Only a handful of playoff spots and seedings remain in doubt, with the NHL playoffs set to begin in five days. But there is still much to play for, even for teams that have already secured their playoff spots, as we enter the final week of the regular season.

By Thursday night, we’ll know the entire playoff picture. But until then, here’s what it would look like if the playoffs began today.

Eastern ConferenceBuffalo Sabres (Atlantic 1) vs. Boston Bruins (Wild-Card 1)

The Sabres still have an outside chance at being the top team in the East, but they’ll need to go 2-0 to end the season (and hope Carolina drops points in its next two games). If the Sabres drop points, they also risk losing home-ice advantage in the first round, because the Atlantic Division remains crowded. A three-game win streak boosts Buffalo’s hopes of finishing the regular season strong. But they’ll need wins over Chicago and Dallas this week.

Boston, meanwhile, has the inside track on the first wild-card spot. That could change, however, if the Bruins drop their season finale against New Jersey and the Ottawa Senators win over the Toronto Maple Leafs to end the season. If Ottawa ties Boston on points, the Senators will jump back into the first wild-card spot because of the regulation wins tiebreaker. Tuesday night is also David Pastrnak’s final chance at cracking the 100-point plateau for the fourth consecutive season.

Sabres (2 games remaning): at Chicago (Monday), vs. Dallas (Wednesday)

Bruins (1 game remaining): vs. New Jersey (Tuesday)

Montreal Canadiens (Atlantic 2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Atlantic 3)

Both teams are battling the Sabres for first place in the Atlantic. The Canadiens got Cole Caufield to the 50-goal plateau, and Nick Suzuki got to 100 points. Now, it’s about ensuring they have home-ice advantage in at least the first round. But they’re a bit of a sitting duck, with Buffalo and Tampa Bay each having a game in hand on the Canadiens. But Montreal has been hot recently, with eight wins in its last 10 games.

And while there are no gimmes in sports, the Lightning will end their season against two teams they look better than, at least on paper: Detroit and the New York Rangers. But even if they start the first round as the road team, the Lightning have more than enough pieces to give opposing teams headaches. Nikita Kucherov also has two games to solidify his case for the Hart Trophy.

Lightning (2 games remaning): vs. Detroit (Monday), vs. New York Rangers (Wednesday)

Canadiens (1 game remaning): at Philadelphia (Tuesday)

Carolina Hurricanes (Metro 1) vs. Ottawa Senators (Wild-Card 2)

The Hurricanes are likely to end the season as the Eastern Conference’s top team, even with the Sabres just four points behind and with a pair of games to play. While the advanced numbers, team composition and coaching have been strong for the Canes, there are some questions about their goaltending. Entering Monday night’s games, the Canes have a team save percentage of .879, seventh-worst in the NHL. And that’s while allowing the fewest shots per game in the league. Goaltending, as it has been in the past for Carolina, remains a question mark.

The Senators are similar to the Canes in that they stifle opposing teams, generate offense, and have had questions about their goaltending. Not as of late, however, with Linus Ullmark rocking an 11-4-1 record with a .905 save percentage in his last 16 appearances. The playoffs are a different story, of course. At least the Sens are getting healthier at an opportune time. Thomas Chabot is back from a broken arm and Brady Tkachuk is expected to be ready for the start the playoffs after leaving last Saturday’s game against the Islanders early.

Hurricanes (2 games remaning): at Philadelphia (Monday), at New York Islanders (Tuesday)

Senators (1 game remaning): vs. Toronto (Wednesday)

Pittsburgh Penguins (Metro 2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Metro 3)

For the first time in NHL history, there will not be a team from the New York tri-state area (Islanders, Rangers, Devils) in the playoffs. That will suit these Pennsylvania teams just fine. The race for the third and final automatic pot in the Metropolitan comes down to the Flyers, Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh has punched its ticket to the playoffs, while laughing at everybody who thought they’d be first in line for the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes at the beginning of the season. And thanks to the regulation tiebreaker over the Flyers, the Penguins have secured home-ice advantage for the first round. We expect another lengthy list of players needing rest in their season finale in St. Louis on Tuesday.

The Flyers are on the verge of returning to the playoffs after a strong end to their season, with seven wins in their last 10 game. On Monday, they’ll face Carolina, which might also take the opportunity to rest players. But if that doesn’t work out, they’ll end the season against the Canadiens on the second night of a back-to-back. Two more points will get Philadelphia into the playoffs at the expense of Washington and Columbus. By the way, the Capitals and Blue Jackets end their season against each other on Tuesday. If the Flyers don’t get points against the Hurricanes on Monday, we could be in for a fun Tuesday evening. We can only hope so, for entertainment’s sake.

