NHL Playoff Standings 2018: Updated Postseason Picture and Stanley Cup Bracket

The St. Louis Blues had a big opportunity to move back into the playoff structure Monday night as they hosted the Washington Capitals.

While the Caps are clearly one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, they were coming off a Metropolitan Division-clinching win Sunday night over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Washington played one of its most complete games of the year in beating Pittsburgh 3-1 on the road and accomplishing one of its regular-season goals in winning the division.

The Caps should have been ripe for the taking, and the Blues jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an early goal by Vladimir Tarasenko.

That advantage held up through 20 minutes, but Washington woke up in the second with three goals, and the Blues did not have much of an answer. They dropped a 4-2 decision and remain on the outside looking in.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

While the Blues were losing, the Los Angeles Kings helped themselves by beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. The win allowed the Kings to move into third place, one point ahead of the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks are in the first wild-card position, while Colorado is in the second wild-card spot.

The Blues are one point behind the Avs and have a game in hand on Colorado. St. Louis still has a chance to make the playoffs, but it can't let any more opportunities slip through its grasp.

Here's a look at the NHL standings.

The Caps can prepare for the postseason. While they are division title-winners, they won't have a better record than the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division. That means they would play the No. 1 wild-card qualifier in the Eastern Conference. 

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently in that position, but they are in a virtual tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it appears the Capitals will play one of those teams.

The Bruins have a two-point lead over the Lightning, and they also have a game in hand. Those two teams play Tuesday night in Tampa, and a Boston win would all but clinch first place in the Eastern Conference. Even if the Bruins lose, they would still be in the driver's seat because they have three games left while the Lightning have two.

Toronto is securely in third place in the Atlantic Division, and the Maple Leafs were victorious Monday night over the Buffalo Sabres.

The Nashville Predators should be able to clinch the Central Division title shortly, and the Winnipeg Jets have an excellent grip on second place. 

The Minnesota Wild are in fairly good shape after beating Edmonton 3-0 Monday night, and they should take third place in the division. However, they got brutal news when star defenseman Ryan Suter suffered a fractured ankle Saturday night in a loss to the Dallas Stars. 

Here's a look at the playoff bracket after Monday night's action:

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins (1) vs. New Jersey Devils (wild card 2)

Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (3)

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (wild card 1)

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (3)

Western Conference

Nashville Predators (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (wild card 2)

Winnipeg Jets (2) vs. Minnesota Wild (3)

Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (wild card 1)

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Los Angeles Kings (3)