With nine days remaining on the schedule (eight if you exclude Good Friday's empty slot), there are four Stanley Cup playoff spots still to be claimed.
Let's take a look at who's in, who's still alive, and who's likely to advance.
Eastern Conference
Here are the teams that have already clinched a playoff spot.
- Boston Bruins (Presidents' Trophy winners)
- Carolina Hurricanes
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Rangers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Tampa Bay Lightning
The Bruins have already clinched first place, and are slowly getting back to full health as they await their first round opponent.
The two wild card spots have yet to be claimed, with three teams right in the thick of the chase and another clinging to life.
Heading into Thursday's action, the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders were in with 87 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins sit one point back, and all three teams have four games remaining.
The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators have 81 points, but there's faint hope for the Sabres seeing as they have six games remaining on the schedule.
So who gets in?
Moneypuck has Florida and the Islanders advancing, while the Penguins and Islanders probably have the easier schedules.
The Islanders are set to play Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Washington, and Montreal. The Penguins get Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, and Columbus. Three of four are very winnable for both teams.
Florida, meanwhile, plays Ottawa, Washington, Toronto, and Carolina. While the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes might rest some players, those games could be more challenging.
Locked on Islanders host Gil Martin outlined some reasons to be optimistic about the team from Long Island.
Western Conference
Similar to the East, all but the wild card spots have already been claimed out West.
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Edmonton Oilers
- Los Angeles Kings
- Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
The Oilers will be the only team in the NHL with three 100-point scorers this season, and made a real statement this week with a win over the Kings, according to Locked on Oilers host Brett Holden.
Seattle can clinch their first playoff berth in franchise history as early as Thursday.
How? If the Kraken defeat the Arizona Coyotes in any fashion OR if they get one point against the Coyotes AND the Predators lose to the Hurricanes in any fashion.
As Erica Ayala of Locked on Kraken explains, this team holds its fate in their own hands, and will be in barring a massive collapse.
That leaves the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, and Nashville Predators to duke it out for the final spot, a race that got even more interesting Wednesday thanks to a Calgary win over the Jets in Winnipeg.
As a result, the Jets and Flames sit level at 89 points, but Winnipeg has one fewer game played. Nashville is three points back, with five games remaining on their schedule.
Moneypuck seems to favor the Jets here, but their schedule is far from easy. There's a huge game against the Predators on deck, then they'll play San Jose, Minnesota, and Colorado.
Calgary's at a disadvantage with only three games left, but they're all winnable: Vancouver, Nashville, and San Jose. Losing to Chicago earlier this week really hurts in retrospect, though.
As for the Predators, they have big games coming up against both Winnipeg and Calgary, and also play Carolina, Minnesota, and Colorado.
Is Winnipeg still in a good place to make the playoffs, or are their hopes and dreams on life support? Locked on Jets host Harrison Lee broke it down.
Our prediction: The Jets find a way to advance.