Path to the Playoffs | Standings, tonight's games to watch, and more

We saw more jostling for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race last night.

In the Atlantic Division, the Lightning fell to the Kraken in overtime (former Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour did his old team a favor by scoring the winning goal). The Sabres’ lead for first place is back to two points; the Lightning have a game in hand.

In the wild card race, the Senators lost to the Penguins in a shootout while the Islanders pulled off a tight win over Dallas. The Islanders are back in the second wild card spot, though the Senators – one point behind them – have a game in hand.

The Sabres once again have center stage tonight as one of two games on the NHL schedule (and the only one involving playoff-contending teams).

Here’s your Friday viewing guide.

Sabres' playoff odds, according to MoneyPuck.com: 99.98%

Sabres’ magic number to clinch: 11

The magic number is a countdown indicating how close the Sabres are to officially clinching a playoff berth. When the Sabres gain points, or when the first team outside the playoffs loses games, the number gets closer to 0.  

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Standings

Thursday’s scores

• Canadiens 2 – Blue Jackets 1
• Penguins 4 – Senators 3 (SO)
• Kraken 4 – Lightning 3 (OT)
• Wild 3 – Panthers 2
• Islanders 2 – Stars 1
• Flyers 5 – Blackhawks 1
• Devils 4 – Predators 2
• Capitals 7 – Mammoth 4

Games involving teams in Eastern Conference playoff contention

Friday’s games to follow

Red Wings at Sabres – 7 p.m.

Implications: With a win, the Sabres would accomplish the following:

1. Surpass Carolina for sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.
2. Increase their division lead over Tampa Bay to four points.
3. Reduce their magic number to make the playoffs.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, are fighting to stay in the race after dropping their last two games. They’re three points back from the Islanders with two games in hand.

Playoff format

Eight teams from the Eastern Conference will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The format is a set bracket that is largely division-based with wild cards. 

The top three teams in each division will make up the first six teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The remaining two spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference (wild cards), based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

 Tie-breaking procedures

If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

1. The fewer number of games played (i.e., superior points percentage).
2. The greater number of games won, excluding games won in Overtime or by Shootout (i.e., 'Regulation Wins'). This figure is reflected in the RW column.
3. The greater number of games won, excluding games won by Shootout. This figure is reflected in the ROW column.
4. The greater number of games won by the Club in any manner (i.e., 'Total Wins'). This figure is reflected in the W column.
5. The greater number of points earned in games against each other among two or more tied clubs. For the purpose of determining standing for two or more Clubs that have not played an even number of games with one or more of the other tied Clubs, the first game played in the city that has the extra game (the 'odd game') shall not be included. When more than two Clubs are tied, the percentage of available points earned in games among each other (and not including any 'odd games') shall be used to determine standing.
6. The greater differential between goals for and against (including goals scored in Overtime or awarded for prevailing in Shootouts) for the entire regular season. This figure is reflected in the DIFF column.
7. The greater number of goals scored (including goals scored in Overtime or awarded for prevailing in Shootouts) for the entire regular season. This figure is reflected in the GF column.