The NHL's Eastern Conference playoff race is intensifying with several teams vying for the remaining spots. The New York Islanders secured the third seed in the Metropolitan Division after defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-1. This victory sets them up for a first-round rematch against the Carolina Hurricanes. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, and Pittsburgh Penguins are all tied with 89 points each, closely followed by the Philadelphia Flyers with 87 points. The Capitals kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins, thanks to Charlie Lindgren's 16-save shutout. The Red Wings also stayed in contention by overcoming the Montreal Canadiens in overtime, while the Penguins managed a win against the Nashville Predators. The Flyers now face a challenging path to the playoffs, needing a win in their next game against the Capitals and additional favorable outcomes from other matches. They need to beat Washington, and for the Capitals to lose to the Bruins, while hoping Detroit and Pittsburgh both lose in regulation. If these conditions are met, the Flyers would clinch the second wild card spot.
Hurricanes to play Islanders in Eastern Conference First Round https://t.co/NmG0Weo3bL
Over at MSG, #NYR beat Sens 4-0 to clinch first overall in Metro (and first in NHL overall) and lock Hurricanes into second place in division and a first-round rematch with #Isles
This #StanleyCup Playoffs matchup is locked in! 🔒 The @Canes will go head-to-head with the @NYIslanders in the First Round! Presented by @FDSportsbook https://t.co/hPVBx6vNTp
jk the East is shaping up but BOS/FLA placement is not decided yet. but so far we know: NYR vs WC#2 + CAR vs NYI
With the @NYIslanders clinching the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, there will be a First Round rematch between them and the @Canes after Carolina carried out a 4-2 series victory in 2023. Who will win this year? #NHLStats: https://t.co/X2F5cuM56t https://t.co/Kbq4HryDIP
#NYR fans: Which team would you most want to play in the first round?
Rangers win and clinch 1st in Metro and Presidents Trophy as overall #1 seed CAR vs NYI 1st round now set in stone
Official. For a second consecutive year, the #Canes will face the Islanders in the first round of the #StanleyCup Playoffs. The NHL will release a full schedule for the series later this week. https://t.co/40PtfpwL86
NYR vs whoever wins wild card 2 BOS vs TBL CAR vs NYI the East is shaping up ✨
#Isles will get #CauseChaos in the opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rematch of last year's opening round.
#NYR win, so it's officially Carolina-#Isles in Round 1 and #NYR-?????
The East. NYI in. One spot left Tuesday: Wash at Phi; Det at Mon Wednesday: Pittsburgh at Islanders Regulation wins: Penguins 32; Capitals 31; Flyers 30; Red Wings 27 https://t.co/p2qwyMcHcg
Rangers up on Sens 4-0 with about three to play in the third. So it's going to be #Isles - #Hurricanes in the first round, Games 1 and 2 at Carolina, Games 3 and 4 at UBS Arena. Not sure when schedule will be released.
#Flyers will get into playoffs if… - They beat Caps in regulation. - Penguins lost to Isles in regulation. - Red Wings lose to Canadiens in regulation. Because of tonight’s results, their long odds got longer. https://t.co/Q2wqezJjCq
For the Flyers to make the playoffs now, the following need to happen: - Flyers need to beat WSH in regulation - DET has to lose in regulation to MTL tomorrow - PIT has to lose to NYI in regulation on Wednesday
Islanders win. They are in as Metro3. Capitals win. 89 pts. Red Wings win. 89 pts. Penguins win. 88 pts. Flyers are idle. 87 pts.
The Flyers got no help tonight. Penguins beat Predators in regulation Capitals beat Bruins in regulation Red Wings beat Canadiens in OT Story with updated scenarios to come.
Capitals defeat Bruins in regulation. Tuesday’s Florida-Toronto game still means something to Panthers. Likely they don’t rest stars with division title still attainable. Bruins-Leafs series still possible.
Capitals defeat Bruins 2-0. 16-save shutout for Charlie Lindgren. Capitals win in Philadelphia tomorrow and they're in the playoffs.
Isles clinch 3rd in Metro. Rangers have 3rd period lead over Sens which means we’re about a half hour from a CAR-NYI 1st round repeat of 2023. There have been zero lead changes on Eastern conference scoreboard tonight. https://t.co/ro7tbq0eBh
#Isles are headed to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs after a 4-1 win over #NJDevils. They have locked up the third seed after what's been a wild season @TheHockeyNews @brendan_yerkes https://t.co/WmGFqY8mdx
5-1 Islanders
1:50 remaining, Islanders leading 4-1
Red Wings within 4-3 vs. Canadiens. Penguins lead Predators 4-2. Capitals cling to 1-0 lead vs. Bruins.
