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Tim KavanaghESPN.com
As foretold, there were some fireworks in the Washington Capitals–New York Rangers game on Wednesday night, the first game following Tom Wilson‘s antics that led to Artemi Panarin being sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. (Oh yeah, the Caps won 4-2, which put them in first place in the East Division.)
There were also some results that tidied up the playoff races elsewhere, including the Winnipeg Jets punching their postseason ticket with a win over the Calgary Flames, and the Arizona Coyotes being officially eliminated following a regulation loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Looking ahead to Thursday night’s six-game slate, we’ll see if the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs can move closer to claiming the Central and North Division titles, respectively. The Canes will welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to Raleigh, and will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak in the final matchup of the season series against Patrick Kane & Co.
Meanwhile, the Leafs will also be the home club tonight, hosting the Montreal Canadiens as a continuation of their reinvigorated rivalry; the good news for all hockey fans is that these two iconic clubs appear poised for a first-round playoff matchup as well.
Having reached the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check in on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2021 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Money Puck. Tragic numbers are courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Race for No. 1 pick
East Division
2:52
The Capitals and Rangers have six fights to start the game that saw a total of 141 penalty minutes in the first meeting since Tom Wilson injured Artemi Panarin on Monday.
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: E1
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. PHI (May 7)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: E2
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. BUF (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: E3
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. NYR (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: E4
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. NJ (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ BOS (May 6)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ WSH (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 43
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ NYI (May 6)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 37
Regulation wins: 11
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ PIT (May 6)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Central Division
0:27
Brayden Point’s goal in the second period all but gets the win for Tampa Bay.
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. CHI (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. DAL (May 7)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. TB (May 8)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 60
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: C4
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. CAR (May 8)
Playoff chances: 94.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ TB (May 7)
Playoff chances: 5.1%
Tragic number: 2
Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ CAR (May 6)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 46
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. DET (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 45
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ CBJ (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
North Division
0:32
Alex Formenton shows off his speed and chips the puck in over Montreal’s goalie to build on the Senators’ dominant lead.
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N1
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. MTL (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N2
Games left: 5
Next game: vs. VAN (May 6)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 59
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N3
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. OTT (May 8)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 57
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N4
Games left: 4
Next game: @ TOR (May 6)
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 47
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Next game: vs. OTT (May 9)
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Tragic number: 1
Points: 47
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ WPG (May 8)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 41
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Next game: @ EDM (May 6)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: 3
West Division
0:39
Alex Pietrangelo’s overtime goal gives the Golden Knights a 3-2 win over the Wild.
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: W1
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. STL (May 7)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: W2
Games left: 5
Next game: @ LA (May 7)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: W3
Games left: 4
Next game: vs. ANA (May 7)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: W4
Games left: 5
Next game: @ VGS (May 7)
Playoff chances: 99.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 50
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ SJ (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 48
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Next game: vs. COL (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Tragic number: 3
Points: 48
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. ARI (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 41
Regulation wins: 11
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ MIN (May 7)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Current playoff matchups
East Division
No. 1 Washington Capitals vs. No. 4 New York Islanders
No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 3 Boston Bruins
Central Division
No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 4 Nashville Predators
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 3 Florida Panthers
North Division
No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens
No. 2 Edmonton Oilers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Jets
West Division
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 4 St. Louis Blues
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 3 Minnesota Wild
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. New for 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: 37
Regulation wins: 11
Points: 41
Regulation wins: 11
Points: 41
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 43
Regulation wins: 14
Points: 45
Regulation wins: 15
Points: 46
Regulation wins: 12
Points: 47
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 47
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 48
Regulation wins: 15
Points: 48
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Points: 50
Regulation wins: 18
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 23