The Atlantic Division Is Wide Open and Monday Night Changes Everything
Three teams. Two points separating first from third. One massive Monday night showdown coming up. The Atlantic Division race is absolutely packed right now, and we are in the thick of it.
The Tampa Bay Lightning clinched their playoff spot over the weekend and currently sit in first place with 102 points and 39 regulation wins through 76 games. Right behind them, the Buffalo Sabres locked in their postseason ticket too, sitting second with 100 points and 38 regulation wins through 77 games. The Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the playoffs as well, sitting third with 100 points and 32 regulation wins through 77 games. That is tight. That is competitive. That is what hockey should look like in April.
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Here is the matchup everyone needs to have circled: Lightning at Sabres on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network. This is the final regular-season meeting between these two clubs, and if you remember the last one, an 8-7 Buffalo win that featured 102 combined penalty minutes, you know these teams play with an edge. One win could shift the entire division picture.
Look at the Rest of Their Schedules
After facing Tampa, Buffalo still has to play the Rangers, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks and Stars. Two of those teams are lottery-bound, one is on the playoff fringes, and one might have their seeding locked down before they even skate.
Tampa has a tougher road. The Lightning face the Canadiens again on Thursday, then take on the Senators, Bruins, Red Wings and Rangers. That is three games against current playoff teams, one against a playoff bubble team, and a closer against the lottery-bound Rangers.
Montreal's remaining slate includes the Panthers, Blue Jackets, Islanders and Flyers. Somewhat tougher than Buffalo's run, but not quite as brutal as what Tampa faces down the stretch.
The projections have the Lightning taking the title with an estimated 109.5 points, followed by Montreal projected to finish with 107.4 points. But projections are just that. Monday night starts the real endgame, and every point matters now.
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