#Isles 4 #NJDevils 1 8:11 3rd #GoSensGo 0 #NYR 2 End 2nd If this holds, Rangers win the Metro & Presidents Trophy while the Hurricanes will play the Islanders in Round 1. Caps, Pens & Wings won’t catch NYI with one game left if they win. #CauseChaos
MacLean ups it to 4-1 for #Isles at 6:17 of the third.
Lee wins a puck battle up the ice, feeds MacLean and he stuffs it under Allen. 4-1 #Isles at 6:17 of the 3rd
Islanders lead 4-1.
#Isles 3/3 on the PK tonight
Score Updates: #GoSensGo 0 #NYR 2 6:14 2nd #Preds 2 #LetsGoPens 3 End 2nd #Isles 3 #NJDevils 1 18:38 3rd We could be staring down #CauseChaos vs #Isles Round 1 again for a 2023 rematch
After two periods… Habs 4, Detroit 2. Pitt 3, Nashville 2. Caps 1, Bruins 0. #Flyers
After two periods: Canadiens 4 Red Wings 2 (still good for Flyers!) Capitals 1 Bruins 0 (not great for Flyers but not devastating) Penguins 3 Predators 2 (Preds cut deficit & are hanging around but still trailing)
After two periods: Capitals 1, Bruins 0 Penguins 3, Predators 2 Canadiens 4, Red Wings 2 Islanders 3, Devils 1
End of two #Isles 3 (Pageau, Palmieri PP, Nelson) #NJDevils 1 (Meier) Devils up on shots 17-9 Elsewhere: Habs 4, Red Wings 2 Pens 3, Preds 1 Caps 1, Bruins 0 Rangers 1, Sens 0
End of two. #NJDevils trail the Islanders 3-1. 1:✖️Pageau (Engvall, Lee) 1:✖️Palmieri (Reilly, Nelson) 2:🚨 Meier (Bratt, Hischier) 2: ✖️Nelson(Fasching, Palmieri) Shots 17-10, NJ
#Isles up 3-1 after 2
#Isles with a strong PK, yet again.
3-1 #Isles at 11:48 of the second. Puck comes to Nelson between the circles and he pounces
3-1, Isles
3-1 Islanders
9:21 to play in the second. #Isles up 2-1, being outshot 15-7.
Back for the second. #Isles up 2-0. MTL up 2-1 on DET after 1. PIT up 2-0 on NSH after 1. WSH up 1-0 on BOS after 1.
After one period: Capitals 1, Bruins 0 Penguins 2, Predators 0 Canadiens 2, Red Wings 1 Islanders 2, Devils 0
#Isles, who were held without a shot for first 12:22 of the game, head to the first intermission up 2-0. Pageau 2-on-1 Palmieri PP deflection Varlamov made eight saves. Allen made three saves.
After one period in all three games: Montreal 2 Red Wings 1 (good!) Caps 1 Bruins 0 (bad but not a huge deal) Penguins 2 Predators 0 (bad and a potentially big deal)
After one period, the Capitals lead the Bruins 1-9. Shots on goal are 7-4 Washington.
After 20, Capitals lead the Bruins 1-0 on a goal from John Carlson. WSH leads 7-4 in SOG.
#Isles, who were held without a shot for first 7:38 of the game, head to the first intermission up 2-0. Pageau 2-on-1 Palmieri PP deflection Varlamov made eight saves. Allen made three saves.
End of one #Isles 2 (Pageau, Palmieri PP) #NJDevils 0 Devils up on shots 8-5. Isles, so far, Takin' Care of Business." Elsewhere Pens 3, Preds 0 Caps 1, Bruins 0 Habs 2, Red Wings 1 Rangers 0, Sens 0
#Isles up 2-0 after 1
End of one. #NJDevils trail the Islanders 2-0. ✖️Pageau (Engvall, Lee) ✖️Palmieri (Reilly, Nelson) Shots 8-5, NJ
MacLean draws a trip as #Isles, up 1-0, are going to the PP with 4:34 to go in the first.
And the Islanders score on their first shot of the game. It's 1-0 Islanders off a 2-on-1. https://t.co/5B4zzI1rar
12 minutes into the first period and the Islanders are looking for their first shot of the game. #NJDevils have two.
#Isles still without a shot on goal with under 10 to play in the first.
Sleepy start for #Isles. Devils spending most of the time up ice and Isles slow to win puck battles. But Devils only up on shots 2-0 and Isles have two blocked shots.
Capitals obviously need a win vs. the Bruins to help their playoff chances, but they cannot clinch a berth tonight or be eliminated from contention. The Red Wings (vs. Canadiens) and the Penguins (vs. the Predators) need at least a point tonight to avoid elimination.
