Back to the NHL Newsfeed

NHL playoff standings: Making sense of the Metro Division

With the trade deadline behind us, we've rounded the corner to the final part of the season: the rush to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As things stand on Monday, the Eastern Conference playoff bracket includes four teams from the Atlantic Division and four from the Metropolitan. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes look pretty secure in their postseason slots; Stathletes' projections agree, with each club having a 99.9% chance of qualifying. Then things get interesting.

The Philadelphia Flyers, with 74 points in 65 games, are in the No. 3 spot, and are a tiebreaker behind the first wild card, then Tampa Bay Lightning (were Philly to fall out of contention for the top three Metro Division spots).