NHL roundup: Eastern Conference playoff race becomes must-watch hockey as things heat up

The Eastern Conference playoff race is going to come down to the wire as Wild Card teams are neck and neck, while the Atlantic Division is currently in a three-way points tie at 102 between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens!

Flyers 5-1?Devils

The Flyers have now won three straight, and seven of their last 10, as they continue to pull away from the New York Islanders in the Metro Division.?

Trevor Zegras got the Flyers out to a 2-0 lead to start the game as he brought his season goal total up to 25. He would also rack up his 40th assist of the season on the second of Tyson Foerster's goals that help put them up 4-1.?

Philly earned their 40th win for the first time since the 2019-2020 season - the same year they lost in the second round of the NHL playoffs. If they win out their remaining four games, it'll be the most wins by the team in a season since 2011-2012 when they put up 47.?

New Jersey fell to 40-35-7 and have officially been eliminated from playoff contention for the 11th time in the past 14 seasons.

Blue Jackets 4-3?Red Wings

Columbus game through with a majorwin as they leap the Red Wings in the standings as they both race to the finish line for a Wild Card spot. They now sit at 90 points to Detroit's and New York's 89.?

Zach Werenski was the major player for Columbus after record his 22nd goal that tied it up 2-2 before assisting on Adam Fantilli's in the third that tied it up 3-3. After a scoreless overtime, the USA Olympic gold medalist hit the game-winner during the shootout.?

Senators 6-2 Lightning

The Senators took home a clutch win as they now sit at 92 points and lead the chase for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets (90), Red Wings (89), Islanders (89), and Washington Capitals (87) are right on their tail with just a handful of games remaining.?

After Corey Perry cut the lead to 3-2 for Tampa, the Senators scored three straight as Jake Sanderson leading the way with two goals, while Brady Tkachuk totaled four assists.?

Meanwhile, the Lightning (102) are now in a three-way tie with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres for the No. 1 spot in the Atlantic Division as each of the three has four games remaining.?

Canadiens 4-3 Panthers

The Habs kept their Atlantic Division title hopes alive with a shootout nailbiter over the Panthers, who were trying to play spoiler. Nick Suzuki scored a clutch goal with 21 seconds left in regulation to send it to OT, where neither team scored.?

Then, who else, it would be Cole Caufield who sent home the game-winner past Daniil Tarasov for the win in the shootout.

Montreal will have possibly their biggest matchup of the season against the Lightning on Thursday, April 9th, which could eventually decide the Atlantic when all is said and done.?

Hurricanes 6-5?Bruins

The Canes maintained their No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with 106 points thanks to Jaccob Slavin's very first goal of the season that came in overtime.

Carolina eclipsed the 50-win mark for the fourth time in the past five seasons. In each of those seasons, the Canes made it to at least the second round of the playoffs.?

As for Boston, they still sit comfortably in the top Eastern Conference Wild Card spot with 96 points as Morgan Geekie is now coming off his second career hat trick.?

Avalanche 3-1?Blues

The Avs clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2023 and the fourth time this decade. They scored three straight unanswered goals, with two coming from Valeri Nichushkin to bring his season total up to 17.?

If they win out their remaining five games, the Avalanche will tie a franchise record for 56 in a single season that was set by the 2021-2022 team. If they win just two more, it'll be the second most (53) in franchise history.

Robert Thomas scored the lone goal for St. Louis as they were held to just 19 shots on goal.?

Stars 4-3?Flames

The stars completed one of the more insane rallies fans would see this year. Zayne Parekh put the Flames up 3-1 just 26 seconds into the third period before Dallas' Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson would tie it up within the next four minutes to send it to OT.?

Through three periods, the Stars were held to a total of 15 shots on goal. They would then hold the Flames to zero shots on goal in overtime, while they put up 11, almost totaling the amount they had the entire rest of the game.?

Wild 5-2 Kraken

The Wild rallied back with four unanswered goals after going down 2-1 entering the start of the second period.?

Minnesota is now locked to face their Central rival Dallas Stars in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after both earned the win on Tuesday.?

Ongoing

Edmonton Oilers vs. Utah Mammoth

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators

Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights

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