The Capitals' quest to sneak into the playoffs continues with a do-or-die back-to-back that kicks off in less than an hour against the Bruins. Here's everything to know before puck drop, including line combinations, stats, all playoff scenarios & more: https://t.co/ocwv3NFMyh
The #Isles have a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win against the #NJDevils. The last time that sentence was typed was pretty wild… https://t.co/SxWLMmjxXa
What needs to happen for the Flyers to make the playoffs? We have all the scenarios right here. ⤵️ https://t.co/Map7KRxHLa
Caps rooting guide for tonight. 1) Caps to get two points. Bruins are still fighting to win their division so they still care. 2) If Wings and Penguins both lose in regulation, WSH is playing a play-in game in Philly tomorrow night no matter what. https://t.co/dvhthvmj5R
"(A playoff spot) is right there [...] We are playing a team that's fast, a team that has been playing some good hockey. We're gonna have to be ready for them." #Isles battle #NJDevils, can clinch third place with a "W" @TheHockeyNews @matthewpage24 https://t.co/8tDrm8eDU8
With two games left to sneak into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals know what they'll do in net — at least to start. Charlie Lindgren goes against the Bruins. As for Tuesday against the Flyers, which carries just as much, if not more, weight? Um... https://t.co/XiGVaUmJvt
Four teams in the fight for two playoff positions in the Eastern Conference are in action, including the @NYIslanders, @Capitals, @DetroitRedWings and @penguins. #NHLStats: https://t.co/9TD6wsaTqn https://t.co/EAgSMouYer
#Flyers will practice in Voorhees today at 11. They control their destiny with Washington in playoff chase. Need help to finish ahead of Pitt and Detroit. It’s possible, though not probable. Remember Game 82 vs NYR in 2010 for belief.
The @NYIslanders have scenarios Monday to secure both a #StanleyCup Playoffs spot and the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division. The simplest is to win their game against the Devils (7 p.m. ET on MSGSN, MSGSN2). #NHLStats: https://t.co/X2F5cuM56t https://t.co/LjNIjoHaUB
Islanders face one last Devils hurdle to secure spot in NHL playoffs https://t.co/Iz89SISj5w https://t.co/G7gfmtBXKp
The Flyers will have their final practice of the regular season tomorrow at 11am #Flyers
Updated Flyers playoff scenarios (slightly less delusional) Flyers: Beat the Caps* Red Wings & Pens: Lose at least 1 of their remaining games in reg. or lose both remaining games in OT/SO **If the Caps beat the Bruins on Monday, the Flyers would need to beat the Caps in reg. https://t.co/q99r6qzhWi
#Isles had the chance to clinch third seed/playoff spot on Saturday but didn't get the two points they needed and didn't get help either. But NYI can clinch the third seed if they can beat #NJDevils on Monday. More ways to get in ⤵️ https://t.co/Nuy2p7ooy2
There is a scenario in which the Flyers get in ahead of the Capitals by goal differential. It would have to include: Flyers def. Capitals in regulation on Tuesday after Capitals defeat the Bruins in regulation on Monday and one regulation loss each by Red Wings and Penguins. https://t.co/QdAq54nWpg
Yes, #Flyers can still get in if Caps beat Boston, but Flyers would need to beat Caps in regulation. Pens and Wings will also factor into mix. Bottom line: 8-game skid was a killer. Cost Flyers from controlling own destiny. https://t.co/Y96133Yu2X
So if I'm doing this correctly, if (and it's a big if) Detroit and Pittsburgh both lose in regulation on Monday, Flyers would clinch the second wild card spot with a win over the Caps on Tuesday, even if Caps beat Bruins Monday. Right?
If Washington beats Boston in regulation, the Flyers need to beat Caps in regulation Tues. If that happened, both teams would have 89 points and be tied in RW and ROW and total wins (third tie-breaker), but #Flyers would win fourth tie-breaker (points in head to head w Caps)
Penguins lose, but Capitals, Flyers and Red Wings all won. That moves WAS, PHI and DET into a three-way tie with PIT one point behind, but Caps hold the final wild-card spot with the tiebreaker. That makes them the current #NYR first-round opponent, but a lot can still change. https://t.co/LcXHlX7nw5
One point separates four teams in wild-card spot. #Flyers need to beat Washington, and for Caps to lose to Bruins. They also need Detroit to go 1-1 with Montreal, and for Penguins to go 1-1 vs. Nashville and Isles. https://t.co/Oj3HF4C8t8
Penguins fall 6-4 in regulation to Boston Red Wings are tied for the Eastern Conference's 2nd wild card with 2 games left. Simplest path into the playoffs is to win out, and have Washington lose at least once (in regulation or OT). Caps finish with BOS & PHI. DET twice vs. MTL