We are officially less than one month away from the end of the regular season. The Boston Bruins have clinched a playoff spot (and are well on their way to the Presidents’ Trophy), while the San Jose Sharks have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after Tuesday night’s games.
Some playoff spots remain up for grabs.
The wild-card spots in the East are currently held by the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, but a handful of teams are lurking. Two of those teams, the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres, will square off tonight in D.C. FiveThirtyEight gives the Sabres a 16% chance of making the playoffs, and the Caps an 11% chance.
It’s not quite a “loser leaves town match” — there are over a dozen games left for each club — but a loss would certainly place another hurdle in the path to the postseason. The Sabres have won both games in the season series, 5-4 in OT on Jan. 3 and 7-4 on Feb. 26. Will it be a similar result tonight?
As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check in on 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
Today’s games
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 Pittsburgh Penguins
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers
Western Conference
C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Wednesday’s games
Note: All times Eastern. All games not on ESPN, TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).
Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs 7 p.m. (TNT)
Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
New York Islanders at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.
Tuesday’s scoreboard
Watch “In the Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Winnipeg Jets 3
New York Rangers 5, Washington Capitals 3
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, New Jersey Devils 1
Vegas Golden Knights 5, Philadelphia Flyers 3
Montreal Canadiens 6,
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