Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Western Conference showdown in Las Vegas

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2018 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.

Stanley Cup Playoff clinching scenarios

The Vegas Golden Knights will clinch a playoff berth:
* If they get at least one point against the Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, ATTSN-RM, ALT, NHL.TV).
OR
* If the Los Angeles Kings lose to the Calgary Flames (10:30 p.m. ET; FS-W, SNW, NHL.TV) in any fashion.

What's on tap

It's a busy Monday schedule, one with plenty of playoff implications:
With a win against the Sabres, the Maple Leafs would set a team record for wins (46) and for home wins (27) in a single season, and extend their home winning streak to 14 games. They can also push one step closer to officially securing a playoff berth. The Maple Leafs continue to sit in the third spot in the Atlantic Division with 97 points, which also happens to be the third-best total in the Eastern Conference. They are seven points behind the second-place Boston Bruins and 14 points ahead of the fourth-place Florida Panthers.
This game is crucial for the Panthers, who trail the New Jersey Devils by three points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference while having played two fewer games. The Panthers are 19-5-1 since Jan. 30. The Islanders are 14 points behind the Devils for the second wild card and can be eliminated with a loss or a shootout win.
The Hurricanes are trying to keep the tiniest of hopes alive for a playoff berth. After going 4-6-0 in their past 10 and watching the Panthers surge, the Hurricanes are nine points back of the second wild card with seven games to play.
The Capitals (95 points) are trying to hold off the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are three points back for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals have played one fewer game and come to Madison Square Garden on a three-game winning streak. It's also a chance for Alex Ovechkin to solidify his lead in the goals race. He has 44, one more than Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets.
Suddenly the pressure is on the Lightning, who lead the Atlantic Division by two points. The Bruins continue to win and have played one fewer game. With a win, the Lightning can create some breathing room ahead of the matchup between the teams in Boston on Thursday. With a Lightning loss Monday, the Bruins could enter the Thursday showdown tied with the Lightning if Boston can defeat the Jets in Winnipeg on Tuesday. Center Steven Stamkos (day to day) will not play for the Lightning.
The Sharks have won seven straight games and play a Blackhawks team already eliminated from playoff contention. With their run, the Sharks are four points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks for second place in the Pacific Division. They are six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the division.
The Golden Knights can clinch a playoff berth in their first year of existence with at least one point against the Avalanche, or if the Los Angeles Kings lose in any fashion to the Calgary Flames. Colorado, which holds the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, is three points behind the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division. The Avalanche are one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues, who occupy the second wild card. Each team has seven games remaining.
The Flames have lost five consecutive games. The Kings are trying to move into a playoff spot. Calgary sits behind the Kings and the Dallas Stars in the race for the second wild-card spot, which is held by the Blues. The Kings and Blues each have 89 points, but the Blues have a game in hand.

Need to know

Columbus Blue Jackets: Nick Foligno, the captain of the Blue Jackets,
could miss the rest of the regular season
with a lower-body injury sustained on Saturday.
Tampa Bay Lightning:High-scoring forward Steven Stamkos will not play against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, but coach Jon Cooper says Stamkos'
absence is merely for precautionary reasons
.
Minnesota Wild: Jordan Greenway signed an entry-level contract with the Wild on Monday. He
could be in the Wild lineup
Tuesday.
Nashville Predators: The Predators are the best team in the League at the moment, holding a one-point lead on the Lightning for the Presidents' Trophy. They may be getting stronger as well. Eeli Tolvanen
terminated his contract with Jokerit
in the Kontinental Hockey League, the most recent step toward joining the Predators.
Pittsburgh Penguins:Sidney Crosby
continues to feast
on the Philadelphia Flyers. That is good news for the Pernguins because they could conceIvably play their cross-state rival in the postseason.
NHL:One month removed from the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline is a good time to examine who made the best trades. So, that is what Dan Rosen did, cataloging the
10 players who switched teams with the most positive impact
.
New Jersey Devils: Defenseman Will Butcher has been a big part of the Devils' climb up the standings this season. Mike G. Morreale examines how much he has helped in this week's
Rookie Watch
.
Washington Capitals: Lars Eller has been quietly conistent for the Capitals. Dave Stubbs
sat down with Eller
and found out what makes the forward tick.

Thought of the day

The San Jose Sharks are on the brink of the third-longest winning streak in their history, a mark they would tie if they defeat the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday (8:30 p.m ET; NBCSCH, NBCSCA, NHL.TV). During the winning streak, the Sharks have solidified their hold on second place in the Pacific Division, which would give them home-ice advantage in the Western Conference First Round .
Since the Sharks acquired Evander Kane in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres prior to the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26, when they were on a three-game losing streak, the Sharks have gone 10-2-0. That has pushed the Sharks from barely hanging on to a contender in the Western Conference.
On Feb. 26, the Sharks had 75 points, one ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, who were in third in the division, and two ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames, who were competing for the second wild card.
Now they're a power team, with the added potential for forward Joe Thornton to return at some point. Kane has been a significant addition with 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 12 games as a member of the Sharks. He scored two goals against the Flames on Saturday, the second time he has torched them in the past 10 days. He scored an NHL career-high four goals against Calgary on March 16.
Kane was struggling with the Sabres this season under the pressure of a likely trade out of Buffalo. He is relaxed now, feeling like he's fitting in with what the Sharks do, feeling like a weight is off -- and it shows. He had 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 61 games in Buffalo, but his production has ticked upward in San Jose.
It's all the Sharks could have wanted for their trade deadline acquisition, and all they could have wanted for their team, just at the right time of the season. -- Amalie Benjamin, NHL.com Staff Writer

About last night

All five games played Sunday had playoff implications:
-- The Jets became the second team from the Western Conference to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mark Scheifele scored the only goal in the shootout to send Winnipeg to the playoffs for the first time since 2014-15. The Jets moved within five points of the Predators, the first team to clinch from the West, for the top spot in the Central Division. The Jets lead the third-place Minnesota Wild by nine points.
-- The Ducks, who trailed 3-1 after the second period and tied the game 4-4 with 1:29 left in the third period, moved into third place in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who dropped out of playoff position. Hampus Lindholm scored 1:21 into overtime after Adam Henrique scored twice in the third. Oilers center Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists to give him 99 points (39 goals, 60 assists), tops in the NHL.
-- Brad Marchand scored his League-leading fifth overtime goal of the season to move the Bruins within two points of the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Wild, third in the Central, moved three points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche, who own the first wild card in the West.
Vancouver Canucks 4, Dallas Stars 1 -- Dallas lost its eighth straight game (0-6-2) to remain five points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the West. Canucks forward Daniel Sedin played his 1,300th NHL game.
-- The Penguins swept the four-game season series from the Flyers. They moved within three points of the first-place Washington Capitals and are three points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers moved three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils for the first wild card in the East and into a tie for third in the division with the Blue Jackets, who own the tiebreaker on goal differential.

If playoffs started Monday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Monday:
Eastern Conference
(1A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (WC2) New Jersey Devils
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Philadelphia Flyers
(2M) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3M) Columbus Blue Jackets
(2A) Boston Bruins vs. (3A) Toronto Maple Leafs
Western Conference
(1C) Nashville Predators vs. (WC2) St. Louis Blues
(1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Colorado Avalanche
(2C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (3C) Minnesota Wild
(2P) San Jose Sharks vs. (3P) Anaheim Ducks