The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially clinched a playoff spot for the third consecutive season with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders.

Toronto will meet the Boston Bruins in the opening round for the second year in a row and the third time in its last four playoff appearances.

The Leafs also tied a franchise record with their 23rd road win of the season. They'll have a chance to break that mark on the final day of the campaign Saturday when they travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens.

Toronto has enjoyed career years from core pieces in Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and Morgan Rielly, and breakout seasons from youngsters Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen.

The Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since defeating the Ottawa Senators in 2004, the third-longest such drought in the NHL.

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Former New York Islanders captain Clark Gillies doesn't think leading Toronto Maple Leafs goal-scorer John Tavares was sincere about his intentions with his old team.

Ahead of Tavares' second game back in Long Island, Gillies joined Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Monday and explained he's still troubled by the way that Tavares left the Islanders for his hometown Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2018.

"If he would have been up-front and honest with the team and said, 'Look, I'm not sure. Get what you can for me. If I change my mind, I want to come back to the Islanders, I'll re-sign again next summer,' the Islanders then would have probably gotten a first, maybe a first and a second-round draft pick for him," Gillies said.

"He could have gone on his merry way. Ten years of great service to the Islanders, 'I want to go back home to Toronto,' I think everybody here would have been very happy with that. But it's just the way the whole thing went down that's got everybody in an uproar, and me included."

Although the Islanders have clinched a playoff spot and are enjoying one of their most successful seasons in several decades, Gillies also blamed Tavares for setting the franchise back in its pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

"The last thing on my bucket list is to drink out of the Stanley Cup again," Gillies said, "and in my opinion, John kinda put us back a couple of steps by not doing the right thing last summer, so yeah, I'm a little upset about that."

Gillies was a part of the "Trio Grande" line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. He won four consecutive Stanley Cups with the Islanders from 1980-83 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

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The Calgary Flames have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference for the first time since 1989-90 with a 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

Calgary is now guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoff rounds.

Everything came together perfectly for the Flames this season. The club has enjoyed breakout campaigns from third-year forward Matthew Tkachuk and newcomer Elias Lindholm while also getting career years from Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and veteran defenseman Mark Giordano.

Calgary's victory over the Sharks was the team's 49th triumph on the season, surpassing the 1987-88 team for the second-most wins in franchise history.

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The Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues officially clinched playoff spots with the Arizona Coyotes' shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

St. Louis' turnaround is one for the history books, as the team sat dead last in the NHL on Jan. 3. The Blues are 25-9-4 since that date, miraculously salvaging their season and moving within four points of the Central Division lead following Friday's action.

The Blues head back to the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years after missing out by a single point last season.

Vegas enjoyed a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, but it won't be a surprise if the league's youngest franchise makes a deep playoff push in its second year.

The Golden Knights have rolled through the competition since adding Mark Stone at the trade deadline, posting a record of 10-4-1.

With the Blues and Golden Knights clinching, only two playoff spots remain up for grabs in the Western Conference.

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Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella had some choice words for Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw following Columbus' 6-2 victory Thursday.

The 27-year-old agitator caught defenseman Adam McQuaid with an errant elbow to the head in the second period, drawing the ire of the outspoken bench boss.

"Suspendable. Ridiculously suspendable," Tortorella said after the game, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Shaw was handed a two-minute minor for interference on the play:

McQuaid, who has a history of concussions, did not return to the game.

Shaw has been suspended three times over his eight-year career, most recently in 2016 when he received a three-game ban for boarding.

With two points on the night, the Blue Jackets now occupy the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining.

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Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk isn't letting Drew Doughty get under his skin.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman had some strong words for Tkachuk before Monday's contest between the two teams. Doughty said he had "no respect" for the Flames forward and that many others around the league share the same opinion.

"Doesn't bother me at all," Tkachuk said after the game, according to Flames beat reporter Wes Gilberston. "Doesn't really surprise me. Doesn't not surprise me. It's just another day. I'll sleep like a baby and not worry about that type of stuff, I'll tell you that."

When the two engaged in the third period, Tkachuk did what he does best by agitating Doughty before goading him into a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Flames were shut out on home ice for the first time all season in the 3-0 loss. The two teams meet once more this campaign on April 1 in Los Angeles.

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Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk isn't letting Drew Doughty get under his skin.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman had some strong words for Tkachuk before Monday's contest between the two teams. Doughty said he had "no respect" for the Flames forward and that many others around the league share the same opinion.

"Doesn't bother me at all," Tkachuk said after the game, according to Flames beat reporter Wes Gilberston. "Doesn't really surprise me. Doesn't not surprise me. It's just another day. I'll sleep like a baby and not worry about that type of stuff, I'll tell you that."

When the two engaged in the third period, Tkachuk did what he does best by agitating Doughty before goading him into a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Flames were shut out on home ice for the first time all season in the 3-0 loss. The two teams meet once more this campaign on April 1 in Los Angeles.

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The Nashville Predators officially secured their spot in the postseason with a victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.

With the win, the Predators head to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, which is the third-longest active streak in the NHL.

Nashville has won its first-round matchup in three straight postseasons. Only the Washington Capitals have a longer run, as they've emerged victorious from their last four opening rounds.

Peter Laviolette's club joins the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and San Jose Sharks as the only Western Conference teams to book their ticket thus far.

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The Philadelphia Flyers' slim playoff hopes took what was perhaps the final blow Sunday with a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, and forward Jakub Voracek was critical of his team's recent performances after the game.

"We had a good push, but unfortunately, anytime we got close - three points, five points - and we played those big teams in front of us (in) those four-point games, we choked," Voracek said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "We couldn't find a way to win those big games, and that's why we are where we are right now."

The Flyers attempted to reverse course this season after a sluggish start, as they won 18 of 24 contests from Jan. 14 to March 11. However, Philadelphia since dropped five of its last seven games, all to teams above it in the standings.

It sits eight points back of the final wild-card spot with six games remaining heading into Monday's action. When asked what the team can learn from this season, the 29-year-old was rather blunt in his response.

"I don't want to take anything out of this season, to be honest," said Voracek. "I had way higher expectations. I think everybody did before we walked into the locker room in training camp. It's really disappointing. We have to have a good look in the mirror and straighten some things out before we come in next year."

Outside of reacquiring forward James van Riemsdyk last summer, the Flyers didn't make any major changes to their roster heading into the season. Voracek said he's focusing on his own game when asked what the team can do to improve for next year.

"Tough to say. It's not my decision," Voracek said. "I've got to prepare myself in the summer and come in here in shape and be a better player, more experienced. Hopefully, we won't have to focus on digging ourselves out of a hole by December."

The Flyers host the Maple Leafs on Wednesday after back-to-back losses on the weekend.

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Head coach Barry Trotz appreciates the passion from the New York Islanders' fan base, but asks they show more support amid the team's struggles on the man advantage.

"It doesn't help that our fans boo us 30 seconds into the power play," Trotz said, according to the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis. "In our own rink, give us an advantage ... we have fantastic fans, and they have the right to boo, but we need their help."

The Islanders' power play entered Sunday's action ranked 29th in the league, operating at 14.5 percent. With just one goal over their last 36 opportunities, Trotz understands the criticism is warranted, but hopes fans can exercise a little more patience.

"Power play is not good, we deserve to get booed," he said. "But give us a couple of them. If it's the third or fourth one and we're not doing anything, then you can boo. Every team needs the support of their fans. When you're struggling, you don't need other people kicking you down."

Trotz will likely be a candidate for the Jack Adams Award this spring. With seven games remaining, he's improved the Islanders' point total by 13 from one year ago. The 56-year-old became the fourth bench boss in league history to coach in 1,600 games when the Islanders took on the Arizona Coyotes Sunday.

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