Penguins (1 game remaining): at St. Louis (Tuesday)

Flyers (2 games remaning): vs. Carolina (Monday), vs. Montreal (Tuesday)

Other playoff contenders

Washington Capitals (93 points, one behind Flyers in Metropolitan Division), Columbus Blue Jackets (92 points)

Western ConferenceColorado Avalanche (Central 1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (Wild-Card 2)

The Avalanche have locked up the Presidents’ Trophy, and will attempt end the dreaded curse around that trophy. No Presidents’ Trophy winners have lifted the Stanley Cup in the same season since the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. Colorado will be without head coach, Jared Bednar, at least for the next two games, after he took a puck to the face. Nathan MacKinnon, meanwhile, has three games to fend off Cole Caufield, and maybe even Connor McDavid, in his quest for his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s goal-scoring leader.

The Kings are still hanging around in the wild-card chase in the West. And they have a chance to solidify their spot with three games against teams already eliminated from the playoff picture. If the Kings keep winning — they’ve won four in a row — and Anaheim stumbles before the end of the regular season, there remains a chance that the Kings could finish third in the Pacific. Oh, and if Edmonton doesn’t catch the Vegas Golden Knights, we could even get Oilers-Kings. Again. Nashville still has a chance at catching the Kings, while Winnipeg and San Jose’s hopes are fading.

Avalanche (3 games remanining): at Edmonton (Monday), at Calgary (Tuesday), vs. Seattle (Thursday)

Kings (3 games remaining): at Seattle (Monday), at Vancouver (Tuesday), at Calgary (Thursday)

Dallas Stars (Central 2) vs. Minnesota Wild (Central 3)

This matchup has been locked in for a few days. And we know the Stars will have home-ice advantage on the Wild. The Stars are essentially playing to end the regular season on a good note while trying to extend their three-game win streak, including a win over the Wild — a dress rehearsal ahead of the postseason. Dallas might have an easier time against the Maple Leafs on Monday, but then there’s a chance they’ll play a Sabres team with something on the line on Wednesday.

The Wild are locked in third place with no hope of catching the Stars or being caught by anyone else in their division. But depending on where the Anaheim Ducks are in the standings by Tuesday, they could at least do a favor for the Kings by beating the Ducks.

Stars (2 games remaining): at Toronto (Monday), at Buffalo (Wednesday).

Wild (2 games remaning): at St. Louis (Monday), vs. Anaheim (Tuesday).

Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific 1) vs. Utah Mammoth (Wild-Card 1)

The Golden Knights are 5-0-1 in their last six games, all under new coach John Tortorella, who still suffers no fools in interviews. And even then, the Golden Knights are only a point ahead of the Oilers for first place in the division.

The Mammoth have already clinched a playoff spot but are only three points ahead of the Kings, who hold the second wild-card spot. So, there’s a world in which Utah could fall from the first wild-card spot. Both the Golden Knights and Mammoth have opportunities this week to deliver the knockout blow to the Winnipeg Jets, whose playoff chances are slim.

Golden Knights (2 games remaining): vs. Winnipeg (Monday), vs. Seattle (Wednesday).

Mammoth (2 games remaining): vs. Winnipeg (Tuesday), vs. St. Louis (Thursday)

Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (Pacific 3)

Connor McDavid always was going to stay strong for the Oilers, even as his team pressed on without injured Leon Draisaitl. McDavid has 10 goals and 19 points in his last 12 games without Draisaitl, including a hat trick and a five-point game against the Sharks. McDavid is five goals off the pace for the goal-scoring title, currently held by MacKinnon. A five-goal deficit with two games left in a season feels impossible for most. But it’s hard not to imagine McDavid making a last gasp for a goal-scoring title, especially with Colorado and Vancouver left on the schedule.

Edmonton and Anaheim are both at 90 points, but only the Oilers have clinched a playoff spot. Anaheim has more wins this season than Edmonton, but the Oilers have 31 regulation wins to Anaheim’s 25. It would take a lot for the Ducks to lose a playoff spot completely, even though they have only three wins in their last 10 games.

Oilers (2 games remaining): vs. Colorado (Monday), vs. Vancouver (Thursday)

Ducks (2 games remaining): at Minnesota (Tuesday), at Nashville (Thursday)

Other playoff candidates

Nashville Predators (86 points, one point behind Kings), Winnipeg Jets (82 points), San Jose Sharks (82 points)