It's (sadly) the last week of the NHL season and while 15 teams will soon head to the golf course, and 16 will continue to the 2019 Stanely Cup playoffs, who those teams are is still to be determined.
There is a lot riding on the last few days of the 2018-19 NHL regular season. Two division titles and six playoff spots remain up for grabs entering Monday's games, and seven of the eight first-round matchups are still to be decided.
MORE: Updated odds, predictions for 2019 playoff spots
Here are the main things to keep an eye on as we head down the stretch, including updated clinching scenarios and storylines to watch on the nightly schedule.
Monday, April 1
Right now the Avalanche sit just one point ahead of the Coyotes for the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Colorado needs to win, it's as simple as that. For the last two weeks, they've done that, winning six of its last seven games, including a 3-2 shootout win over the Coyotes March 29.
It's a good sign for Colorado considering Friday's win was the fourth game (3-0-1) without 87-point man Mikko Rantanen while also marking the return of captain Gabe Landeskog, who went down with an upper-body injury March 7.
Colorado does have a game in hand on the Coyotes but also has a tough schedule, beginning with the Blues on Monday. It'll be a tough test for the Avs, who are 0-1-2 against St. Louis this season.
| Visiting team | Home team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Capitals | Panthers | 7 p.m. ET |
| Rangers | Devils | 7 p.m. ET |
| Maple Leafs | Islanders | 7 p.m. ET |
| Lightning | Senators | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Avalanche | Blues | 8 p.m. ET |
| Jets | Blackhawks | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| Oilers | Golden Knights | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| Flames | Kings | 10:00 p.m. ET |
Monday's clinching scenarios
• The Capitals will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if they win in any fashion at Florida AND the Islanders lose in regulation vs. Toronto.
• The Maple Leafs will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point against the Islanders.
MORE: The Blues are in the playoffs and we're just as surprised as you
Tuesday, April 2
The Lightning has put together one of the best seasons in NHL history. They only needed 73 games — the second-fewest games in league history — to win the Presidents’ Trophy. With four games left, they need three wins to match the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings' NHL record of 62 wins in a season.
Aside from finishing their historic strong, the Lightning can control who it could play in the first round. On Tuesday, Tampa Bay heads to Montreal to face the Canadiens; Montreal sits one point out of the last wild-card spot. Entering Tuesday's matchup, the Lightning are 9-0-0 against Montreal, Columbus and Carolina Hurricanes, the two teams currently sitting in the Eastern Conference's wild-card spots.
| Visiting team | Home team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Predators | Sabres | 7 p.m. ET |
| Bruins | Blue Jackets | 7 p.m. ET |
| Hurricanes | Maple Leafs | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Lightning | Canadiens | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Penguins | Red Wings | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Jets | Wild | 8 p.m. ET |
| Flyers | Stars | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| Oilers | Avalanche | 9 p.m. ET |
| Sharks | Canucks | 10 p.m. ET |
| Kings | Coyotes | 10 p.m. ET |
Monday's clinching scenarios
• The Penguins will clinch a playoff berth if they win OR the Canadiens lose in regulation OR if they get a point AND the Canadiens lose OR the Hurricanes lose in regulation.
• The Blue Jackets will clinch a playoff berth if they win AND the Canadiens lose in regulation.
• The Stars will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point OR the Coyotes lose.
Wednesday, April 3
Three games are on the docket Wednesday, and while none scream "watch me," there is one matchup that is interesting, but not for the race you're thinking.
This race is for the "Lose for Hughes" sweepstakes. The Rangers entered March 31 games with a 7 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, according to Hockey Viz, and face the Senators. Unfortunately, Ottawa doesn't own a first-round pick, which it traded away for Matt Duchene in 2017, but how the Sens finish helps the Avalanche in their odds for getting the top pick. Currently, Colorado has the best shot at getting Jack Hughes.
| Visiting team | Home team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Senators | Rangers | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Blues | Blackhawks | 8 p.m. ET |
| Flames | Ducks | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Thursday, April 4
Positioning is the name of the game Thursday night. Will the Islanders or Penguins clinch home ice in their expected matchup? Can the Capitals maintain first place in the Metropolitan Division? At the same time, the Canadiens may still be hoping to just make the postseason. The Hurricanes are also in action and are looking to clinch the first playoff appearance since 2009, while the other wild-card-vying team, the Blue Jackets, have the night off.
