NHL first round Play-off matchups: Projecting and analyzing the 8-series

NHL's regular season ends on Thursday, so it will be late for those on the outside of the play -off photo. In the Eastern Conference, two teams remain contrary to one wildcard place, while in the Western Conference three teams remain in the race for the two Wildcard places.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames are the only teams that are currently not in Playoff places that have not yet been eliminated. The Blue Jackets are three points behind the Montreal Canadiens and each team still has two games. The Flames, with two more games, are two points behind St. Louis Blues and three points behind the Minnesota Wild, each of which has one match left.

In the meantime, more PlayOFF series are starting to take shape. Again, we look at the rankings and analyze the first round when it started today.

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals (M1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (WC2)

The capitals will enter the play -offs as the best team of the eastern conferences. In the meantime, the Canadiens continue to fight for their postseason spot. Montreal had opportunities to click against the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, in competitions on Friday and Saturday, but lost both. However, they still hold their own destination. The door remains open, albeit somewhat, for the blue coats to walk the table and somehow appropriate the Canadiens to enter the play -offs.

Regardless of who steps in that second wildcard spot, they will go to the American capital. Washington could use a shock before they enter the play-offs, because they only won three times in their last 10 games, including losing back-to-back to Columbus this weekend.

Carolina Hurricanes (M2) vs. New Jersey Devils (M3)

This matchup is locked up. The devils cannot catch the hurricanes in the rankings and the hurricanes cannot catch the capitals. This matchup will be the sixth time that these teams have met in the play -offs. Carolina has won the last four meetups, with the Devils Sole Series victory during the 2000-01 season the year that they represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup final against Colorado.

The underlying statistics love the hurricanes on five-on-five, whether it is via Corsi, expect goals or changes with a high more danger according to to natural stattrick. New Jersey now has a top 10 defense, but has been running a bit cold lately, with three consecutive losses, including a 7-2 loss for the Boston Bruins last week.

Toronto Maple Leafs (A1) vs. Ottawa Senators (WC1)

It looks pretty likely that it will also get this series well. The senators are locked up in the first Wildcard place after Sunday's overtime on the Philadelphia Flyers. Toronto is locked up in a top-two finish in the Atlantic Division, thanks to their overtime victories on Montreal on Saturday evening. If Toronto gets another point or the lightning loses a point, the Atlantic Division will belong to the Maple Leafs and they will host the senators for the first time since 2004 in a play -off series.

Senators -owner Michael Andlaer has already said that he is ready for the Leafs. The senators wiped the Leafs in their regular season series this year. But if you have followed the history of this rivalry in the play -offs, you know that this means little.

Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) vs. Florida Panthers (A3)

The Battle of Florida also looks in stone. Florida is guaranteed a top three finish in the Atlantic Division after Ottawa won in the extension on Sunday. In the meantime, as noted above, Tampa Bay still has a chance on the crown of the Atlantic Division, even though it is four points back with two games to play. In the meantime, the Panthers can only end as high as second in the division. This means that the advantage of the house in the house is still very much in the game for both teams.

Florida had a home advantage in each of the last three playoff meeting against Tampa Bay, but only won matchup once in the first round of last year, on the way to his very first Stanley Cup championship.

Western conference

Winnipeg Jets (C1) vs. St. Louis Blues (WC2)

The jets are the winners of the Presidents Trophy for the first time in their history and have assured themselves of home advantage in the play-offs. But who goes the late season in that second wildcard spot? Three teams still have a chance on Monday morning.

St. Louis is currently taking that position, with the Minnesota Wild One point above them in the first wildcard spot. When both teams win their last games of the season on Tuesday evening, St. Louis remains second and meets Winnipeg in the first round. If Minnesota or St. Louis loses on Tuesday evening, Calgary can come in as long as it wins the rest of the road.

Dallas Stars (C2) vs. Colorado Avalanche (C3)

The collision between this Western Conference Powers has been projected for some time. That matchup was completed on Saturday evening. The biggest thing was wondered between now and the end of the regular season is the availability of Captain Gabriel Landenskogs, the availability of Colorado. The attacker scored his first pro hockey goal in three years during a conditioning stint while playing with the AVS AHL branch, the Colorado Eagles, on Saturday. The stars are locked up in the second position of the central divisions because Colorado cannot catch them, and the jets have already packed the central division and the best record of the competitions.

Vegas Golden Knights (P1) vs. Minnesota Wild (WC1)

Vegas won its fourth division title in eight years on Saturday evening with a victory over the Nashville Predators. The Golden Knights are locked up in a matchup against the first Wildcard team in the Western Conference. Thanks to an overtime victory over Saturday and St. Louis Shootout loss to Seattle, De Wild are in that first wildcard position. A victory on Tuesday would confirm that place for them, which means that Marc-Andr Fleurys final would start NHL after season in one of his earlier stops along his likely Hall of Fame career.

Los Angeles Kings (P2) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P3)

For the fourth consecutive year, the Oilers and Kings will meet in the opening round of the Play -Offs. The oilers have an external chance to jump the kings for second place in the Pacific Division, because they are only four points behind with two more games left. If Los Angeles gets home ice cream, they will support the best home record this year and that they have taken two of the three regular seasonal matches against Edmonton so far. The teams have a rehearsal in the first round in Edmonton on Monday evening.

(Photo by Mats Zuccarello, Brandon Saad and Marc-Andr Fruew: David Berding / Getty Images)