Thirty of the NHL’s 32 teams have games on the docket this Saturday. Only the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues are idle. The other 30 teams have 15 matches spread across the entire day and night. It starts with a 12:30 p.m. EDT nationally televised match (ABC) between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Subsequently, games go on nearly continuously until the wee hours of Sunday morning east coast time. The final tilts of Saturday are four 10:00 p.m. EDT starts with all three California-based teams and the Seattle Kraken at home.
NHL Playoff Implications
Heading into Saturday, the NHL playoff outlook is quite the indication of the level of parity that exists in the middle tier of the standings.
Metropolitan Division: 2nd and 3rd place race
The Pittsburgh Penguins (92 points, 31 regulation wins) have some breathing room in the battle for a top-three spot and an automatic playoff berth in the Metro. Pittsburgh won’t catch first-place Carolina (102 points) but can solidify their grip on second place and first round home ice against the eventual third-place finisher. The Penguins host the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. EDT.
Meanwhile, the New York Islanders (89 points, 28 RW) hold a very shaky grip on third in the Metro. The Islanders have lost three games in a row in regulation. Right behind the Islanders are the Columbus Blue Jackets (88 points, 27 RW) and Philadelphia (88 points, 24 RW). The Blue Jackets have lost back-to-back regulation decisions. Meanwhile, the Flyers ended a two-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Friday.
On Saturday, the Islanders are on the road to play the Hurricanes (7 p.m. EDT). The Blue Jackets host the Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. EDT). The Flyers, who played on both Thursday and Friday, have the day off as mandated by the NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Philadelphia hosts the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon.
Atlantic Division: First place race
Heading into Saturday, the Tampa Bay Lightning (100 points, 38 RW, 43 regulation plus overtime wins) and Buffalo Sabres (100 points, 38 RW, 41 ROW) are in a virtual tie for the top spot in the Atlantic. If the season ended today, Tampa would take first via secondary tiebreaker.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens (98 points, 32 RW) sit just two points plus a regulation wins tiebreaker behind the Bolts and Sabres.
On Saturday, the Lightning host the Bruins (5 p.m. EDT). The Sabres visit the Washington Capitals (7 p.m. EDT); the Caps need a win to move back within one point of Philadelphia while Buffalo can at least clinch a playoff spot. The Habs visit the New Jersey Devils (7:00 p.m.).
Eastern Conference Wildcard
The Bruins (94 points) are in great shape to earn a wildcard spot. Right now, Boston is close to getting locked into the top wildcard slot. Only a dramatic collapse plus a final major surge a trailing team could change the math.
However, the battle for the lower wildcard slot is wide open. The Ottawa Senators (88 points, 33 RW), Detroit Red Wings (88 points, 29 RW), Columbus (88 points, 27 RW) and Philadelphia (88 points, 24 RW) are in a four-way points tie. Ottawa holds a formidable primary tiebreaker edge. Therefore, any of the others would have to prevail by at least one standings point.
The Sens host the Wild at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday. As previously mentioned, the Red Wings visit the Rangers early in the afternoon, while the Blue Jackets host Winnipeg early in the evening.
Central Division: Top 3 are virtually set
The likely President’s Trophy winner, the Colorado Avalanche (108 points) are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. At this point, the goal is go into the playoffs ready to peak again when the postseason gets rolling.
The Dallas Stars (102 points) and Minnesota Wild (96 points) already know they are likely to run into each other in a brutal first-round playoff matchup.
The Saturday afternoon (3 PM, ABC) game in Dallas between the Stars and Avs won’t affect the standings much. However, with the Stars going 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, this match is a vital test for Glen Gulutzan’s team.
Pacific Division: First-place competition
The Pacific has been by far the NHL’s weakest Division the season. Entering Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers (87 points, 30 RW) and Anaheim Ducks (87 points, 24 RW) are tied for first pointwise. The Oilers, however, won’t be caught if it comes down to a tiebreaker.
Taking first place means avoiding the dreaded divisional No. 2 vs. No 3 series. The Vegas Golden Knights (84 points) made an odd choice to fire head coach Bruce Cassidy and replace him with the ageless John Tortorella. Either way, the Golden Knights are the probable third-place finisher. Even if Vegas somehow finishes second, they still have the 2 vs. 3 series on the horizon. Between Cassidy and Tortorella, the former has more recent playoff success on his resume; Vegas’ 2023 Stanley Cup championship.
The Oilers host the Golden Knights in a head-to-head game on Saturday (10:00 p.m. EDT) in one of Saturday’s marquee matches. The Ducks host the scrappy but now-rebuilding Calgary Flames (10:00 p.m. EDT).
Western Conference wildcard chase
The Utah Mammoth (84 points) are the probable upper wildcard team. There were likely be multiple clubs that miss the playoffs in the East who finish with more points than even the upper (let alone lower) wildcard club in the West.
Nevertheless, there’s still some drama to follow in terms of who rounds out the Western playoff picture. Entering Saturday, the San Jose Sharks (79 points, 24 RW) at least temporarily hold the final playoff spot. That’s because San Jose holds one game in hand over the Nashville Predators (79 points, 25 RW) and LA Kings (79 points, 19 RW).
Los Angeles will have to win out on points. The tiebreaker is out of reach. Meanwhile, Nashville would be in wildcard position if the games played were even. The Sharks and Predators play a must-win match on Saturday in a head-to-head clash in San Jose (10 p.m. EDT). The Kings host the Toronto Maple Leafs (7:00 p.m. EDT, 4:00 p.m. PDT).
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