SI:AM | The NHL Playoff Picture Is a Total Mess

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t even express how unsettled I was by Edwin Díaz’s brimless Dodgers hat.

In today’s SI:AM:
⛳ Rory prepares for Masters defense
🏈 Analyzing Dexter Lawrence’s trade request
⚽ NWSL power rankings

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Hockey’s chaotic final week

The NBA and NHL regular seasons are nearing the finish line, and while the NBA’s playoff participants have mostly been decided, the NHL is a much different story.

With just eight days remaining in the NHL’s season, only seven of the league’s 32 teams have been eliminated from playoff contention and only seven have clinched a postseason berth. The remaining 18 teams—more than half the league—will play must-win games over the next week to determine their playoff fates. There are two separate three-way battles for all-important division titles and two completely unhinged wild-card races, as well as multiple other chases for seeding and home ice advantage. It’s pure chaos.

The most consequential race is in the Atlantic Division, where the Canadiens, Lightning and Sabres are all tied for first place after Montreal won and Tampa Bay lost on Tuesday night. The division winner will face one of the two wild-card teams in the playoffs, while the second- and third-place finishers will play each other in the first round. One reason this race is so fascinating is that these three teams have been among the best in the NHL this season. They each have 102 points, second only to the Hurricanes (106 points) for the best record in the Eastern Conference and tied for fourth-best in the league. The other reason it’s worth keeping an eye on is that it’s already been contentious. Lightning vs. Sabres has become a budding rivalry as the two teams have jockeyed for position atop the standings this season. They played an outrageous game last month that was the first in more than 30 years to feature at least 15 goals and 28 penalties. They had another brawl on Monday night. Depending on how things shake out in the next few days, they could renew that rivalry in the first round of the playoffs. The Canadiens, meanwhile, have surged into contention for the division crown over the past few weeks, winning nine out of their last 10 games. The Lightning and Canadiens will play Thursday night in Montreal in the biggest game of the season for both teams.

There are also three teams fighting to win the Pacific Division, although they’re not Stanley Cup contenders like the three Atlantic teams. The Oilers and Golden Knights are tied for first with 88 points, followed closely by the Ducks with 87 points. Edmonton holds the first tiebreaker with 30 regulation wins (compared to 28 for Vegas and 24 for Anaheim). None of them has clinched a playoff spot, though. The Kings (83 points) and Sharks (81) are still alive. The West’s two wild-card spots currently belong to the fourth- and fifth-place teams in the Central Division, the Mammoth (88 points) and Predators (84), but neither of those teams has clinched a playoff spot, either. The Jets (80 points), Blues (78) and Kraken (75) also remain in contention for a wild-card spot.

It’s a similar story in the Eastern Conference, where the two wild-card spots are currently held by the fourth- and fifth-place teams in the Atlantic: the Bruins (96 points) and Senators (92). The Blue Jackets (90), Red Wings (89), Islanders (89) and Capitals (87) are still within striking distance. Columbus and New York could still overtake the Penguins (96 points) or Flyers (92) in the Metropolitan Division and put Pittsburgh and Philadelphia’s playoff hopes in doubt.

The Islanders’ firing of coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, with just four games left to play, adds even more drama to the battle in the East. New coach Peter DeBoer will be behind the bench for the first time on Thursday when the Islanders face the Maple Leafs.

If you want to see how it all shakes out, there are a bunch of consequential games over the next two days. The Oilers and Sharks will meet tonight in a nationally televised game on TNT at 10 p.m. ET. Tomorrow night, there’s the aforementioned Lightning-Canadiens game at 7 p.m. ET, Wild-Stars at 9 p.m. ET in a game that could determine home ice advantage in the first round, Predators-Mammoth at 9 p.m. ET and Sharks-Ducks at 10 p.m. ET. It’ll be more fun than watching a bunch of tanking NBA teams.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Rory McIlroy during a Masters practice round — Rory McIlroy will defend his Masters title beginning Thursday at Augusta National. | Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy heads into this year’s event more relaxed. Michael Rosenberg says now it is time to see how much further his talent can take him.
Gary Woodland secured his spot at the Masters after winning the Houston Open, but Bob Harig says his challenge at Augusta will be something that he is fighting off the course.
You know the Champions Dinner and skipping balls across the pond at 16. But did you know Augusta used to have a Masters parade? Gary Van Sickle dives deep into Masters traditions.
As new coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen navigate their new relationship, Conor Orr contends that star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II is positioned to take advantage of the perceived uncertainty.
Several converging factors could turn baseball on its head next offseason. Ryan Phillips projects how the sport could look different this time next year.
After Angel City FC’s perfect start came to an end, SI’s latest NWSL power rankings have a new No. 1.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:
5. White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi’s embarrassing strikeout on a pitch that drilled him in the arm.
4. The MLB season’s first bench-clearing incident with actual punches thrown.
3. Amed Rosario’s two homers for the Yankees, including a three-run shot to give them a 5–3 lead in the eighth. Yankees batters in the bottom third of the lineup had no extra-base hits in the team’s first nine games of the season, but in addition to Rosario’s two homers from the No. 7 spot, No. 8 hitter Austin Wells and No. 9 hitter José Caballero both had doubles.
2. An amazing individual effort by Connor McDavid to go coast-to-coast for a goal.
1. Valeri Nichushkin’s between-the-legs goal.