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

After Thursday’s 5-1 win in Pittsburgh, the Buffalo Sabres came home tied for the Atlantic Division lead with 80 points.

Tampa Bay currently holds the tiebreaker, having played two fewer games, but a Lightning loss in Winnipeg kept the race incredibly close. And the way Buffalo is playing – five straight wins, 26-5-2 since Dec. 9 – a division title is no longer a crazy thought. Especially with two more matchups against Tampa Bay, both on home ice.

Both teams are idle until Saturday, but there are still some Sabres-relevant matchups on the NHL schedule before then.

Here’s your Friday viewing guide.

Sabres playoff odds, according to MoneyPuck.com: 96.7%

Standings

Thursday’s scores

• Sabres 5 – Penguins 1
• Jets 4 – Lightning 1
• Predators 6 – Bruins 3
• Mammoth 3 – Flyers 0
• Blue Jackets 4 – Panthers 2
• Senators 4 – Flames 1
• Kings 5 – Islanders 3

Friday’s games to follow

Panthers at Red Wings – 7 p.m.

Implications: Detroit sits three points behind Buffalo in the division. So, as much as you can stomach it, root for the Panthers, who are all but finished after another loss Thursday.

Hurricanes at Oilers – 9 p.m.

Implications: A Carolina loss would help Buffalo keep pace with the Hurricanes, who lead the Eastern Conference with 84 points.

Canadiens at Ducks – 9 p.m.

Implications: Montreal just lost a back-and-forth thriller in San Jose, and now it faces another high-event team in Anaheim. A Ducks win would maintain some space between the Sabres and Canadiens.

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.