No matter what happens tonight, the Jets will hold an edge in regulation wins; heading into the games, their margin is 31-28. But can the Flames overtake them cleanly before the end of the campaign?
After the matchup against the Canucks, the rest of the Flames’ schedule, save for one game, is against lottery teams. That atypical game is Wednesday against, you guessed it, the Jets. Meanwhile, the Jets face the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, followed by the Calgary game, a pair of matchups against lottery teams, then a devastating closing duo of games: on the road against the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche.
Heading into tonight, the projection model at FiveThirtyEight still likes the Jets’ chances, giving Winnipeg a 60% chance of making the playoffs, compared with Calgary’s 28%. How much does that change based on tonight’s results?
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: 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).
Points: 90 Regulation wins: 31 Playoff position: WC1 Games left: 8 Points pace: 100 Next game: vs. LA (Saturday) Playoff chances: >99% 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: 28% 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: 5
Points: 57 Regulation wins: 15 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 7 Points pace: 62 Next game: @ ARI (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 56 Regulation wins: 13 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 7 Points pace: 61 Next game: @ EDM (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
P — Clinched Presidents’ Trophy; 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 can 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.