Not only did the New York Rangers become the first NHL team to reach 100 points on Tuesday, they also became the first to clinch a playoff spot.
With the Washington Capitals besting the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday, the Rangers punched their ticket to the postseason solely by reaching overtime in their Tuesday tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers. Winning 6-5 was just the cherry on top.
Tuesday was a big night in the Eastern Conference, as the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins also could have clinched playoff spots Tuesday night if the chips had fallen just right. However, for now, New York remains the only team to have checked that box.
The Rangers may be sitting pretty in Presidents' Trophy position, but on the other end of the spectrum, a handful of teams are still trying to claw their way into the postseason with one of two available wild-card spots in each conference.
The top three teams in each division comprise the first 12 teams in the playoffs, with the remaining four wild-card spots filled by the two next highest finishers in each conference, regardless of division. Therefore, one division in either conference could send five teams to the playoffs while the other sends three.
Let's take a closer look at the standings following Tuesday's action and see which teams have the best odds of sneaking into the postseason via a wild card come April.
Eastern Conference Standings
Atlantic
1. Boston Bruins (42-16-15), 99 points
2. Florida Panthers (46-21-5), 97 points
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (40-22-9), 89 points
Metropolitan
1. New York Rangers* (48-20-4), 100 points
2. Carolina Hurricanes (45-21-7), 97 points
3. Philadelphia Flyers (36-27-10), 82 points
Wild Card
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (39-25-7), 85 points
2. Washington Capitals (36-26-9), 81 points
*clinched playoff berth
Wild Card Odds
Lightning: 99.8 percent
Capitals: 65.7 percent
Detroit Red Wings (36-29-7), 79 points: 29 percent
New Jersey Devils (36-33-4), 76 points: 12.2 percent
Western Conference Standings
Central
1. Colorado Avalanche (46-21-5), 97 points
2. Dallas Stars (44-19-9), 97 points
3. Winnipeg Jets (44-22-6), 94 points
Pacific
1. Vancouver Canucks (45-19-8), 98 points
2. Edmonton Oilers (43-23-4), 90 points
3. Los Angeles Kings (38-22-11), 87 points
Wild Card
1. Nashville Predators (43-25-4), 90 points
2. Vegas Golden Knights (39-25-8), 86 points
Wild Card Odds
Predators: 99.9 percent
Golden Knights: 89.4 percent
St. Louis Blues (38-30-4), 80 points: 4.4 percent
Minnesota Wild (34-28-9), 77 points: 7.8 percent
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