Pens Game Urgency Grows on 14-Game NHL Thursday
pens game takes center stage on Thursday night, with several playoff races set to move closer to resolution across a 14-game NHL schedule. The most immediate stakes are in Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado, Edmonton, and Utah, where clinching scenarios could be settled by the end of the evening. All of this comes with the Stanley Cup playoffs scheduled to begin on April 18, and the regular season set to end on April 16.
Playoff spots can be locked in tonight
The Pittsburgh Penguins enter Thursday in the No. 2 seed in the Metro Division with a magic number of two. They can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the New Jersey Devils, or with help from the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders results. The Boston Bruins are in a similar position with a magic number of two, even though they do not play Thursday. They can clinch if the Blue Jackets, Islanders, and Detroit Red Wings all lose in the right fashion.
There is also a path for the idle Edmonton Oilers to secure a playoff berth. That becomes possible if the Anaheim Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks in any fashion, the Utah Mammoth defeat the Nashville Predators in regulation, and the Winnipeg Jets do not win in regulation against the St. Louis Blues. The Utah Mammoth can clinch as well if they beat the Predators in regulation and the Ducks beat the Sharks in any fashion.
Presidents’ Trophy and elimination on the line
The Colorado Avalanche can wrap up the Presidents’ Trophy on Thursday. They need either any kind of win over the Calgary Flames, or a regulation loss by the Carolina Hurricanes to the Chicago Blackhawks. That gives Colorado the No. 1 overall seed.
At the other end of the standings, the Seattle Kraken are close to mathematical elimination. They must beat the Vegas Golden Knights and need the Predators to lose in regulation to the Mammoth. If either result does not break their way, their season is over.
Why this night matters
This is one of the clearest late-season checkpoints left on the calendar. Every team has five or fewer games remaining before the regular season closes, which means Thursday’s results can reshape both the bracket and the final stretch of the standings.
For teams still in the hunt, pens game is not just about one night’s result. It is about whether a season extends into the playoffs or ends with the math running out. By the end of Thursday, several clubs could know exactly where they stand, and pens game will have done a major part of the sorting before the final week arrives.
