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Push for the Playoffs: Predators, Jets play for first in Central

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T.J. Oshie and the Washington Capitals host Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers during Star Sunday on March 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2018-19 NHL season. We’ll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who’s leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more.

The top spot in the NHL’s Central Division has been a back-and-forth race between the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators, and on Saturday evening the two teams will be meeting head-to-head for the final time this season in what could be a pivotal game in who ends up taking the top spot.

Winnipeg enters the day holding a two-point lead over the Predators in the standings, while also still owning a game in hand the rest of the way and the first tiebreaker (42 regulation wins for the Jets, to 38 for the Predators). All of that together makes this an absolutely massive game for both teams, but especially for the Predators if they have any hope of winning the division.

Failing to gain a point on Saturday would put them in a four-point hole, and because they don’t own the tiebreaker, would need to gain five points on the Jets to pass them over their remaining six games. That would not be an easy thing to do and would not only require a lot of help in the form of the Jets losing a handful of games down the stretch, but also leave Nashville without almost no margin for error in its remaining games.

So while it remains a huge game for both teams, it takes on even more importance for the Predators because of how much ground they would have to make up with a loss.

Even if the Predators win in regulation on Saturday, the Jets would still technically own the top spot in the Division by having played in one fewer game and also having more regulation and overtime wins.

The Jets have won two of the previous head-to-head games this season.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames can take control of the Pacific Division with a win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Thanks to San Jose’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, the Flames enter Saturday with a four-point lead in the Pacific Division race and can open that up to a six-point lead with a win.

That would not yet clinch the division, but it would be a massive cushion to have this late in the season.

The Flames have only won their division one time (the 2005-06 season) since 1994-95 and can take a big step toward claiming the Pacific on Saturday night.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

Lightning vs. Canadiens
Capitals vs. Hurricanes
Islanders vs. Penguins
Bruins vs. Maple Leafs

Flames vs. Wild
Jets vs. Stars
Sharks vs. Golden Knights
Predators vs. Blues

TODAY’S GAMES WITH PLAYOFF CONTENDERS

Coyotes vs. Devils (1 p.m. ET)
Islanders vs. Flyers (1 p.m. ET)
Blackhawks vs. Avalanche (3 p.m. ET)
Predators vs. Jets (7 p.m. ET)
Rangers vs. Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET)
Sabres vs. Canadiens (7 p.m. ET)
Bruins vs. Panthers (7 p.m. ET)
Wild vs. Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET)
Lightning vs. Blues (8 p.m. ET)
Penguins vs. Stars (8 p.m. ET)
Red Wings vs. Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET)
Flames vs. Canucks (10 p.m. ET)

TODAY’S CLINCHING SCENARIOS

The Bruins will clinch a playoff berth...

• If they defeat the Panthers in any fashion...

OR

• If they get one point against Florida AND the Canadiens lose to the Sabres in any fashion or defeats Buffalo in a shootout

The Winnipeg Jets will clinch a playoff berth...

• If they get at least one point against Nashville OR if any of the following occurs:

• Avalanche lose in regulation to the Blackhawks AND either the Coyotes lose in any fashion to the Devils or the Wild lose in any fashion to the Hurricanes.
• The Coyotes lose in regulation AND the Wild lose in any fashion
• The Coyotes, Avalanche and Wild each lose in any fashion

The Nashville Predators will clinch a playoff berth...

• If they defeat the Jets in regulation or overtime AND all of the following occur:

• The Coyotes lose in any fashion
• The Avalanche lose in any fashion
• The Wild lose in regulation

OR

If they defeat the Jets in a shootout AND all of the following occur:

• The Coyotes lose in regulation
• The Avalanche lose in regulation
• The Wild lose in regulation

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Screen Shot 2019-03-23 at 10.42.28 AM

PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey Reference)

Lightning -- Clinched
Bruins -- 100 percent
Capitals -- 100 percent
Maple Leafs -- 99.9 percent
Penguins -- 99.6 percent
Islanders -- 99 percent
Hurricanes -- 92.1 percent
Canadiens -- 56.1 percent
Blue Jackets -- 50.2 percent
Flyers -- 3 percent
Panthers -- 0.1 percent
Sabres -- Out
Rangers -- Out
Devils -- Eliminated
Red Wings -- Eliminated
Senators -- Eliminated

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Screen Shot 2019-03-23 at 10.46.02 AM

PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey Reference)

Flames -- Clinched
Sharks -- Clinched
Jets -- 100 percent
Predators -- 100 percent
Golden Knights -- 100 percent
Blues -- 100 percent
Stars -- 91.2 percent
Avalanche -- 40.1 percent
Coyotes -- 35 percent
Wild -- 25 percent
Blackhawks -- 6.6 percent
Canucks -- 1.1 percent
Oilers -- 1 percent
Ducks -- Out
Kings -- Eliminated

JACK OR KAAPO? THE DRAFT LOTTERY PICTURE

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Senators -- 18.5 percent*
Kings -- 13.5 percent
Red Wings -- 11.5 percent
Devils -- 9.5 percent
Rangers -- 8.5 percent
Ducks -- 7.5 percent
Sabres -- 6.5 percent
Oilers -- 6 percent
Canucks -- 5 percent
Blackhawks -- 3.5 percent
Panthers -- 3 percent
Coyotes -- 2.5 percent
Avalanche -- 2 percent
Flyers -- 1.5 percent
Blue Jackets -- 1 percent**

(*COL owns OTT’s 2019 first-round pick)
(**OTT owns CBJ’s 2019 first-round pick)

ART ROSS RACE

Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning -- 120 points
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers -- 107 points
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks -- 101 points
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers -- 94 points
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins -- 93 points

ROCKET RICHARD RACE

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals -- 48 goals
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers -- 43 goals
John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs -- 41 goals
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks -- 41 goals
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning -- 39 goals

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.