Oilers can clinch home-ice advantage in first round of playoffs tonight

Thanks to a big win last night over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers are very close to clinching home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Oilers currently sit second in the Pacific Division with 101 points through 77 games. They are eight points up on the LA Kings, who have 93 through 78 outings.

NHL

As the image shows, the Golden Knights can no longer catch the Oilers, with their maximum point total being 100. The Kings, however, could still reach 101 points if they win all four games they have remaining. That said, in order to surpass the Oilers, all four of those wins would have to come in regulation.

The first tiebreaker between teams comes down to regulation wins. The Kings have 35 on the season, while the Oilers have 38. If the Kings fail to defeat the Calgary Flames in regulation tonight, the most regulation wins they can pick up is 38. The Oilers would then clinch, as they hold a big advantage in the second tiebreaker, regulation and overtime wins.

As things sit now, the Oilers are slated to go up against the Kings in the first round for a third straight season. That said, things can still change, as the Golden Knights are right on the Kings’ heels, while the Oilers sit just four points shy of the first-placed Vancouver Canucks with two games in hand.

Edmonton’s quest for a division title will continue tomorrow night as they are getting set to take on the Arizona Coyotes. A win tomorrow would make things very interesting, as they are going up against the Canucks on Saturday. There is no word yet on whether Connor McDavid, who missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury, will be in the lineup for either outing.

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