Courtney McKeen’ 27

Staff Writer

The National Hockey League is in its final stretch of the regular season, and the last few weeks have seen a number of teams ramp up their fight for a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As top teams clinch their playoff spots, the competition is heating up for the last week as remaining teams scramble for a shot at the cup.

The Atlantic Division is set, with 4 teams having already clinched a spot. The division is led by the Boston Bruins, who are followed closely by the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Also in the Atlantic Division are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have clinched a wild card seed for the Eastern Conference. The Atlantic Division has heavy competition between teams, with many of them being strong cup contenders. The Bruins have had a strong season after rebuilding from last year’s embarrassment under new Captain Brad Marchand. However, with only a 1 point difference between them and Florida, the fight for the top seed is remaining tense through the last week of the regular season. The final spot in the Atlantic conference is held by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. As the Leafs try to break their almost 60 year cup drought and the Bruins try to redeem themselves from last year’s heartbreak, the Atlantic conference will certainly put on an entertaining show in the postseason. 

While the Atlantic Division has a lot of competition to look forward to in the playoffs, the Metropolitan Division is seeing a lot of competition to get into the playoffs. At press time, the Rangers, Islanders, and Hurricanes have punched their tickets. While the Rangers are a top contender for the President’s Trophy, which is awarded to the team that finished with the most regular season points, their regular season success does not guarantee playoff success, and they are closely trailed by the Carolina Hurricanes and the Dallas Stars, who both sit only one point behind them in the overall league standings. The next spot is held by the New York Islanders, who just clinched. The remaining Eastern Conference wild card position currently has the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers tied at 87 points. The Capitals may have clinched by defeating the Flyers on April 16; this article will have been finalized before that game.

Meanwhile, the Western Conference is set. The Dallas Stars have not only clinched a playoff spot, but are currently the only team who have clinched the top spot in their division. They are followed by the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche. The Pacific Division’s top three spots have been claimed by the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings. The last two wild card playoff spots are held by the Nashville Predators and the 2023 Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. Last year, the Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup under former Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy in only their sixth season. While they won the Pacific Division last year, they now only hold the second wild card spot for this year’s playoff run, and will face tough competition in the Western Conference. 

With the playoffs about to start, there are many top contenders for the cup. Each conference has strong teams and talented players, but who will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end of four rounds of the playoffs is a story that only time can tell. 

Feature image courtesy of the Sportsletter.