Here's what postseason matchups look like after play on Monday, April 4:

Eastern Conference

Team	Team	Season Series
A1 Panthers	W1 Islanders	1-1-1
A2 Lightning	A3 Red Wings	2-2
M1 Capitals	W2 Flyers	2-0-2 Capitals
M2 Penguins	M3 Rangers	3-1 Penguins

• In reaching 99 points for the first time in club history, the Panthers moved four points clear of the Lightning with three games remaining apiece.
• The Rangers clinched a postseason spot with a 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets, but saw the Islanders keep pace with two points earned over the Lightning.

Wild-Card Race

Team	Points	Games Remaining
1. Islanders	93	4
2. Flyers	91	4
Bruins	90	3

• The Islanders did not a clinch a postseason berth, but are now within a win of punching their ticket.
• Detroit, Philadelphia, and Boston were idle.

Western Conference

Team	Team	Season Series
C1 Stars	W2 Wild	3-1 Stars
C2 Blues	C3 Blackhawks	2-0-2 Blackhawks
P1 Ducks	W1 Predators	2- Predators
P2 Kings	P3 Sharks	3-1-1 Sharks

• St. Louis remains in second by virtue of ROW, but have rejoined the Stars atop the Central, beating the Coyotes. One point over the next two games will secure home-ice in the first round.
• Vancouver dealt the Kings a major blow in its third straight win over a Californian opponent. Los Angeles remains a point behind the Ducks for tops in the Pacific with one less game remaining on the schedule.

Wild-Card Race

Team	Points	Games Remaining
1. Predators	92	3
2. Wild	87	2
Avalanche	82	3

• Minnesota and Colorado were off Monday night, ostensibly still licking their wounds.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan each scored their 20th goals and had an assist, and the New York Rangers hung on to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 Monday night to earn a sixth-consecutive playoff berth. Dan Boyle and Mats ...

There will be playoff hockey in Manhattan for a sixth consecutive spring.

The New York Rangers officially clinched a berth in the NHL's postseason tournament with a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

New York Rangers✅#NYR ARE BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS!! 🎉🚨🎉🚨 pic.twitter.com/B33U9PWEWe

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 5, 2016

New York still has a chance to finish second in the Metropolitan Division, but appear more likely to land in third, re-matching the Pittsburgh Penguins, or even slipping into a wild-card slot. The New York Islanders remain hot in pursuit, staying two points back (with a game in hand) after a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Rangers have eight playoff-series wins over their previous five entries - including the five-game series win over the Penguins last spring, and three series victories en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014.

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Here's what postseason matchups look like after play on Sunday, April 3:

Eastern Conference

Team	Team	Season Series
A1 Panthers	W1 Islanders	1-1-1
A2 Lightning	A3 Red Wings	2-2
M1 Capitals	W2 Flyers	2-0-2 Capitals
M2 Penguins	M3 Rangers	3-1 Penguins

• Boston still controls its fate, but failed to move back into the Atlantic Division's third seed after a 6-4 loss to Chicago. The Bruins and Red Wings will meet in a critical game this week.
• Pittsburgh became the second Eastern Conference team to hit 100 points, beating the Flyers 6-2.
• The two Floridian teams were idle, but the Panthers did clinch a playoff spot.

Wild-Card Race

Team	Points	Games Remaining
1. Islanders	93	5
2. Flyers	91	4
Bruins	90	3

• The Flyers, too, came up empty in a loss to the Penguins. They remain two points behind the Islanders, and are just one point ahead of the Bruins with a game in hand.

Western Conference

Team	Team	Season Series
C1 Stars	W2 Wild	3-1 Stars
C2 Blues	C3 Blackhawks	2-0-2 Blackhawks
P1 Ducks	W1 Predators	2-1 Predators
P2 Kings	P3 Sharks	3-1-1 Sharks

• Anaheim did what the Kings couldn't this weekend, beating the Stars to retake the Pacific Division lead.
• The Blues' 5-1 win over the Avalanche coupled with the Stars' loss moves them back to within two points in the Central Division with a game in hand.

Wild-Card Race

Team	Points	Games Remaining
1. Predators	92	3
2. Wild	87	2
Avalanche	82	3

• The Wild are on the verge of backing into the postseason, losing for the third straight time right along with the ninth-seeded Avalanche.
• With Minnesota's loss, Nashville clinched the first wild card, and will meet the Pacific Division winner in the first round.

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The Florida Panthers are heading to the postseason for the fifth time in their 23-year history, clinching a playoff berth after the Boston Bruins lost 6-4 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.

WE'VE CLINCHED! #HistoryStartsNow https://t.co/54uVrtTCoH pic.twitter.com/iLq3UVXf7F

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 3, 2016

The Bruins entered the game already one point behind the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers - who hold the final Atlantic Division and wild-card postseason spots respectively. The Blackhawks scored six unanswered goals to start the game, and Boston couldn't recover from the early deficit.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have won their past two games to re-take the lead in the Atlantic Division, sitting two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into Sunday's action. Their most recent win over the Montreal Canadiens was their 44th of the season, setting a new franchise record.

