NHL playoff watch: How high can the Kraken finish?
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Tim KavanaghESPN.com
The Vegas Golden Knights set unrealistic expectations for every expansion franchise that has come (and will come) after them, making it to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural campaign.
But from an absolute perspective, what the Seattle Kraken have done in their second campaign is quite impressive.
With fewer than 10 games remaining, they are holding tightly to the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. But should they aim higher?
The Kraken have 88 points and 31 regulation wins, behind the Golden Knights (98, 34), Los Angeles Kings (96, 33) and Edmonton Oilers (95, 39). That seems like a lot to make up!
However, they’ll face the lottery-bound Anaheim Ducks tonight (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu), and then host the Kings on Saturday (which is the vaunted “four-point swing” if they win in regulation). Then it’s five straight games against lottery teams — including three against the Arizona Coyotes! — before closing out with a home-and-home against the Golden Knights. If things are close by then — or the Knights are so far ahead they decide to rest key players — it could be an occasion for Seattle to make up some serious ground.
As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2023 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight.
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 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 Minnesota Wild vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers
Thursday’s games
Note: All times Eastern. All games not on ESPN, TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).
Columbus Blue Jackets at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu)
St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu)
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s scoreboard
Watch “In the Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.
Florida Panthers 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2 (OT)
New York Islanders 2, Washington Capitals 1 (SO)
Minnesota Wild 4, Colorado Avalanche 2
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 119
Regulation wins: 49
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 132
Next game: vs. CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 101
Next game: vs. WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 89
Next game: @ MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 35%
Tragic number: 14
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 87
Next game: vs. NYR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 4%
Tragic number: 14
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 85
Next game: vs. PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 3%
Tragic number: 12
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 10
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 72
Next game: vs. FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Metropolitan Division
Points: 103
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 116
Next game: @ DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 111
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ NJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 94
Next game: @ TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 93%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 63%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 84
Next game: @ TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 10
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 79
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 7
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 60
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Central Division
Points: 97
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 106
Next game: @ VGK (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 94
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 104
Next game: @ ARI (Friday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 94
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 104
Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 93
Next game: vs. DET (Friday)
Playoff chances: 55%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 21%
Tragic number: 16
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 82
Next game: @ CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 6
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 73
Next game: vs. DAL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 60
Next game: vs. STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 106
Next game: @ EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 104
Next game: vs. LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 88
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 99
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 98%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 91
Next game: @ VAN (Friday)
Playoff chances: 25%
Tragic number: 13
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. CGY (Friday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 6
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 62
Next game: @ SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 55
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 61
Next game: vs. VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Y — Clinched division; X — Clinched playoff berth; E — Eliminated from playoff contention
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team might 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. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Connor Bedard, who has been lauded as a generational talent.
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 15
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 55
Regulation wins: 15
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 26
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 26
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 31
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 27
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 28
*Notes on traded picks impacting the top 16:
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are now dealing with even more injuries, including one sustained in a grilling accident.
And coach Paul Maurice, when looking at the big picture, is seeing all of this as a way for the champs to get even better.
Forward Eetu Luostarinen will be listed as week-to-week, Maurice said Wednesday, after what the coach described as “a barbecuing mishap.” But the already-shorthanded Panthers don’t seem to have a concrete timeline in mind for Luostarinen’s return.
“We don’t have a lot of experience with this,” Maurice said. “When he comes back and feels comfortable with the equipment on him, away we go.”
And forward Cole Schwindt, claimed off waivers last month to help with the Panthers’ injury problems, is now on the injury list himself. Schwindt will need surgery in the coming days to repair a broken arm, and the Panthers expect that he’ll miss two to three months.
Luostarinen and Schwindt become the latest entries on an injury log for the Panthers that already included long-term issues for captain Aleksander Barkov (preseason ACL tear), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body), Tomas Nosek (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin). Barkov, Kulikov, Gadjovich and Nosek all still have months to go in their recoveries; Tkachuk might start skating by the end of this month and could make his season debut sometime in December.
