(Perry Nelson/USA TODAY Sports)

Five things to know on the second to last day of the NHL season:

Boston goes for the Presidents’ Trophy

The Bruins will clinch home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory against the Buffalo Sabres, but is that a good thing?

Usually, the Presidents’ Trophy winner doesn’t win the Stanley Cup, but the Chicago Blackhawks broke that jinx last season.

The other recent jinx: The Stanley Cup runner-up usually doesn’t get back. The lone exception in the salary cap era: The Pittsburgh Penguins won in 2009 after losing the final in 2008.

Ryan Smyth is retiring

The longtime Edmonton Oilers player is hanging up his skates after the game.

The gritty heart-and-soul player probably scored the vast majority of his 386 goals within 15 feet of the net.

Our favorite Smyth moment occurred in the 2006 playoffs when he was hit by a puck and had three teeth knocked out, only to return and set up Shawn Horcoff’s goal in triple overtime against the San Jose Sharks.

He enters the game tied with Glenn Anderson for the Oilers’ record of 126 power play goals, so you can bet that he will get ample power play time.

Eastern seeds still up in the air

The Columbus Blue Jackets could pass the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division if they beat the Florida Panthers and the Flyers pick up one only point over their last two games.

That would mean a first-round matchup against the New York Rangers and we could revisit the Rick Nash trade.

That could also mean that the Flyers face today’s opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the first round. The Flyers swept a home-and-home series from the Penguins in March and beat them in a wild series in 2012. They’d make a tempting first-round opponent.

If the Flyers and Blue Jackets win, the Flyers would play the Rangers, the Blue Jackets would face the Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings would face the Bruins.

Ducks can rule the West

An Anaheim Ducks victory against the Los Angeles Kings would give them the top seed in the Western Conference and a matchup against the Dallas Stars.

They are 3-0-1 vs. the Kings this season.

Applying pressure

Home-ice advantange in their first-round series would go to the Tampa Bay Lightning if the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Rangers today. If the Canadiens win, it would put pressure on Tampa Bay to win in Washington on Sunday. The Lightning are dealing with news that Ryan Malone was arrested for DUI and cocaine possession charges.

Your games tonight

Buffalo at Boston, 12:30

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 3, NBC)

N.Y. Rangers at Montreal, 7, NHL Network

Toronto at Ottawa, 7

Columbus at Florida, 7

Chicago at Nashville, 8, NBC Sports Network

San Jose at Phoenix, 9

Vancouver at Edmonton, 10

Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30

Follow the rest of USA TODAY Sports’ in-depth NHL coverage at nhl.usatoday.com.

Follow Mike Brehm on Twitter @ByMikeBrehm.