In a press release, the Panthers listed a number of other franchise records set this season:

• 12-game winning streak (Dec. 15 - Jan. 10)
• Seven-game home winning streak (Dec. 10 - Jan. 3)
• Six-game road winning streak (Dec. 15 - Jan. 10)
• Four All-Star Game representatives (Roberto Luongo, Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad, and head coach Gerard Gallant)
• Five 50-point scorers for 1st time in team history (Jagr, Jussi Jokinen, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck)

As of Saturday night, Florida would be matched up against one of their All-Star goalie's former teams - the New York Islanders - in the opening round of the playoffs. The Panthers hold a 2-1 advantage in their season series.

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Sidelined since March 14 with a head injury, there may not be a rush to bring Corey Crawford back into the lineup with the Chicago Blackhawks already clinching a playoff spot, but head coach Joel Quenneville still hopes he'll play in one of the team's last four regular season games.

"Better than none," Quenneville said, adding that Crawford skated again Sunday and "felt good," but will not be available for their game against the Boston Bruins. Scott Darling will make his ninth consecutive start.

Crawford is the midst of the best season of his NHL career, ranking among the top five goaltenders in both wins (35) and save percentage (.926), while posting a league-leading seven shutouts.

The Blackhawks will have Marian Hossa back in the lineup Sunday after missing one game due to illness. He'll replace Andrew Shaw - who Quennevile says will miss Tuesday's game against the Arizona Coyotes as well, but should also return from his upper-body injury before the regular season ends.

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Here's what postseason matchups look like through April 2.

Eastern Conference

Team	Team	Season Series
A1 Panthers	W1 Islanders	2-1 Panthers
A2 Lightning	A3 Red Wings	2-2
M1 Capitals	W2 Flyers	2-2
M2 Penguins	M3 Rangers	3-1 Penguins

• The Red Wings went into Toronto on Saturday on the outside of the wild-card race, but moved into third place in the Atlantic Division by beating the Maple Leafs - bumping the Bruins from a playoff spot in the process.
• The Bruins have a game in hand on Detroit, and are in Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

Wild-Card Race

Team	Points	Games Remaining
1. Islanders	93	5
2. Flyers	91	5
Bruins	90	4

• If the Bruins beat the Blackhawks, they'll hop back into third place in the Atlantic. It's going to be an interesting final week of the season.

Western Conference

Team	Team	Season Series
C1 Stars	W2 Wild	4-1 Stars
C2 Blues	C3 Blackhawks	2-2
P1 Kings	W1 Predators	2-1 Kings
P2 Ducks	P3 Sharks	3-1 Ducks

• The Kings, Ducks, and Sharks are separated by three points in the Pacific. The Kings have four games left, the Ducks five, and the Sharks three. The division title remains up for grabs.

Wild-Card Race

Team	Points	Games Remaining
1. x-Predators	92	3
2. Wild	87	3
Avalanche	82	4

• The Avalanche are just about done. The Wild are in Winnipeg on Sunday night, while Colorado hosts the Blues. They're all must-win games for the Avs now - and they need some help.

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Henrik Lundqvist isn't playing like Henrik Lundqvist.

The New York Rangers' all-world goaltender was pulled Saturday after allowing three goals on nine shots to the Buffalo Sabres, marking the seventh time he's hit the bench early this season. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 4-3, keeping New York from clinching a playoff spot. And there's no doubt "The King" is in a slump.

Lundqvist had a March to forget, winning only two of nine starts and posting very un-Lundqvist-like numbers: a .906 save percentage and 3.38 GAA. And those stats came on the heels of a .922 January and .934 February.

Interestingly enough, Lundqvist left his first start in March with a neck injury, after he was injured against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh collided with Lundqvist in that game, and the Swede lost it, tossing the net off its moorings in frustration. He left after 40 minutes and didn't return to action until nine days later, when he was stellar against the Detroit Red Wings, stopping 40 of 43 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss.

Since then, though, Lundqvist has allowed three or more goals in six of eight starts.

Lundqvist turned 34 on March 2. He's getting up there in age, though he went into action Saturday with a .921 save percentage - the seventh straight season he's been at .920 or better. As he goes, so too the Rangers.

The Rangers probably aren't worried. Lundqvist has played some of his best hockey in the spring, posting a .927 save percentage in 25 playoff games in 2013-14, and a .928 save percentage in 19 playoff starts last season. He'll find his game when they matter.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs officially have another first-round pick on their 2017 draft board.

The latest pick comes courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins clinching a playoff berth, thereby closing the Phil Kessel trade with the transfer of their first-round selection to Toronto.

The Maple Leafs will be busy during this year's entry draft.

Round	Picks
1	2
2	2
3	2
4	2
5	1
6	2
7	1

It's all part of the plan.

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No Malkin. No Fleury. No problem.

Rookie netminder Matt Murray stopped all 24 shots he faced as the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched their tenth consecutive playoff berth with a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday.

wIN! Let's make this one to remember. pic.twitter.com/MyQinpKDI3

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 2, 2016

It was the 11th win in 12 games for the Penguins, who announced starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had suffered his second concussion of the season hours before puck drop. Murray filled in admirably to record his first NHL shutout.

The Penguins' incredible run to a playoff spot was accomplished, for the most part, without star forward Evgeni Malkin - who's missed the team's past 11 games with an upper-body injury.

The victory also increased Pittsburgh's cushion over the New York Rangers to three points in the race for second in the Metropolitan Division, boosting the Penguins' odds of grabbing home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Oskar Sundqvist, Patric Hornqvist, Matt Cullen, Phil Kessel, and Tom Kuhnhackl all scored for the Penguins.

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