There are four games on the NHL schedule Monday, and each has playoff implications:
Vancouver Canucks at New Jersey Devils (7:30 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+, Prime)
Two of the three Hughes brothers (Quinn, Luke) will face off with Devils center Jack Hughes out for the season after having shoulder surgery earlier this month. Quinn Hughes, a defenseman, leads the Canucks (32-26-12) with 67 points (16 goals, 51 assists) in 56 games. Vancouver has lost three of four (1-2-1) and trails the St. Louis Blues by five points for the second wild card in the West. Elias Pettersson or Nils Hoglander could each be unavailable after missing the third period of a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Saturday with undisclosed injuries. Defenseman Luke Hughes has taken on an increased role for the Devils (37-28-6), who have also lost three of four (1-3-0) but are third in the Metropolitan Division, six points ahead of the Rangers.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, MSGSN, TVAS)
The Blue Jackets (31-29-9) have lost six straight games (0-5-1) and have fallen four points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, with the Rangers and Islanders ahead of them. The Islanders (32-28-9) are 3-0-2 in their past five and are two points behind the Canadiens and one behind the Rangers.
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNNO, Victory+)
The Wild (40-25-5) have won three straight games, with Filip Gustavsson having allowed just two goals during that stretch. Minnesota holds the first wild card in the West, four points ahead of St. Louis and four points behind the Colorado Avalanche for third in the Central Division. The Stars (44-21-4) are second in the Central, eight points behind the first-place Winnipeg Jets and three ahead of the Avalanche. They are seven points ahead of the Wild.
Detroit Red Wings at Utah Hockey Club (9 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, Utah16)
The Red Wings (32-31-6) have lost eight of their past 10 games (2-8-0) and are five points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. Utah (32-27-11) is streaking of late at Delta Center, going 7-1-1 in its past nine home games, including a 6-4 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Utah trails St. Louis by six points for the second wild card in the West but has two games in hand.
If playoffs started Monday
Eastern Conference
(1A) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Montreal Canadiens
(2M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3M) New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
(1P) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC1) Minnesota Wild
(2P) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3P) Edmonton Oilers
(1C) Winnipeg Jets vs. (WC2) St. Louis Blues
(2C) Dallas Stars vs. (3C) Colorado Avalanche
About last night
There were seven games on the schedule Sunday, each with playoff implications:
Chicago Blackhawks 7, Philadelphia Flyers 4: The Flyers (28-35-9) dropped their fifth straight (0-4-1) and are 10 points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card in the East. Connor Bedard scored his 20th goal of the season for the Blackhawks (21-41-9), who have been eliminated from playoff contention but ended a seven-game skid (0-6-1).
Buffalo Sabres 5, Winnipeg Jets 3: The Jets (48-19-4) needed one point to clinch the first playoff berth in the West, but Ryan McLeod had a goal and three assists, and James Reimer made 33 saves for Buffalo to put things on hold. Winnipeg leads Dallas by eight points in the Central and is two points behind the Washington Capitals in the Presidents’ Trophy race. The Sabres (28-35-6) are last in the East, 13 points behind the Canadiens for the second wild card.
Florida Panthers 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 3 (SO): Sam Reinhart scored twice for the Panthers (43-25-3), who rallied for a shootout win and moved two points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs for first in the Atlantic Division. Toronto has a game in hand. The Penguins (29-32-11) trail the Canadiens by six points for the second wild card in the East.
St. Louis Blues 4, Nashville Predators 1: Jordan Kyrou reached 30 goals for the third straight season, helping the Blues (37-28-7) to their sixth straight victory and move four points ahead of the Flames for the second wild card in the West. The Predators (26-36-8) have lost five of six games (1-4-1) and fell 21 points behind the Blues.
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 2: Ilya Samsonov made 35 saves for the Golden Knights (42-20-8), who won their third in a row and are five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers for first in the Pacific Division. Vegas forward Tomas Hertl left in the third period favoring his right arm after being boarded by Emil Lilleberg. The Lightning (40-25-5) lost back-to-back games over the weekend, including at the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday, and are third in the Atlantic. They are two points back of the Maple Leafs and four behind the Panthers.
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Anaheim Ducks 2: Taylor Hall got a hat trick in the third period for the Hurricanes (43-23-4), who have won nine of 10 (9-1-0) and moved 10 points ahead of the Devils for second in the Metropolitan. The Ducks (30-32-8) lost for the third time in four games (1-2-1) and are 13 points behind the Blues for the second wild card in the West.
Los Angeles Kings 7, Boston Bruins 2: The Kings (39-21-9) scored seven goals for the second straight day, won for the eighth time in 10 games (8-1-1) and extended their franchise-record home point streak to 14 (11-0-3). The win Sunday moved Los Angeles into a tie with Edmonton for second in the Pacific with a game in hand; each is five points behind Vegas. The Bruins (30-33-9) have lost six in a row (0-5-1) and are six points behind the Canadiens (who have three games in hand) for the second wild card in the East.
