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Push for the Playoffs: Saturday’s are for deciding the playoff matchups

Nashville Predators v Winnipeg Jets - Game Four

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA - MAY 3: P.K. Subban #76 of the Nashville Predators celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets in Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 3, 2018 at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jason Halstead /Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** P.K. Subban

Getty Images

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.

We’ve made it to the final day of the regular season.

All 16 teams chasing Lord Stanley’s mug are set, but who will face who is yet to be determined for 12 of those clubs. We know the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs will lock horns, as well as the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks. The rest, however, is up in the air.

Perhaps the most interesting race of the day will come in the Central Division.

There, the Nashville Predators hold a narrow one-point lead on the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues. Winnipeg has held the top spot for most of the year, but a few late-season duds have allowed both the Predators and surging Blues a chance at the division crown.

The Predators will see another division-winning banner raised to the roof of Bridgestone Arena with a win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. That’s the easy math. A loss, even if it comes in overtime or a shootout where they’d pick up a point, adds a lot of uncertainty.

The Blues face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday afternoon. A win, at least temporarily, will move them to the summit. Likewise, a point would move them ahead of the Jets for the time being.

If Nashville is to lose earlier in the night in regulation, then the division will be Winnipeg’s providing the Jets can secure a point. If Nashville picks up a loser point, then the Jets would have to take maximum points to secure their first divisional crown

Basically, any combination of a Jets win and a loss by Nashville will earn them first place. St. Louis, meanwhile, will have to take care of their own business and then cross their fingers.

It’s a wild race few imagined would be the case at the midway point of the season. But here we are, and it’s coming right down to the wire.

TODAY’S GAMES WITH PLAYOFF CONTENDERS

Canucks at Blues (4 p.m. ET)
Blue Jackets at Senators (7 p.m. ET)
Hurricanes at Flyers (7 p.m. ET)
Rangers at Penguins (7 p.m. ET)
Islanders at Capitals (7 p.m. ET)
Wild at Stars (8 p.m. ET)
Blackhawks at Predators (8 p.m. ET)
Jets at Coyotes (10 p.m. ET)
Avalanche at Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET)

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PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey Reference)
Lightning — Clinched
Bruins — Clinched
Capitals — Clinched
Islanders — Clinched
Maple Leafs — Clinched
Penguins — Clinched
Hurricanes — Clinched
Blue Jackets — Clinched
Canadiens — Eliminated
Flyers — Eliminated
Panthers — Eliminated
Sabres — Eliminated
Rangers — Eliminated
Devils — Eliminated
Red Wings — Eliminated
Senators — Eliminated

west8

PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey Reference)
Flames — Clinched
Jets — Clinched
Sharks — Clinched
Predators — Clinched
Blues — Clinched
Golden Knights — Clinched
Stars — Clinched
Avalanche — Clinched
Coyotes — Eliminated
Wild — Eliminated
Blackhawks — Eliminated
Oilers — Eliminated
Canucks — Eliminated
Ducks — Eliminated
Kings — Eliminated

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JACK OR KAAPO? THE DRAFT LOTTERY PICTURE
Senators — 18.5 percent*
Kings — 13.5 percent
Devils — 11.5 percent
Sabres — 9.5 percent
Red Wings — 8.5 percent
Rangers — 7.5 percent
Oilers — 6.5 percent
Ducks– 6 percent
Canucks — 5 percent
Flyers — 3.5 percent
Wild — 3 percent
Blackhawks — 2.5 percent
Panthers — 2 percent
Coyotes — 1.5 percent
Canadiens — 1 percent
(*COL owns OTT’s 2019 first-round pick)

ART ROSS RACE
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning — 126 points
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers — 116 points
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks — 109 points
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers — 104 points
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins — 100 points

ROCKET RICHARD RACE
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals — 51 goals
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers — 49 goals
John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs — 47 goals
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks — 44 goals
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning — 44 goals


Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck