X’s and E’s are beginning to appear next to team names on standings pages. It’s that time of year in hockey. The 2024 NHL Playoffs are on deck, set to begin on April 20th. So much is still to be determined. Who wants the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference the most? Who will win the President’s Trophy? Here is a look at some of the big storylines to watch in the final three weeks of the season, as well as the games that play a big role in those stories.
President’s Trophy race
As it stands, the New York Rangers (102 standings points in 73 games) are in line to win their first President’s Trophy since the 2014-15 season. Their competition will be fierce down the stretch. Teams like the Dallas Stars (101 points in 74 games), Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins (99 points in 74 games), and Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche (98 points in 73 games) all are within striking distance if something goes awry for the Rangers.
Often times, though, the President’s Trophy is a curse instead of a blessing. Since the 2005-06 season, more President’s Trophy winners have lost in the first round (six) than made the conference final (five, only two of them have won the Stanley Cup). The last President’s Trophy winner to make the conference final? The 2014-15 New York Rangers, who lost that round in seven games.
- April 4th: Boston @ Carolina
- April 6th: Florida @ Boston
- April 7th: Dallas @ Colorado
- April 9th: Carolina @ Boston
- April 15th: Ottawa @ New York
- April 17th: St. Louis @ Dallas
Who will get third in the Atlantic?
The 2024 NHL Playoffs race will also see a renewal of a brewing rivalry between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since losing to Washington on February 22, the Lightning have gone 10-2-2 and inserted themselves into the picture for third in the Atlantic. They (87 points) sit four points behind Toronto (91 points) and have no games in hand. Here’s the catch, however: the Lightning and Maple Leafs play twice in the ten games they have left.
They square off on April 3rd in Toronto and April 17th in Tampa. Will Toronto win five straight overtime games in Tampa? Can the Lightning pick up four points and vault the Maple Leafs? Toronto has a tougher home stretch than Tampa Bay, as they have to play the Panthers twice in 15 days. While the final standings likely won’t affect the skill level of their first-round opponent (see the previous section), the two games these rivals play will determine their paths to the Stanley Cup.
Who will fill the final two spots in the East?
Four teams are competing for two spots in the Eastern Conference for the 2024 NHL Playoffs. The Washington Capitals (81 points in 72 games), Philadelphia Flyers (82 points in 74 games), and New York Islanders (77 points in 72 games) are competing both for the third seed in the Metro division and the second wild-card spot. The Detroit Red Wings (79 points in 73 games) are well out of contention for a top-three spot in the Atlantic and are sliding.
Washington is on a hot streak, despite being 28th in the league in scoring. Can they get Alex Ovechkin back in the playoffs, who is on pace for his first sub-30 goal campaign in a full season in his career? Will the recent addition of Ivan Fedotov be the jumpstart a sliding Flyers team has needed? Can Detroit bounce back and pick up the big wins when they need it the most? Will the Islanders steal a playoff spot with interim head coach Patrick Roy?
- April 1st: New York Islanders @ Philadelphia
- April 5th: Philadelphia @ Buffalo
- April 5th: Washington @ Carolina
- April 9th: Washington @ Detroit
- April 16th: Detroit @ Montreal
- April 16th: Washington @ Philadelphia
- April 17th: Pittsburgh @ New York Islanders
The seeding in the West
The Vegas Golden Knights (88 points in 73 games) and Los Angeles Kings (87 points in 72 games) have a semi-comfortable lead over the ninth-place St. Louis Blues (82 points in 73 games). The question lies in where they will land in the playoff picture to end the season. Who will land third in the Pacific and (likely) play Edmonton?
That might be determined by how Winnipeg (94 points in 73 games) and Nashville (90 points in 73 games) round out their campaigns. Despite a setback to Arizona on Thursday, the Predators have gone 16-1-2 since losing 9-2 to Dallas on February 15th. This comes in tandem with the Jets cooling off in March, having gone 7-7-1 since the turn of the month. They have also lost five straight.
The race for the top seed is a three-horse race between Dallas, Vancouver, and Colorado. This largely coincides with the President’s Trophy race. The Edmonton Oilers (92 points in 71 games) could play spoiler if everything goes their way, too.
- March 30th: Nashville @ Colorado
- April 1st: Los Angeles @ Winnipeg
- April 3rd: Edmonton @ Dallas
- April 5th: Colorado @ Edmonton
- April 6th: Vancouver @ Los Angeles
- April 7th: Dallas @ Colorado
- April 8th: Vegas @ Vancouver
- April 9th: Winnipeg @ Nashville
- April 10th: Vegas @ Edmonton
- April 11th: Winnipeg @ Dallas
- April 13th: Winnipeg @ Colorado
- April 13th: Vancouver @ Edmonton
- April 14th: Colorado @ Vegas
- April 18th: Edmonton @ Colorado
***
Click here for more hockey content!
Follow Fantom Sports on X!