NHL playoff standings update: Bedridden race intensifies

Tonight’s NHL schedule isn’t one that will have much of an impact on the playoff race – the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Florida Panthers and the Anaheim Ducks travel to Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames.

But all of these teams will play a role in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft Lottery.

At this point, all four clubs are in the bottom 16, and are eligible to move up in this summer’s draft. As of 2021, teams can only move up 10 spots, so they will not reach No. 1 if the Flames win the draw. As for the Panthers, their first round pick belongs to the Montreal Canadiens as part of the trade for Ben Chiarot last season. For the Ducks and Blackhawks, however, there is a generational talent above board for their potential selection should they win the lottery.

Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats is the eighth under-18 player in WHL history (and the first in 24 years) to score 60 goals in a season. Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, He led Canada to the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship (scoring such beauties), and has essentially been the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 draft class for the past few years. He is ranked No. 1 by Corey Proman and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Elite Prospects, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News and Chris Peters of FlowSports, as well as the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

“He’s almost magical,” TSN’s Craig Button told ESPN earlier this season. “I never thought I’d say that about him. He was sharp and he was sharp and he was elusive and everything. But he has a magical quality.”

Which team would get to draft him? Stay tuned for the rest of the season to see which clubs best position themselves to win the… ahem… lottery.

Note: Playoff odds are up to FiveThirtyEight.

jump ahead:
current playoff matchups
today’s games
last night’s score
extended standings
Race for the No. 1 pick

current playoff matchups

eastern conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs WC2 Pittsburgh Penguins
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs WC1 New York Islanders
M2 New Jersey Devils vs M3 New York Rangers

western conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs WC1 Edmonton Oilers
C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs P3 Seattle Kraken

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friday games

Note: All times Eastern. All games not on ESPN, TNT or NHL Network are available through NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers, 7 PM
Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.

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Thursday’s Scoreboard

Watch “In the Crise” for highlights from every game on ESPN+.

New Jersey Devils 3, Washington Capitals 2 (SO)
Edmonton Oilers 3, Boston Bruins 2
Dallas Stars 10, Buffalo Sabers 4
Carolina Hurricanes 1, Philadelphia Flyers 0
New York Rangers 4, Montreal Canadiens 3 (SO)
New York Islanders 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 3 (OT)
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (OT)
St. Louis Blues 4, San Jose Sharks 2
Arizona Coyotes 4, Nashville Predators 1
Los Angeles Kings 5, Colorado Avalanche 2
Ottawa Senators 5, Seattle Kraken 4

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extended standings

Atlantic Division

Number: 103
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff Position: A 1
Game left: 19
Digit Speed: 134
next game: vs DET (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: >99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 86
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff Position: A2
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 110
next game: Vs EDM (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: >99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 82
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff Position: A3
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 104
next game: vs. CHI (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: >99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 70
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 90
next game: @ Van (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 13%
Sad Number: 32

Number: 70
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 88
next game: vs. CHI (Friday)
Playoff Chances: 37%
Sad Number: 30

Number: 68
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 87
next game: vs. NYR (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 8%
Sad Number: 30

Number: 67
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 86
next game: @ BOS (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 2%
Sad Number: 29

Number: 58
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 73
next game: vs NJ (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 18

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Metropolitan Board

Number: 94
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff Position: m 1
Game left: 19
Digit Speed: 122
next game: vs VGK (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: >99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 90
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff Position: m 2
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 115
next game: @ MTL (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: >99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 81
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff Position: m 3
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 104
next game: @BUF (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 76
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff Position: WC1
Game left: 15
Digit Speed: 93
next game: vs WSH (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 62%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 74
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff Position: WC2
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 95
next game: vs PHI (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 72%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 69
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 16
Digit Speed: 86
next game: @ NYI (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 7%
Sad Number: 27

Number: 59
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 74
next game: @ PIT (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 19

Number: 47
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 60
next game: vs STL (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 9

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Central Division

Number: 83
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff Position: c 1
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 105
next game: @ sea (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: >99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 81
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff Position: c2
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 102
next game: @SJ (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 97%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 76
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff Position: c 3
Game left: 19
Digit Speed: 99
next game: vs ARI (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 98%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 75
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff Position: WC2
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 95
next game: @FLA (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 58%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 69
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 20
Digit Speed: 91
next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 25%
Sad Number: 34

Number: 61
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 78
next game: @ cbj (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 22

Number: 56
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 71
next game: @Col (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 15

Number: 49
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 63
next game: @FLA (Friday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 10

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Pacific Division

Number: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff Position: p 1
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 106
next game: @ CAR (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff Position: P2
Game left: 16
Digit Speed: 104
next game: vs NSH (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 99%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 80
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff Position: p 3
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 101
next game: vs DAL (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 95%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 80
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff Position: WC1
Game left: 16
Digit Speed: 99
next game: @tor (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: 98%
Sad Number: Not Applicable

Number: 71
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 90
next game: vs ANA (Friday)
Playoff Chances: 33%
Sad Number: 30

Number: 59
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 18
Digit Speed: 76
next game: Vs OTT (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 20

Number: 51
Regulation wins: 11
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 17
Digit Speed: 64
next game: @ CGY (Friday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 10

Number: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff Position: Not Applicable
Game left: 16
Digit Speed: 62
next game: Vs Min (Saturday)
Playoff Chances: <1%
Sad Number: 7

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Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so a team that finishes last is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if they win 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. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Connor Beddard, who has been lauded as a generational talent.

Number: 47
Regulation wins: 15

Number: 49
Regulation wins: 14

Number: 50
Regulation wins: 14

Number: 51
Regulation wins: 11

Number: 56
Regulation wins: 18

Number: 58
Regulation wins: 17

Number: 59
Regulation wins: 16

Number: 59
Regulation wins: 22

Number: 61
Regulation wins: 20

Number: 67
Regulation wins: 23

Number: 68
Regulation wins: 24

Number: 69
Regulation wins: 24

Number: 69
Regulation wins: 24

Number: 70
Regulation wins: 26

Number: 70
Regulation wins: 28

Number: 71
Regulation wins: 23

Notes on traded picks affecting the Top 16: