NHL playoff watch: Western wild-card drama continues

With 11 days left in the 2021-22 NHL regular season, one of the hottest remaining playoff races is the scramble for the two Western Conference wild cards.

Heading into Monday night’s games, the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators hold a four-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights (and the Stars have a game in hand on both of the other clubs). Looking at the regulation wins column (the first tiebreaker), the Predators lead the trio, with 35, followed by the Knights (33) and Stars (29). Note that the Knights could also overtake the Los Angeles Kings for the No. 3 seed in the Pacific, as they are currently three points behind in that race.

Both Vegas and Dallas are back on the ice this evening, with the Knights hosting the New Jersey Devils at 10 p.m. ET and the Stars traveling to take on the Vancouver Canucks at 10:30 p.m. ET; the Predators will be hoping to regroup after Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues, as they host the Pacific Division-leading Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Looking beyond Monday night, the Knights host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, followed by the San Jose Sharks on Sunday; the Stars visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, then the Flames on Thursday, before hosting the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. On April 26, the Knights and Stars will face off in Dallas, in what could be a pivotal matchup. The Predators avoid these two teams, but including the Flames game on Tuesday, five of their final six contests are against playoff-bound clubs. This will be a fun one to watch over the final two weeks.

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 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
M2 New York Rangers vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference

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

Today’s games

Note: All times Eastern. All out-of-market, non-NHL Network games available to stream on ESPN+.

Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks, 8 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. (NHLN)
Carolina Hurricanes at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.
Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks, 10:30 p.m.

Last night’s scoreboard

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

Florida Panthers 6, Detroit Red Wings 1
Buffalo Sabres 5, Philadelphia Flyers 3
St. Louis Blues 8, Nashville Predators 3
Minnesota Wild 5, San Jose Sharks 4 (OT)
Toronto Maple Leafs 4, New York Islanders 2
Anaheim Ducks 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 4

Expanded standings

Note: x = clinched playoff spot; z = clinched best Conference record; e = eliminated

Atlantic Division

Points: 114
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 7
Next game: @ NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. PHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 7
Next game: @ STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: @ NJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: @ TB (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 63
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: @ SEA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. MIN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metropolitan Division

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 6
Next game: @ ARI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. WPG (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 5
Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Next game: @ COL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: @ SJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: @ VGK (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: @ TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 116
Regulation wins: 45
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. WSH (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 101
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 7
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 7
Next game: @ VAN (Monday)
Playoff chances: 94%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. CGY (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 89%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: @ NYR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 61
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. CAR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 101
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 7
Next game: @ CHI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. DAL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 5
Next game: @ ANA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 66%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Next game: vs. NJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 42%
Tragic number: 9

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. DAL (Monday)
Playoff chances: 10%
Tragic number: 8

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Next game: vs. LA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Next game: vs. CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Next game: vs. OTT (Monday)
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: 16

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 61
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 63
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 70
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 30

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33

Notes on conditionally traded picks impacting the top 16:

• Columbus will receive Chicago’s first-round pick if Chicago does not win either of the two draws in the 2022 draft lottery. Otherwise, the pick defers to 2023.

• Buffalo will receive Vegas’ first-round pick if it is outside the top 10 selections. Otherwise, the pick defers to 2023.

Source: www.espn.com