Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Ovechkin continues Gretzky chase against Sabres, 6 away from mark

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the races for the 2025 NHL postseason.

There are 19 days left in the regular season and the races in each of the four divisions are tight. The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the next two highest-place finishers in each conference reach the playoffs.

Here is a look at the NHL standings and everything else that could impact the playoff picture.

Here are the Stanley Cup Playoffs clinching scenarios for March 30:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Carolina Hurricanes will clinch a playoff berth:

If they defeat the New York Islanders in any fashion (5 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MSGSN, SNE, TVAS) AND the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Florida Panthers in any fashion (1 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NHLN, TSN2, RDS)

The Toronto Maple Leafs will clinch a playoff berth:

If they defeat the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion (8 p.m. ET; KTTN, Victory+, SNO) AND the Canadiens lose to the Panthers in any fashion

On Tap

There are eight games on the NHL schedule Sunday, each with playoff implications.

Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers (1 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NHLN, TSN2, RDS)

The Canadiens (33-30-9) will look to end a five-game skid (0-3-2) and move into a tie for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers. The Panthers (44-25-3) have won their past two games and can regain first in the Atlantic Division with a win. Brad Marchand will play his second game with Florida; the forward assisted on Sam Bennett’s overtime goal in a 2-1 victory against the Utah Hockey Club in his Panthers debut on Friday.

Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals (3 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSG-B, TVAS2, SN360)

Alex Ovechkin continues his quest to be the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record (894). Ovechkin has 36 goals in 56 games for the Capitals (47-16-9), who have clinched a playoff berth and can regain first in the NHL standings; they are one point behind the Winnipeg Jets. The Sabres (30-36-6) had a three-game winning streak end with a 7-4 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and trail the Rangers by 11 points for the second wild card in the East with 10 games remaining.

Vancouver Canucks at Winnipeg Jets (3 p.m. ET; SNP, TSN3)

Quinn Hughes has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past nine games for the Canucks (34-26-13), who look to pull within four points of the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the Western Conference. The Jets (50-19-4) have clinched a playoff berth and will look to stay atop the League standings. Winnipeg is one point ahead of Washington in the Presidents’ Trophy race.

Utah Hockey Club at Chicago Blackhawks (4 p.m. ET; Utah16, CHSN)

Utah (32-29-12) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) and trails St. Louis by 11 points for the second wild card in the West with nine games remaining. The Blackhawks (21-43-9) have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins (5 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, TSN5, RDS)

The Senators (39-28-5) will look to win their third straight and extend their lead on the Rangers for the first wild card in the East; Ottawa is six points ahead of New York with two games in hand. The Penguins (29-34-11) are eight points back of the Rangers for the second wild card with eight games remaining.

New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes (5 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MSGSN, SNE, TVAS)

The Islanders (32-30-10) have lost four straight (0-2-2), including a 5-3 defeat at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, but can pull within one point of the Rangers for the second wild card in the East. The Hurricanes (44-24-4) have won 10 of 12 and can clinch a playoff berth. They are second in the Metropolitan Division, seven points ahead of the New Jersey Devils.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks (8 p.m. ET; KTTV, Victory+, SNO)

The Maple Leafs (44-25-4) will end a three-game California road trip (1-0-1) looking to clinch a playoff berth and remain atop the Atlantic. Toronto moved into first with a 3-1 win at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, one point ahead of Florida and Tampa Bay. The Ducks (32-32-8) have won their past two games but trail the Blues by 15 points for the second wild card in the West with 10 games remaining.

San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360)

The Kings (40-23-9) have lost their past two games but can grab sole possession of second in the Pacific Division. Los Angeles, which lost 3-1 to Toronto on Saturday, is tied in points with the Edmonton Oilers (89) with a game in hand. The Sharks (20-43-9) has been eliminated from playoff contention.

If playoffs started Sunday

Eastern Conference

(1A) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (WC1) Ottawa Senators
(2A) Florida Panthers vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning
(1M) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) New York Rangers
(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 11 games on the schedule Saturday, each with playoff implications:

Philadelphia Flyers 7, Buffalo Sabres 4: Matvei Michkov scored two goals for the second straight game for the Flyers (30-36-9), who have won their first two games under new coach Brad Shaw. They are eight points back of the Rangers for the second wild card in the East. Jack Quinn had two goals and an assist for the Sabres (30-36-6), who are 11 points behind the Rangers.

Tampa Bay Lightning 5, New York Islanders 3: Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists to move into a tie with Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL scoring lead; Kucherov has 109 points (33 goals, 76 assists) in 69 games. Brayden Point scored twice for the Lightning (43-25-5), who pulled into a tie with the Panthers for second in the Atlantic. The Islanders (32-30-10) lost their fourth in a row (0-2-2) fell three points back in the East wild-card race.

St. Louis Blues 2, Colorado Avalanche 1: Pavel Buchnevich broke a tie in the third period the Blues (40-28-7), who won their ninth in a row and pulled even with the Minnesota Wild for the first wild card in the West. MacKinnon scored to extend his home point streak to 24 games (41 points; 16 goals, 25 assists) for the Avalanche (45-26-3), who fell seven points behind the Dallas Stars for second in the Central Division.

New Jersey Devils 5, Minnesota Wild 2: Nico Hischier had a hat trick for the Devils (39-29-7), who pulled within seven points of the Hurricanes for second in the Metropolitan; Carolina has three games in hand. Marcus Foligno had a goal and assist for the Wild (41-28-5), who fell into a tie with the Blues for the first wild card in the West. Minnesota has a game in hand on St. Louis.

Vegas Golden Knights 3, Nashville Predators 1: Jack Eichel had a goal and assist for the Golden Knights (45-20-8), who extended their winning streak to six games and are nine points ahead of the Kings and Oilers for first in the Pacific. The Predators (27-38-8) have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Ottawa Senators 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2: Ridly Greig had a goal and assist for the Senators (39-28-5), who are six points ahead of the Rangers for the first wild card in the East. Zach Werenski had two assists for the Blue Jackets (33-30-9), who won their previous two games and fell two points back of the Rangers for the second wild card.

Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Los Angeles Kings 1: John Tavares scored two goals, including the game-winner, and Auston Matthews had a goal and assist for the Maple Leafs (44-25-4), who moved a point ahead of the Panthers for first in the Atlantic and can clinch a playoff berth Sunday. Alex Laferriere scored for the Kings (40-23-9), who are tied with the Oilers for second in the Pacific with a game in hand.

Detroit Red Wings 2, Boston Bruins 1: Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond scored to keep the Red Wings (34-33-6) within three points of the second wild card in the East. Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins (30-35-9), who lost their eighth straight (0-7-1) and fell eight points behind the Rangers for the second wild card in the East with eight games to play. Boson could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015-2016.

Edmonton Oilers 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT): Leon Draisaitl scored his League-leading 50th and 51st goals of the season and had an assist in his return from an undisclosed injury to help the Oilers (42-26-5) pull even with the Kings for second in the Pacific. Brayden Pachal had a goal and assist for the Flames (34-26-12), who have lost their past two (0-1-1) and are seven points back in the West wild-card race.

New York Rangers 6, San Jose Sharks 1: Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each scored twice for the Rangers (35-32-7), who moved into the second wild card in the East, two points ahead of the Canadiens and Blue Jackets. The Sharks (20-43-9) have been eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth consecutive season.

Dallas Stars 5, Seattle Kraken 1: Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists to help the Stars (48-21-4) clinch a playoff berth and move seven points ahead of the Avalanche for second in the Central. The Kraken (31-37-6) were eliminated from playoff contention for the third time in four seasons.