NHL Stanley Cup playoff picture 2022: First-round matchups are locked in for the postseason

The 2022 playoff picture is finally in full focus. 

After the contest on Friday night, the eight first-round series are all locked in. There was some shuffling of seeds out in the Western Conference, but the East is set as many expected it to be in the last couple of weeks. 

The Panthers secured the Presidents' Trophy on Thursday, ensuring home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Canadiens clinched the worst record in the league on Wednesday thanks to the Coyotes' win. They will enter the NHL draft lottery with the best odds at the No. 1 pick. 

Here is everything you need to know about the NHL playoff picture as the postseason looms ahead next week. 

MORE: NHL all-time point leaders: Who has the most points in NHL history?

2022 playoff matchups

The Eastern Conference is locked in for their matchups. With the Penguins win on Friday, they locked up the No. 3 spot in the Metro, setting a date with the Rangers. That meant the Capitals will face the Panthers.

The Hurricanes, who won the Metropolitan Division, face the Bruins, whose loss to the Maple Leafs meant they could not pass the Lightning for the third spot in the Atlantic. The Lightning square off against the Maple Leafs in the first round. 

Out in the West,  the Wild-Blues and the Oilers-Kings were already set heading into the final couple of days of the season. On Friday, the Stars pulled out a win against the Ducks to temporarily jump ahead of the Predators for the first Wild Card spot and a matchup with the Flames. While it looked like the Predators would regain that spot with a win against the Coyotes, Nashville blew a 4-0 lead, lost 5-4 and as a result, now have a first-round series with the Avalanche. 

Here is your full playoff matchups for the first round. 

Eastern Conference

• A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
• M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
• A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
• M2 New York Rangers vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference

• C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Nashville Predators
• P1 Calgary Flames vs. WC1 Dallas Stars
• C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 St. Louis Blues
• P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Today's NHL schedule

• Washington Capitals 2, New York Rangers 3
• Chicago Blackhawks 2, Buffalo Sabres 3
• Boston Bruins 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 5
• Florida Panthers 2, Montreal Canadiens 10
• Detroit Red Wings 5, New Jersey Devils 3
• Ottawa Senators 4, Philadelphia Flyers 2
• Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 5
• Tampa Bay Lightning 6, New York Islanders 4
• Vegas Golden Knights 7, St. Louis Blues 4
• Colorado Avalanche 1, Minnesota Wild 4
• Calgary Flames 1, Winnipeg Jets 3
• Anaheim Ducks 2, Dallas Stars 4
• Vancouver Canucks 2, Edmonton Oilers 3 (SO)
• San Jose Sharks 0, Seattle Kraken 3
• Nashville Predators 4, Arizona Coyotes 5

Yesterday's NHL results

• Washington Capitals 1, New York Islanders 5
• Buffalo Sabres 0, Boston Bruins 5
• Florida Panthers 4, Ottawa Senators 0
• New Jersey Devils 3, Carolina Hurricanes 6
• Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 5
• Calgary Flames 2, Minnesota Wild 3 (OT)
• Nashville Predators 5, Colorado Avalanche 4 (SO)
• San Jose Sharks 4, Edmonton Oilers 5 (OT)
• Los Angeles Kings 2, Vancouver Canucks 3 (OT)

NHL magic numbers

The eight teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference are set for the 2022 playoffs. 

A team's magic number was the number of games the team needs to win in a row in order to clinch a playoff spot, but that is down to 0 now. 

NHL tragic numbers

With a magic number comes a tragic number, which is the number of games a team must lose in order to be eliminated from the playoffs. 

All teams in this category are out of postseason contention.  

2022 NHL Draft order

With the NHL having a lottery system to determine the top two picks, the race is on to grab the best odds. It's not a guarantee that team No. 32 gets the top spot, but it will get the highest chance at it. 

Here is a look at the projected draft order for the 2022 NHL draft.