It is not at all what the Panthers expected to start the season. But that’s where Maurice sees opportunity; the roster depletions have forced Florida to change its playing style somewhat, and he thinks that could wind up providing valuable lessons.
“There’s an awful lot of good if you can capture, if you can learn some new things, things that you have to learn to survive,” Maurice said. “And that’s really in some ways what we’re doing, is trying to survive. When you get to seven guys out of your lineup, you’ve got a problem. We can survive that and then learn through the adversity of it eventually.
“We’re going to have, slightly after the trade deadline, the biggest movement in the league,” he added. “We’re going to get some players back. We can be a better team than we were going into the playoffs last year, if we can learn how to do this. It’s just going to be hard. It’s going to be uncomfortable right now. And we’ve got to be good with that.”
The Panthers expect that rookie forward Jack Devine, part of two NCAA title teams at Denver and twice a Hobey Baker Award finalist before turning pro last year, will make his NHL debut Thursday in a home game against New Jersey.
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Kristen Shilton
Neck guards will be mandatory for all hockey players at the upcoming Olympic Games in Milano-Cortana.
An NHL source confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) will require the protective gear be worn throughout the upcoming tournament. BBC Sports was first to report the news.
The decision comes in the wake of Adam Johnson’s death in October 2023 after he took a skate blade to the neck from Matt Petgrave during a game in Sheffield, England. The IIHF had previously announced in December 2023 that neck guards would be required at all levels of the sport but never set a date when that would be instated at the most senior level amid issues with supplying teams with the garments. They’ve finally set a timeline now with three months to go until the Olympics open in Italy.
The upcoming Games will feature NHL players in competition for the first time since 2014. There is no mandate that neck guards be worn by all skaters in the NHL, although some have opted to use them following Johnson’s accident. Incoming NHL players will be required to wear them starting in the 2026-27 season, however, per the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. Players who dressed in at least one NHL game before next season will continue having the option.
Hockey action begins at the Games on Feb. 5.
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Greg Wyshynski
The NHL Department of Player Safety has decided Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen will not receive any supplemental discipline for his boarding major against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, a source told ESPN on Wednesday.
Rantanen was ejected from the Stars’ loss to the Islanders after an injurious hit on defenseman Alexander Romanov. With less than a minute to go in regulation, Rantanen skated through a check by Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield and shoved Romanov in the back, sending him violently into the end boards. He was eventually helped from the ice.
The Islanders didn’t offer any update on Romanov’s health after the game, other than to say he didn’t have to leave the arena for the hospital.
“When one of your friends gets hurt on the ice, it’s way more important than hockey. We get the two points. We’re happy about that. But our first concern was Romy,” Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau said.
Rantanen, the Stars’ leading scorer with 27 points in 20 games, was given a five-minute major for boarding, which carries an automatic game misconduct. Dallas played the last 27.3 seconds without him, nearly tying the game on a goal with 0.1 seconds remaining that was overturned by the NHL Situation Room for goalie interference. New York won an emotional game 3-2.
Islanders coach Patrick Roy, who unleashed a profane tirade at Rantanen as he left the ice, said the hit was “disrespectful” to his team.
“I’m going to say is [that] when you see the number, you have to lay off. Everybody knows that. You don’t go through the guy,” Roy said. “I was in Colorado when [Rantanen] was drafted there. It’s not his style. But at the same time, that should not be part of our game.”
Ultimately, the NHL saw the play as Stars coach Glen Gulutzan did, with Gulutzan arguing that Rantanen was simply off-balance and didn’t intend to deliver a hit on Romanov near the end boards.
“If you watch the play, I think Mayfield holds up Rants and they actually clip skates. So Rants is going off-balance going in there too. If you played the game and you’re off-balance, you usually put your hands out,” Gulutzan said. “I’ve seen Rants play enough in the last 10 years. It’s just one of those hockey plays that happened. I’m hoping Romanov is OK. It’s a dangerous play for everybody.”
Rantanen will be available when the Stars face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
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