In 14 days we will be waking up to the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 12 days we will be at the final day of the regular season.
And there is still so much to be resolved, from division title battles in the Metro, Central and Pacific, to tight wild card battles in both conferences.
Now’s the time when star or otherwise key players must stand up to meet the moment and lift their teams up to their goals. So, who are the players to watch on the wild card teams still vying to qualify, and those at the top seeking a division crown? Those players are the focus on today’s playoff push.
If the playoffs started today, these would be our Eastern Conference first-round matchups:
(A1) Bruins vs. (WC2) Penguins
(A2) Maple Leafs vs. (A3) Lightning
(M1) Hurricanes vs. (WC1) Islanders
(M2) Devils vs. (M3) Rangers
Bo Horvat, NY Islanders
Outscored by a combined 7-2 over two weekend losses, the Islanders missed an opportunity to separate from the pack and don’t play again until Thursday at home to Tampa Bay. Since jumping ahead of the trade deadline and acquiring Bo Horvat at the end of January, the Isles have the No. 23-ranked offence and power play, both of which have been trending negatively for the past month. When Horvat arrived he had scored 31 goals in 49 games this season, but has just six in 26 games with New York. He’s a minus-7 also, averaging over 20 minutes per game. Can he finish strong and lead the Islanders back in?
Islanders schedule this week: vs. Tampa Bay on Thursday, vs. Philadelphia on Saturday
Mikael Granlund, Pittsburgh Penguins
Another trade deadline pick up, some scoffed at the Granlund acquisition because his playmaking style was a questionable fit with the team and he makes $5 million against the cap for another two seasons. In 58 games with Nashville this season, Granlund scored 0.62 points per game, but is down to 0.25 (four points in 16 games) with Pittsburgh playing on the third line now. The Evgeni Malkins and Sidney Crosbys of the team are the MVPs who need to produce here, but depth has been a sore spot Granlund was meant to address.
Penguins schedule this week: at New Jersey on Tuesday, vs. Minnesota on Thursday, at Detroit on Saturday
Devon Levi, Buffalo Sabres
Made his much-anticipated debut last Friday against the high-powered Rangers offence and stopped 31 of 33 shots to earn a critical 3-2 OT win. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen followed with a 39-save effort in a 6-2 win over Philadelphia on Saturday and now, suddenly, the Sabres are back on the fringes of the playoff race with a couple games in hand. So, who will start the big games this week? First up is a road game in Florida on Tuesday against the Panthers team that drafted and traded Levi to the Sabres. The revenge narrative, against one of their playoff-chasing opponents, is too good to pass up and, it seems, Levi will get the nod. Will the 21-year-old be the one who comes on late to lead the Sabres back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011?
Sabres schedule this week: at Florida on Tuesday, at Detroit on Thursday, vs. Carolina on Saturday
Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
Speaking of goalies, it’s Florida’s third-stringer who will meet Buffalo on Tuesday, as Sergei Bobrovsky is still out due to illness, and Spencer Knight continues his recovery in the player assistance program. Alex Lyon, the 30-year-old journeyman, has strung three impressive wins in a row (allowing four goals on 81 shots), but how long will that last? The X-Factor for the Panthers down the stretch might just be Bobrovsky getting back soon this week, and then being good enough behind Florida’s offence. Before his illness, Bobrovsky was 6-4-1 with an .890 save percentage in March.
Panthers schedule this week: vs. Buffalo on Tuesday, vs. Ottawa on Thursday, at Washington on Saturday
Ottawa Senators, Brady Tkachuk
The Senators are really just barely hanging on here — not mathematically eliminated, but far enough back that being perfect the rest of the way still may not be enough. These are the biggest and most important games of Tkachuk’s time as captain so far, though, and we want to see how he meets that in the last five games. Tkachuk had 12 points in the last nine games of March as the Sens tried to get back in it, but hasn’t scored (and is a minus-2) in two April games so far. It’s all about pride and faint hope of the playoffs now.
