NHL playoff watch: Checking in on the Presidents’ Trophy race
As noted in the March 23 episode of the playoff watch this season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy doesn’t guarantee a team will win the Stanley Cup (though it’s not a curse, as some still claim). One thing it does guarantee: home-ice advantage for as long as the winner continues playing, which is no small thing.
So where does the race stand heading into Wednesday’s action?
The New York Rangers are atop the league, with 104 points and 39 regulation wins. They have a game forthcoming against the rival New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET, TNT), a continuation of a series of games that have been feisty for the past few decades. The Rangers face just one more team currently in playoff position the rest of the way, but they have two more games against their other big rival, the New York Islanders, who are battling hard in an attempt to get back into a wild-card spot. Stathletes projects the Rangers to finish with 113.9 standings points, which is the most in the league.
Somewhat under the radar, the Dallas Stars are just a point behind the Rangers, but with three fewer regulation wins. The Stars have a theoretically more difficult opponent on Wednesday in the Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+), and also face the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets down the stretch. The projection for the Stars is 112.3 points, which is second most.
The Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks are on the Arizona State campus Wednesday for a matchup against the Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). The Canucks sit at 100 points, but they have 40 regulation wins, an important edge if there’s a tie atop the points column at season’s end. The Canucks have the most challenging remaining schedule of these three clubs, with showdowns against the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, Oilers and Jets coming in the season’s final weeks. Stathletes projects Vancouver to finish with 109.9 points, which is fifth most (also behind the Avs and the Carolina Hurricanes).
But what about the Atlantic leaders? The idle Boston Bruins (103 points, 34 regulation wins) and Florida Panthers (99, 38) are obviously still a threat to make a final push for the regular-season points title. But the Stathletes model doesn’t like their chances quite as much, with Florida projected for 109.7 points and Boston 109.4.
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
Clinching scenario
Wednesday’s schedule
Tuesday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers
Western Conference
C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC2 Los Angeles Kings
C2 Colorado Avalanche vs. C3 Winnipeg Jets
P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Vegas Golden Knights
Clinching scenario
The Toronto Maple Leafs can clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning or if they lose in an overtime or shootout to the Lightning.
Wednesday’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).
Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. (TNT)
Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars, 9:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings, 9:30 p.m (TNT)
Vancouver Canucks at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
Tuesday’s scoreboard
Buffalo Sabres 6, Washington Capitals 2
Montreal Canadiens 5, Florida Panthers 3
Pittsburgh Penguins 6, New Jersey Devils 3
New York Islanders 2, Chicago Blackhawks 1
Boston Bruins 3, Nashville Predators 0
Minnesota Wild 3, Ottawa Senators 2
Anaheim Ducks 5, Calgary Flames 3
Vegas Golden Knights 6, Vancouver Canucks 3
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 103
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 6
Points pace: 111
Next game: @ CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 99
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 6
Points pace: 107
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 8
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. TB (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 89
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 99
Next game: @ TOR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 90
Next game: vs. NYR (Friday)
Playoff chances: 45.9%
Tragic number: 14
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. PHI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0.7%
Tragic number: 7
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 78
Next game: vs. FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 4
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 78
Next game: vs. TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 4
Metropolitan Division
Points: 104
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 114
Next game: vs. NJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 101
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 110
Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 6
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: 54.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 52.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 89
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 34.0%
Tragic number: 13
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 86
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 10.2%
Tragic number: 11
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 83
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 1.5%
Tragic number: 8
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 68
Next game: vs. NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Central Division
Points: 103
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 113
Next game: vs. EDM (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 7
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ MIN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 98
Next game: vs. STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 98.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 5.8%
Tragic number: 11
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 90
Next game: vs. COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 3.8%
Tragic number: 10
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 74
Next game: vs. VAN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 7
Points pace: 54
Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 7
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ ARI (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 107
Next game: @ DAL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 7
Points pace: 101
Next game: @ ARI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 8
Points pace: 96
Next game: vs. SEA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 92.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 83
Next game: @ LA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 4
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 81
Next game: @ WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 2
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 6
Points pace: 58
Next game: vs. SEA (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Points: 42
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 8
Points pace: 47
Next game: vs. LA (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: 42
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 25
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 30
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 26
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 29
* The Penguins’ first-round pick was traded to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, it is top-10 protected.
