Here are the Stanley Cup Playoff clinching scenarios for April 9:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The New Jersey Devils (idle) will clinch a playoff berth if the New York Rangers lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in any fashion or defeat the Flyers in a shootout (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, TVAS).
The Washington Capitals (idle) will clinch the No. 1 seed in the East if the Toronto Maple Leafs lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning in regulation (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SN).
The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Devils in the first round if New Jersey clinches a playoff berth. Home-ice advantage still to be determined.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The Edmonton Oilers will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the St. Louis Blues in any fashion (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN360, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, TNT, truTV, MAX) AND the Calgary Flames lose to the Anaheim Ducks in regulation (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, SNW).
The Blues will clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Oilers in regulation AND the Flames lose to the Ducks in regulation.
On Tap
There are five games on the NHL schedule for Wednesday, all with playoff implications:
Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SN): First place in the Atlantic Division will be on the line at Amalie Arena with the Lightning (45-26-6) two points behind the Maple Leafs (47-26-4). Each team has 39 regulation wins, which is the first tiebreaker.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, TVAS): The Rangers (36-34-7) have scored a total of one goal in back-to-back losses and have fallen eight points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers (31-37-9) have been eliminated from postseason contention.
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; FDSNNO, NBCSCA): Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek will return from injury for the Wild (42-29-7), who seemed to be a lock for the playoffs a few weeks ago but find themselves in a heated race for the second wild card in the West. They enter Wednesday four points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot and have played one more game. They face each other in Calgary on Friday. The Sharks (20-47-10) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN360, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, TNT, truTV, MAX): The Blues (43-29-7), who had their 12-game win streak end Monday, lead the Wild by two points for the first wild card in the West, but have played one more game. Minnesota currently owns the first tiebreaker, which is regulation wins (33/31). The Oilers (44-28-5) return home after losing the last two of a four-game road trip. They are four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division.
Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, SNW): The Flames (37-27-13) look to draw closer to the Wild in the race for the second wild card in the West. They have five fewer regulation wins than the Wild (33/28). The Ducks (34-35-8) have been eliminated from playoff contention.
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