Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Islanders can build on lead for East wild card

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2023 NHL postseason. There are 22 days left in the regular season and the races in each of the four divisions are tight. The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the next two highest-place finishers in each conference reach the playoffs.
Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

Here are the Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for March 24:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The New Jersey Devils will clinch a playoff berth:
-- If they defeat the Buffalo Sabres in any fashion (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, MSG, ESPN+, SN NOW).

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On Tap

There are three games on the NHL schedule Friday, each with playoff implications.
New York Islanders at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, BSOH, MSGSN, SN NOW)
The streaking Islanders (37-27-8) can push their lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference to four points with a fourth straight win. New York, which is 7-2-1 in its past 10 games, also can move five points ahead of the Florida Panthers, who are one point behind Pittsburgh. Zach Parise needs one goal to reach 20 with the Islanders for the first time. His father, J.P. Parise, was a two-time 20-goal scorer with New York (1975-76, 1976-77). The Blue Jackets (22-41-7) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, MSG, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Devils (45-18-8) can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2018 and the second time since 2012 with a win. New Jersey, which has lost four of its past five (1-2-2), also can pull into a tie with the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division with a victory. The Sabres (33-31-6) need a win to boost their fading playoff chances. Buffalo has fallen eight points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, with two games in hand, after losing its past four games (0-3-1) and eight of its past nine (1-6-2).
Arizona Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; ALT, BSAZX, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Avalanche (41-23-6) can climb within one point of the Minnesota Wild for second in the Central Division and two points of the Dallas Stars for the division lead with a victory. Colorado, which won six in a row before a 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, also can pad its three-point advantage on the fourth-place Winnipeg Jets in the Central. Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon will look to extend his 10-game point streak (six goals, 11 assists), and his 18-game home point streak (29 points; 14 goals, 15 assists). The Coyotes (27-33-12) have points in nine of their past 10 games (6-1-3), but need a win to avoid being eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight season.

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If playoffs started Friday

Here is a look at the
matchups for the first round
as they stand entering games Friday :
Eastern Conference
(1A) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Pittsburgh Penguins
(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) New York Islanders
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(2M) New Jersey Devils vs. (3M) New York Rangers
Western Conference
(1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Winnipeg Jets
(1C) Dallas Stars vs. (WC1) Seattle Kraken
(2C) Minnesota Wild vs. (3C) Colorado Avalanche
(2P) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3P) Edmonton Oilers

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About last night

There were 12 games Thursday, 10 with playoff implications:
Philadelphia Flyers 5, Minnesota Wild 4 (SO): Matt Boldy scored twice to help the Wild (41-22-9) extend their road point streak to 10 games (7-0-3), but they dropped one point behind the Stars in the battle for first in the Central Division. Joel Farabee extended his goal streak to four games and had an assist for the Flyers (27-32-12), who have won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak Jan. 9-14.
Washington Capitals 6, Chicago Blackhawks 1: John Carlson had a goal and an assist in his return after missing 36 games because of a skull fracture and laceration of the temporal artery, and the Capitals (34-31-8) climbed within four points of the Penguins for the second wild card in the East. Washington will have a chance to move within two points when it plays at Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Blackhawks (24-41-6) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Boston Bruins 4, Montreal Canadiens 2: David Pastrnak set an NHL career-high by scoring his 49th goal of the season, and the Bruins (55-11-5) moved closer to clinching first in the Atlantic Division with their fifth consecutive win. Boston remained 20 points ahead of second-place Toronto, which prevented Boston from securing the division title with its 6-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Montreal (28-38-6) lost for the 10th time in 12 games (2-8-2).
New York Rangers 2, Carolina Hurricanes 1: The Hurricanes (46-16-8) became the second team in the NHL to clinch a playoff berth despite the loss because of the Panthers' 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. But Carolina missed a chance to add to its two-point lead on New Jersey for first in the Metropolitan Division. Adam Fox's goal 4:01 into the third period snapped a 1-1 tie for the Rangers (42-20-10), who climbed within four points of the Devils for second in the Metropolitan. New York earned a split of the home-and-home series after a 3-2 loss to Carolina at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
Ottawa Senators 7, Tampa Bay Lightning 2: Alex DeBrincat had two goals and an assist to help the Senators (35-32-5) move within five points of the Penguins for the second wild card in the East. Brady Tkachuk scored twice for Ottawa to set an NHL career high with 32 goals this season, surpassing his previous high of 30 from last season. The Lightning (42-25-6) lost their third in a row to fall five points behind the Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division.
Toronto Maple Leafs 6, Florida Panthers 2: Auston Matthews scored twice for the Maple Leafs (43-19-9), who increased their lead on the Lightning for second in the Atlantic Division to five points with two games in hand. The Panthers (36-29-7) failed to move ahead of the Penguins for the second wild card in the East despite Matthew Tkachuk extending his goal streak to an NHL career-high six games.
Nashville Predators 2, Seattle Kraken 1 (SO): Juuse Saros made 27 saves and didn't allow a goal in the shootout for the Predators (36-26-8), who remained five points behind the Jets for the second wild card in the West with three games in hand. Nashville also pulled within seven points of Seattle (39-24-8) for the first wild card in the West with one game in hand. Daniel Sprong scored for the Kraken, whose lead on the Jets for the first wild card shrunk to one point.
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Calgary Flames 2: The Golden Knights (45-21-6) won their third in a row to take a four-point lead on the idle Los Angeles Kings for first in the Pacific Division. Vegas also pushed its Western Conference lead on Los Angeles and Dallas to four points, but goalie Logan Thompson (37 saves) sustained a lower-body injury during the third period in his first game since Feb. 9 because of a lower-body injury. The Flames (32-26-15) lost for the third time in four games (1-2-1) to fall six points behind the Jets for the second wild card in the West.
Dallas Stars 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 2: Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn scored 1:36 apart in the third period to give the Stars (39-19-14) a 3-1 lead, and they held on to move one point ahead of the Wild for first in the Central Division. Jake Oettinger made 40 saves for Dallas, which is 2-0-1 in its past three games. Sidney Crosby and Pierre-Olivier Joseph scored for the Penguins (35-27-10), who missed a chance to extend their one-point lead on the Panthers for the second wild card in the East. Pittsburgh remained two points behind the New York Islanders for the first wild card.
Winnipeg Jets 3, Anaheim Ducks 2: Adam Lowry's goal at 10:47 of the third period broke a 2-2 tie, and the Jets (41-29-3) climbed within three points of the idle Avalanche for third in the Central Division. Winnipeg also moved within one point of Seattle for the first wild card in the West and maintained its five-point advantage on Nashville for the second wild card. The Ducks (23-39-10) have been eliminated from playoff contention.