NHL Playoff Standings 2023: Latest Picture, Projected Bracket and Races to Watch

The Florida Panthers brought change to the Eastern Conference wild-card race on Saturday.

The Panthers jumped over the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild-card position through a blowout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh's home loss to the Boston Bruins.

Florida owns a one-point advantage over Pittsburgh in one of the tightest playoff races in the NHL.

The second wild-card spot in the Western Conference is also a battle with 12 days left in the regular season.

The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames are separated by two points, and the Nashville Predators are hanging around three points back of Winnipeg.

The three-way battle for the second wild-card spot is just the start of the intriguing battles for positioning in the West.

Both division titles are still up for grabs. The Minnesota Wild possess a one-point lead in the Central Division and the Vegas Golden Knights are up by two points in the Pacific Division.

Eastern Conference

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PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 01: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins skates against Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 1, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Atlantic Division

1. Boston - 123 points

2. Toronto - 100

3. Tampa Bay - 96

Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina - 105

2. New Jersey - 104

3. New York Rangers - 99

Wild-Card Race

1. New York Islanders - 87

2. Florida - 85

3. Pittsburgh - 84

4. Buffalo - 81

5. Ottawa - 79

6. Washington - 77

Projected Bracket

Pittsburgh vs. Boston

Tampa Bay vs. Toronto

New York Islanders vs. Carolina

New York Rangers vs. New Jersey

Western Conference

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DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 01: Samuel Girard #49 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena on April 1, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Central Division

1. Minnesota - 97

2. Colorado - 96

3. Dallas - 96

Pacific Division

1. Vegas - 101

2. Edmonton - 99

3. Los Angeles - 98

Wild-Card Race

1. Seattle - 90

2. Winnipeg - 87

3. Calgary - 85

4. Nashville - 84

Projected Bracket

Winnipeg vs. Vegas

Los Angeles vs. Edmonton

Seattle vs. Minnesota

Dallas vs. Colorado

Eastern Conference Wild-Card Race

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COLUMBUS, OHIO - APRIL 1: Carter Verhaeghe #23 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his first period goal with his teammates during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/NHLI via Getty Images)

The primary race to watch in the East is between Florida, Pittsburgh and the other few teams trying to stay alive in the wild-card race.

Pittsburgh dropped out of the playoff spot on Saturday after a 4-3 loss to the Bruins, who captured the Presidents' Trophy on Thursday.

The Penguins' inability to win on home ice opened the door for the Panthers to move one point ahead through a 7-0 thrashing of Columbus.

Pittsburgh is still in decent shape to enter the postseason as a wild-card team alongside the New York Islanders.

The Penguins have a game in hand over the Panthers and they play an easier schedule. Four of their final six contests come against teams outside playoff positions, including Sunday's home contest with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sidney Crosby and Co. finish with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. They need three wins from those games plus a result or two vs. the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild.

Florida plays three straight games against teams beneath it in the wild-card race. The Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals will be playing desperately to try to gain some ground on the Panthers.

Buffalo has two games in hand on Florida, but it has to do something in those extra contests to be considered a threat. The Sabres visit Florida on Tuesday and play four of their final six games on the road.

A three-game run against the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division could be Buffalo's undoing.

Ottawa and Washington need to avoid any losses and have Florida, Pittsburgh and Buffalo lose multiple games to have a serious chance of earning the second wild-card spot.

All of the effort put into chasing the No. 2 wild-card spot could be worthless since that team would face the Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Western Conference Wild-Card Race

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WINNIPEG, CANADA - MARCH 31: Kyle Connor #81 of the Winnipeg Jets carries the puck down the ice during second period action against the Detroit Red Wings at the Canada Life Centre on March 31, 2023 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Western Conference wild-card race is building up to Wednesday's showdown between Winnipeg and Calgary.

The Jets can create a gap over the Flames with a home victory, while Calgary can move in front with a win.

Winnipeg needs to beat New Jersey on Sunday to ensure it will be in a position to remain in the second wild-card spot with a win.

Calgary hosts the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago before it heads to Manitoba. Two wins would put the Flames level on points with the Jets heading into Wednesday.

The Flames have the easier schedule after Wednesday's showdown, but they play one fewer game.

Winnipeg could beat Calgary and then down the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks at home to feel comfortable going into its final two games on the road against the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche.

Calgary ends the season with a road trip to Vancouver and home clashes with Nashville and San Jose.

A Wednesday win in Winnipeg would be the boost the Flames need to grab the second wild-card spot and never let go of it.

Nashville is still alive in the wild-card hunt as well, but it needs to beat Calgary and Winnipeg on the road to have a shot at claiming a playoff berth.

All seven of the Predators' remaining games come against teams currently in playoff positions. The tough schedule may halt the Preds from making a push up the standings.

Central & Pacific Division Title Races

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 01: Brett Howden #21 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with teammates after a goal during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile Arena on April 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Central and Pacific Division title battles could go any way.

All three spots in each division, as well as the No. 1 overall seed in the West remain up for grabs.

The Vegas Golden Knights have the most points in the West right now with 101 at the top of the Pacific Division.

The order of the Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings is difficult to figure out given their schedules.

Vegas plays three of its next four on the road. Two of those games are against the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars, who are both fighting for the top spot in the Central.

Edmonton starts a four-game road swing in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Oilers should beat the Ducks and Sharks, but they face tough tests against the Kings and Colorado Avalanche.

Los Angeles may sneak into the Pacific lead because three of its remaining six games come against Vancouver and Anaheim.

The Central race is even tighter, as the Wild, Avalanche and Stars are separated by one point.

Minnesota beat Colorado on Wednesday to gain first place. Colorado moved into second with a victory over Dallas on Saturday.

There are no more games between the three Central Division title hopefuls. Dallas has the easiest remaining stretch. The Stars play Philadelphia, Detroit and the St. Louis Blues twice.

Colorado should beat San Jose twice on Tuesday and Thursday, but then it finishes with Los Angeles, Anaheim, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Nashville.

Minnesota has to play Vegas, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago, Winnipeg and Nashville. Only two of those contests appear to have guaranteed wins attached to them.

No one is sure how each division race will finish, but both races are guaranteed to deliver plenty of entertainment for the next 12 days.