Stanley Cup Playoff Buzz: Jets try to close gap on Maple Leafs in North

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2021 NHL postseason. There are 27 days left in the regular season and the races in each of the four divisions -- the seven-team Scotia North and eight-team MassMutual East, Discover Central and Honda West -- are tight. The top four teams in each of the four divisions reach the playoffs.
Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

Clinching scenario for Thursday

The Colorado Avalanche will clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth if they defeat the St. Louis Blues in regulation (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, ALT, NHL.TV).

On Tap

There are 10 games on the NHL schedule Thursday, all with playoff implications:
Toronto Maple Leafs at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, NHL.TV): The Maple Leafs are first in the North, four points ahead of the Jets, but 0-3-2 since going 9-0-1 from March 20-April 10. Winnipeg forward Blake Wheeler is expected to play after missing six games with a concussion.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, MSG, NBCSP, NHL.TV): The Rangers are fifth in the East, six points behind the fourth-place Boston Bruins. Defenseman Jacob Trouba (upper body) won't play against the sixth-place Flyers, who trail the Bruins by 11 points.
Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, NESNplus, NHL.TV): The Bruins trail the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins by three points in the East and have allowed six goals in a five-game winning streak since an 8-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on April 11. The Sabres were eliminated from playoff contention April 17.
Washington Capitals at New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, NBCSWA, NHL.TV): The Capitals and Islanders are tied for first in the East and each has 10 games remaining heading into the first of a three-game set. Washington forward Anthony Mantha has scored in all four games since he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on April 12. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is one goal from tying Marcel Dionne (731) for fifth in NHL history. The Islanders are 19-2-2 at Nassau Coliseum, their best home record through 23 games since 1978-79 (19-0, four ties).
Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSOH, NHL.TV): The third-place Lightning are three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers in the Central after losing three of their past five games and eight of 14 (6-8-0) since March 25. The Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are tied for last in the division and trail the fourth-place Nashville Predators by 13 points.
Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, BSSUN, BSSO, NHL.TV): The Hurricanes and Panthers are tied for first in the Central. Carolina has allowed six goals during a four-game point streak (3-0-1). Florida has won three games in a row and has a point in five straight (4-0-1) since losing three in a row from April 6-10.
New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV): The Penguins are one point behind the Capitals and Islanders for first in the East and play the Devils in the second of a three-game set. New Jersey has lost seven in a row (0-7-0) and was eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday.
Dallas Stars at Detroit Red Wings (7:30 p.m. ET; BSDET, BSSW, NHL.TV): The Stars, who have won four straight games, are fifth in the Central, two points behind the Predators with three games in hand. The Red Wings are one win from tying and one point from passing their totals from last season (17 wins, 39 points in 71 games). Detroit captain Dylan Larkin is out with an upper-body injury and forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (upper body) and Frans Nielsen (lower body) are out the rest of the season.
Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, ALT, NHL.TV): The Avalanche, who play their first game since April 14 because of NHL COVID-19 protocol, are second in the West, four points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights, and will clinch a playoff berth with a regulation victory. The Blues are one point behind the fourth-place Arizona Coyotes and play the first of three straight against the Avalanche
Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, TSN5, RDS2, NHL.TV): The Canucks are sixth in the North, 10 points behind the fourth-place Montreal Canadiens with five games in hand. They are 2-0-0 since returning from an 18-day pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Ottawa is last in the division, 13 points behind Montreal.

About last night

There were four games Wednesday, each with playoff implications:
: Rookie left wing Brandon Hagel scored at 3:00 of overtime after the Blackhawks scored three goals in a span of 2:51 in the third period to tie the game. The Predators are fourth in the Central, two points ahead of the fifth-place Dallas Stars, who have three games in hand. Chicago is sixth, three points behind Nashville. The Blackhawks and Predators play the last of the three-game set Friday.
Minnesota Wild 4, Arizona Coyotes 1: Cam Talbot, 5-0-1 in his past six starts, made 39 saves and the Wild won their fifth straight game. Minnesota is third in the West, 16 points ahead of the fourth-place Coyotes and three points behind the second-place Colorado Avalanche. Arizona has lost seven of eight games (1-7-0) and is one point ahead of the fifth-place St. Louis Blues, who have four games in hand.
Vegas Golden Knights 5, San Jose Sharks 2: The Golden Knights became the fourth franchise in NHL history to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of their first four seasons. Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves to win his 487th NHL game, two behind Roberto Luongo for third all-time. Vegas won its eighth straight game and leads the second-place Avalanche by four points in the West, having played three more games. The Sharks are in sixth place in the division, four points behind the fourth-place Coyotes.
Montreal Canadiens 4, Edmonton Oilers 3: Josh Anderson scored two goals for the Canadiens, who are fourth in the North, eight points ahead of the fifth-place Calgary Flames. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in his return from an upper-body injury for the Oilers, who are third in the North, one point behind the second-place Winnipeg Jets. Edmonton lost at home for the first time in nine games.

If playoffs started Thursday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Thursday:
North Division
1. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. 4. Montreal Canadiens
2. Winnipeg Jets vs. 3. Edmonton Oilers
East Division
1. Washington Capitals vs. 4. Boston Bruins
2. New York Islanders vs. 3. Pittsburgh Penguins
Central Division
1. Carolina Hurricanes vs. 4. Nashville Predators
2. Florida Panthers vs. 3. Tampa Bay Lightning
West Division
1. Vegas Golden Knights vs. 4. Arizona Coyotes
2. Colorado Avalanche vs. 3. Minnesota Wild