Stanley Cup Playoffs 2017: Updated Standings, Bracket and Top Must-See Games

The Anaheim Ducks are going into the playoffs on a hot streak.

They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 Thursday night, and the victory allowed them to move closer to clinching the Pacific Division title.

If they can pick up one point in their final regular-season game or the Edmonton Oilers don't win both of their remaining contests, Anaheim will clinch the division title.

There's little doubt the Ducks are playing their best hockey with the playoffs right around the corner. The victory over the Blackhawks was their third straight, and they are 8-0-2 in their past 10 games. While Anaheim has had difficulty sustaining its regular-season success in the postseason in years past, that may not be a problem this time around.

"We already made the playoffs," center Ryan Kesler told the Associated Press after the game (h/t CBSSports.com). "That was the only [regular-season] goal this team had. Everything else is just a bonus. For us, we're playing really good hockey right now, and we continued that tonight."

The Oilers are likely to have home-ice advantage if they meet the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs, and that looks likely.

Edmonton came up with a 4-2 road victory over the Sharks Thursday night, and the Oilers have veteran power forward Milan Lucic to thank for those two points.

They trailed 2-1 entering the third period, but Lucic banged home three consecutive goals that gave him a natural hat trick and the Oilers a tiebreaking victory in the standings. The Oilers lead the Sharks by two points, and they have two games remaining while the Sharks have one.

The Ottawa Senators punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Boston Bruins. The victory moved the Senators one point ahead of the Bruins into second place in the Atlantic Division, and those two teams are likely to meet in the first round of the playoffs, although that scenario has not been determined yet.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their second straight home game as they fell to the desperate Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 Thursday. The Lightning and the New York Islanders are trying to chase down the Maple Leafs, but one victory by Mike Babcock's men in their last two games will give them a spot in the postseason.

Notable Upcoming Games

Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens, Friday

This is the only game on Friday, and the Lightning need to win this contest and their season finale Sunday at home against Buffalo in order to have a chance.

The Lightning are 6-3-1 in their past 10 games, and they are getting timely goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.63 goals-against average and .916 save percentage) and clutch scoring from Nikita Kucherov (39 goals and 43 assists). 

While the Habs don't have anything to play for since they have already clinched the Atlantic Division title and are locked into a first-round matchup with the New York Rangers, head coach Claude Julien is not likely to put up with a substandard effort after the Canadiens lost their most recent game to the Buffalo Sabres.

Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, Saturday

The Bruins clinched their playoff spot recently, but if they want to avoid playing the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, they need to win this game.

Boston saw its six-game winning streak come to an end Thursday night against Ottawa. High-scoring left wing Brad Marchand won't play Saturday as a result of his suspension for a stick infraction. Meanwhile, defenseman Torey Krug suffered a lower-body injury against the Senators, and his status has not been determined.

The Caps have little to play for in this game since they already have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday

Columbus Blue Jackets at Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday

The Maple Leafs can clinch a spot in the playoffs if they can beat the Pittsburgh Penguins here or defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets Sunday.

Both of those teams are locked into their playoff positions as the second- and third-place teams in the Metropolitan Division, but don't expect either to let the Maple Leafs ease into the postseason.

Toronto was badly outplayed by the Lightning at home Thursday, and Babcock needs a much better effort from his young team if the Leafs are going to get the better of the Penguins or Blue Jackets.

Ottawa Senators at New York Islanders, Sunday

If the Maple Leafs lose to Pittsburgh and Columbus, the Islanders could steal the last playoff position in the Eastern Conference if they can beat the New Jersey Devils on Saturday and the Senators on Sunday.

The Devils are not in the playoffs and have little to play for, but the Senators could be playing to upgrade their playoff status if they have not already clinched second place in the Atlantic Division.

The Islanders are suddenly hot, having won four games in a row, and they should play well against the Sens if they remain alive when the puck drops for the season finale.