BOSTON — New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he’ll talk to Juan Soto about hustling out of the batter’s box after the slugger watched his would-be home run bounce off the Green Monster for a single Monday night against the Boston Red Sox.
Leading off the sixth inning on a chilly night at Fenway Park with a 15 mph wind blowing in from left field, Soto hit a 102 mph line drive to left and stood watching as it sailed toward the 37-foot-high wall. The ball hit about two-thirds of the way up, and Soto was able to manage only a single.
“He thought he had it,” Mendoza told reporters after his team’s 3-1 loss. “But with the wind and all that, and in this ballpark — anywhere, but in particular in this one, with that wall right there — you’ve got to get out of the box. So, yeah, we’ll discuss that.”
Soto stole second on the first pitch to the next batter, but the $765 million star ended up stranded on third. He denied lollygagging on the basepaths.
“I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard,” he said. “If you see it today, you can tell.”
It’s not uncommon for balls that hit off the Green Monster to result in singles. In the first inning, Pete Alonso was thrown out trying for second base on a ball off the left-field wall. But Soto had also failed to run hard out of the box on a groundout Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.
“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said.
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Hyeseong Kim started in center field to take some of the burden off Tommy Edman‘s tender ankle and wound up losing a baseball in the twilight. Jack Dreyer opened for Landon Knack in hopes of maximizing matchups against the opposing Arizona Diamondbacks, and yet the two surrendered seven runs within the first three innings.
Nothing, it seems, goes right for the Los Angeles Dodgers these days.
On Monday night, they were bad enough on defense and ineffective enough on the mound that their mighty offense could not make up the difference. They lost 9-5 at Dodger Stadium, suffering their first four-game home losing streak since May 2018.
“We haven’t given up, but you’re going to go through certain situations like this,” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said. “It’s just tough. We got to find a way to get back healthy, get our guys back out there. But we’re battling with what we’ve got.”
Three critical members of the Dodgers’ rotation are currently on the injured list; Blake Snell, Tony Gonsolin and Roki Sasaki are all nursing shoulder injuries with uncertain timelines. Four high-leverage relievers — Kirby Yates, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech — have hit the shelf since the start of spring training. And in the wake of that, a Dodgers organization that has been lauded for its ability to absorb injuries, most recently by riding bullpen games to a championship, has been unable to overcome.
Forty-eight games in, the Dodgers (29-19) possess a 4.28 ERA, which ranks 22nd in the major leagues. Their rotation, hailed as one of the sport’s deepest collections of arms when the season began, holds baseball’s sixth-highest ERA at 4.51.
“It’s not the staff we thought we’d have this season,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But I feel that what we still do and have done in the past with injuries, we’re not doing. And I say that in the sense of getting ahead of hitters and keeping the ball in the ballpark.”
Dodgers pitchers rank sixth in home run rate and have started behind in the count on 117 batters this season, tied for ninth most in the majors.
Dodgers coaches have spent the past few days preaching the importance of getting ahead and thus commanding counts in hopes of fostering a more aggressive approach from their staff. Dreyer seemed to carry that mindset with him early, getting ahead on three of his first four hitters. But the fourth sent a fly ball to straightaway center field that Kim, a rookie second baseman making his first career Dodger Stadium start at the position, never saw. It landed for an RBI double, igniting a two-run first inning.
The D-backs added another run in the second, on an errant throw from third baseman Max Muncy, a wild pitch from Dreyer and a sacrifice fly from Geraldo Perdomo. Four more came in the third, when Knack, vying for a long-term spot in the rotation, surrendered two-run homers to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.
By that point, the Dodgers, coming off getting swept by the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Angels, faced a 7-0 deficit they could not overcome. Shohei Ohtani belted his major-league-leading 17th home run, Betts added two of his own, and the rest of the lineup rallied to make things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. But it wasn’t enough.
The Dodgers’ offense, which got Edman and Teoscar Hernandez back from injury in the past two days, is whole at this point. L.A.’s pitching staff is far from it.
The effects of that are being felt.
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