Sunday's NHL slate consisted of just one game, with the Tampa Bay Lightning defeating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to move into the No. 2 seed in the Central Division.
With a little over a week to go for most teams, much of the excitement will come down to seeding among the playoff contenders in each division, with one notable exception: the race between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars for the fourth spot in the Central.
Heading into Monday's games, the Preds have a three-point edge in the standings, and won the season series 5-3. However, Dallas does have an extra game in hand. Both teams are in action on Monday night, with the Preds visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Stars heading to Sunrise, Florida, to take on the Panthers.
Having reached the final stretch of the regular season, it's time to check in on all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2021 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Money Puck. Tragic numbers are courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.
Jump ahead:Current playoff matchupsRace for No. 1 pick
Points: 71Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: E1Games left: 4Next game: @ PHI (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: E2Games left: 5Next game: @ NYR (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 67Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: E3Games left: 5Next game: @ BUF (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 66Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: E4Games left: 6Next game: @ NJ (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 58Regulation wins: 23Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Next game: vs. WSH (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: 1
Points: 51Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Next game: vs. PIT (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 41Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Next game: vs. BOS (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 33Regulation wins: 10Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Next game: vs. NYI (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 75Regulation wins: 25Playoff position: C1Games left: 5Next game: vs. CHI (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: C2Games left: 4Next game: vs. DAL (May 5)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73Regulation wins: 24Playoff position: C3Games left: 3Next game: vs. DAL (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 58Regulation wins: 19Playoff position: C4Games left: 4Next game: @ CBJ (May 3)Playoff chances: 82.1%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 55Regulation wins: 16Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Next game: @ FLA (May 3)Playoff chances: 17.8%Tragic number: 7
Points: 50Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Next game: @ CAR (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: 2
Points: 45Regulation wins: 15Playoff position: N/AGames left: 2Next game: @ CBJ (May 7)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 43Regulation wins: 11Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Next game: vs. NSH (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 71Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: N1Games left: 5Next game: @ MTL (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 62Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N2Games left: 7Next game: @ VAN (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 57Regulation wins: 21Playoff position: N3Games left: 6Next game: @ OTT (May 3)Playoff chances: 99.6%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 55Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N4Games left: 6Next game: vs. TOR (May 3)Playoff chances: 95.4%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 47Regulation wins: 19Playoff position: N/AGames left: 6Next game: vs. WPG (May 5)Playoff chances: 4.9%Tragic number: 4
Points: 43Regulation wins: 15Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Next game: vs. EDM (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 41Regulation wins: 13Playoff position: N/AGames left: 11Next game: vs. WPG (May 3)Playoff chances: 0.2%Tragic number: 8
Points: 74Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: W1Games left: 6Next game: @ MIN (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 70Regulation wins: 30Playoff position: W2Games left: 7Next game: @ SJ (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: W3Games left: 6Next game: vs. VGS (May 3)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 53Regulation wins: 16Playoff position: W4Games left: 7Next game: vs. ANA (May 3)Playoff chances: 94.6%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 50Regulation wins: 18Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Next game: vs. LA (May 3)Playoff chances: 4.9%Tragic number: 5
Points: 45Regulation wins: 14Playoff position: N/AGames left: 5Next game: vs. COL (May 3)Playoff chances: 0.1%Tragic number: 2
Points: 44Regulation wins: 17Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Next game: @ ARI (May 3)Playoff chances: 0.4%Tragic number: 5
Points: 39Regulation wins: 11Playoff position: N/AGames left: 4Next game: @ STL (May 3)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 4 Boston BruinsNo. 2 Washington Capitals vs. No. 3 New York Islanders
No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 4 Nashville PredatorsNo. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 3 Florida Panthers
No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. No. 4 Montreal CanadiensNo. 2 Edmonton Oilers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Jets
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 4 St. Louis BluesNo. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 3 Minnesota Wild
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. New for 2021, a team may move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here.
Points: 33Regulation wins: 10
Points: 39Regulation wins: 11
Points: 41Regulation wins: 13
Points: 41Regulation wins: 14
Points: 43Regulation wins: 11
Points: 43Regulation wins: 15
Points: 44Regulation wins: 17
Points: 45Regulation wins: 14
Points: 45Regulation wins: 15
Points: 47Regulation wins: 19
Points: 50Regulation wins: 14
Points: 50Regulation wins: 18
Points: 51Regulation wins: 14
Points: 55Regulation wins: 16
Points: 58Regulation wins: 23
