NHL Playoff Picture 2023: Latest Standings and Wild-Card Predictions
The Nashville Predators are trying to make life difficult for the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets in the NHL Western Conference wild-card race.
Nashville picked up a shootout win over Seattle on Thursday in the first matchup of a two-game set inside Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators could use a win in regulation on Saturday to put some real pressure on the Kraken with three weeks left in the regular season.
Nashville has played the fewest games of any team in the Western Conference, and those games in hand could help make up the five-point difference to Winnipeg for the second wild-card spot.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are facing a challenge from the Florida Panthers.
New York leads Florida by three points, and there is only a one-point gap between Pittsburgh and Florida.
The Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators are still alive in the wild-card hunt as well.
Saturday's clash between the Capitals and Penguins could either tighten the gap between four teams in the wild-card race or make it a clear three-team showdown.
Eastern Conference
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Atlantic Division
1. Boston - 115
2. Toronto - 95
3. Tampa Bay - 90
Metropolitan Division
1. Carolina - 100
2. New Jersey - 98
3. New York Rangers - 94
Wild-Card Race
1. New York Islanders - 82
2. Pittsburgh - 80
3. Florida - 79
4. Washington - 76
5. Ottawa - 75
6. Buffalo - 72
7. Detroit - 71
All eyes in the East will be on the Washington-Pittsburgh clash on Saturday night.
The result in that contest could swing the configuration of the wild-card race in favor of the winning side.
A six-point gap between the Penguins and Capitals may be too much for Washington to make up over the next few weeks.
A two-point deficit would obviously be easier for Washington to make up, and it could add some drama to the wild-card hunt.
The Islanders can move four points clear of the Penguins with a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
New York can do some eliminating on its own in the next week, as it hosts Buffalo on Saturday and visits Washington on Wednesday. Two wins in those games would make the Islanders feel comfortable about its wild-card position.
Pittsburgh badly needs a win over Washington to end its 1-5 run over the last six games and create some distance in the standings.
The Penguins play four of their next five games at home, and if they get on a winning run in that stretch, they could secure one of the two wild-card spots.
Washington needs to beat Pittsburgh and New York in the next week to put itself in better position to challenge alongside the Panthers.
Florida plays the New York Rangers at home on Saturday and then embarks on a four-game road swing across Canada and Ohio.
The Panthers are 15-18-3 on the road, and they have only played three road games in the last month. A bad string of results could seal Florida's playoff fate.
Buffalo and Ottawa have some work to do to get into wild-card contention. Buffalo must beat the Islanders on Saturday and the Senators need to defeat Florida on Sunday to pull within striking distance.
Western Conference
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Central Division
1. Dallas - 92
2. Minnesota - 91
3. Colorado - 88
Pacific Division
1. Vegas - 96
2. Los Angeles - 92
3. Edmonton - 90
Wild-Card Race
1. Seattle - 86
2. Winnipeg - 85
3. Nashville - 80
4. Calgary - 79
Nashville made the Western Conference wild-card race a bit more compelling with its shootout win over Seattle on Thursday.
The Predators need to beat the Kraken in regulation on Saturday to close the gap further and put some pressure on Seattle and Winnipeg.
Nashville has a game in hand over Seattle and three extra games to play compared to Winnipeg. It can make up the gap if it rounds into form in the final three weeks.
A win over Seattle and a result against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday would be massive for the Preds before they hit the road to face the Bruins and Penguins.
The problem facing Nashville is that the Kraken are 23-9-4 on the road and could easily pick up a win before they hit an easy stretch of their schedule.
Seattle has a road game in Minnesota on Monday before it plays five of the next six games inside Climate Pledge Arena.
Winnipeg has to be rooting for a Kraken win on Saturday so that Nashville does not gain more ground on the second wild-card spot.
The Jets have a similar home run coming up on their schedule, as they have a five-game homestand from March 31-April 10.
Winnipeg could use that stretch of contests to pull away from Nashville and make the Preds' games in hand useless.
Calgary can stay in the wild-card mix if it takes advantage of playing four of its next five at home, but it must beat Winnipeg and Nashville in two of its final four games to make a late push at a wild-card spot.
Wild-Card Predictions
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Eastern Conference: New York Islanders and Pittsburgh
Timing is vital for both the Islanders and Penguins.
Their upcoming matchups against Buffalo and Washington, plus Florida's four-game road trip, come at the right time.
New York and Pittsburgh can create some distance in the standings with wins in those individual matchups, and Florida's poor road form could take care of the Panthers' threat.
The two wild-card spots are the ceiling for both sides since they are more than 10 points back of the Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The key race in the final two weeks may be which team wins the first wild-card spot and avoids the Boston Bruins in the first round.
Western Conference: Seattle and Winnipeg
The schedule makers did Seattle and Winnipeg favors by setting up their upcoming home stretches at a vital juncture of the season.
As long as the Kraken and Jets can take of business on home ice, they should slide into the postseason as the two wild-card teams.
There is a small chance that either franchise can sneak into third place in their respective divisions, which would drop the Colorado Avalanche or Edmonton Oilers.
That seems unlikely since Colorado won six of its last seven and Edmonton is on a five-game winning streak.
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