Here are the Stanley Cup Playoff clinching scenarios for April 7:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff berth:
If they defeat the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion (10:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, SNW) AND the Calgary Flames lose to the San Jose Sharks in regulation (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, SN1)
The St. Louis Blues will clinch a playoff berth:
If they defeat the Winnipeg Jets in regulation (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, NHLN, FDSNMW) AND the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation
On Tap
There are five games on the schedule for Monday, all with playoff implications:
Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, MSG, TVAS)
The Lightning (44-26-6) wrap up a four-game road trip (1-1-1) looking to pad their lead for second place in the Atlantic Division; they are two points ahead of the Florida Panthers and four behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs. The Rangers (36-33-7) trail the Montreal Canadiens by six points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand.
St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, NHLN, FDSNMW)
The Blues (43-28-7) look to extend their franchise-best 12-game winning streak and pad their lead on the Minnesota Wild for the first wild card in the Western Conference; St. Louis, which can potentially clinch a playoff berth, is two points ahead with four games remaining for each. The Jets (52-21-4) are one point ahead of the Washington Capitals in the Presidents’ Trophy race and three ahead of the Dallas Stars for first in the Central Division.
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks (10:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, SNW)
The Oilers (44-27-5) can potentially clinch a playoff berth in the finale of a four-game road trip; they are 2-1-0 thus far after a 3-0 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday that dropped them four points behind for second in the Pacific Division. The Ducks (33-35-8) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KHN, KONG)
A four-game winning streak has helped the Kings (44-23-9) move four points ahead of the Oilers for second in the Pacific; they trail the Vegas Golden Knights by five points for first place. The Kraken (33-38-6) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, SN1)
The Flames (36-27-13) play the first of two games in California and trail the Wild by six points for the second wild card in the West. The Sharks (20-46-10) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
If playoffs started Monday
Eastern Conference
(1A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (3A) Florida Panthers
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens
(2M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3M) New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
(1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) St. Louis Blues
(2P) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3P) Edmonton Oilers
(1C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC2) Minnesota Wild
(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3C) Colorado Avalanche
About last night
There were eight games on the NHL schedule Sunday, all with playoff implications:
New York Islanders 4. Washington Capitals 1: Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky and set the NHL record with his 895th goal, but the Capitals (49-19-9) were unable to clinch the Metropolitan Division. Washington is 11 points ahead of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes with five games left; Carolina has six. The Islanders (34-32-10) have won their past two games and trail the Canadiens by seven points for the second wild card in the East.
