Connect with us

Published

11 months ago

on

  • Tim Kavanagh, ESPN.comMar 14, 2024, 06:30 AM ET

    Close

      Tim Kavanagh is a senior editor for ESPN digital editorial. He’s a native of upstate New York.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2023-24 NHL season. In the preseason, the front office attempted to be realistic with the fans regarding the ongoing rebuild and how this might not be the season for a playoff return. But then the team kept piling on win after win, something that wasn’t a shock to the players on the ice.

Philly did a fair bit of dealing ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, but it remains in a playoff spot heading into Thursday night’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu). What should fans expect from here on out? Let’s project a bit.

The Flyers are currently in the No. 3 spot in the Metro Division; they’re two points ahead of the first wild card, the Tampa Bay Lightning, but one regulation win behind (and the Lightning have a game in hand). They are four points and five regulation wins ahead of the New York Islanders, who currently sit in the second wild-card spot but are also aiming for the Flyers’ position in the Metro. New York has two games in hand on Philly.

Overall, the Flyers have a 77.1% chance of earning a playoff bid of some variety, per Stathletes. If they remain the No. 3 seed in the Metro, it’s becoming increasingly likely that this will result in a first-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes; the Canes are six points and two regulation wins behind the New York Rangers. The Flyers have lost both of their home games to the Canes this season, but they won the game in Raleigh, with one more game there remaining (March 21).

Should the Flyers slip back to a wild-card spot, a matchup against the Rangers would not be the preferred route: they’ve lost both contests to the Blueshirts (with two remaining, March 26 and April 11). On the other hand, if they draw the Florida Panthers, they might have a puncher’s chance: the Flyers have won both matchups thus far against them (with one game remaining, March 24).

Nevertheless, Stathletes does not necessarily foresee a long playoff run: the Flyers are projected with a 27.2% chance of making the second round, 10.7% chance of making the conference finals, 3.9% chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final, and 1.4% chance of winning it all. Of course, this current Flyers club has ample experience silencing the doubters this season, so perhaps they have more surprises in store.

As we traverse 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 2024 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Last night’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC2 New York Islanders
A2 Boston Bruins vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Winnipeg Jets
P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Thursday’s games

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

New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Arizona Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu)
New Jersey Devils at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.
Washington Capitals at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.

Wednesday’s scoreboard

St. Louis Blues 3, Los Angeles Kings 1
Nashville Predators 4, Winnipeg Jets 2
Edmonton Oilers 7, Washington Capitals 2
Colorado Avalanche 4, Vancouver Canucks 3 (OT)

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 16
Points pace: 117
Next game: @ CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 111
Next game: @ MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 18
Points pace: 105
Next game: @ PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 17
Points pace: 93
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 89.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. ARI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 19.2%
Tragic number: 34

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 5.4%
Tragic number: 27

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 76
Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 22

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 73
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 22

Metropolitan Division

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 17
Points pace: 114
Next game: @ TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 17
Points pace: 106
Next game: vs. FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 16
Points pace: 94
Next game: vs. TOR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 77.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 18
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 72.4%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 88
Next game: @ SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 28.0%
Tragic number: 33

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 83
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 5.3%
Tragic number: 28

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 3.6%
Tragic number: 29

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 68
Next game: vs. OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 16

Central Division

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 109
Next game: vs. NJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 17
Points pace: 110
Next game: vs. ANA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 98
Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 85.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 88
Next game: vs. MIN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 1.2%
Tragic number: 26

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 88
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 21.6%
Tragic number: 26

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 71
Next game: @ NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 12

Points: 39
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 49
Next game: vs. LA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 113
Next game: vs. WSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 18
Points pace: 106
Next game: vs. COL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 17
Points pace: 97
Next game: @ CHI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 90.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 17
Points pace: 97
Next game: @ CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 88.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 87
Next game: vs. WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 11.2%
Tragic number: 27

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 85
Next game: vs. VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1.0%
Tragic number: 24

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 62
Next game: @ MIN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 39
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 50
Next game: @ PIT (Thursday)
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 Macklin Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University.

