Florida Panthers in tight race atop the Atlantic Division. Where things stand
The race for the Atlantic Division is going to come down to the wire.
The Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are all jockeying for position at the top of the division as the regular season enters its final push ahead of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Just four points separate the top three teams in the division, which could be the difference between home-ice advantage for multiple rounds of the playoffs and starting the postseason on the road.
With less than a dozen games remaining for each team in the regular season, let’s break down where everything stands for the Atlantic’s top contenders.
What are the current standings?
The Panthers enter Monday leading the division with a 43-25-3 record (89 points). The Maple Leafs are second at 42-25-3 (87 points) and the Lightning are third at 40-25-5 (85 points). Florida, however, has played one more game than both Toronto and Tampa Bay.
What is at stake?
Whichever team wins the division would be guaranteed home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The seeding order would also determine matchups for the opening round of the playoffs. Whoever wins the division would be in line to face the Eastern Conference’s top wild card team — currently the Ottawa Senators — to begin the playoffs, while the teams that finish second and third in the division will match up against each other in the first round.
The winners of their respective first-round matchup will then play each other in the second round, with the higher seed getting home-ice advantage.
How many more games does each team have against each other?
The Panthers still have two more games remaining against the Maple Leafs — in Toronto on April 2 and in Florida on April 8 — as well as one more game against the Lightning on April 15 to wrap up their regular season.
The Lightning and Maple Leafs have one more matchup left to play: April 9 in Tampa.
How many games does each team have left against playoff contenders?
Of Florida’s remaining 11 games, seven are against teams that are either currently in a playoff spot or are within two points of a playoff spot.
For Toronto, six of its final 12 games are against playoff contenders, while seven of Tampa Bay’s final 12 games are against teams in the hunt for a postseason bid.
How has each team fared against each other?
The Panthers are 2-0 so far this season against Toronto, winning 5-1 in Sunrise on Nov. 27 and 3-2 in Toronto on March 13 with two more games left to play.
Florida is also 2-1 against Tampa Bay, winning 4-2 on Dec. 22 in Tampa, losing 4-0 in Sunrise on Dec. 23 and winning 2-1 at Amerant Bank Arena on March 3 with one more game left to play.
Toronto is 3-0 so far against Tampa Bay, winning 5-2 on Oct. 21 in Toronto, 5-3 on Nov. 30 in Tampa and 5-3 on Jan. 20 in Tampa with one more game left to play.
What are the tiebreakers, if needed?
The NHL’s tiebreaker scenarios for playoff standings prioritize regulation wins over direct head-to-head action.
The full breakdown in order is as follows if teams have an identical number of points:
▪ The fewest number of games played. Teams that play less games accrued their points more efficiently. However, this shouldn’t be a factor since all three teams should play all 82 games by the end of the season.
▪ The most games won in regulation. This is simply total wins minus overtime and shootout wins. Florida right now has 35 regulation wins, while Toronto and Tampa Bay each have 34.
▪ The most games won in regulation and overtime. This is total wins minus shootout wins, so it expands on the previous tiebreaker by adding games won during the five-minute three-on-three overtime period. Toronto leads the way in that category right now with 41 regulation and overtime wins, while Florida and Tampa Bay each have 38.
▪ The most games won in any manner. Shootout wins are now factored in here. Florida enters Monday with 43 wins. Toronto has 42 wins. Tampa Bay has 40 wins.
▪ Head-to-head matchups. Florida currently has the advantage on both Toronto and Tampa Bay, while the Maple Leafs have the advantage over the Lightning.
If teams are still tied after this, the tiebreakers then shift to goal differential and then total goals scored.
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