game: @ NYR (May 5)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Pittsburgh Penguins - x

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: E2
Games left: 3
Next game: @ PHI (May 4)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Boston Bruins - x

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: E3
Games left: 5
Next game: @ NJ (May 4)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Islanders - x

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: E4
Games left: 4
Next game: @ BUF (May 4)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Rangers

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. WSH (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. PIT (May 4)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

New Jersey Devils

Points: 41
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. BOS (May 4)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 35
Regulation wins: 11
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. NYI (May 4)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Central Division

Carolina Hurricanes - x

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. CHI (May 4)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Florida Panthers - x

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. TB (May 8)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning - x

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. DAL (May 5)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Nashville Predators

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: C4
Games left: 3
Next game: @ CBJ (May 5)
Playoff chances: 91.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Dallas Stars

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: @ TB (May 5)
Playoff chances: 8.8%
Tragic number: 4

Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: @ CAR (May 4)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 45
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ CBJ (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 44
Regulation wins: 11
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. NSH (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


North Division

Toronto Maple Leafs - x

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N1
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. MTL (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers - x

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N2
Games left: 6
Next game: @ VAN (May 4)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Winnipeg Jets

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N3
Games left: 5
Next game: @ CGY (May 5)
Playoff chances: 99.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N4
Games left: 5
Next game: @ OTT (May 5)
Playoff chances: 95.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Calgary Flames

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. WPG (May 5)
Playoff chances: 5.4%
Tragic number: 2

Ottawa Senators

Points: 45
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. MTL (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 41
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Next game: @ EDM (May 6)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: 4


West Division

Vegas Golden Knights - x

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: W1
Games left: 5
Next game: @ MIN (May 5)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Colorado Avalanche - x

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: W2
Games left: 6
Next game: @ SJ (May 5)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild - x

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: W3
Games left: 5
Next game: vs. VGS (May 5)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 55
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: W4
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. ANA (May 5)
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Arizona Coyotes

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. LA (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0.3%
Tragic number: 2

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 46
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: @ ARI (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0.2%
Tragic number: 4

San Jose Sharks

Points: 46
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. COL (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 39
Regulation wins: 11
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ STL (May 5)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Current playoff matchups

East Division

No. 1 Washington Capitals vs. No. 4 New York Islanders
No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 3 Boston Bruins

Central Division

No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 4 Nashville Predators
No. 2 Florida Panthers vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning

North Division

No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens
No. 2 Edmonton Oilers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Jets

West Division

No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 4 St. Louis Blues
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 3 Minnesota Wild


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. New for 2021, a team may move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here.

1. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 35
Regulation wins: 11

2. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 39
Regulation wins: 11

3. Vancouver Canucks

Points: 41
Regulation wins: 13

4. New Jersey Devils

Points: 41
Regulation wins: 14

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 44
Regulation wins: 11

6. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 45
Regulation wins: 15

7. Ottawa Senators

Points: 45
Regulation wins: 16

8. San Jose Sharks

Points: 46
Regulation wins: 14

9. Los Angeles Kings

Points: 46
Regulation wins: 18

10. Calgary Flames

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 19

11. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

12. Arizona Coyotes

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 18

13. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15

14. Dallas Stars

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 16

15. New York Rangers

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 23

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