NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Race: 4 Teams, 2 Spots Left

There were two games with NHL playoff implications in the Eastern Conference on Sunday night.

One went the way the Florida Panthers hoped it would.

The other did not.

Florida remained two points back of the New York Islanders for the first wild card spot in the East after Carolina pulled out a 2-1 win.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, however, beat the visiting Flyers to pull into the second wild card position.

Both Florida and Pittsburgh have five games remaining; the Islanders have four.

Of course, there is a fourth team now in the running for one of the two playoff spots as the Buffalo Sabres have won two straight and four of five and are five points back of the Penguins but have two more games remaining.

One of those games, of course, is Tuesday night in Sunrise against the Panthers.

Should be a big one.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW

Zac Dalpe has made a home for himself and his family as captain of the Charlotte Checkers.

Now, he has a new two-year contract extension with the Panthers meaning he will be around for a little bit longer.

• Carter Verhaeghe is evolving into a star with the Florida Panthers as he had himself a historical night Saturday in Columbus.
• Oh, and Alex Lyon made some personal history as well.
• Check out last night’s 7 Sports Xtra where I talk about where the Panthers are — and where they’re going.
• Matthew Tkachuk had a hat trick of his own on Thursday in Florida’s 5-2 win in Montreal on Thursday.
• Tkachuk becomes just the second 100-point scorer in franchise history and certainly looks like an MVP candidate. While no one is taking that away from Connor McDavid, someone has to finish second.
• Video from Paul Maurice, Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Lyon following the win against the Blue Jackets is up on the FHN YouTube Channel.
• You can click the embedded videos below or click RIGHT HERE to see everything all in one place. If you hit subscribe (it’s free), you will know when new content comes up.

NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

The Boston Bruins became just the fourth team in NHL history to hit the 60-win mark with a 4-3 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon.

Wayne Gretzky said he would not be happy if they do not follow their historic season up with a Stanley Cup.

• Jack Eichel finally punched his ticket to the postseason for the first time in his eight-year career.
• The Philadelphia Flyers almost came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Penguins but fell just short.
• The Detroit Red Wings got stellar performances from multiple young players in a 5-2 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• The Montreal Canadiens clinched their ticket to the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, securing a Top-10 pick in the draft.
• The Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Canucks last night.

PANTHERS ON DECK

BUFFALO SABRES AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
• Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida; ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• Season Series (Florida leads 2-1): Panthers 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 15); Panthers 4, Sabres 1 (Jan. 16); Sabres 3, Panthers 1 (Feb. 24)
• Last season: Florida won 3-0
  
• All-time regular season series: Florida leads 53-45-8, 4 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Ottawa Senators at Florida, Thursday, 7 p.m.