NHL Playoff Picture 2023: Latest Conference Standings, Seeds and Predictions

The 16-team NHL playoff field has not been confirmed yet, but we have a good idea of which teams will be fighting for the Stanley Cup.

Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak and some of the sport's other top names will be involved in the postseason hunt.

Over the next two weeks, the first-round matchups will be locked in. The second- and third-place teams in every division face each other. The division winner with the most points faces the second wild-card team, and the other division winner takes on the best wild-card side.

The Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils have all secured their spots in the Eastern Conference. Boston is on track to win the Presidents' Trophy since it enters Monday with a 16-point advantage over Carolina.

The Western Conference standings are more congested, but no franchises holding playoff positions seem to be in danger right now.

The eight projected playoff squads in the West will be jockeying for positions between now and the end of the regular season on April 14.

Eastern Conference

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RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 26: Boston Bruins Right Wing Jake DeBrusk (74) celebrates scoring in the shootout during the game between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 26, 2023 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Katherine Gawlik/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Atlantic Division

1. Boston: 119

2. Toronto: 97

3. Tampa Bay: 90

Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina: 103

2. New Jersey: 100

3. New York Rangers: 96

Wild-Card Race

1. New York Islanders: 83

2. Pittsburgh: 82

3. Florida: 79

4. Buffalo: 76

5. Washington: 76

6. Ottawa: 75

The No. 1 overall seed in the East and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs will soon belong to the Bruins officially.

Boston holds a 16-point edge on Carolina with nine games left to play. It can have everything locked up by the time its current home stand ends on Thursday.

The Bruins' first-round opponent may be decided on the final day of the regular season. The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are safe in the wild-card hunt for now.

The Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators are all in must-win mode to snatch either of the wild-card positions.

Florida and Ottawa face off on Monday in what may serve as an elimination game for the Senators. It would be hard for the Sens to make up deficits between six and eight points on three teams in two weeks.

The Islanders and Penguins can make the task of the chasing teams even more difficult by winning their next games. New York hosts New Jersey on Monday, and Pittsburgh visits the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

Any win by the two wild-card holders at this point of the season will feel like a blow to the playoff chances of the four remaining chasers.

The Islanders can bury Washington's chances with a win at the Capital One Arena on Wednesday. The Caps then play at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

Tampa Bay needs every win possible to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic Division. Toronto plays four of its next six games at home, so it could close out the No. 2 spot in its division before it embarks on a season-ending three-game road trip.

The Metropolitan Division race is far more compelling since Carolina, New Jersey and the Rangers have seven points between them.

Carolina hosts Tampa Bay and then visits Detroit and Montreal before facing the Islanders at home this week. New Jersey plays both New York teams and then visits Chicago and Winnipeg.

The Rangers might be able to make up some ground this week, but they face the toughest overall finish of the three Metropolitan leaders. They play five of their last eight games on the road.

New Jersey has the most ideal regular-season finish, as it hosts Pittsburgh, Columbus and Buffalo and visits Boston and Washington.

The two road trips could look much easier by the time they come around since the Bruins would have everything locked up and Washington might be out of the wild-card race.

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Prediction

Atlantic: 1. Boston, 2. Toronto, 3. Tampa Bay

Metropolitan: 1. New Jersey, 2. Carolina, 3. New York Rangers

Wild Card: 1. New York Islanders, 2 Pittsburgh

Western Conference

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TEMPE, ARIZONA - MARCH 26: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates after scoring a goal against the Arizona Coyotes during the second period at Mullett Arena on March 26, 2023 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)

Central Division

1. Minnesota: 93

2. Colorado: 92

3. Dallas: 92

Pacific

1. Vegas: 98

2. Los Angeles: 96

3. Edmonton: 91

Wild-Card Race

1. Seattle: 88

2. Winnipeg: 85

3. Calgary: 81

4. Nashville: 80

The Western Conference should have the better battles for playoff spots than the East.

The Central Division could be won any of the top three teams, and the top two teams in the Pacific Division are separated by two points.

The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild face off on Wednesday in Denver, while the Dallas Stars come to Ball Arena on Friday.

Colorado could be clear of both divisional rivals by the end of the week, and that would give it some confidence going into a four-game road trip in California. The Avalanche will be expected to win three of those four games. The matchup with the Kings is the only toss-up in that bunch.

Minnesota faces a brutal upcoming stretch against Seattle, Colorado, Vegas twice and Pittsburgh.

Dallas should beat Chicago and Arizona on the road before it faces Colorado, and even if it loses that game, it can remain in second by beating Philadelphia and Nashville during its next home stand.

The potential swing that could happen this week in the Central could put the Avalanche in a position to challenge Vegas or Los Angeles for home-ice advantage in the West.

Los Angeles starts a four-game road swing in Calgary on Tuesday. The Kings have won three games in a row, but it will be tough for them to extend that run against some Canadian teams and Seattle hungry to gain ground in their respective playoff fights.

Calgary needs to beat the Kings on Tuesday to remain within striking distance of the Kraken and Jets.

Seattle and Winnipeg have comfortable leads for now in the wild-card hunt. The Kraken are in fantastic shape to secure the top wild-card spot since they play five of their next six games at home. Four of those games are against teams outside the playoff positions.

Winnipeg visits San Jose on Tuesday and then returns home for five straight games. The Jets can knock out Calgary and Nashville on April 5 and 8, and that would make the wild-card picture very easy to figure out.

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Predictions

Central: 1. Colorado, 2. Dallas, 3. Minnesota

Pacific: 1. Vegas, 2. Los Angeles, 3. Edmonton

Wild Card: 1. Seattle, 2. Winnipeg