Path to the Playoffs | Standings, tonight's games to watch, and more

The Sabres continue to inch closer to first place.

Buffalo defeated Vegas in front of an emotional sellout crowd at KeyBank Center last night, then got help from Minnesota’s 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay.

As we wake up Wednesday, the Sabres sit just two points behind the Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division – with a head-to-head matchup looming in Buffalo on Sunday.

• Tickets for Sunday vs. Tampa Bay

There’s more to do in the meantime, though. Tonight’s light slate features the Red Wings, who sit two points behind the Sabres in the division, along with a pair of late-night games featuring Metropolitan Division teams.

Here’s your Wednesday viewing guide.

Sabres playoff odds, according to MoneyPuck.com: 92.9%

Standings

Yesterday’s scores

• Sabres 3 – Golden Knights 2
• Blue Jackets 3 – Predators 2
• Mammoth 3 – Capitals 2
• Devils 5 – Panthers 1
• Bruins 2 – Penguins 1
• Oilers 5 – Senators 4 (OT)
• Wild 5 – Lightning 1
• Sharks 7 – Canadiens 5

Wednesday’s games to follow

Golden Knights at Red Wings – 7 p.m.

Implications: It’s a quick turnaround for Sabres fans – after rooting against the Golden Knights last night, pull for them to win tonight in Detroit. A win for the Red Wings would pull them back even with the Sabres in terms of points.

Hurricanes at Canucks – 10 p.m.                        

Implications: The Sabres are suddenly just four points behind the Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Why not think big? Root for a Canucks win here.

Islanders at Ducks – 10 p.m.

Implication: The Islanders have held down a top-three spot in the Metropolitan for a while now. Still, the East is tight enough that they could factor into the wild card race down the line. Root, as always, for the Western Conference team to win this one.

Playoff format

Eight teams from the Eastern Conference will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The format is a set bracket that is largely division-based with wild cards. 

The top three teams in each division will make up the first six teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The remaining two spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference (wild cards), based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

 Tie-breaking procedures

If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

1. The fewer number of games played (i.e., superior points percentage).
2. The greater number of games won, excluding games won in Overtime or by Shootout (i.e., 'Regulation Wins'). This figure is reflected in the RW column.
3. The greater number of games won, excluding games won by Shootout. This figure is reflected in the ROW column.
4. The greater number of games won by the Club in any manner (i.e., 'Total Wins'). This figure is reflected in the W column.
5. The greater number of points earned in games against each other among two or more tied clubs. For the purpose of determining standing for two or more Clubs that have not played an even number of games with one or more of the other tied Clubs, the first game played in the city that has the extra game (the 'odd game') shall not be included. When more than two Clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any 'odd games') shall be used to determine standing.
6. The greater differential between goals for and against (including goals scored in Overtime or awarded for prevailing in Shootouts) for the entire regular season. This figure is reflected in the DIFF column.
7. The greater number of goals scored (including goals scored in Overtime or awarded for prevailing in Shootouts) for the entire regular season. This figure is reflected in the GF column.