NHL Playoff Picture 2016: Analyzing Postseason Races, Standings and Bracket

Only 17 teams remain in contention for 16 spots in the 2015-16 Stanley Cup playoffs, but the postseason picture could still change significantly in the final days of the regular season.

The final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference is still undecided, and both divisions remain up for grabs in the Western Conference. Other seeding can change and alter the potential playoff matchups as well, which makes the final stretch run to the playoffs so important.

Here is a look at where everything currently stands with regard to the playoff picture, as well as further analysis regarding the top races that have yet to be decided.

Eastern Conference Standings

Metropolitan	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
Wild Card	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
In the Hunt	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
Washington Capitals	79	55	17	7	51	116
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	47	25	8	43	102
New York Rangers	80	45	26	9	42	99
Florida Panthers	80	46	25	9	39	101
Tampa Bay Lightning	80	45	30	5	42	95
Detroit Red Wings	80	41	28	11	39	93
New York Islanders	79	44	26	9	39	97
Philadelphia Flyers	79	39	27	13	36	91
Boston Bruins	80	41	30	9	37	91

Western Conference Standings

Central	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
Wild Card	GP	W	L	OT	ROW	PTS
Dallas Stars	80	48	23	9	46	105
St. Louis Blues	80	48	23	9	43	105
Chicago Blackhawks	80	47	26	7	46	101
Anaheim Ducks	79	44	24	11	41	99
Los Angeles Kings	80	47	28	5	45	99
San Jose Sharks	80	45	29	6	41	96
Nashville Predators	80	40	26	14	36	94
Minnesota Wild	81	38	32	11	35	87

Current Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups

Matchup	Team 1	Team 2
A1 vs. WC1	Florida Panthers	New York Islanders
A2 vs. A3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Detroit Red Wings
M1 vs. WC2	Washington Capitals	Philadelphia Flyers
M2 vs. M3	Pittsburgh Penguins	New York Rangers

Current Western Conference Playoff Matchups

Matchup	Team 1	Team 2
P1 vs. WC1	Anaheim Ducks	Nashville Predators
P2 vs. P3	Los Angeles Kings	San Jose Sharks
C1 vs. WC2	Dallas Stars	Minnesota Wild
C2 vs. C3	St. Louis Blues	Chicago Blackhawks

Eastern Conference Wild Card

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

As things currently stand, there are three teams alive for two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Red Wings hold the third and final position in the Atlantic Division, the Philadelphia Flyers cling to the last wild-card spot and the Boston Bruins are on the outside looking in.

Philly has a leg up due to the fact that it has three games remaining, while Detroit and Boston have just two.

The Red Wings could be caught by the Bruins in the Atlantic since they lead by just two points, but they have the advantage in terms of regulation and overtime wins, which means Boston must garner more points over the final two contests.

Detroit put itself in a good spot by beating the Flyers 3-0 Wednesday, but Philly isn't panicking with three games left on its schedule, including a meeting with the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

According to Dave Hogg of CSNPhilly.com, Flyers forward Claude Giroux is still confident his team is positioned well to make the postseason. "We know we still have everything in our control. We're disappointed that we didn't get any points tonight, but we've got three games left and we know we can do this. We're playing well—we played a good game tonight—and we just have to keep that up."

The Red Wings and Bruins are set to clash Thursday, and the result of that game will have a major impact on the playoff race. Should Boston lose, its playoff chances will look extremely thin, especially if Philadelphia manages to beat the Leafs.

Due to the disadvantage the Bruins are at in terms of games remaining and tiebreakers, as well as the fact that they are just 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, look for Detroit to sew up third place in the Atlantic and Philadelphia to hang on to the final wild-card slot.

Western Conference Central Division

Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues

The Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues are the top two teams in the Western Conference from a points perspective, but only one of them will get to call themselves the Central Division champions.

Although the Chicago Blackhawks are technically still in the race as well, four points behind, a single point by either the Stars or Blues in their final two games will prevent Chicago from ascending to the top spot.

Dallas has been in first for much of the season, and it has played well as of late with a record of 7-3 in its past 10 games. The Stars are easily the NHL's top offensive team with 260 goals for, and that conceivably gives them a leg up down the stretch.

The Blues are also 7-3 in their past 10 contests, however, and with 195 goals allowed, they primarily get the job done with defense and goaltending. As alluded to by Bob Sturm of 1310 AM The Ticket, the fact that both teams are playing so well down the stretch has set the stage for an exciting race to the finish:

Dallas is in a better spot for a couple reasons, primarily because they hold a three-win edge in terms of regulation and overtime wins, which means St. Louis would lose the tiebreaker.

Also, the Stars' final two games are against a non-playoff team in the Colorado Avalanche and a wild-card team in the Nashville Predators. Conversely, the Blues must face the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks and the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.

The Stars control their own destiny and have a much easier route to four points than the Blues, which will allow them to cling to first place and set up a first-round date with the Minnesota Wild.

Western Conference Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings

The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings boast one of the NHL's top rivalries, so it is only fitting that they are currently tied atop the Pacific Division standings.

Both teams have 99 points, and while the Kings hold the tiebreaker in terms of regulation and overtime wins, the Ducks are technically in first since they have a game in hand.

The outlook between them will become much clearer Thursday, as the Ducks and Kings will clash in Los Angeles with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the division.

Kings defenseman Luke Schenn acknowledged the importance of the game but also made mention of the fact that both have much larger aspirations moving forward, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register:

"

I think both teams want to leave a lasting impression. If everything goes according to plan, I think there'd be a good chance we could end up running into each other down the road in the playoffs. Saying that, it's not everything as far as a make-or-break game. We both probably got big goals in mind and tomorrow's just another step in that direction for both teams.

"

While neither team has been dominant lately, Anaheim has enjoyed a better run with a 6-2-2 record in its past 10 games, as opposed to just 4-6 for L.A.

A loss to the Ducks would likely prevent the Kings from winning the division, and while a win wouldn't guarantee anything, it would give them a great chance since their final game is against the struggling Winnipeg Jets.

Following Thursday's game, the Ducks have clashes with the Avs and Caps lined up. If Anaheim is within one point of the Kings or better entering Sunday, it will likely be favored to win the division since Washington could conceivably sit some players with nothing left to play for ahead of the postseason.

The Ducks have been among the hottest teams in hockey since rebounding from an awful start to the season, and with veteran forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf leading the way, they'll take the division and earn a first-round meeting with the Preds.

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