NHL Playoff Picture 2019: Latest Postseason Bracket, Predictions and More

The Montreal Canadiens are feeling much better about their postseason chances after a win over the Flyers in Philadelphia Wednesday night, while the Dallas Stars continue to surge in the Western Conference after they earned a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.

The Canadiens (83 points) are still on the outside of the playoff structure looking in, but they are just one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets (84 points) for the No. 8 seed (second wild-card position) following a 3-1 triumph over the desperate Flyers.

The Habs got help from the Calgary Flames, 4-2 winners over the Blue Jackets. Both Montreal and Columbus have nine games remaining, and it seems clear those teams will fight it out for the last playoff spot.

"We can win our games, that's all we can control," defenseman Shea Weber said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

The Carolina Hurricanes (87 points) were 3-2 victors in a shootout over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they have upped their advantage in the wild-card race. The Hurricanes are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and they are one of the hottest teams in the NHL.

The Flyers (78 points) have all but run out of time and opportunity to make the playoffs. They could have helped themselves quite a bit if they could have handled the Habs, but they are six points out of a playoff spot with just nine games to play.

The Boston Bruins (97 points) rolled to an easy 5-0 win over the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum, and they increased their advantage over the Toronto Maple Leafs (91 points) in the Atlantic Division to six points. The Leafs dropped a 3-0 decision on the road to the Nashville Predators and they have been slumping in the past two weeks.

The Bruins are in second in the division, and the Leafs are third. They have been on a collision course for another first-round playoff meeting, and Boston will almost certainly claim home-ice advantage in the series.

The Washington Capitals (93 points) increased their lead in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. They moved two points ahead of the Islanders (91 points) and four points ahead of the Penguins (89 points).

Eastern Conference
Team, Points, ROW, Games Remaining
Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay-p, 116, 50, 9
Boston, 97, 42, 9
Toronto, 91, 43, 9

Metropolitan
Washington, 93, 39, 9
New York Islanders, 91, 38, 9
Pittsburgh, 89, 38, 8

Wild Card
Carolina, 87, 38, 10
Columbus, 84, 39, 9
Montreal, 83, 36, 9
Philadelphia, 78, 33, 9

p-Clinched Presidents Trophy

Nashville's victory over the Maple Leafs allowed the Predators (89 points) to move within one point of the first-place Winnipeg Jets (90 points).

The St. Louis Blues rolled to a 7-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers and have 84 points, giving them a two-point edge over Dallas.

Calgary held off the Blue Jackets, and the Flames (97 points) have a three-point lead over the second-place San Jose Sharks (94 points) and a 10-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights (87 points).

The Stars (82 points) have a powerful position as the No. 1 wild-card team in the Western Conference. They have a four-point lead over the Arizona Coyotes (78 points), who were idle Tuesday night.

Arizona's position in the playoff structure is quite shaky, and while the Minnesota Wild (77 points) could not overtake them Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche (76 points) got two points closer after an impressive 3-1 road victory over the Wild.

The Chicago Blackhawks (74 points) were off Tuesday night, but they remain in contention for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. 

Western Conference
Team Points, ROW, Games Remaining
Central Division
Winnipeg, 90, 41, 10
Nashville, 89, 38, 8
St. Louis, 84, 37, 9

Pacific Division
Calgary Flames-x, 97, 45, 9
San Jose-x, 94, 43, 9
Vegas, 87, 38, 9

Wild Card
Dallas, 82, 38, 9
Arizona, 78, 32, 9
Minnesota, 77, 33, 8
Colorado, 76, 31, 9
Chicago, 74, 30, 10

x-Clinched Playoff Spot

Predictions

The Atlantic Division is basically set with the Lightning, Bruins and Maple Leafs in the top three positions. The Capitals, Penguins and Islanders should take the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina and Montreal will take the two wild-card spots, with Columbus and Philadelphia on the outside at the conclusion of the 82-game schedule.

Look for Winnipeg, Nashville and St. Louis to retain the top three positions in the Central Division with Calgary, San Jose and Vegas in first, second and third in the Pacific Division.

Dallas is on track to take the top wild-card spot, and while Arizona has the edge to this point, we see them fading down the stretch and Colorado surging. Look for the Avs to take the second wild-card spot.