With the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche back in action this month after coronavirus-related pauses, NHL headlines have once again returned to the ice instead of the medical reports.
Barring further changes related to COVID-19 protocol, the 2021 NHL season is scheduled to end on May 19, with the Stanley Cup playoffs starting sometime around then.
Much is still up in the air in the division standings (the top four teams in each division make the playoffs), complicated by the uneven number of games played by teams. And individual awards are still up for grabs.
With about three weeks left in the season, here are some races to watch.
First in the West
The Vegas Golden Knights currently lead by four points and are on a nine-game winning streak. The Colorado Avalanche have a game in hand but blew an opportunity with back-to-back losses to the St. Louis Blues. The Minnesota Wild are five back and have won seven in a row. The Golden Knights control their fate with meetings with the Avalanche on Wednesday and May 10 and with the Wild on May 3 and 5. Colorado is hoping to get No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer and high-scoring Mikko Rantanen back soon. The No. 2 vs No. 3 matchup in this division could be the best in the first round.
McDavid’s charge to 100 points
Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid has the Hart Trophy all but wrapped up, but can he pull off 100 points in a 56-game season? It’s quite possible. He sits at 81 points with 10 games remaining, so he’d have to average 1.9 points a game down the stretch. Over his last four games, he has 12 points. Against his final opponents — Winnipeg Jets (1), Montreal Canadiens (2), Calgary Flames (2) and Vancouver Canucks (5) — he has averaged 1.78 points a game this season.
The jumbled East race
The top is up for grabs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, and the New York Islanders four points back. The surging New York Rangers are putting pressure on fourth-place Boston, but the Bruins have two games in hand and have six games against teams out of a playoff spot. The Rangers play their final six games against playoff-positioned teams, including two must-win games against the Bruins. The Penguins hope to have Evgeni Malkin back soon and Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is day-to-day. The teams face each other twice next week in Pittsburgh.
The competitive Central race
The division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are separated by three points, with a big gap between them and fourth place. The Lightning and Panthers face each other in their final two games. The Nashville Predators have surged into fourth place, but don’t count out the Stanley Cup runner-up Dallas Stars, who are 8-1-2 in their last 11 and have games in hand after pauses for coronavirus and an ice storm. They face each other on May 1, and Dallas’ Tyler Seguin is getting closer to a return from offseason hip surgery.
Awards races
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour and the Panthers’ John Quenneville are in the running for the Jack Adams Award, and a division title could aid their cause. Rookie Kirill Kaprizov, 24, is the likely Calder Trophy winner because of his dynamic play (22 goals, 41 points in 47 games) and impact on the Wild. But Stars forward Jason Robertson, 21, has pulled within two points of him in the rookie scoring race. Rangers defenseman Adam Fox has inserted him into the Norris Trophy equation, but there’s also sentiment for the Lightning’s Victor Hedman, the 2018 winner.
The race at the bottom
The Buffalo Sabres are like the NFL’s New York Jets, terrible all season, then improving enough to jeopardize the No. 1 overall pick. They are playing better since Don Granato became interim coach. They’re still last overall, but the New Jersey Devils are winless in 10 games and the Anaheim Ducks have been mediocre this season. The lottery rules have changed this year to guarantee that the last-place team picks no worse than third.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL scores, news: Six races to watch as season ends. McDavid to 100?
