Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Stars can clinch postseason berth

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2022 NHL postseason. There are five 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.

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Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for Wednesday

Western Conference
The Dallas Stars will clinch a playoff berth:
If they get at least one point against the Arizona Coyotes (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSWX, BSAZX, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
OR
If the Vegas Golden Knights lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in any fashion (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).

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On Tap

There are five games on the NHL schedule Wednesday, four with playoff implications.
Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, MSG, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Rangers no longer can finish in first place in the Metropolitan Division after losing 4-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. New York forwards Artemi Panarin (upper body) and Andrew Copp (lower body) will not play after being injured Tuesday, but coach Gerard Gallant said they're being held out as a precaution. The Rangers are second in the Metropolitan, six points behind the Hurricanes and seven points ahead of the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins, and have lost two straight games.
Vegas Golden Knights at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Golden Knights need an assist from the Dallas Stars to remain in playoff contention after losing to them 3-2 in the shootout Tuesday. Vegas is four points behind the Stars for the second wild card from the Western Conference and need to win their final two games and have the Stars lose their final two in regulation to get in. The Golden Knights have gone to overtime in their past three games, losing their last two in the shootout.
Arizona Coyotes at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSWX, BSAZX, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Stars can clinch the final playoff spot from the Western Conference if they get at least one point against the Coyotes, after their 3-2 shootout win against the Golden Knights on Tuesday. The Stars lead the Golden Knights by four points for the second wild card and are tied with the Nashville Predators for the first wild card. All three teams have two games remaining.
Los Angeles Kings at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, ROOT-NW+, BSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Kings, who were idle Tuesday, have clinched a berth in the playoffs and a first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. They will be making their first appearance in the playoffs since 2018 and will be the only California-based club in the postseason, the first time only one team from the state has made the playoffs since 1993-94 (San Jose Sharks). The Kings have won four straight games.

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If the playoffs started Wednesday

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Wednesday:
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) Minnesota Wild vs. (3C) St. Louis Blues
(2P) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3P) Los Angeles Kings

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About last night

There were 13 games on the schedule Tuesday, 11 with playoff implications:
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Detroit Red Wings 0: Auston Matthews scored two goals, bringing him to 60 on the season, and the Maple Leafs clinched second in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Matthews is the first player to score 60 since Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (60) in 2011-12, and the first United States-born player to do so. Goalie Jack Campbell made 20 saves for the shutout. The Red Wings have been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.
Boston Bruins 4, Florida Panthers 2:The Bruins spoiled a chance for the Panthers to clinch the Presidents' Trophy as the top team in the NHL standings, as Erik Haula and Taylor Hall scored goals six seconds apart in the first period. Boston, which has won five of its past six games, extended its lead for the first wild card from the Eastern Conference to five points on the Washington Capitals. The Panthers lost their second straight after winning 13 consecutive games; Florida already has clinched the No. 1 seed in the East.
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 1:Stamkos had two goals and two assists to reach 100 points for the first time in the NHL; he has scored 101 (39 goals, 62 assists) in 79 games. The Lightning, who have won four straight games, also got a goal and three assists from Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay is three points ahead of Boston for third in the Atlantic. The Blue Jackets have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Carolina Hurricanes 4, New York Rangers 3:Pyotr Kochetkov made 31 saves, and the Hurricanes clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division. Their 53 wins and 114 points this season are Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers single-season records. It was the fifth straight win for the Hurricanes, who are six points ahead of the Rangers in the division. New York forwards Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp were injured during the second period and did not return for precautionary reasons. The Rangers are seven points ahead of the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan.
Edmonton Oilers 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 1: The Oilers locked up a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings with their win against the Penguins. Edmonton clinched second in the Pacific Division with 100 points, 10 behind the first-place Calgary Flames and four ahead of the Kings. Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists for the Oilers, who have won five of six, and goalie Mike Smith won his 10th straight start. The Penguins are third in the Metropolitan, seven points behind the Rangers and one point ahead of the fourth-place Washington Capitals, who hold the second wild card in the East.
New York Islanders 4, Washington Capitals 1: The Capitals, who played without forward Alex Ovechkin (upper body), had their five-game point streak end. They failed to gain ground on the Penguins and trail them by one point for third place in the Metropolitan Division with one game in hand. They also are five points behind the Bruins for the first wild card from the East. The Islanders, who had lost their previous five games, have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Calgary Flames 5, Nashville Predators 4 (OT):The Predators clinched a spot in the playoffs by getting one point against the Flames, combined with the Dallas Stars' win against the Vegas Golden Knights. It is the eighth straight postseason berth for the Predators, tied with the Capitals for the second-longest streak in the NHL (the Penguins have gone 16 straight seasons). Nashville defenseman Roman Josi had a goal and an assist; the assist was his 400th in the NHL. Predators goalie Juuse Saros, who had 30 saves, left the game at 13:28 of the third period because of an undisclosed injury. Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk tied the game with 0.1 seconds remaining in the third period, the third time the Flames made a comeback in the game. The Flames already have clinched first place in the Pacific.
Arizona Coyotes 5, Minnesota Wild 3: The Wild saw their five-game winning streak come to an end. Minnesota remains tied for second in the Central Division with the St. Louis Blues, though they have a game in hand. The Coyotes, who had lost their previous 10 games (0-8-2), have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Dallas Stars 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (SO):Miro Heiskanen scored the only goal of the shootout in the seventh round for the Stars, who moved one step closer to clinching the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Dallas is tied with the Nashville Predators for the first wild card from the West, four points ahead of the Golden Knights. Jason Robertson scored twice for the Stars, including his 40th goal of the season. The Golden Knights could be eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday.
Colorado Avalanche 5, St. Louis Blues 3:The Avalanche ended the Blues' St. Louis-record 16-game point streak (14-0-2). Colorado has 118 points, matching the Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques single-season record (118 points, 2000-01). The Avalanche have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and are two points behind the Panthers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy. The Blues are tied with the Wild for second in the Central but St. Louis has played one more game than Minnesota.
Vancouver Canucks 5, Seattle Kraken 2:The Canucks were eliminated from playoff contention when the Stars beat the Golden Knights 3-2 in a shootout Tuesday; they are six points behind the Predators and Stars for the West wild cards. Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists to give him 66 points (eight goals, 58 assists), breaking the Canucks record for points in a season by a defenseman (Doug Lidster, 63, 1986-87). The Kraken have been eliminated from playoff contention.