via the NHL PR department,
With 94% of regular-season games completed (1,196 of 1,271) and nine days remaining in the 2018-19 season:
* 9 playoff teams are still to be decided; only 7 have clinched a berth thus far.
* All 8 matchups for the First Round have yet to be determined.
* The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference as well as 3 division titles are still up for grabs – 6-or-fewer points separate first and second place in the Central (2), Metropolitan (3) and Pacific (6).
* 5 teams currently sitting below the playoff line are within 6 points of a team occupying the final Wild Card position (East: MTL; West: ARI, MIN, CHI, EDM).
* In the Western Conference, the Coyotes (37-33-7, 81 points), Wild (35-33-9, 79 points), Blackhawks (34-33-10, 78 points) and Oilers (34-34-9, 77 points) are chasing the Avalanche (35-29-13, 83 points) for the final WildCard spot – all 5 teams have 5 games remaining. In pivotal matchups this weekend: Colorado hosts Arizona on Friday (March 29) and Minnesota visits Arizona on Sunday (March 31).
* In the Eastern Conference, the Blue Jackets (43-30-4, 90 points) occupy the second Wild Card spot after defeating the Canadiens (41-29-8, 90 points) Thursday. Both teams also are within 1 point of the Hurricanes(42-28-7, 91 points), who occupy the first Wild Card spot in the East.
* 5 teams that did not qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs currently hold a postseason position: Flames, Blues and Stars in the Western Conference and Islanders and Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference. Overall, there has been playoff turnover of at least 5 teams in 11 of the past 13 seasons.
* The Lightning (59-14-4, 122 points) are having a season for the ages. They required the second-fewest games in NHL history (73 GP) to claim the Presidents’ Trophy and have amassed the third-highest (tied) win total in NHL history. With 5 games to play, they are 3 wins shy of matching the NHL record of 62 set by the 1995-96 Red Wings.
* The Lightning clinched the Presidents’ Trophy on March 18 and at No. 1 in the Atlantic Division are the only locked-in playoff seed.
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
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