“The Silver Shield” is a column by Kasey Kazliner about the National Hockey League.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs don’t begin for nearly a month, but all teams only have about 10 regular games left on their calendars. That’s not enough time to salvage a disastrous season, but certainly enough to head into the playoffs with some steam. As the bracket shapes out, let’s check in on how each current playoff team is doing approaching April.

Eastern Conference

Boston Bruins

The Bruins have not been playing their best hockey lately but are still contenders to win their second-straight Presidents’ Trophy. Boston’s 15 overtime losses, which co-lead the NHL, indicate its problems closing out games and finding late goals. The Bruins are 1-3-0 in their last four games, with all three losses against fellow playoff teams.

On the bright side, Boston defeated the Florida Panthers for the third time this season on Tuesday. Winger David Pastrnak has been a contender for the Hart Trophy all season and forwards Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle have had quality performances lately.

If the season were to end today, the Bruins would face the Wild-Card Tampa Bay Lightning, who beat Boston in the second round of the 2020 playoffs. The Bruins have struggled against Tampa Bay this season with a 1-1-2 head-to-head record, including a 3-1 loss to the Lightning on Wednesday. With this in mind, Boston will look to win the division and avoid another first-round blunder.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers have had to deal with the absence of blueliner Aaron Ekblad and have cooled off a bit after dominating the league. Florida is 1-4-1 in its last six games and had a four-game losing streak to start it out. Netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is having a career year and will need to continue to be atop his game in the race to win the Atlantic Division. Center Sam Reinhart recently surpassed 50 goals for the first time in his career and is set to become a free agent this summer, so the Panthers know that his days with the organization could be numbered.

With that being said, if the season ended now, Florida would take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs, the team the Panthers defeated in the second round of the postseason last year. The Bobrovsky-led squad has a 1-0-1 record against the Leafs this season and will play Toronto twice more in the regular season.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto hasn’t had the ideal season it would’ve hoped for, and still isn’t guaranteed to finish in the division’s top three. There’s no question that the Maple Leafs are star-studded; center Auston Matthews is on pace to have the best goal-scoring season of his career with a league-leading 59 and winger William Nylander has been proven worthy of his hefty contract extension. However, Toronto hasn’t been playing its best lately and has let close games slip. The Leafs will hope to get hot like they did in February when they won seven straight as the season winds down.

As mentioned, Toronto would have a first-round date with Florida if the playoffs started now. Anything can happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the Maple Leafs would be lucky to stand a chance against the Panthers, who appear set to go on a deep run.

New York Rangers

The Blueshirts are the first team to clinch the playoffs and stand at the top of the league’s standings with 100 points. A divisional title isn’t imminent, however, with the Hurricanes right on their doorstep. New York is 8-2-0 in its last 10 games and is beating other contenders, too. The Rangers’ power play unit has been lackluster recently but this hasn’t hindered their scoring ability by any means. The goaltending pair of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick has been elite and clutch in overtime and shootout games. Winger Artemi Panarin is top-four in points with 102 and has eight in his last three appearances.

New York would match up against the Washington Capitals if the season concluded today in what could be an interesting series; the Rangers are 2-2-0 against the Capitals this season but also haven’t played them since January 14. New York would likely take the series easily as it has been on a tear as of late, but Washington could make things interesting.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes went all-in at the trade deadline, acquiring forwards Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Guentzel has 12 points in nine appearances in Carolina for a total of 64 on the season, while Kuznetsov hasn’t been nearly as consistent. After missing most of the season, netminder Frederik Andersen has returned and looks utterly dominant with a .925 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average in 12 total games. Carolina is 9-2-1 in its last 12 contests and is bracing for a postseason push.

The Canes would face the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round if the playoffs began today and would likely take the series with ease. Carolina is 3-1-0 in head-to-head games this year.

Philadelphia Flyers

Defensive inconsistencies have plagued the Flyers and the team hasn’t won consecutive games since February. Philadelphia has dealt with a number of injuries on the blue line but will hope to have a more or less healthy squad come late-April. Winger Owen Tippett has had a great month with 12 points in March but his team has been the definition of average.

Philadelphia doesn’t match up super well with Carolina. 15 points behind their Metropolitan rival, the Flyers would need to absolutely turn things around with nine games left on the schedule in order to have any sort of chance in round one.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Wild Card)

Tampa Bay isn’t the same team that went to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, but is one that you can never count out heading into the postseason. Winger Nikita Kucherov leads the league in points with 124 and the Lightning have been hot as of late, with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 bouts. The acquisition of winger Anthony Duclair is looking like a great move, as the 28-year-old has tallied at least one point in all but one game in a Lightning uniform.

Tampa Bay versus Boston would be an electric first-round matchup. Given their playoff experience and dominance over the past years, the Bolts could very well upset the Bruins in the first round. Just two points behind Toronto, however, Tampa Bay could very well forego the Wild Card altogether.

Washington Capitals (Wild Card)

All things considered, Washington has had a very shaky season. But the Capitals are surging at the right time, which is what the postseason push is all about. They are victors of seven of their last 10 games and have seen immense success from goalie Charlie Lindgren lately. 38-year-old winger and future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin has also been flat-out dominant, posting nine points in his last six games. Center Dylan Strome is on pace to have his best season and will hope to aid Washington in edging out a handful of other teams to make the playoffs.

