There are six games on the schedule Monday:
-- There are no playoff-position ramifications in this game but the Sabres will be looking to win the season series against the Maple Leafs, having won two of the first three games. Buffalo defeated Toronto 3-2 on Jack Eichel's game-winning goal March 26. The Maple Leafs, who will likely finish third in the Atlantic Division, plan to start backup goalie Curtis McElhinney for a second straight game.
-- The Jets start a back-to-back set (they play at the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday) with 106 points, seven back of the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division and one game in hand. The Jets, who defeated the Senators 5-0 in Winnipeg on Dec. 3, clinched second in the division and will start the postseason at home.
-- It's the start of a five-game final week of the regular season for the Panthers, who are facing a shrinking margin for error in their bid for a playoff position. Florida (86 points) trails the New Jersey Devils by seven points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. New Jersey has three games remaining.
-- The Blues have an opportunity to move back into a playoff position in a see-saw battle in the Western Conference. With four games to play, St. Louis has 92 points, one behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the playoffs from the West. The Blues are two points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who hold the first wild card, and four behind the Minnesota Wild, who are third in the Central. The Avalanche and Kings each have three games to play, the Wild four. Washington has clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division and is playing the second of a back to back after a 3-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
--The Wild may be without top defenseman Ryan Suter, who sustained a lower-body injury at the Dallas Stars on Saturday. With 96 points and four games to play, Minnesota can do no better than third in the Central. The Wild lead the Avalanche by three points for third and a victory in their final regular-season home game would be a big step toward locking down third place and a playoff position.
Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; SN, SN1, PRIME, ALT, NHL.TV) -- The Kings (94 points, three games to play) and Avalanche (93 points, three games to play) occupy the first and second wild cards into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The Kings are one point behind the Anaheim Ducks for third place in the Pacific Division; Anaheim also has three games remaining. The Avalanche, who lost 4-3 in overtime at Anaheim on Sunday, could jump into the first wild-card position with a win. Colorado is three points behind the Wild for third place in the Central.
