NHL playoff watch: Will the Hurricanes win the Metro?

For months, the top two spots in the Eastern Conference have seemed like foregone conclusions: the Florida Panthers have been the cream of the Atlantic Division crop, while the Carolina Hurricanes have maintained position atop the Metro. At the vaunted “22 days remaining” mark of the regular season, the Panthers appear well on their way to cinching things up. The Canes? Not so much.

Carolina has gone 4-3-3 over its past 10 games, including a regulation loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday; granted, the Sabres have been a feisty bunch of late, but the Canes were a -290 favorite heading into the contest, per Caesars Sportsbook. That followed a stretch of 16 games in which the club went 5-5-3 in its 13 games against likely playoff teams.

So tonight’s a big night for Sebastian Aho & Co. to get back on track, in a rematch against the Sabres (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Hulu). The good news is that their remaining schedule is on the lighter side, with only three out of 12 games against likely playoff teams; the bad news is that two of those three are against the New York Rangers, who are two points behind them in the standings and on a heater, going 9-3-1 in their past 13. The division title appears to be Carolina’s for the winning; the Canes will just have to start doing more of that in the coming days.

As we enter the final stretch of the 2021-22 regular season, it’s time to check in on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2022 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight. Tragic numbers are courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s games
Last night’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Boston Bruins
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
M2 New York Rangers vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Dallas Stars
C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 St. Louis Blues
P1 Calgary Flames vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Tonight’s games

Note: All times Eastern. All out-of-market games available on ESPN+

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.

Last night’s scoreboard

Watch In the Crease on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.

Washington Capitals 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3
Detroit Red Wings 3, Winnipeg Jets 1
St. Louis Blues 4, Seattle Kraken 1
Vancouver Canucks 5, Vegas Golden Knights 1
Calgary Flames 4, Anaheim Ducks 2

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 12
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 12
Next game: @ TB (Friday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. BOS (Friday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Next game: vs. CBJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 63
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Next game: @ CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Next game: @ NJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metropolitan Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 11
Next game: vs. PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 11
Next game: @ NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 12
Next game: @ PIT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Next game: @ CAR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Next game: vs. PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 8

Points: 55
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 12
Next game: @ WPG (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 13
Next game: @ STL (Friday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. MIN (Friday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 13
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 94%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 13
Next game: vs. TOR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 88%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Next game: vs. COL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 15

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 12
Next game: @ SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 11
Next game: @ LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 93%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 10
Next game: vs. EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 81%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Next game: vs. ARI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 41%
Tragic number: 19

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Next game: @ ARI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 3%
Tragic number: 15

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 5

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Next game: vs. CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 10

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Next game: @ CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team may move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here.

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 13

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16

Points: 55
Regulation wins: 17

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 63
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 17

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 30

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 31

Source: www.espn.com