NHL Playoffs Buzz: Western 1st Round matchups will be finalized
On Tap
There are six video games on the NHL schedule Thursday, three with playoff implications:
Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators (8 pm ET; FDSNSSO, Victory+, KCOP-13, SNO)
The Ducks (42-33-6) want a win at Bridgestone Arena to have an opportunity at securing second place within the Pacific Division and home-ice benefit within the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They path the Edmonton Oilers by one level for second, however the Oilers personal the regulation wins tiebreaker (31-25). A loss means Anaheim may drop all the way in which to the second wild card with the Los Angeles Kings additionally in motion and tied with the Ducks, every with 90 factors, and Anaheim proudly owning the regulation wins tiebreaker (25-22). They have already got their most wins and factors since 2017-18, after they gained 44 video games and completed with 101 factors and was the final time they made the playoffs. The Ducks are 1-6-2 in 9 video games since March 28, together with a 5-0 loss to the Predators on April 7.
Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SN1, FDSNSC)
The Kings (35-26-20) want a win at Scotiabank Saddledome to keep up their possibilities at second within the Pacific. They’re 6-0-2 in April and maintain the second wild card from the West, however a victory towards the Flames coupled with regulation losses by the Ducks and Oilers, would give them second place and home-ice benefit within the first spherical. This will be Kings captain Anze Kopitar‘s final regular-season sport. He introduced in September that this could be his closing NHL season and has 1,316 factors (452 targets, 864 assists) in 1,520 video games, all with the Kings. He will end with the seventh-most factors by a European born and skilled participant in NHL historical past, behind Jaromir Jagr (1,921), Alex Ovechkin (1,687), Teemu Selanne (1,457), Evgeni Malkin (1,407), Jari Kurri (1,398) and Mats Sundin (1,349).
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers (9 pm ET; SNW, SNP)
The Oilers (40-30-11) will safe second within the Pacific Division with one level of their regular-season finale at Rogers Place. Center Connor McDavid wants two targets to grow to be the fifth participant in Oilers historical past with a number of 50-goal seasons, becoming a member of Wayne Gretzky (eight), Kurri (4), Leon Draisaitl (4) and Glenn Anderson (two). McDavid will additionally wrap up his sixth NHL scoring title. He leads the League with 134 factors (48 targets, 86 assists), 4 greater than Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who accomplished their regular-season schedule Wednesday. Edmonton is 1-2-2 in its previous 5 video games.
