NHL Playoff Standings 2017: Bracket Picture Before Final Regular-Season Games
While the four division races are all but wrapped up, berths and positioning are still in flux for the 2017 NHL playoffs with just one or two games remaining for each team in the regular season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are making a desperate push to return to the postseason, as are the New York Islanders. Yet the Toronto Maple Leafs control their destiny to claim the last remaining playoff spot in the league.
Here are the playoff standings. Keep in mind, the last wild-card team takes on the conference's top team, while the second wild-card squad plays the other division winner.
| Metropolitan Division | Points | Games Remaining |
| Washington Capitals (Clinched Division) | 116 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins (Clinched Playoffs) | 111 | 2 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets (Clinched Playoffs) | 106 | 2 |
| Atlantic Division | Points | Games Remaining |
| Montreal Canadiens (Clinched Division) | 101 | 1 |
| Ottawa Senators (Clinched Playoffs) | 96 | 2 |
| Boston Bruins (Clinched Playoffs) | 95 | 1 |
| Wild Card | Points | Games Remaining |
| New York Rangers (Clinched Playoffs) | 100 | 2 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 93 | 2 |
| Central Division | Points | Games Remaining |
| Chicago Blackhawks (Clinched Division) | 108 | 1 |
| Minnesota Wild (Clinched Playoffs) | 104 | 1 |
| St. Louis Blues (Clinched Playoffs) | 95 | 2 |
| Pacific Division | Points | Games Remaining |
| Anaheim Ducks (Clinched Playoffs) | 101 | 1 |
| Edmonton Oilers (Clinched Playoffs) | 99 | 2 |
| San Jose Sharks (Clinched Playoffs) | 97 | 1 |
| Wild Card | Points | Games Remaining |
| Calgary Flames (Clinched Playoffs) | 94 | 1 |
| Nashville Predators (Clinched Playoffs) | 94 | 1 |
The Eastern Conference still has some some uncertainty, as Tampa Bay or New York could mathematically overtake Toronto for the final wild-card spot.
The Lightning, despite trading starting goaltender Ben Bishop and having Steven Stamkos likely miss 65 games due to injury, are one point out with one contest remaining. The Islanders sit three points out with two games left.
Thus, the Maple Leafs need just two points over their last two games to clinch their first playoff berth since 2012-13, and just their second since the 2003-04 season. Rookie phenom Auston Matthews said the team is confident it will get the job done in the last two games, per NHL.com's Dave McCarthy.
"I don't know why we wouldn't [feel confident]," Matthews said. "We're in a good position, we just need a win. It's a great opportunity for us, especially in Toronto. We're having fun. We just want to go out there, play hockey, do the right things and I think it will take care of itself."
Toronto will not have the easiest road to clinching, as it takes on two of the East's top teams in Pittsburgh and Columbus to close out the season. The Maple Leafs experienced mixed results against these teams this season, finishing 1-1 versus each.
Tampa Bay holds the tiebreaker with 41 regulation or overtime wins, so Toronto needs to earn a victory in its next two contests barring a Lightning loss.
Its best chance to do so may be against the Penguins. Pittsburgh is without Evgeni Malkin, who has not played since March 15, and Kris Letang, who is out for the postseason due to neck surgery. With the Maple Leafs speed and depth down the middle with Matthews, Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Brian Boyle, they should be able to matchup well with a depleted Pittsburgh team.
Boyle is one of the league's better defensive centers, which means he will likely see Sidney Crosby's line for most of the night. That means Matthews or Kadri will be lined up against the likes of Nick Bonino or Matt Cullen, both of whom should find success against the youngsters. With the game also being in Toronto, expect the Maple Leafs to close this one out in a rowdy environment.
That is good news for the Washington Capitals, who would certainly prefer to start their Stanley Cup run against an inexperienced upstart like Toronto than a battle-tested, veteran team like Tampa Bay or New York in the first round.
The Lightning appear primed to push the Maple Leafs, though, as they play the Buffalo Sabres in their season finale. Tampa Bay owned Buffalo to the tune of a 3-0 record this season, and this team is filled with players who know how to win big games. Yet inconsistent play and injuries will likely keep Tampa Bay out of the playoffs, as Sportsnet's Eric Engels notes:
The Islanders have less of chance to catch Toronto due to their 38 wins in regulation. New York plays a stumbling New Jersey Devils team on Saturday before closing out with the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. While the game against the Devils, who sit last in the Eastern Conference, should translate into a victory, the Senators could be a tougher deal as they look to hold off Boston for home ice in the playoffs.
Making matters worse is John Tavares likely missing the rest of the regular season due to a leg injury, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple. This gives Toronto an even greater chance of reaching the postseason.
In the Western Conference, the only thing left worth watching is playoff seeding.
The Anaheim Ducks are a point away from wrapping up the Pacific Division, and they should do so against a Los Angeles Kings team that lost six of their last 10 games. That leaves the Central as the only division that could see some movement.
The Nashville Predators are a point back from the St. Louis Blues, but the Predators lose a game in-hand. They will play the Winnipeg Jets to close out the year, but the Blues have a much more favorable draw with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche still on the schedule.
Seeing that the Blues are 3-0 against the hapless Avalanche, expect them to earn a victory here to lock up the third spot in the Central and a matchup with the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs.
Statistics are courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise noted.
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