NHL Playoff Standings 2015: Updated Team Records, Seedings, Wild-Card Picture

The 2014-15 NHL regular season is quickly approaching its conclusion, but there is still plenty left to be decided in both conferences when it comes to playoff spots and positioning.

Many teams are closing in on clinching postseason berths, but the current system makes where they finish hugely important. A division winner gets to face a wild-card team in the first round, while a team that finishes second or third in its division is likely to have a much tougher matchup with a division rival.

As the divisional and wild-card races continue to heat up, here is a look at the current playoff picture as well as some intriguing postseason matchups that could ultimately come to fruition.

Eastern Conference Playoff Standings

Place	Team	Division	Points	W	L	OT	Games Remaining
Atlantic Division
1	Montreal Canadiens	A	99	46	20	7	9
2	Tampa Bay Lightning	A	97	45	21	7	9
3	Detroit Red Wings	A	89	39	21	11	11
Metropolitan Division
1	New York Rangers	M	99	46	18	7	11
2	New York Islanders	M	92	44	25	4	9
3	Pittsburgh Penguins	M	90	40	22	10	10
Wild Card
1	Washington Capitals	M	88	39	24	10	9
2	Ottawa Senators	A	85	37	24	11	10
In the Hunt
3	Boston Bruins	A	84	36	25	12	9
4	Florida Panthers	A	80	33	25	14	10

Western Conference Playoff Standings

Place	Team	Division	Points	W	L	OT	Games Remaining
Pacific Division
1	Anaheim Ducks	P	99	46	21	7	8
2	Vancouver Canucks	P	88	42	26	4	10
3	Calgary Flames	P	86	40	27	6	9
Central Division
1	St. Louis Blues	C	97	45	21	7	9
2	Nashville Predators	C	96	44	21	8	9
3	Chicago Blackhawks	C	94	44	22	6	10
Wild Card
1	Minnesota Wild	C	89	41	25	7	9
2	Winnipeg Jets	C	88	38	23	12	9
In the Hunt
3	Los Angeles Kings	P	84	35	23	14	10
4	Dallas Stars	C	80	35	28	10	9

Most Intriguing Potential Matchups to Watch

Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks

While the current NHL playoff system may still have some skeptics, there is no question that it creates some interesting first-round matchups due to the fact that second- and third-place teams in each division have to play against each other.

Divisional rivals spend all year building up bad blood, and that can manifest itself come playoff time.

One potential first-round series that could be on the horizon is between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks.

The Preds have been atop the Central Division for most of the season, but with a 3-6-1 record over their last 10 games, they have slipped and been surpassed by the St. Louis Blues. A big reason for that may be their struggles on the power play, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean:

If Nashville is unable to reclaim the division crown, then it may very well have to face a Blackhawks team that is among the most talented in hockey—even without forward Patrick Kane.

While Kane is back on the ice after fracturing his clavicle, ESPN.com's Scott Powers reports he is still six weeks away from returning to game action, which means he most likely won't be available for the first round.

The absence of Kane would certainly give the Predators an advantage, as would playing at home. Nashville is a great home team with a record of 27-7-2, so Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford realizes how important it is to swing that in Chicago's favor, per Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times:

There are plenty of factors that would make a Predators-Blackhawks series must-watch hockey, but the battle to see which team finishes ahead of the other during the coming weeks could be equally entertaining.

New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are two of the most potent offensive teams in the NHL, and while playoff games often err on the side of defense, a series between them could lead to some major fireworks.

As things currently stand, it seems unlikely that either team will catch the New York Rangers to win the Metropolitan Division.

The Washington Capitals could potentially factor in if they make the leap from one of the wild-card spots, but the Isles and Pens seem destined for a clash even though neither team is in top form currently.

Much of that has to do with injuries to key players. According to Laura Albanese of the New York Daily News, the Islanders are currently without defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky and forward Mikhail Grabovski:

As for the Penguins, it was recently made official that forward Pascal Dupuis will not return for the postseason due to blood clots, per Yahoo Sports NHL:

Although Dupuis wasn't necessarily expected back due to the nature of his health, there is no question that he would have provided a major boost in terms of secondary scoring.

Should this series come to fruition, it is inevitable that the focus will be on Islanders star John Tavares going up against the Pens' dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

With that said, it could very well come down to goalie play between Jaroslav Halak and Marc-Andre Fleury, which would set the stage for a deeply layered and competitive matchup.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames

Derek Leung/Getty Images

Perhaps the most interesting playoff race in hockey resides in the Western Conference, where the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are currently second and third, respectively, in the Pacific Division.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings are lurking closely behind.

Few observers would have picked the Kings to miss the playoffs entering the season, but that is a very real possibility. L.A. has proven capable of winning the Cup regardless of seed, though, which means it will be extremely dangerous if it finds a way in.

While the Flames aren't necessarily pushovers, Jason Brough of ProHockeyTalk points out that the Canucks would probably rather face them than the Kings in the first round:

"

Have Canucks fans gotten confident enough to cheer for the Flames in hopes of avoiding the Kings in the first round?

— Jason Brough (@JasonPHT) March 24, 2015"

That is due, in part, to the fact that Calgary is without superstar defenseman Mark Giordano for the remainder of the season due to injury.

The Flames have maintained their playoff positioning even with Giordano out of the playoffs, though, due to their commitment to team hockey, per the team's official Twitter account:

Vancouver and Calgary have been natural rivals for a very long time, and there is no question that a playoff series between them would energize western Canada.

With veterans like the Sedin twins anchoring the Canucks and youngsters such as Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau leading the way for the Flames, this potential clash between two rivals would make for great drama come playoff time.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.