Sunday, March 17, 2019

MY STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS BUZZ


SHARKS MISS CHANCE TO CLINCH BERTH
Lightning move closer to locking up top spot in East; Wild gain ground in race for second wild card in West
Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2019 NHL postseason. There are 21 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.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
All 12 games on the schedule Saturday had playoff implications
St. Louis Blues 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 1: The Blues ended a three-game losing streak to move two points ahead of the Dallas Stars for third place in the Central Division. The Penguins missed a chance to move into a second-place tie with the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. They are four points behind the first-place Washington Capitals. 
Detroit Red Wings 2, New York Islanders 1: The Islanders failed to move into a first-place tie in the Metropolitan. They trail the Capitals by two points and are two points ahead of the Penguins with a game in hand. 
Florida Panthers 4, Los Angeles Kings 3: The Panthers won their fourth straight game and are eight points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Kings are 20 points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. 
Winnipeg Jets 2, Calgary Flames 1: The Flames missed a chance to become the first team from the Western Conference to clinch a playoff berth, but stayed one point ahead of the San Jose Sharks for first place in the West and Pacific Division. The Jets remain one point ahead of the Nashville Predators for first in the Central Division. 
Boston Bruins 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1 (OT): The Bruins ended a three-game losing streak to move four points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Blue Jackets fell back into the second wild card in the East, one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes and three points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. 
Chicago Blackhawks 2, Montreal Canadiens 0: The Blackhawks won their fifth straight game to move within five points of the Coyotes for the second wild card in the West. The Canadiens fell three points behind the Blue Jackets for the second wild card in the East.
Ottawa Senators 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 2: The Maple Leafs lost for the third time in four games and fell four points behind the Bruins for second place in the Atlantic. They are 10 points ahead of the fourth-place Canadiens. 
Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Washington Capitals 3: The Lightning set a team record with their 55th win of the season and are 19 points ahead of the Bruins for first place in the East and Atlantic Division with 10 games to go. The Capitals, who are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games, lead the Islanders by two points for first in the Metropolitan.
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Buffalo Sabres 2: The Hurricanes, who are 8-2-1 in their past 11 games, moved one point ahead of the Blue Jackets for the first wild card in the East and are within two points of the third-place Penguins. The Sabres are 15 points behind the Blue Jackets for the second wild card in the East. 
Minnesota Wild 5, New York Rangers 2: The Wild, who ended a three-game losing streak, moved within two points of the Coyotes for the second wild card in the West. The Rangers fell 15 points behind the Blue Jackets for the second wild card in the East.
Edmonton Oilers 3, Arizona Coyotes 2 (OT): The Coyotes were defeated on Connor McDavid's goal 58 seconds into overtime but moved within one point of the Stars for the first wild card in the West and are two points ahead of the Wild for the second wild card. The Oilers are seven points behind the Coyotes for the second wild card and have one game in hand. 
Nashville Predators 4, San Jose Sharks 2: The Sharks failed to clinch a playoff spot for the second straight home game and remained one point behind the Flames for first in the West and the Pacific. The Predators are still one point behind the Jets for first place in the Central.

IF PLAYOFFS STARTED SUNDAY

Here is a look at the matchups for the first round as they stand entering games Sunday:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1A) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (WC2) Columbus Blue Jackets 
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Carolina Hurricanes  
(2A) Boston Bruins vs. (3A) Toronto Maple Leafs
(2M) New York Islanders vs. (3M) Pittsburgh Penguins   
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1P) Calgary Flames vs. (WC2) Arizona Coyotes
(1C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC1) Dallas Stars 
(2P) San Jose Sharks vs. (3P) Vegas Golden Knights
(2C) Nashville Predators vs. (3C) St. Louis Blues


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