Out west, the Predators, Jets and Blues are all within two points of each other and each team will be aiming for the Central Division crown. And of course, the West also has the wild card still up for grabs. Three of the four teams in that race — Coyotes, Wild and Avalanche — hit the ice looking to solidify their spot.
| Visiting team | Home team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Senators | Sabres | 7 p.m. ET |
| Lightning | Maple Leafs | 7 p.m. ET |
| Islanders | Panthers | 7 p.m. ET |
| Red Wings | Penguins | 7 p.m. ET |
| Canadiens | Capitals | 7 p.m. ET |
| Devils | Hurricanes | 7 p.m. ET |
| Flyers | Blues | 8 p.m. ET |
| Canucks | Predators | 8 p.m. ET |
| Bruins | Wild | 8 p.m. ET |
| Jets | Avalanche | 9 p.m. ET |
| Sharks | Oilers | 9 p.m. ET |
| Coyotes | Golden Knights | 10 p.m. ET |
Thursday's clinching scenarios
• The Capitals will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if they win in any fashion against Montreal OR the Islanders lose in regulation at Florida OR the Capitals get one point and the Islanders lose.
• The Penguins will clinch a playoff berth if they win OR if they get a point AND the Canadiens lose AND the Hurricanes lose in regulation OR the Canadiens lose in regulation.
• The Hurricanes will clinch a playoff berth if they win in regulation or OT AND the Canadiens lose OR the Hurricanes win a shootout AND Montreal loses in regulation.
• The Avalanche will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point against the Jets OR the Coyotes lose to the Golden Knights.
• The Jets will clinch the Central Division if they win at Colorado AND the Predators losing in regulation to the Canucks AND the Blues losing to the Flyers.
Friday, April 5
Another light night with only three games scheduled. However, two of the games feature teams trying to make the postseason as of Monday morning. Regardless if they officially get the "x" next to their name by Friday, the Stars and Blue Jackets will still be fighting for positioning. Both teams even have a shot of sneaking into their respective division's third spot.
| Visiting team | Home team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Jackets | Rangers | 7 p.m. ET |
| Stars | Blackhawks | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| Kings | Ducks | 10 p.m. ET |
Friday's clinching scenarios
• The Blue Jackets will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Rangers.
• The Stars will clinch the Western Conference's first Wild Card if they earn at least a point against the Blackhawks.
• The Avalanche will secure the Western Conference's second Wild Card if the Stars earn at least a point against the Blackhawks.
Saturday, April 6
Happy hockey day! Fifteen games are on the schedule for the last day of the 2018-19 NHL regular season. Who will win the Central? the Metropolitan? The Wild Card races? Will the Islanders earn home-ice advantage for the first time since the 1988 playoffs? Who will get the dubious honor of facing the Lightning in the first round?
All will be revealed when the last whistle is blown on Saturday.
| Visiting team | Home team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Bruins | 1 p.m. ET |
| Canucks | Blues | 4 p.m. ET |
| Maple Leafs | Canadiens | 7 p.m. ET |
| Blue Jackets | Senators | 7 p.m. ET |
| Sabres | Red Wings | 7 p.m. ET |
| Devils | Panthers | 7 p.m. ET |
| Hurricanes | Flyers | 7 p.m. ET |
| Rangers | Penguins | 7 p.m. ET |
| Islanders | Capitals | 7 p.m. ET |
| Blackhawks | Predators | 8 p.m. ET |
| Wild | Stars | 8 p.m. ET |
| Jets | Coyotes | 10 p.m. ET |
| Oilers | Flames | 10 p.m. ET |
| Golden Knights | Kings | 10:30 p.m. ET |
| Avalanche | Sharks | 10:30 p.m. ET |
Saturday's clinching scenarios
• The Predators will clinch the Central Division title if they win OR they get one point and both the Jets and Blues lose OR if the Jets and Blues lose in regulation.
• The Jets will clinch the Central Division title if they win and the Predators loses OR they get one point and both the Predators lose in regulation and the Blues lose.
• The Blues will clinch the Central Division title if they win and the Predators and Jets lose OR they get one point and both the Jets and Predators lose in regulation.
• The Stars will secure the Western Conference's first Wild Card if they get a point OR the Avalanche lose.
• The Avalanche will secure the Western Conference's first Wild Card if they win and the Stars lose in regulation.
• The Islanders will secure home-ice advantage if they get a point OR if the Penguins lose.
• The Penguins will secure home-ice advantage if they win and the Islanders lose in regulation.
• The Hurricanes will be the third team in the Metropolitan Division if they win and the Penguins lose in regulation.
• The Blue Jackets will secure the Eastern Conference's first Wild Card if they win and the Hurricanes lose OR they get one point and the Hurricanes lose in regulation.