Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Blues go for 10th straight win

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2022 NHL postseason. There are 13 days left in the regular season and the races in each of the four divisions are tight. The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the next two highest-place finishers in each conference reach the playoffs.

Here is a look at the
NHL standings
and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

On Tap

There are 10 games on the schedule Tuesday, nine with playoff implications.
Philadelphia Flyers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, NBCSP, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Maple Leafs will be without Auston Matthews, who missed their 4-2 win against the New York Islanders on Sunday with an injury sustained Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. He is day to day, with coach Sheldon Keefe saying the injury is "minor." The Maple Leafs are second in the Atlantic Division, eight points behind the first-place Florida Panthers and six ahead of the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning, have won three straight and are 10-1-1 in their past 12. The Flyers, who have lost five straight games, have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Minnesota Wild at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, BSN, BSWIX, NBCSWA, NHL LIVE)
The Wild will be without Marcus Foligno, who's in NHL COVID-19 protocol, when they try to pass the St. Louis Blues for second in the Central Division. Third-place Minnesota is one point behind St. Louis and has played three straight overtime games, winning two. The Wild have points in each of their past six games (4-0-2) and are 13-1-3 in their past 17. The Canadiens have lost five in a row and been eliminated from playoff contention.
Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSUN, BSDETX, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Lightning have won two straight after losing five-of-six and are 3-3-2 in their past eight games. They have defeated the Red Wings in all three games this season and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is 13-0-0 against Detroit, one of three NHL teams he is undefeated against (13-0-0 against the Chicago Blackhawks and 2-0-0 against the Seattle Kraken). Tampa Bay is third in the Atlantic, six points behind the second-place Maple Leafs and three points ahead of the fourth-place Boston Bruins. The Red Wings have lost two in a row and been eliminated from playoff contention.
Winnipeg Jets at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSG, TSN3, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Jets are fighting to remain in playoff contention, sitting 10 points behind the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, who are tied for the two wild cards from the Western Conference. The Rangers are 5-1-0 in their past six, second in the Metropolitan Division and can tie the Carolina Hurricanes for first with a win.
Florida Panthers at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSG+, BSFL, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Panthers have the longest active winning streak in the NHL, with 10 straight victories; the franchise record is 12 straight from Dec. 15, 2015-Jan. 10, 2016. They are first in the Atlantic, eight points ahead of the second-place Maple Leafs, and have the most points in the Eastern Conference, eight ahead of the Hurricanes. The Islanders, 2-3-0 in their past five, were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Maple Leafs on Sunday.
Calgary Flames at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, SNW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Flames are on the second half of a back-to-back set after a 5-2 road win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Calgary is first in the Pacific Division, nine points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers. The Predators, 2-3-1 in their past six, are tied with the Dallas Stars for the two wild cards from the Western Conference.
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, TVAS, NHL LIVE)
The Blues have won nine straight and a win Tuesday will give them the third winning streak of 10 or more games in franchise history. St. Louis, which won 4-2 in Boston on April 12, is 11-0-1 in its past 12 games and can also equal the franchise record for longest point streak (13 games from Jan. 3-Feb. 5, 2015). Robert Thomas has a 13-game point streak and Pavel Buchnevich has a 10-game point streak for the Blues, who are second in the Central, one point ahead of the third-place Wild. The Bruins are the first wild card from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Washington Capitals and three points behind the Lightning for third in the Atlantic. Both teams have clinched a playoff berth.
Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Canucks are coming on strong and hoping there's time left to make the playoffs. They have won six straight, including 6-2 against the Stars on Monday, and are four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific and five points behind the Predators and Stars for the two wild cards from the West. The Senators have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, NHL LIVE)
The Kings are trying to turn the corner as they head toward the playoffs, having won two of their past three games after losing three straight. They are third in the Pacific, four points behind the second-place Oilers and three points ahead of the fourth-place Golden Knights. Both wild card teams (the Predators and Stars) have one more point than the Kings, making locking up the third spot in the division crucial for their playoff chances. The Ducks have been eliminated from playoff contention.

If the playoffs started Tuesday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Tuesday:
Eastern Conference
(1A) Florida Panthers vs. (WC2) Washington Capitals
(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) Boston Bruins
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(2M) New York Rangers vs. (3M) Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
(1C) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC2) Dallas Stars
(1P) Calgary Flames vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators
(2C) St. Louis Blues vs. (3C) Minnesota Wild
(2P) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Los Angeles Kings

About last night

There were six games Monday, five with playoff implications:
Calgary Flames 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2: Forward Johnny Gaudreau had a milestone night, scoring twice to pass 600 points in the NHL, and helping lead the Flames to their seventh win in eight games. Gaudreau has scored 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in his past 10 games and an NHL career-high 107 points (38 goals, 69 assists) in 76 games this season. Forward Blake Coleman added a goal and an assist for the Flames, who are first in the Pacific Division and extended their lead to nine points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers. The Blackhawks, 1-8-2 in their past 11, have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Washington Capitals 3, Colorado Avalanche 2: Forward Alex Ovechkin helped the Capitals end the Avalanche's nine-game winning streak when he scored his 48th goal of the season and tied Teemu Selanne for the most goals in a season by a player age 36 or older. The win was the sixth in seven games for the Capitals, who moved one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division and one point behind the Boston Bruins for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Avalanche already have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference and Central Division. They remain two points ahead of the Florida Panthers for the Presidents' Trophy, awarded each season to the team that has the most points in the NHL.
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Arizona Coyotes 3: Nino Niederreiter and Max Domi each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who regained sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan, two points ahead of the second-place New York Rangers. Antti Raanta made 23 saves to end a two-game skid for the Hurricanes, who were without goalie Frederik Andersen (out at least one week; lower body), forward Jordan Staal (day to day; upper body), and forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi (undisclosed). The Coyotes have lost seven in a row and been eliminated from playoff contention.
New Jersey Devils 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2: The Golden Knights lost a crucial game in their bid to gain ground for a playoff spot. With five games remaining, Vegas remains fourth in the Pacific, three points behind the third-place Los Angeles Kings, and four points behind the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, who are tied for the two wild cards from the Western Conference. Andrew Hammond made 42 saves for the Devils, who are 3-1-1 in their past five but have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Vancouver Canucks 6, Dallas Stars 2: The Canucks won their sixth straight game in their late bid to make the playoffs. They moved four points behind the Kings for third in the Pacific and five behind the Predators and Stars for a wild card spot in the West. The Golden Knights are one point ahead of them. Elias Pettersson scored two goals and added an assist, and Jason Dickinson and Brock Boeser each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks, who have points in 11 of their past 13 games (8-2-3). The Stars failed to gain sole possession of the first wild card from the West.