NHL Playoff Standings 2023: High Seeds, Wild-Card Replace and Predictions

With the 2022-23 NHL season nearing its completion, the groups that can compete for the Stanley Cup have separated themselves from the remainder of pack, incomes postseason berths and, in a single case, wrapping up the Presidents’ Trophy in report time.

Within the East, one staff is head and shoulders above the remaining and clear favorites to money their ticket to the Stanley Cup Ultimate. The Western Convention is as aggressive as ever, with the highest six groups all being able to emerge as its consultant.

Which squad leads every division and convention because the league enters the homestretch and which two can followers count on to compete for the highest prize within the sport?

Discover out with this have a look at the present standings and predictions for the conferences.

Metropolitan Division

1. (x) Carolina Hurricanes (49-18-9; 107 factors)
2. (x) New Jersey Devils (41-28-8; 104 factors)
3. (x) New York Rangers (45-21-11; 101 factors)

Atlantic Division

1. (p) Boston Bruins (60-12-5; 125 factors)
2. (x) Toronto Maple Leafs (45-21-10; 100 factors)
3. (x) Tampa Bay Lightning (45-26-6; 96 factors)

Wild Card

1. New York Islanders (39-30-9; 87 factors)
2. Pittsburgh Penguins (38-29-10; 86 factors)
3. Florida Panthers (39-31-7; 85 factors)
4. Buffalo Sabres (37-31-7; 81 factors)
5. Ottawa Senators (37-34-6; 80 factors)
6. Detroit Crimson Wings (34-33-9; 77 factors)
7. Washington Capitals (34-34-9; 77 factors)
8. Philadelphia Flyers (29-34-13; 71 factors)
9. Montreal Canadiens (30-41-6; 66 factors)
10. Columbus Blue Jackets (24-44-8; 56 factors)

(p) denotes Presidents’ Trophy

(x) denotes clinched playoff spot

Central Division

1. (x) Dallas Stars (42-21-14; 98 factors)
2. (x) Minnesota Wild (44-23-10; 98 factors)
3. Colorado Avalanche (45-24-6; 96)

Pacific Division

1. (x) Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-7; 103 factors)
2. (x) Los Angeles Kings (45-22-10; 100 factors)
3. (x) Edmonton Oilers (45-23-9; 99 factors)

Wild Card

1. Seattle Kraken (42-26-8; 92 factors)
2. Winnipeg Jets (43-31-3; 89 factors)
3. Calgary Flames (36-26-15; 87 factors)
4. Nashville Predators (38-30-8; 84 factors)
5. St. Louis Blues (35-35-7; 77 factors)
6. Vancouver Canucks (34-35-7; 75 factors)
7. Arizona Coyotes (27-38-13; 67 factors)
8. San Jose Sharks (22-39-15; 59 factors)
9. Anaheim Geese (23-44-10; 56 factors)
10. Chicago Blackhawks (24-46-6; 54 factors)

(x) denotes clinched playoff spot

For the whole thing of this season, the Boston Bruins have been higher than everybody else. A lot in order that they’ve already wrapped up the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the staff with the season’s finest total report.

They would be the high seed within the Jap Convention, have gathered 18 factors greater than the second-place staff, and have performed one of the best and most constant hockey all season lengthy.

At one level, it appeared as if it could be a two-team race within the East for the No. 1 seed, with Toronto chasing a Stanley Cup it has not hoisted since 1967.

A great Carolina staff made it a three-team race, whereas inconsistent play of late from the Leafs has Tampa Bay able to drop them to the third seed within the Atlantic Division.

Even with these three groups offering competitors, it’s tough to foresee a situation by which the Bruins don’t breeze into the Stanley Cup Ultimate.

Boston holds a 7-3 report in opposition to these groups and an total report of 35-7-3 in opposition to the Jap Convention this season, per Statmuse. The B’s are using a three-game win streak and would have be a first-round matchup with Pittsburgh as issues at present stand.

Anticipate a charging Florida staff to leapfrog the Penguins and earn the ultimate wild-card spot based mostly on its play and a positive remaining schedule. It won’t matter in the long term, although, which staff the Bruins performs within the first spherical.

Maybe the one factor that may derail Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Co. is a perceived curse.

That Presidents’ Trophy the staff locked up terribly early this season? Solely eight of the 36 groups to win it have gone on to hoist the Stanley Cup at season’s finish. The final to perform that feat? The Chicago Blackhawks a decade in the past in a lockout-shortened season.

Apart from hockey lore and superstition or devastating harm to a star participant, there may be little motive to consider the Bruins won’t seem within the Ultimate.

On the very least.

Jap Convention Prediction: Boston

The Western Convention is rather more wide-open than its Jap counterpart.

The Colorado Avalanche are red-hot, with an 8-2 report of their final 10 video games. Sarcastically sufficient, the defending Stanley Cup champion is the one staff of the highest three within the Central Division to not have already clinched a playoff berth.

The very last thing the West desires is for Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and the remainder of the squad to get sizzling and make it into the postseason, the place they’ve the instruments to repeat as convention champs.

Least of which is the Dallas Stars, whose mediocre play of late has them wanting like an early out, one thing that might not have been the case earlier within the season.

Vegas and Los Angeles additionally bear watching as they surge into the ultimate stretch of regular-season video games, with simply three factors separating them within the Pacific. Each are 7-2-1 of their final 10 and will simply flip-flop management of that division earlier than the beginning of the playoffs.

Regardless of robust play from all, the most popular of any staff within the West is Edmonton, which has not misplaced a sport of their final 10 and will unseat each Vegas and L.A. for the Pacific crown earlier than all is claimed and carried out.

Seattle and Winnipeg are more than likely to earn the wild card, however each are a bit too inconsistent to make a lot of a dent.

Dallas may at all times rediscover the play that led it to the highest of the Central, however it might want to enhance on its sub-.500 play of late to offer followers and analysts a motive to purchase them as a risk to emerge from the West.

Not one of the Western groups in rivalry for the playoffs have a profitable report in opposition to Boston this season, amassing a 4-10-2 report in opposition to the Jap favorites.

Western Prediction: Vegas