Keystone State Teams Clinch

The Stanley Cup won't be handed out until June, but this is the time when we see teams making runs at the playoffs. And you can't win the Cup if you don't make the playoffs. Race for the Cup is your daily check of where your favorite team stands as the season dwindles.

A good night Tuesday for teams based in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 home win over Florida, while the Penguins also clinched a berth in the postseason, beating Tampa Bay 6-4. Both teams benefited from some craptastic officiating. Philly's Scott Hartnell got away with a cross-check right before the Flyers' game-winner, and Pittsburgh's eventual game-winner was not reviewed, even though Tampa goalie Karri Ramo was clearly run into. In the end, however, they don't ask you how you won. They only ask if you won.

In the East

Eastern Conference, 4/7 1. z-Boston Bruins 112 pts 2. x-Washington Capitals 104 3. x-New Jersey Devils 102 4. Philadelphia Flyers 95 5. x-Carolina Hurricanes 95 6. Pittsburgh Penguins 93 7. Montreal Canadiens 92 8. New York Rangers 89 9. Florida Panthers 89

Eastern Conference, 4/8 1. z-Boston Bruins 112 pts 2. y-Washington Capitals 106 3. x-New Jersey Devils 102 4. x-Philadelphia Flyers 97 5. x-Carolina Hurricanes 97 6. Pittsburgh Penguins 93 7. Montreal Canadiens 92 8. New York Rangers 91 9. Florida Panthers 89

The Flyers are in, and Florida is in serious trouble. The Panthers now trail eighth-place New York by two points and seventh-place Montreal by three, with just two games left to play. The task will be daunting, and likely starts with two wins. Even a one-point night is going to virtually end Florida's chances.

Meanwhile, New York's 3-1 win over Montreal is a huge step in the right direction for the up-and-down Rangers.

New Jersey can probably forget about the second seed after a seventh loss in nine games, 4-1 to Toronto. That happened while Washington won at Atlanta.

Carolina's dominating win over the Islanders keeps them in position to overtake Philadelphia for fourth should the Flyers slip.

In the West

Western Conference, 4/7 1. y-San Jose Sharks 115 pts 2. x-Detroit Red Wings 111 3. x-Calgary Flames 96 4. x-Chicago Blackhawks 97 5. x-Vancouver Canucks 94 6. Columbus Blue Jackets 90 7. Anaheim Ducks 88 8. Nashville Predators 86 9. St. Louis Blues 86 10. Minnesota Wild 83

Western Conference, 4/8 1. y-San Jose Sharks 117 pts 2. y-Detroit Red Wings 111 3. x-Calgary Flames 96 4. x-Chicago Blackhawks 99 5. x-Vancouver Canucks 96 6. Columbus Blue Jackets 90 7. Anaheim Ducks 88 8. St. Louis Blues 88 9. Nashville Predators 86 10. Minnesota Wild 85

San Jose needs either one point or one Detroit loss to clinch the top seed in the West, as they beat Colorado 1-0 in a shootout Tuesday night.

Chicago took a huge step toward holding on to fourth with a 4-2 win at Nashville. The Predators, meanwhile, fell out of the top eight after St. Louis beat Phoenix 5-1. The Blues now "control their own destiny" for a playoff spot.

Vancouver tied Calgary for the Northwest lead with a 4-1 win. The Canucks trail on the tiebreaker, so they need to pass Calgary in points to actually win the division.

Minnesota stayed alive, beating Dallas 3-1. The Wild need to win their remaining two games and have either Anaheim go 0-2 or St. Louis 0-1-1, or they'll miss the playoffs. Edmonton, meanwhile, was eliminated after losing to Los Angeles 2-1.

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What's Next

Chicago hosts Columbus Wednesday night in the only potentially meaningful game. Both teams are looking to hold on to their current spots by winning, and Chicago can also pass the 100-point mark by getting at least a point out of the game.

x - Clinched Playoff Spot, y - Division Champ, z - Conference Champ; green - Rise in the Standings, red - Fall. The top three teams in each conference are division leaders.