NHL playoff bracket: Milestones are on tap this week

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NHL playoff bracket: Milestones are on tap this week

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Mon, Feb 19, 2024 ·

4 min read

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The Atlantic Division has a different look heading into the week as the Florida Panthers have moved ahead of the slumping Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs jumped past the Tampa Bay Lightning .

The Panthers have won five in a row and nine of their last 10. Included was a 9-2 rout of the Lightning. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have won three in a row without s uspended Morgan Rielly .

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews could hit 50 goals this week and Lightning star Nikita Kucherov could reach 100 points. Each plays four games.

This also could be the week when teams decide if they will be sellers before the March 8 trade deadline.

Here is the Stanley Cup playoff bracket as it stands on the morning of Feb. 19, plus key games for the week. This file will be updated during the season ( full standings here ).

Hats litter the ice after Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) scores his third goal against the Anaheim Ducks.

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Eastern Conference playoff bracket

If the season ended on Feb. 18, here's how the Eastern Conference playoff matchups would align (based on points):

Florida Panthers (A1) vs. Detroit Red Wings (WC2)

Boston Bruins (A2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (A3)

New York Rangers (M1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (WC1)

Carolina Hurricanes (M2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (M3)

The winners of the top two series would face each other in the second round, as would the winners of the bottom two series.

Closest teams:The New Jersey Devils are two points out of a wild-card spot and the New York Islanders are four out.

Key: A-Atlantic Division. M-Metropolitan. WC-wild card

Western Conference playoff bracket

If the season ended on Feb. 18, here's how the Western Conference playoff matchups would align (based on points):

Vancouver Canucks (P1) vs. St. Louis Blues (WC2)

Vegas Golden Knights (P2) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P3)

Dallas Stars (C1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (WC1)

Colorado Avalanche (C2) vs. Winnipeg Jets (C3)

The winners of the top two series would face each other in the second round, as would the winners of the bottom two series.

Closest teams:The Nashville Predators are two points out a wild-card spot. The Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken are four points out.

Key: C-Central. P-Pacific. WC-wild card

Key games this week

All times p.m. ET

MONDAY

Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues, 1 (ESPN) :No NHL player has ever had a hat trick in three consecutive games. Matthews has a chance to do it after getting three goals each against the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks . If he gets a hat trick in this game, he'd pass 50 goals. Matthews opened this season with back-to-back hat tricks but was shut out in the third game.

Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins, 1: The Bruins wrap up a disastrous seven-game road trip in which they have gone 1-3-2 and fallen out of first in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

TUESDAY

Ottawa Senators at Florida Panthers, 7: The last time the Tkachuk brothers met , the game was very feisty. Florida's Matthew ended up with 11 minutes and Ottawa 's Brady had 16 minutes. Referees had enough during a scrum near the end of the game and gave all 10 skaters on the ice a 10-minute misconduct.

SATURDAY

Toronto Maple Leafs at Colorado Avalanche, 7 (NHL Network):No. 1 goal scorer Matthews vs. No. 2 point scorer Nathan MacKinnon .