It all began Oct. 12.

Five in-season coaching changes, historic winning streaks and 14 eliminations later, the NHL playoff picture has rounded into shape.

With regular-season play wrapped up, here’s a look at who’s in and who’s out of the postseason, as well as a finalized look at which teams will be facing each other in the playoffs:

Eastern Conference

Projected matchups:

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (wild card)

  • The NHL’s consensus No. 1 team and the Presidents’ Trophy winners for the second successive season, the Caps clinched the first playoff berth of the season, their third consecutive postseason bid, on March 18. Toronto got its last-minute berth with a victory against the Penguins on April 8 in its 81st game.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (3)

  • Columbus became the second club not only to eclipse 100 points on the season but wrap up a playoff spot, doing so a day after the Caps clinched. Sidney Crosby and Co. secured a shot at defending their title with a March 21 victory.

Montreal Canadiens (1) vs. New York Rangers (wild card)

  • Still riding off the momentum of Claude Julien’s reunion, the Habs clinched a return to the playoffs on March 30. A March 28 overtime loss sealed the Rangers’ spot, their seventh consecutive playoff berth, out of the tightly contested Metropolitan Division.

Ottawa Senators (2) vs.  Boston Bruins (3) 

  • The Bruins locked up a spot with a 4-0 shutout of the Lightning on April 4. The Senators, meanwhile, clinched their fourth consecutive berth by sending their April 6 matchup with Boston to overtime.

Eliminated:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning: They brought it down to the wire, but Toronto’s victory on April 8 guaranteed neither Tampa Bay nor the Islanders would be going to the postseason.
  • New York Islanders: See the Lightning. Doug Weight’s club fell just short after 81 games of action.
  • Carolina Hurricanes: A third consecutive loss -- a 5-3 decision vs. the Wild on April 4 -- eliminated Carolina.
  • Philadelphia Flyers: A late winning streak wasn’t enough to stop an inevitable elimination, which came thanks to a loss to the Rangers on April 2.
  • Florida Panthers: The interim-led Panthers officially bowed out of contention with a loss to Montreal on March 30.
  • Buffalo Sabres: A 3-1 loss to Columbus knocked Buffalo out of the playoff picture on March 28.
  • Detroit Red Wings: The team’s historic 25-year playoff streak, tied for third longest in NHL history, came to a close on March 28.
  • New Jersey Devils: The Devils, deficient of offense, were guaranteed to miss the postseason for the fifth consecutive year after a March 25 loss to Carolina.
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The Blackhawks were the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth in 2016-17. USATSI

Western Conference

Projected matchups:

Chicago Blackhawks (1) vs. Nashville Predators (wild card)

  • The joke was on the rest of the Western Conference for April Fool’s on Saturday, when Chicago clinched the No. 1 seed. They secured a playoff spot on March 19. The Predators failed to earn their own playoff spot after losing to the Blues on April 2, but a loss by the Kings later that night locked up their postseason bid.

Minnesota Wild (2) vs. St. Louis Blues (3)

  • The Wild lost on March 25 but clinched a playoff berth, their fifth straight, thanks to a Kings defeat. An overtime loss to the long-eliminated Avalanche on March 31 sealed St. Louis’ return to the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers (2) vs. San Jose Sharks (3)

  • Connor McDavid’s crew ended a 10-year playoff drought by clinching on March 28. Count the Sharks as beneficiaries of that Oilers win, too, as they, too, clinched on March 28.

Anaheim Ducks (1) vs. Calgary Flames (wild card)

  • The Oilers’ victory, a 2-1 decision over the Kings, also earned the Ducks a spot in the postseason. At one point the hottest team in the league this season, the streaky Flames earned themselves a shot at a postseason run with a 5-2 victory against San Jose on March 31.

Eliminated:

  • Los Angeles Kings: L.A.’s high-potential, albeit underwhelming, season lost all last-minute hope for a playoff run after a loss to the Coyotes on April 2.
  • Winnipeg Jets: A March 29 Blues victory against the Coyotes eliminated the Jets.
  • Dallas Stars: A year after their playoff run, the Stars were ousted from contention thanks to wins by both the Blues and Predators to start the week of March 27.
  • Vancouver Canucks: A 4-1 loss to the Blues on March 23 doomed Vancouver’s chances.
  • Arizona Coyotes: Long in competition with Colorado to be the NHL’s worst team, Arizona was knocked out of the playoff picture on March 20.
  • Colorado Avalanche: Despite winning their 18th game of the season March 7, the Avalanche were eliminated that night, becoming the first team to have its playoff fate decided by nearly two weeks.