NHL Playoff Standings 2019: Current Bracket Matchups and Postseason Picture

Saturday marks the final day of the NHL regular season before the stakes are raised with the start of the playoffs on Wednesday.

Of the 16 playoff spots, 15 have been clinched. However, several teams that have already secured postseason berths are still looking to improve their seeding and draw better matchups for the first round.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the team to beat this year, as they lead the NHL in points (126) and wins (61) entering their regular-season finale on Saturday. They clinched the Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the team with the most regular-season points, as far back as March 18.

Current Bracket Matchups

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay (Atlantic No. 1) vs.  Columbus (Wild Card No. 2)

Boston (Atlantic No. 2) vs. Toronto (Atlantic No. 3)

Washington (Metropolitan No. 1) vs. Carolina (Wild Card No. 1)

N.Y. Islanders (Metropolitan No. 2) vs. Pittsburgh (Metropolitan No. 3)

Western Conference

Calgary (Pacific No. 1) vs. Colorado (Wild Card No. 2)

San Jose (Pacific No. 2) vs. Vegas (Pacific No. 3)

Nashville (Central No. 1) vs. Dallas (Wild Card No. 1)

Winnipeg (Central No. 2) vs. St. Louis (Central No. 3)

Playoff Picture Breakdown

Eastern Conference

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

The lone playoff spot still up for grabs is in the Eastern Conference, where the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens will battle for the second wild-card berth.

Columbus and Montreal each has 94 points, but the Blue Jackets have two games remaining, while the Canadiens only have one.

Columbus concludes the regular season with a pair of road matchups—one against the New York Rangers on Friday and one against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Montreal plays its regular-season finale at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

If the Blue Jackets lose to the Rangers on Friday, then Saturday's matchups will decide which team gets the second wild-card spot. However, a Blue Jackets win on Friday would clinch their playoff place. And Columbus could even move up to the top wild-card spot if it wins both its games and the Carolina Hurricanes lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in regulation on Saturday.

The only other potential change in the Eastern Conference is which team will secure home-ice advantage for the first-round series between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders have a two-point lead over the Penguins with one game remaining.

If New York loses in regulation at the Washington Capitals on Saturday and Pittsburgh wins against the New York Rangers at home, then both teams would finish at 101 points and the Penguins would own the tiebreaker and move up to No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division.

Western Conference

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The eight playoff teams have been decided in the Western Conference, but there are still some seedings that need to be decided in the final games of the regular season.

It's a tight battle among the top three teams in the Central Division, with each team having one game remaining. The Nashville Predators are at the top with 98 points, followed by the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues at 97 points apiece.

Any of those three teams could finish at No. 1 in the division, meaning it would play the No. 1 wild-card team rather than a divisional opponent. The Predators (home to the Chicago Blackhawks), Jets (at the Arizona Coyotes) and Blues (home to the Vancouver Canucks) all play their regular-season finales on Saturday.

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche will be the two wild-card teams in the Western Conference, but both could still earn the top spot. The Stars have a one-point lead over the Avalanche and two games remaining, while Colorado only has one, so it's likely that Dallas will secure the No. 1 wild card.

The Stars play at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and at home against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. The Avalanche play at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.