What’s at stake in the NHL: Will Avalanche or Stars win Central Division?

The NHL season is winding down, with just one day of games remaining on the regular-season schedule.

Thursday saw the resolutions of multiple key stretch-run storylines in the NHL. The Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes clinched the Pacific and Metropolitan Division crowns, respectively. With the Columbus Blue Jackets suffering a crushing win and the Chicago Blackhakws earning a point, the Anaheim Ducks secured the No. 1 lottery odds for the 2023 NHL Draft after losing to the Los Angeles Kings Thursday. They now have a 25.5 percent chance of landing the first overall pick and drafting generational talent Connor Bedard.

So what’s left to determine on the season’s final day with only two games on the docket? We have one key storyline to resolve.

– The Central Division title remains up for grabs after the Colorado Avalanche (50-24-7) and Dallas Stars (47-21-14) won their respective games Thursday. The division winner and No. 2 seed in the Western Conference will be determined Friday night depending on what the Colorado Avalanche (50-24-7) do on the road against the Nashville Predators.

* Colorado will secure the Central Division crown if it beats Nashville in any fashion. Anything less than two points will give Dallas the win because it has the first tiebreaker: regulation wins.

– The Central Division winner will face the Seattle Kraken in Round 1. The second-place team will face the Minnesota Wild.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY…

Western Conference

(P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Winnipeg Jets (matchup clinched).
(C1) Dallas Stars (WC1) Seattle Kraken.
(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings (matchup clinched).
(C2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (C3) Minnesota Wild.

Eastern Conference – ALL MATCHUPS OFFICIALLY CLINCHED

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Florida Panthers.
(M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) New York Islanders.
(M2) New Jersey Devils vs. (M3) New York Rangers.
(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A3) Tampa Bay Lightning.