Five NHL teams could clinch playoff spots Saturday

Some further clarity about the NHL playoff picture could come Saturday.

Nine of the 16 postseason spots have been clinched. As many as five more could be clinched depending on results from the crowded slate of 15 games that kicks off the final weekend of the regular season.

In the Eastern Conference, five of the eight spots have already been locked up. Two more could be clinched Saturday by teams currently in wild-card position.

The Boston Bruins (43-26-10, 96 points) have three different paths to a Saturday clinch of what would likely be a wild-card spot. The simplest path would be a win of any kind against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

They could also clinch with an overtime loss to Tampa Bay if the New Jersey Devils defeat the Detroit Red Wings paired with either an Ottawa Senators defeat of the New York Islanders or a Winnipeg Jets win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Boston can even clinch with a regulation loss if the Devils beat the Red Wings in regulation and either the Senators or Jets win in regulation.

Ottawa (42-27-10, 94 points) enters Saturday in the second wild-card spot and three points clear of the bubble. The Senators have a simpler clinching path, only able to do so with a win over the Islanders paired with a Red Wings loss to New Jersey.

Four spots in the Western Conference have already been locked up, including all three guaranteed spots for the Central Division. Entering Saturday, no Pacific Division teams have officially clinched a playoff spot, but all three teams atop the division will have the chance to lock up their spots on Saturday.

The Edmonton Oilers (40-29-10, 90 points) will clinch if they earn at least one point against the Los Angeles Kings or if the Jets-Flyers game has any outcome besides a regulation win for Winnipeg.

The simplest path for the Vegas Golden Knights (36-26-17, 89 points) to clinch their eighth postseason berth in nine seasons of existence is a win of any kind against Colorado. However, they can also clinch if they take an overtime loss to the Avalanche, the Flyers beat the Jets and the Minnesota Wild beat the Nashville Predators.

Regardless of its own result, Vegas can also clinch if the Flyers and Wild both win in regulation and the Vancouver Canucks beat the San Jose Sharks.

The Anaheim Ducks (42-32-5, 89 points) are one of two teams not playing Saturday but could punch their first playoff ticket since 2017-18 while idle. For that to happen, the Canucks would need to beat the Sharks in any way while the Flyers and Wild would need to win in regulation.