NHL Playoff Picture 2024: Latest Conference Standings, Seeds and Predictions
Seven of the 16 NHL playoff berths have been clinched, but that does not mean there is clarity across the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The largest lead in any of the four divisions is six points with two full weeks left in the regular season.
The divisional races and the Presidents' Trophy will come down to the final few games. Every point matters in this season more than it has in previous years where there's been one clear-cut favorite in each conference.
The Eastern Conference possesses the better wild-card race at the moment thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers' recent slide. Six franchises are separated by seven points entering Monday.
That is much different than the Western Conference wild-card race, where it looks like Nashville and Los Angeles have clear advantages.
Eastern Conference
1 of 2
Atlantic Division
1. Boston - 101 points
2. Florida - 99
3. Toronto - 93
Metropolitan Division
1. New York Rangers - 104
2. Carolina - 101
3. Washington - 82
Wild-Card Race
1. Tampa Bay - 89
2. Philadelphia - 82
3. Detroit - 80
4. New York Islanders - 77
5. New Jersey - 76
6. Pittsburgh - 75
7. Buffalo - 75
Everything is up for grabs in the Eastern Conference.
The Boston Bruins hold a two-point lead on the Florida Panthers, but the Panthers have a game-in-hand and could close the gap with a head-to-head win on Saturday.
The New York Rangers have one extra game to play compared to the Carolina Hurricanes, and their easy schedule may allow them to earn home-ice advantage throughout the East.
Philadelphia added drama to the wild-card race in the last week, as it dropped behind the Washington Capitals for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Flyers lost consecutive games to the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks, which is concerning for them and an opportunity for everyone beneath them to put more pressure on John Tortorella's team.
Philadelphia only has two playoff teams on the schedule for its final seven games, but as we saw in the last week, that may not matter if it plays poorly.
The Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils have one game-in-hand on the Flyers, while the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins own two games-in-hand.
Detroit is best positioned to pounce on the Flyers' shortcomings, but its next two games come against Tampa Bay and the Rangers, so change may not happen quickly.
Predictions:
Atlantic: 1. Boston, 2. Florida, 3. Toronto
Metropolitan: 1. NY Rangers, 2. Carolina, 3. Washington
Wild Cards: 1. Tampa Bay, 2. Philadelphia
Western Conference
2 of 2
Central Division
1. Dallas - 103
2. Colorado - 101
3. Winnipeg - 94
Pacific Division
1. Vancouver - 100
2. Edmonton - 94
3. Vegas - 90
Wild-Card Race
1. Nashville - 90
2. Los Angeles - 87
3. St. Louis - 82
4. Minnesota - 79
5. Calgary - 73
6. Seattle - 73
The eight Western Conference playoff teams seem to be set.
Nashville and Los Angeles have enough separation over the St. Louis Blues to feel somewhat comfortable going into the next two weeks.
St. Louis' shocking Saturday home loss to the San Jose Sharks helped with that comfortability.
The Vancouver Canucks are six points ahead in the Pacific Division, but the Edmonton Oilers have two extra games to play.
Edmonton plays St. Louis, Dallas and Colorado this week and could use points from all of those games to close the gap.
However, Dallas and Colorado are locked in a battle of their own atop the Central. That race could be for home-ice advantage in the West as well.
The Sunday night matchup between the two sides in Denver could go a long way in determining which team tops the Central. The Avalanche won all three regular-season meetings with the Stars.
Predictions
Central: 1. Colorado, 2. Dallas, 3. Winnipeg
Pacific: 1. Vancouver, 2. Edmonton, 3. Vegas
Wild Cards: 1. Nashville, 2. Los Angeles
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