Oilers can clinch first-round home-ice Friday vs. Coyotes
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The Edmonton Oilers are one point away from locking up home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Oilers will look to lock up the advantage and gain on the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Pacific Division as they face the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
Edmonton currently sits four points back of Vancouver for first in the division with two games in hand. The Oilers are currently on track to face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, but the Vegas Golden Knights are three points back of them with a game in hand, leaving multiple potential playoff matchups on the table.
With the Dallas Stars four points ahead of the Canucks, the winner of the Pacific will likely face the top wild-card team, which is currently the Nashville Predators, who are also three points ahead of Vegas with one more game played.
The rise to a top two spot in the Pacific has come despite the Oilers opening the season 3-9-1 before replacing head coach Jay Woodcroft with Kris Knoblauch, who is 45-15-4 since taking over.
The Oilers could once again be without superstar Connor McDavid against the Coyotes Friday as he remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Golden Knights can clinch spot Friday
The Golden Knights can become the eighth and final team to clinch a playoff spot in the Western Conference on Friday, with some help.
Vegas will punch their ticket with a regulation win over the Minnesota Wild and a St. Louis Blues loss in regulation, or with a overtime or shootout win over the Wild and Blues loss in regulation against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup last season, have missed the playoffs just once since entering the league in 2017.