Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018: NHL Bracket, Format and Updated Predictions

There is still plenty to decide in the NHL playoff race with six days left in the regular season.

The Eastern Conference appears to be down to jockeying for positioning, with four teams from the Metropolitan Division separated by three points.

Over in the Western Conference, the wild-card free-for-all has not produced any concrete answers, as three teams are still in the hunt for two spots, while the third-place team in the Pacific Division is far from safe.

The majority of teams have three games remaining, but there are some with two, and one playoff contender has four to go before the seeds are set Sunday.

Format

In the NHL playoff format, the top three teams from each of the four divisions in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference automatically qualify.

Two wild-card teams round out each conference's field of eight, with the worst of the two wild-card teams facing the division winner with the most points. The other division winner faces the wild-card team with the best record.

If a wild-card team is drawn against a Metropolitan Division squad, it goes into the Metropolitan quarter of the bracket, with the same occurring for the other three divisions.

Each division is broken up into a quarter of the bracket, with teams placing second and third in each division facing each other in the first round.

The survivors of the so-called divisional brackets face off in the conference finals, and every series throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs is best of seven.

Bracket

Eastern Conference

Atlantic No. 1 Boston vs. Wild-Card No. 2 New Jersey

Atlantic No. 2 Tampa Bay vs. Atlantic No. 3 Toronto

Metropolitan No. 1 Washington vs. Wild-Card No. 1 Philadelphia

Metropolitan No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. Metropolitan No. 3 Columbus

Western Conference

Central No. 1 Nashville vs. Wild-Card No. 2 Colorado

Central No. 2 Winnipeg vs. Central No. 3 Minnesota

Pacific No. 1 Vegas vs. Wild-Card No. 1 Anaheim

Pacific No. 2 San Jose vs. Pacific No. 3 Los Angeles

Bracket based off standings following Monday's games.

Updated Predictions

Anaheim Beats Los Angeles for 3rd Place in Pacific 

One of the most heated playoff races features the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, who are separated by one point entering Tuesday.

The Kings regained the upper hand in the battle for third place in the Pacific Division with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche Monday.

However, Los Angeles might not be in that spot for long, as the Ducks host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday with the opportunity to jump back over their in-state rival.

Wednesday's clash at Honda Center marks the start of a three-game road swing in California to end the season for the Wild, who take on the Kings Thursday at Staples Center.

In addition to playing the Wild on back-to-back nights, the Ducks and Kings both face the Dallas Stars on Friday and Saturday.

After playing host to the Stars on Friday, the Ducks have a quick turnaround to play the Arizona Coyotes on the road Saturday.

The game against the Coyotes could be huge for the Ducks since they have one more contest remaining on their schedule than the Kings.

Anaheim enters the three-game stretch with plenty of confidence following a come-from-behind win over the Avalanche.

All Anaheim has to do is match Los Angeles' result against Minnesota and beat Dallas to set up the opportunity to secure third place in the Pacific in Arizona.

While both teams are going to make the postseason, barring a complete collapses, clinching third place in the Pacific means more since it avoids a first-round matchup with the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights.

Boston Holds on to No. 1 Overall Seed in East

The Boston Bruins used their third victory of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning to move into first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference on Friday.

Boston has an opportunity to complete the sweep and get one step closer to home-ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs Tuesday, when it meets Tampa Bay for the final time this regular season.

If the Bruins take care of business at Amalie Arena, they should cruise to the finish and end up hosting the second-best wild-card team in the first round.

Even if Boston fails to win in Tampa Bay, leaving the door open for the Lightning to jump back to the No. 1 spot they held most of the season, Bruce Cassidy's team is at an advantage in the final days of the regular season.

Boston is the lone team in playoff contention with four games remaining on its schedule, as it plays Sunday against the Florida Panthers while every other contender finishes up Saturday.

With eight possible points on the table, the Bruins could not only secure the top seed in the East but could also make a late run at the Presidents' Trophy.

While it is going to be hard to make up a three-point difference on the Nashville Predators, stranger things have happened.

For the Bruins to play for the Presidents' Trophy on Sunday, they need to win their next three games and the Predators must lose to either the Panthers, Washington Capitals or Columbus Blue Jackets.

Earning home-ice advantage and leaving no hope for the Lightning to sneak back into the picture is the goal at hand for the Bruins, but finishing with the most points of any NHL team isn't out of question.

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