NHL playoff watch: Postseason picture on an off-night (2024)

Tim Kavanagh, ESPN.comApr 7, 2023, 07:00 AM ET
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After a 14-game night Thursday, and leading into a 16-game slate Saturday, tonight's NHL calendar is ... completely empty. So, enjoy a night of watching other sports or catching up on all those books you've been meaning to read.

But there were 28 teams in action last night, so we'll cut the preamble short and get you to the current playoff matchups, standings with playoff projections, the race for the No. 1 pick and everything else.

And come on back Saturday as we preview that monster slate, including a tripleheader on the ABC/ESPN+ Hockey Saturday docket: Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings (1 p.m. ET), Vegas Golden Knights-Dallas Stars (3:30 p.m. ET) and New Jersey Devils-Boston Bruins (8 p.m. ET).

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it's time to check all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2023 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Last night's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 New York Islanders
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Florida Panthers
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Minnesota Wild
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Thursday's scoreboard

Watch "In the Crease" on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.

Boston Bruins 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 1 (OT)
Buffalo Sabres 7, Detroit Red Wings 6 (SO)
Florida Panthers 7, Ottawa Senators 2
Montreal Canadiens 6, Washington Capitals 2
New Jersey Devils 8, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Minnesota Wild 1
New York Islanders 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Nashville Predators 3, Carolina Hurricanes 0
St. Louis Blues 3, New York Rangers 2 (OT)
Dallas Stars 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1
Vancouver Canucks 3, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Vegas Golden Knights 5, Los Angeles Kings 2
Colorado Avalanche 6, San Jose Sharks 2
Seattle Kraken 4, Arizona Coyotes 2

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

p - Boston Bruins

Points: 127
Regulation wins: 50
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 134
Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 108
Next game: vs. MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 100
Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Florida Panthers

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ WSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 74%
Tragic number: N/A

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 88
Next game: vs. CAR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 4

e - Ottawa Senators

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 84
Next game: vs. TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Detroit Red Wings

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 84
Next game: vs. PIT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Montreal Canadiens

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 71
Next game: @ TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metropolitan Division

x - Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 109
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 115
Next game: @ BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - New Jersey Devils

Points: 108
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 3
Points pace: 112
Next game: @ BOS (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - New York Rangers

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 108
Next game: @ CBJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

New York Islanders

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 3
Points pace: 92
Next game: vs. PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 80%
Tragic number: N/A

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 91
Next game: @ DET (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 44%
Tragic number: 5

e - Washington Capitals

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 81
Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 75
Next game: @ NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 59
Next game: vs. NYR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

x - Colorado Avalanche

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 107
Next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Minnesota Wild

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 103
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Winnipeg Jets

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 94
Next game: vs. NSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 55%
Tragic number: N/A

Nashville Predators

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 93
Next game: @ WPG (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 20%
Tragic number: 7

e - St. Louis Blues

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 84
Next game: @ MIN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Arizona Coyotes

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 70
Next game: vs. ANA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 59
Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

x - Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 3
Points pace: 110
Next game: @ DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Edmonton Oilers

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 3
Points pace: 107
Next game: @ SJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Los Angeles Kings

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 104
Next game: vs. COL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Seattle Kraken

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 101
Next game: vs. CHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Calgary Flames

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ VAN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 25%
Tragic number: 6

e - Vancouver Canucks

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 81
Next game: vs. CGY (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - San Jose Sharks

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 63
Next game: vs. EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Anaheim Ducks

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 59
Next game: @ ARI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

P -- Clinched Presidents' Trophy; Y -- Clinched division; X -- Clinched playoff berth; E -- Eliminated from playoff contention

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Connor Bedard, who has been lauded as a generational talent.

1. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13

2. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 15

3. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 17

4. San Jose Sharks

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 16

5. Arizona Coyotes

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20

6. Montreal Canadiens

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 21

7. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26

8. Vancouver Canucks

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 23

9. Washington Capitals

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26

10. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28

11. St. Louis Blues

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 27

12. Ottawa Senators

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29

13. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 28

14. Nashville Predators

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 29

15. Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 30

16. Calgary Flames

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30