NHL Playoff Bracket 2024: Matchups as Capitals Clinch; Penguins, Red Wings Eliminated
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVApril 17, 2024
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoff field was set Tuesday night with the Washington Capitals securing the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
T.J. Oshie's empty-net goal was the difference in a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, and the result was enough for Washington to fend off the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in the postseason race. Detroit's 5-4 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens was rendered irrelevant.
That wasn't the only outcome of consequence with just two more days left in the regular season. Here's how the Eastern and Western Conference brackets are shaking out:
Eastern Conference
- Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
- Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
- Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders
Western Conference
- Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights
- Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
- Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators
- Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
The Florida Panthers entered Tuesday night trailing the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division. By the time the games for both teams concluded, the Panthers had secured a division title.
A Bruins defeat was the first step needed for Florida and Boston duly delivered. Jiri Smejkal and Jakob Chychrun combined to put the Ottawa Senators ahead 2-0 in the second period at TD Garden, and Artem Zub canceled out Pavel Zacha's power-play tally as the Sens played the role of spoiler.
Facing off with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers provided the second part of the formula themselves as they overturned a 2-0 deficit after the first period thanks to four unanswered goals in the second frame. Sam Reinhart's empty-netter with 2:20 left in regulation was the cherry on top.
Over in the West, meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets secured home-ice advantage in the first round against the Colorado Avalanche. A 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken was more than they required to guarantee a second-place finish in the Central Division.
Considering the home and road splits for the Avs, only having to travel to Denver for three games at most could be huge for the Jets. Colorado is a dominant 30-9-1 at Ball Arena and a more pedestrian 19-16-6 everywhere else.
Getting to host the Avalanche to open the postseason was something worth celebrating for the Jets.