Defeating the Rangers in the playoffs would be a tall task, but it’s not impossible. The Caps prevented New York’s offensive production in the two teams’ last two matchups, but realistically, Washington will need to play perfect to spoil the Blueshirts’ Cup aspirations.

Western Conference

Dallas Stars

The Stars have won their last five games and scored at least four goals in each one. Dallas is a very deep team and hasn’t needed a bonafide superstar to anchor the offense. Instead, the likes of Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz have collectively produced offense at a very high rate. Goaltender Jake Oettinger has had some slips in net, but backup Scott Wedgewood has proven to be a winner with a 16-6-0 record between the pipes.

Dallas would have a date with the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round if the season ended today. While Vegas has been up and down this season, it is the reigning Cup champion and shouldn’t be overlooked. Nonetheless, the Stars’ depth and consistency should help them once the postseason comes around.

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado is recently coming off a nine-game win streak and looks unstoppable. Center Nathan MacKinnon has 123 points and is the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy. In a close Central Division, the Avalanche realistically could finish first, second or third but look the most polished of the bunch lately. Winger Mikko Rantanen has a whopping 20 points in 11 games in March on an offensive front that hasn’t slowed down.

The Avs would face the Winnipeg Jets if the season came to a close today. Colorado hasn’t faced Winnipeg since mid-December but lost both contests this season. With a strong chance of finishing with the league’s top record, the Avalanche are undoubtedly Stanley Cup-worthy as they hoisted it just two seasons ago.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets might have peaked at the wrong time. After having an electric start to the season, Winnipeg is currently on a four-game slide and looks sloppy on both ends of the ice. Connor Hellebuyck has been the league’s best goaltender but the Jets’ special teams defense hasn’t done him many favors. Still with a shot at the Central title, Winnipeg must get out of its recent slump in order to go into the playoffs strong.

A date with Colorado would be very difficult for the Jets. The two teams will square off for the third and final time this regular season on April 13 and the game could be very telling. Colorado is the better team on paper, so Winnipeg could have its back up against the wall if it can’t turn things around soon.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver has been the West’s best team for most of this season and has the Pacific Division crown to lose. Star netminder Thatcher Demko has been injured but that hasn’t stopped the Canucks’ defense from playing lights-out on many given nights. To say the Canucks’ cast is star-studded would be an understatement, but they’ll hope for newly acquired All-Star forward Elias Lindholm to make more of an impact in the postseason; he’s only tallied nine points in 22 games as a Canuck.

If the season ended today, Vancouver would play the hottest team in the NHL, the Nashville Predators. Although the Preds would be a Wild Card team, they’re a squad no one should want to see in round one. But, the Canucks swept the season series against them, so they might have their number.

Edmonton Oilers

Since hiring Kris Knoblauch as head coach in November, Edmonton has been a force to be reckoned with. Zach Hyman has 51 goals on the year, Connor McDavid has 119 points and the team has become an offensive juggernaut. The Oilers’ defense could use some work, but the goalie tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard has been consistent overall. After years of disappointment and amid a season of immense Western Conference parity, this season could present Edmonton’s best chance at hoisting a Stanley Cup in the McDavid era.

Potentially facing the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs would be perfect for the Oilers; Edmonton has defeated LA in the playoffs in the last two years and is 2-1-0 in head-to-head contests this year. The Kings have been dangerous at times, but the Oilers should beat them in a seven-game series.

Los Angeles Kings

The return of winger Adrian Kempe from injury has been big for a Kings team that has been very hit-or-miss this year. On a four-game winning streak, though, Los Angeles has looked new and improved since firing head coach Todd McLellan. While LA’s offense has surged as of late, the biggest question will be if it can stay this productive through the postseason. But the Kings clearly know that finishing top-three in the stacked Pacific Division won’t be easy and that is why they’ve shown tons of promise lately, even against contenders like Vancouver and Tampa Bay.

Falling to Edmonton in back-to-back playoffs could be a huge motivator for Los Angeles to not make it three times. When the Kings get hot, they put on a show, but the Oilers have the winning formula against them which could be the root of their downfall.

Nashville Predators (Wild Card)

The Predators have the chance to do the unthinkable after starting out the season in a slump. Nashville hasn’t lost in regulation since February 15 and portrays the definition of heating up at the right time. The scrappy Preds have seen elite success from goalie Juuse Saros lately and the team is playing at a championship level on both ends of the ice. Winger Filip Forsberg has manned the offense while blueliner Roman Josi leads the defensive unit.

Nashville could very well upset the Canucks if the two teams play in round one. The Predators have been a completely different team since the two last played on December 19, and look like more than just a Wild Card team hoping for a miracle.

Vegas Golden Knights (Wild Card)

The Golden Knights have been underwhelming this year, so they were very active at the trade deadline, acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin, winger Anthony Mantha and center Tomas Hertl. But, Hertl is on long-term injury reserve while Hanifin and Mantha have only recorded five points each as Knights. Combine their woes with a recent injury to goalie Adin Hill, and Vegas looks unstable. Like some of the other playoff teams, the Golden Knights shouldn’t be left out by any means, but they’re not the team they were last year.

Facing Dallas in the opening round could be a struggle. The two teams met in the Western Conference Finals last year and Vegas won with ease, but the Stars have been a well-coached, consistent team this season and hope for a lengthy run.

“The Silver Shield” runs every Thursday.