Stanley Cup Playoff Buzz: Avalanche look to solidify standing in West

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2019 NHL postseason. There are 14 days left in the regular season and the races in each conference are wide open.
Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

On Tap

: The Canadiens, who have won three straight games, hold the second wild card from the East by three points over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Hurricanes hold the first wild card and are two points ahead of the Canadiens. Carolina is 6-3-1 in its past 10 games.
: The Avalanche have won four straight games and hold the second wild card from the West. They're two points behind the Dallas Stars for the first wild card and one point ahead of the Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks are six points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card with one game in hand.
: The Blue Jackets are three points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card from the East. They have lost the first three games (0-2-1) of a four-game road trip. The Canucks have won three of their past four games and are six points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card from the West.

Thought of the day

The last time the Colorado Avalanche were in Chicago on Feb. 22, coach Jared Bednar was asked what he thought of the wild-card race in the Western Conference. Was it nerve-wracking? Exciting?
"I get more gray hair by the minute," he said. "It's good, it's fun, it's what the game's all about. But for the coaches, I think it's stressful."
Since that day, the Avalanche have gone 9-5-1 and hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the West entering their game against the Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV). The Avalanche are responding to the pressure the right way, winning four straight games, including a 4-2 victory against the Blackhawks at Pepsi Center on Saturday.
It's not easy, considering Colorado is without two of its best players. Forward Gabriel Landeskog will miss his eighth straight game with an upper-body injury sustained in a 4-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on March 7. Landeskog is third on the Avalanche with 69 points (33 goals, 36 assists) in 68 games. Forward Mikko Rantanen, who sustained an upper-body injury in a 3-1 win against the Stars on Thursday, will miss his second consecutive game. Rantanen is second on the Avalanche with 87 points (31 goals, 56 points) in 74 games.
The good news for the Avalanche is Rantanen is day to day. More good news: Bednar said Saturday that there's a chance Landeskog, expected to miss 4-6 weeks on March 7, could come back early.
The Avalanche are used to late-season stress. Last season they secured the second wild card in the West when they defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in the final game of the regular season April 8.
-- NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers

If playoffs started Sunday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Sunday:
Eastern Conference
(1A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Carolina Hurricanes
(2A) Boston Bruins vs. (3A) Toronto Maple Leafs
(2M) New York Islanders vs. (3M) Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
(1P) Calgary Flames vs. (WC2) Colorado Avalanche
(1C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC1) Dallas Stars
(2P) San Jose Sharks vs. (3P) Vegas Golden Knights
(2C) Nashville Predators vs. (3C) St. Louis Blues

About last night

There were 14 games on Saturday, each with playoff implications:

: The Coyotes fell one point behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Arizona, which is tied in points (79) with the Minnesota Wild behind Colorado, has lost four in a row.
New York Islanders 4, Philadelphia Flyers 2: The Islanders moved within one point of the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division with the win. Josh Bailey scored twice in the third period for the Islanders, who had been shut out in their past two games. The Flyers fell seven points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Colorado Avalanche 4, Chicago Blackhawks 2: The Avalanche won their fourth straight to move into the second wild card from the West, one point ahead of the Coyotes and Wild. The Blackhawks lost their third straight and fell six points behind Colorado for the second wild card.
: The Oilers remained six points out of the second wild card from the Western Conference. They have seven games remaining.
Winnipeg Jets 5, Nashville Predators 0: The Jets clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season and extended their lead in the Central Division with the win. The Jets have won five of their past six games and moved four points ahead of the Predators with one game in hand.
: The Maple Leafs fell seven points behind the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers, who are 2-6-5 in their past 13 games, were eliminated from contention and will miss the playoffs for the second straight season.
Montreal Canadiens 7, Buffalo Sabres 4: The Candiens moved three points ahead of the idle Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card from the East by winning their third straight game. Montreal also remained two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the first wild card. The Sabres were eliminated from playoff contention for the eighth consecutive season.
Boston Bruins 7, Florida Panthers 3: The Bruins clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and moved seven points ahead of the Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the first round. The Panthers fell nine points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card from the East.
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Minnesota Wild 1: The Hurricanes maintained their lead for the first Eastern Conference wild card. The Hurricanes lead the Canadiens by two points and are four points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division. The Wild fell out of playoff position, one point behind the Avalanche for the second wild card from the West.
St. Louis Blues 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3: The Blues gained ground in the Central Division with their third straight win. St. Louis moved within two points of the Predators for second place with one game in hand. The Lightning, who have already clinched the Presidents' Trophy, had their seven-game winning streak end and remain four victories from tying the NHL single-season record of 62 wins, set by the Detroit Red Wings in 1995-96.
Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Dallas Stars 2: The Penguins kept pace in the Metropolitan, remaining tied for second with the Islanders, one point behind the Capitals. Dallas, which has lost two in a row and four of its past five games, holds the first wild card in the West, two points ahead of the Avalanche.
Calgary Flames 3, Vancouver Canucks 1: The Flames increased their lead atop the Pacific Division and Western Conference with the win. The Flames are six points ahead of the San Jose Sharks with seven games remaining. It was the first loss in four games for the Canucks, who are six points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card from the West.
The Golden Knights moved within five points of the idle Sharks for second place in the Pacific Division with the point earned in the overtime loss.
: The Ducks earned one point and would have been eliminated from playoff contention had they lost in regulation. Anaheim is eight points behind the Avalanche for the second wild card from the West and Colorado has two games in hand.