Points: 39
Regulation wins: 12

Points: 41
Regulation wins: 13

Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 17

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 57
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 60
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 69
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 23

* The Penguins’ first-round pick was traded to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, it is top-10 protected.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Sports

11-year-old rejects big haul for rare Skenes card

Published

2 hours ago

on

January 24, 2025

By

11-year-old rejects big haul for rare Skenes card

  • Associated Press

Jan 24, 2025, 06:28 PM ET

The young collector who scored a one-of-a-kind baseball card featuring National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes has turned down a trade offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Topps announced Friday that the 11-year-old from the Los Angeles area had declined the deal and instead was going to put the card — which features Skenes’ autograph and a patch from a game-worn jersey — up for auction.

The Pirates had put together a package that included 30 years’ worth of season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park and the chance to play a softball game on the field in exchange for the card.

Skenes’ girlfriend, LSU gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne, also offered the card’s owner the opportunity to take in a game with her in a luxury suite at the ballpark during one of Skenes’ starts.

While the collector wrote in a journal entry shared by Topps that nabbing the card was a “dream come true,” that dream apparently did not include spending the next three decades attending games at PNC Park.

The team posted on X after the decision that it was “bummed” but offered to have the fan at a game sometime during the 2025 season.

Fanatics Collect, which will handle the auctioning of the card in March, said it would donate its proceeds from the sale to fire relief funds in the Los Angeles area.

The card could hold pretty high value considering the potentially bright future ahead for the 22-year-old Skenes, who finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting after an outstanding rookie season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 amateur draft made his major league debut in May and put together one of the most impressive rookie seasons in recent memory. Skenes was selected as the NL’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game after only 11 starts and finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 games.

Skenes said over the weekend he hasn’t thought about the potential of signing a long-term contract to remain in Pittsburgh, saying instead that his focus is on helping the Pirates take a step toward contending in 2025. He is eligible for free agency after the 2029 season.

Continue Reading

Sports

Notre Dame safety Watts to enter NFL draft

Published

4 hours ago

on

January 24, 2025

By

Notre Dame safety Watts to enter NFL draft
Jan 24, 2025, 04:19 PM ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Two-time All-America safety Xavier Watts will enter the NFL draft rather than return to Notre Dame for a sixth season.

Watts made the announcement on social media Friday, four days after the Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta.

Watts is the No. 4 draft-eligible safety in 2025, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

Watts began his college career as a receiver in 2020 and moved to defense his second season. He had 13 interceptions over the past two seasons, most by any player in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He picked off six passes this season, running one back 100 yards to help Notre Dame seal its win against Southern California. He was voted to the Associated Press All-America first team for two straight years.

Watts, whose hometown is Omaha, Nebraska, could have returned to Notre Dame to use the extra season granted by the NCAA to athletes who were active during the 2020 pandemic season. Most draft analysts project Watts to be selected late in the first round or in the second.

“As I embark on the next chapter of my football journey, I’m filled with pride as I look back on the many memories and people that I’ll forever cherish,” Watts wrote on X. “I hope that my time in the Irish uniform has helped continue the tradition of those that came before me.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Jones, ex-Huskers star and NFL RB, dies at 54

Published

4 hours ago

on

January 24, 2025

By

Jones, ex-Huskers star and NFL RB, dies at 54

  • Associated Press

Jan 24, 2025, 11:20 AM ET

OMAHA, Neb. — Calvin Jones, who rushed for more than 3,000 yards in three seasons at Nebraska and was with the Green Bay Packers when they won the Super Bowl after the 1996 season, has died. He was 54.

Police said Jones’ body was found in the basement of a house in north Omaha on Wednesday night. Police have not confirmed a cause of death pending an autopsy.

A friend of Jones, Jo Dusatko, told the Omaha World-Herald that carbon monoxide poisoning was suspected. She said the furnace in the home was not working and that Jones was using a generator in the basement.

Jones was a high school All-American at Central High School before he went to Nebraska, where he rushed for 3,166 yards and 40 touchdowns and was an All-Big Eight pick in 1992-93.

Jones and Derek Brown formed the tandem called the “We-Backs,” a nod to the Cornhuskers’ I-back position, with Jones the backup to Brown in 1991. Jones’ breakout that season came when he ran 27 times for a Big Eight freshman-record 294 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in a 59-23 victory over Kansas. His rushing total against the Jayhawks ranks No. 2 on the Nebraska single-game rushing chart.

Jones declared for the NFL draft in 1994 and was a third-round selection of the Raiders. He appeared in 15 games over two seasons with the Raiders and had a total of 27 carries for 112 yards and two catches for 6 yards. He appeared in one game for the Packers in 1996 but had no carries.

Continue Reading

Trending