San Jose inched closer to the final wild-card position with a Monday victory over St. Louis.
San Jose and Seattle each have games in hand on Nashville and Los Angeles. The Sharks play their next five contests on home ice. The Kraken have a tough week against Edmonton, Utah and Chicago.
Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks have to play Nashville twice, as do Artemi Panarin and the Kings.
Nashville could either cruise into the playoffs on the heels of its head-to-head wins, or be in a fight until the final regular-season game with the Kings and Sharks.
The Predators are now on a three-game losing streak and play their next five games on the road. They have to right things fast since the two clashes with the Kings and the showdown with the Sharks occur in the next week.
Los Angeles has an ideal homestand ahead because it plays St. Louis, Toronto and Vancouver, three teams beneath it in the standings, and then gets Nashville twice. Edmonton comes in to end the homestand, but the Kings can afford one loss if they win their next five.
Utah is safe at the moment with 82 points in the first wild-card spot. The Mammoth can solidify their position with wins over Seattle and Vancouver this week.
Wild-Card Prediction: 1. Utah, 2. Los Angeles