Bruins-Lightning showdown, Eastern wild-card race highlight week ahead

The Carolina Hurricanes facing a litmus test with two games against the Washington Capitals and a Western Conference showdown between the Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild, are among the highlights of the week ahead.
Here's a look at 5 things to watch:

1. Eastern powers collide

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference face off when the Boston Bruins play the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, SUN, NESN).
The Lightning and Bruins have split their two games this season, with Boston winning the last one 4-1 at TD Garden on Feb. 28. Tampa Bay (58-14-4) won the Presidents' Trophy on March 18 and is on track to be the third team in NHL history to win 60 games. The 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings hold the NHL record with 62. The Montreal Canadiens won 60 in 1976-77.
The Bruins (46-20-9) clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday and are seven points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division.

2. Metropolitan showdown

The New York Islanders will try to sweep a four-game season series with the Columbus Blue Jackets and deal a blow to their playoff hopes when they play at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, MSG+, NHL.TV).
The Islanders (44-25-7) are second in the Metropolitan Division and have outscored the Blue Jackets 8-2 in three games. Columbus (41-30-4) made bold moves prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25 but is 6-7-1 since and trails the Montreal Canadiens by two points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

3. Hurricanes facing litmus test

The Carolina Hurricanes are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09. They'll have to get through the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals twice this week to secure their position. The teams play at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSWA, NHL.TV) and PNC Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-CR, NBCSWA, NHL.TV).
The Hurricanes (42-26-7) hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the East and are 0-1-1 against the Capitals, but 27-10-2 since falling to 15-16-5 after a 3-1 loss in Washington on Dec. 27.

4. On the prowl

The Arizona Coyotes, arguably the biggest surprise of the season, are looking for their first playoff berth since 2011-12 and play two teams they're competing against for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference: the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Friday (9 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ALT2, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV) and Minnesota Wild at Gila River Arena on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; ESPNO+, FS-A PLUS, FS-WI, FS-N+, NHL.TV).
The Coyotes are 36-33-7 and 13-7-2 since Feb. 9 after finishing last in the West (29-41-12) in 2017-18 but have lost five in a row (0-3-2) to fall two points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card from the West.

5. Milestone watch

* Nikita Kucherov (120 points; 37 goals, 83 assists) is one point from passing Sergei Fedorov (120 points; 56 goals, 64 assists in 1993-94) for second-most in one season by a Russia-born player. Alexander Mogilny had 127 (76 goals, 51 assists) for the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93.
The Lightning begin their week against the Bruins on Monday.
* Alex Ovechkin is two goals from scoring 50 for the eighth time in his NHL career. The Capitals play the Hurricanes twice and visit the Lightning on Saturday.
Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy (nine each) hold the NHL record for most 50-goal seasons.
* Cam Atkinson is three goals from tying Rick Nash's single-season record of 41 for the Blue Jackets set in 2003-04. Nash also scored 40 in 2008-09 and 38 in 2007-08 for Columbus, which plays four games beginning against the Islanders on Tuesday.
* Nathan MacKinnon is five points from 400 in the NHL. The Avalanche host the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of a "Wednesday Night Hockey" doubleheader (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN) and play the Coyotes on Friday.
* Dustin Brown will play his 1,112th game to pass Dave Taylor (1,111) for most in the history of the Los Angeles Kings when they visit the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-W, NHL.TV). Goalie Jonathan Quick (598) could also play his 600th NHL game this week.