Tim KavanaghESPN.com7:15 AM ET8 minute read
Evgeni Malkin scores the late winner for the Penguins
Evgeni Malkin forces a turnover and takes the puck for the Penguins’ decisive goal with 80 seconds remaining.
Much of what we examine in this space revolves around the race for a place in the playoffs (or the race down for the lottery teams). But let’s look ahead a little at two teams that have already secured their spots in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Boston Bruins have been at record pace this season, earning their playoff ticket and the Atlantic Division title on Saturday with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 11. They need eight more points to win the Presidents’ Trophy as the best team in the league this season – against the Carolina Hurricanes, who are their opponents today (5 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).
Carolina still has some work to do to win her division; the New Jersey Devils are two points and a regular win behind the Canes, although Carolina has two games in hand.
What are the odds of these two clubs meeting again in the Eastern Conference finals for a first-round repeat of last season’s epic seven-game tie?
Money puck gives the Bruins a 37.5% chance of making the conference finals while the Hurricanes sit at 48.3%.
The Bruins journey begins with the second wild card, one of the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins or Florida Panthers. They played 3-0-0 against the Isles, 2-0-0 against the Penguins (with a game on April 1), and 2-1-1 against the Panthers. In the second round they meet the Toronto Maple Leafs (against whom they lost a game on April 6th with 2:1:0 before the end) or Lightning (3:1:0).
They’re picking up their first wild card for the Hurricanes, going 4-0-0 against the Penguins, 2-1-0 against the Isles (with one game left on April 2) and 1-1 this season -0 vs. Panthers (with one game remaining on April 13). Round 2 will be more difficult as they went 2-2-0 against the Devils and 1-3-0 against the New York Rangers.
Oh, and heading to this afternoon’s showdown, the B’s and Canes each won a game in the season series.
As we enter the final stages of the regular season, it’s time to review all of the playoff races — along with the teams competing for spots in the 2023 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff odds are FiveThirtyEight.
Jump further:
Current playoff matches
Today’s games
Last night’s results
Extended ranking
Race for number 1
Current playoff matches
east conference
A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 Pittsburgh Penguins
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 New York Islanders
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers
Western Conference
C1 Minnesota Wild vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
The games on Sunday
Note: All times Easter. All games not on ESPN, TNT, or NHL Network are available through NHL Power Play included with an ESPN+ subscription (local lockdown restrictions apply).
Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes, 3 p.m. (NHLN)
Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m
Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 6 p.m
Toronto Maple Leafs at Nashville Predators, 6 p.m. (NHLN)
St. Louis Blues at the Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m
Scoreboard from Saturday
Watch In the Crease on ESPN+ for highlights from each game.
Boston Bruins 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Philadelphia Flyers 3, Detroit Red Wings 0
Seattle Kraken 7, Nashville Predators 2
Calgary Flames 5, San Jose Sharks 3
Los Angeles Kings 4, Winnipeg Jets 1
New York Rangers 4, Florida Panthers 3
Minnesota Wilds 3, Chicago Blackhawks 1
Buffalo Sabers 2, New York Islanders 0
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 3
Vancouver Canucks 3, Dallas Stars 1
Montreal Canadiens 8, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
New Jersey Devils 5, Ottawa Senators 3
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Washington Capitals 3
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Edmonton Oilers 3 (OT)
St Louis Blues 6, Anaheim Ducks 3
Extended ranking
Atlantic Division
Points: 117
Regulation wins: 49
Playoff Placement: A1
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 133
Next game: @ CAR (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: 100%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 95
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff Placement: A2
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 108
Next game: @NSH (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff Placement: A3
Remaining games: 8th
Points Tempo: 100
Next game: @ AUTO (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 89
Next game: @OTT (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 37%
Tragic number: 16
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 87
Next game: vs. MTL (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 7%
Tragic number: 15
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 84
Next game: against FLA (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 2%
Tragic number: 12
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 81
Next game: vs. PIT (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: <1%
Tragic number: 10
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 72
Next game: @BUF (Monday)
Playoff Odds: <1%
Tragic number: 1
metropolitan department
Points: 102
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff Placement: M1
Remaining games: 11
Points Tempo: 118
Next game: vs. BOS (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: 100%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff Placement: M2
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 112
Next game: @ NYI (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 100%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff Placement: M3
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 108
Next game: vs. CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff Placement: toilet1
Remaining games: 8th
Points Tempo: 92
Next game: vs. NJ (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 74%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff Placement: toilet2
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 92
Next game: @ DET (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: 78%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 8th
Points Tempo: 84
Next game: vs. NYI (Wednesday)
Playoff Odds: 1%
Tragic number: 11
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 77
Next game: vs. MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: <1%
Tragic number: 7
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 60
Next game: @ NYR (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: 0%
Tragic number: E
central department
Points: 93
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff Placement: C1
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 105
Next game: vs. SEA (Monday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff Placement: C2
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 103
Next game: @ CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff Placement: C3
Remaining games: 11
Points Tempo: 104
Next game: @ ARI (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff Placement: toilet2
Remaining games: 8th
Points Tempo: 94
Next game: @ SJ (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: 74%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 11
Points Tempo: 92
Next game: vs. TOR (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: 15%
Tragic number: 18
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 82
Next game: @LA (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: <1%
Tragic number: 8th
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 74
Next game: vs. COL (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 62
Next game: vs. VAN (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff Placement: P1
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 110
Next game: vs. EDM (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 94
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff Placement: p2
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 107
Next game: vs. STL (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 91
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff Placement: P3
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 102
Next game: @ ARI (Monday)
Playoff Odds: >99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 88
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff Placement: toilet1
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 100
Next game: @MIN (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 99%
Tragic number: N / A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 8th
Points Tempo: 90
Next game: vs. LA (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: 12%
Tragic number: 13
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 10
Points Tempo: 81
Next game: @CHI (Sunday)
Playoff Odds: <1%
Tragic number: 7
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 63
Next game: against COL (Monday)
Playoff Odds: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff Placement: N / A
Remaining games: 9
Points Tempo: 60
Next game: vs. WPG (Tuesday)
Playoff Odds: 0%
Tragic number: E
Y – bracketed division; X – Safe place in the playoffs; E – Eliminated from playoff competition
Race for number 1
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so whichever team finishes last isn’t guaranteed to be number 1. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if they win the lottery, leaving only 11 teams qualified for the number 1 draw. All details about the process can be found here. This summer’s #1 draft board pick is Connor Bedard, who has been hailed as a generational talent.
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 14
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 28
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 27
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 26
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 27
*Notes on traded tips affecting the top 16: