We’re heading into the home stretch of the 2022-23 NHL season. There have been many surprises over the course of the season and into an even more surprising playoff season. Two weeks remain in the regular season. Which teams will make it and which teams will join the Connor Bedard sweepstakes? Let’s dig into what will shape to be a wild NHL Playoff race.
Who is Joining the Connor Bedard Sweepstakes?
Before we shape the rest of the NHL Playoff race, we’ll peek at who is already out of playoff contention – aka The Connor Bedard Sweepstakes. Here’s the current list:
- Columbus
- Philadelphia
- Montreal
- St. Louis
- Arizona
- Chicago
- Vancouver
- San Jose
- Anaheim
Thanks for playing, y’all. May the odds of having the lottery ball bounce your way be in your favor. Unless Gary Bettman decides to pull a David Stern a la the 1985 NBA Draft* and he has Arizona win the draft lottery.
(* Allegedly.)
Who is In?
In the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins are having a historically great regular season with 60 wins and 125 points as of this writing. They have assured themselves the President’s Trophy for best record in the league and will have home ice throughout the playoffs. With five games remaining, they are within range of overtaking Detroit and Tampa Bay’s records for most wins in a season (62). The Toronto Maple Leafs (100 points) and Tampa Bay Lightning (96 points), meanwhile, are battling it out over who will clinch the two-seed in the division. The Leafs have a game in hand and four points over the Lightning, currently.
The rest of the divisions feature three-team races for the top divisional spots. In the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes (107 points) and New Jersey Devils (one of many league’s surprises this season with 104 points) are battling it out for the division crown. Behind them both are the resurgent New York Rangers (100 points), who went to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Carolina, though, has a game in hand over the Devils and Rangers. In the Central Division, the Minnesota Wild (97 points), defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche (96 points with 45 wins), and Dallas Stars (96 points with 41 wins) all have a chance to win the division. The Avalanche, however, has a game in hand over the Wild and Stars. In the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights (101 points), Los Angeles Kings (100 points), and Edmonton Oilers (99 points) are within two points of each other with the Golden Knights having a game in hand.
The Wild Card Race
With the division races summarized in the NHL Playoff race, we move onto the Wild Cards. In the Eastern Conference, seven teams remain mathematically eligible for two Wild Card spots. Currently, the New York Islanders (87 points) and Pittsburgh Penguins (86 points) occupy those spots. Behind them are the Florida Panthers (85 points), Buffalo Sabres (81 points), Ottawa Senators (80 points), Detroit Red Wings (77 points), and Washington Capitals (77 points). Buffalo has two games and Detroit has one game in hand over the other teams, though. The question is, though, who is going to be the sacrificial lamb to Boston in the first round of the playoffs? The playoffs are a different animal than the regular season, though, so history could repeat itself. (Remember the 2019 Playoffs? Columbus and Tampa Bay sure do.)
In the Western Conference, the race has significantly heated up. The Seattle Kraken (another surprise team this season with 90 points) and Winnipeg Jets (89 points) currently occupy the two Wild Card spots. Right behind them are the Calgary Flames (87 points) and Nashville Predators (who were left for dead six weeks ago, but are still holding on with 84 points). Both Seattle and Nashville have two games in hand over Winnipeg and Calgary. The Flames are on a heater lately – no pun intended – earning points in eight of their last 10 games.
The next two weeks of the NHL season will be entertaining, which will pave the way for an even more entertaining Stanley Cup Playoffs.
