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Tim KavanaghESPN.com
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Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York.
The Sidney Crosby era of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey has been synonymous with success. The Pens missed the playoffs in Sid’s rookie campaign of 2005-06 but have made it every season since, a streak of 16 straight springs with playoff hockey in Western PA. That run has included three Stanley Cups and one loss in the Stanley Cup Final.
Could the streak be coming to an end this season?
The Penguins enter today’s game against the Boston Bruins (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+ ) one point ahead of the Florida Panthers with a game in hand, but four points behind Matthew Tkachuk & Co. in the regulation wins column.
After the matchup with the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers (who are not great but always play the Penguins tough), followed by the playoff-bound New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild . Thereafter, the final trio of contests does get a bit easier, with the lottery-bound Detroit Red Wings , Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets on the docket to close out the season.
For comparison, the Panthers take on the Blue Jackets tonight, followed by three lottery teams (Buffalo Sabres , Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals ), before closing out against the playoff-bound Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes .
Although today’s games are not must-wins for either club, the points have become all too important to squander as the final matchups are played. As it stands now, the Penguins have a 66% chance of making the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight’s model, compared with 38% for the Panthers.
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 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
Saturday’s games
Note: All times Eastern. All games not on ESPN, ESPN2, TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).
St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators , 1 p.m. (NHLN)Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins , 3 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets , 7 p.m.Carolina Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens , 7 p.m.Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators , 7 p.m.Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers , 7 p.m.New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning , 7 p.m.New Jersey Devils at Chicago Blackhawks , 8 p.m. (ESPN2)Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche , 9 p.m.San Jose Sharks at Arizona Coyotes , 10 p.m.Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers , 10 p.m.Los Angeles Kings at Seattle Kraken , 10 p.m.Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights , 10 p.m.
Friday’s scoreboard
Watch “In the Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.
Buffalo Sabres 3, New York Rangers 2 (OT)Winnipeg Jets 6, Detroit Red Wings 2Calgary Flames 5, Vancouver Canucks 4 (OT)Dallas Stars 4, Arizona Coyotes 2
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 121Regulation wins: 49Playoff position: A1Games left: 7Points pace: 133Next game: @ PIT (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 98Regulation wins: 37Playoff position: A2Games left: 8Points pace: 109Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 94Regulation wins: 36Playoff position: A3Games left: 6Points pace: 101Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: N/AGames left: 6Points pace: 90Next game: @ CBJ (Saturday)Playoff chances: 38%Tragic number: 12
Points: 79Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 88Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)Playoff chances: 5%Tragic number: 12
Points: 79Regulation wins: 29Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 86Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)Playoff chances: 2%Tragic number: 10
Points: 75Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 82Next game: @ TOR (Sunday)Playoff chances: <1%Tragic number: 6
Points: 66Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 6Points pace: 71Next game: vs. CAR (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Metropolitan Division
Points: 103Regulation wins: 35Playoff position: M1Games left: 8Points pace: 114Next game: @ MTL (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 102Regulation wins: 35Playoff position: M2Games left: 7Points pace: 112Next game: @ CHI (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 99Regulation wins: 34Playoff position: M3Games left: 6Points pace: 107Next game: @ WSH (Sunday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: WC1Games left: 6Points pace: 94Next game: @ TB (Saturday)Playoff chances: 90%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: WC2Games left: 7Points pace: 92Next game: vs. BOS (Saturday)Playoff chances: 66%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 77Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 6Points pace: 83Next game: vs. NYR (Sunday)Playoff chances: <1%Tragic number: 6
Points: 71Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 79Next game: vs. BUF (Saturday)Playoff chances: 1%Tragic number: 4
Points: 54Regulation wins: 15Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 60Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Central Division
Points: 97Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: C1Games left: 7Points pace: 106Next game: @ VGK (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 96Regulation wins: 34Playoff position: C2Games left: 7Points pace: 105Next game: @ COL (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 94Regulation wins: 31Playoff position: C3Games left: 8Points pace: 104Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
Watch NHL games on ESPN networks
This season will include 103 exclusive regular-season games across ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC. More than 1,000 out-of-market games will be available to ESPN+ subscribers via NHL Power Play on ESPN+.• How to watch • Subscribe to ESPN+ • Stream the NHL on ESPN
Points: 87Regulation wins: 32Playoff position: WC2Games left: 6Points pace: 94Next game: vs. NJ (Sunday)Playoff chances: 61%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82Regulation wins: 27Playoff position: N/AGames left: 8Points pace: 91Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)Playoff chances: 9%Tragic number: 12
Points: 76Regulation wins: 26Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 83Next game: @ NSH (Saturday)Playoff chances: <1%Tragic number: 4
Points: 67Regulation wins: 20Playoff position: N/AGames left: 6Points pace: 72Next game: @ SEA (Monday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 54Regulation wins: 16Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 59Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 99Regulation wins: 34Playoff position: P1Games left: 7Points pace: 108Next game: vs. MIN (Saturday)Playoff chances: 100%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 97Regulation wins: 40Playoff position: P2Games left: 6Points pace: 105Next game: vs. ANA (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 96Regulation wins: 33Playoff position: P3Games left: 7Points pace: 105Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
The NHL’s top 10 players by position
A panel of NHL players, coaches, GMs and other front-office personnel ranked the best players at each position:
• Goalies • Defensemen • Wingers • Centers
Points: 90Regulation wins: 31Playoff position: WC1Games left: 8Points pace: 100Next game: vs. LA (Saturday)Playoff chances: >99%Tragic number: N/A
Points: 85Regulation wins: 28Playoff position: N/AGames left: 6Points pace: 92Next game: vs. ANA (Sunday)Playoff chances: 31%Tragic number: 11
Points: 75Regulation wins: 22Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 82Next game: vs. LA (Sunday)Playoff chances: <1%Tragic number: 2
Points: 57Regulation wins: 15Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 62Next game: @ ARI (Saturday)Playoff chances: 0%Tragic number: E
Points: 56Regulation wins: 13Playoff position: N/AGames left: 7Points pace: 61Next 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.
Points: 54Regulation wins: 15
Points: 54Regulation wins: 16
Points: 56Regulation wins: 13
Points: 57Regulation wins: 15
Points: 66Regulation wins: 20
Points: 67Regulation wins: 20
Points: 71Regulation wins: 26
Points: 75Regulation wins: 22
Points: 75Regulation wins: 25
Points: 76Regulation wins: 26
Points: 77Regulation wins: 26
Points: 79Regulation wins: 27
Points: 79Regulation wins: 29
Points: 82Regulation wins: 27
Points: 83Regulation wins: 32
Points: 85Regulation wins: 28
*Notes on traded picks impacting the top 16: