While the Eastern Conference matchups for the 2024 NHL playoffs are set, that is not the case for those teams in the Western Conference.
Here is a look at where the playoffs stand in the Western Conference
One Matchup is Set
The Winnipeg Jets’ victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday (April 16) clinched second place in the Central Division for the Jets and home-ice advantage in their first-round playoff series with the Colorado Avalanche while extending its winning streak to seven games.
It will be the first time these two teams meet in the playoffs.
The Avalanche will be hoping they can put behind the memories of their last game with the Jets when they were shutout at home 7-0 on April 13.
The Jets have one more game left in the regular season and can tie its franchise record of 52 wins (2017-18) when it hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday (April 18). The Avalanche also finish their season on Thursday when they host the playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers.
Stars Can Clinch Tonight (April 17)
The Dallas Stars can clinch the Western Conference if they get at least one point against the St. Louis Blues (9:30 p.m. ET). The Stars’ first-round matchup is still yet to be determined. If the playoffs started today, Dallas would face the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. That could change if the Stars win Wednesday and Vegas wins against the Anaheim Ducks. The Los Angeles Kings would be the Stars’ first-round opponent in that case.
If the Stars win, that would also force a matchup between the Knights and Oilers, which might be the most interesting series in the first round.
The Stars are two points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks, with one game remaining for each.
Canucks’ First Round Concerns
Speaking of the Canucks, they clinched first place in the Pacific Division with a 4-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Whether the Canucks face the Kings or the Nashville Predators is just one problem the team is facing. According to Elliotte Friedman via the 32 Thoughts podcast, the Canucks could be starting their playoff run on Tuesday, April 23. While this would give Vancouver a few days off between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason, it could cause some scheduling issues as Rogers Arena has some notable concerts already scheduled for the end of April and early May as 21 Savage, Justin Timberlake and Pearl Jam all have concerts booked during the time the first round would be played.
Stay tuned to see how that situation will play out.
If Ties Need to be Broken
Any wild-card tie involving Nashville goes to the Predators regardless of what team (or teams) it’s with. A deadlock with Los Angeles is theirs by the second tiebreaker, regulation plus overtime wins (ROW), while the discussion with Vegas ends thanks to Nashville’s superior regulation wins.
It remains possible that Los Angeles and Vegas could end up even at either 97 or 98 points, and the Kings would win in both instances thanks to regulation wins. The only way the Golden Knights get past the Kings is to pass them in the standings. No ties will suffice.
If the playoffs were to start today, here are what the matchups would look like:
(C1) Stars vs. (WC2) Kings
(C2) Jets vs. (C3) Avalanche
(P1) Canucks vs. (WC1) Predators
(P2) Oilers vs. (P3) Golden Knights
The first round of the NHL Playoffs is expected to start on Saturday, April 20. It was originally expected to start on Monday, April 22, but the league moved the date up two days.