Senators schedule this week: at Carolina on Tuesday, at Florida on Thursday, vs. Tampa Bay on Saturday
If the playoffs started today, these would be our Western Conference first-round matchups:
(P1) Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Jets
(P2) Kings vs. (P3) Oilers
(C1) Wild vs. (WC1) Kraken
(C2) Avalanche vs. (C3) Stars
Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
There’s still a heated race playing out at the top of the Central Division and the Wild are currently in control of first place (though second by points percentage). Boldy, who was a late arrival and scored 15 goals in 47 games as a rookie, has been surging down the stretch here with 13 goals in 14 games since the trade deadline — one behind league leader Leon Draisaitl in that time. This, after Boldy was shut out completely in the month of February. Boldy’s goal output came at a perfect time too, making up for the loss of Kirill Kaprizov to injury. Kaprizov began skating again Monday, but it’s unclear when he’ll be ready to go again.
Wild schedule this week: vs. Vegas on Monday, at Pittsburgh on Thursday, vs. St. Louis on Saturday
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
March wasn’t Oettinger’s best month, wrapping it up with an .898 save percentage (though he was 9-2-1). There is no question that he was their MVP in last year’s opening round, seven-game loss to Calgary, and that he’ll again need to be a leader if the Stars are to break through. The Stars have one back-to-back remaining on the schedule, and it comes in their final two games of the regular season. Will the team consider giving him any sort of rest with his 60th start on the horizon, or continue to lean on him in the chase for the Central Division crown?
Stars schedule this week: vs. Nashville on Monday, vs. Philadelphia on Thursday, vs. Vegas on Saturday
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
The Pacific Division also has a heated race to the top, with Vegas, Los Angeles and Edmonton all playing winning hockey — they are the top three teams in the NHL by points percentage over the past month. In McDavid, we’re looking to see if he and Leon Draisaitl can lead the Oilers to the division title, but also if No. 97 can enter rarefied air. With five games remaining, if McDavid gets 10 more points he will finish with 157 on the season and be the only player not named Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky to hit that mark in a single season. McDavid needs to average two points per game the rest of the way — and he’s currently averaging 1.90 on the season. But, will load management factor in and hold him back?
Oilers schedule this week: at Los Angeles Tuesday, at Anaheim Wednesday, at San Jose Saturday
Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames
There’s little question that if the Flames complete this comeback and reach the playoffs Jacob Markstrom would be the Game 1 starter, but how will the two goalies be utilized down the stretch? Markstrom started Sunday’s game against soft-touch Anaheim, but allowed a goal on the first shot he faced and was pulled in the first intermission. Dan Vladar allowed two more goals, but won the game in the comeback. Markstrom is the go-to guy but, on the season as a whole, Vladar has the better numbers. We’d wager that Markstrom will get the start in Wednesday’s massive game against Winnipeg, so does that mean Vladar will start Tuesday against Chicago with playoffs hanging in the balance? Or does Markstrom get the nod on back-to-back nights? If they do split and Vladar comes out with the noticeably better result, who starts Saturday in Vancouver? It would be out of character for Darryl Sutter to turn to his backup suddenly, so it’s going to come down to Markstrom.
Flames schedule this week: vs. Chicago on Tuesday, at Winnipeg on Wednesday, at Vancouver on Saturday
Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets
With Mark Scheifele on the wing, a new second line has emerged in Winnipeg with Vlad Nemestnikov flanked by Blake Wheeler and Ehlers. For years Ehlers has had great per-minute numbers, but has rarely been given big, team-leading minutes. It’s one of the great conundrums for this team over the years — why isn’t Ehlers getting more playing time? Now’s the chance for him to shine in an important spot as the Jets look to spread out the scoring. In the past two games (both wins) Ehlers has three goals and four points and will be an important producer in the final five games.
Jets schedule this week: vs. Calgary on Wednesday, vs. Nashville on Saturday
