The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs will get going on Monday, April 17 with the first round. The standings remain tight in both the Eastern and Western Conference but we're getting close to having the full field for the playoffs. Here we'll take a look at which teams have clinched a spot in both the East and West.
2023 NHL playoffs
Atlantic Division
*No. 1 Boston Bruins – 131 points
*No. 2 Toronto Maple Leafs – 107 points
*No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning – 96 points
Metropolitan Division
*No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes – 109 points
*No. 2 New Jersey Devils – 108 points
*No. 3 New York Rangers – 107 points
Wild Card
WC1 Florida Panthers – 92 points
WC2 New York Islanders – 91 points
Pittsburgh Penguins – 90 points
Buffalo Sabres – 87 points
The East is down to four teams with two spots with 1-2 games left for each team. The Penguins control their own destiny. If Pittsburgh wins the final two games, the Pens are in. The Sabres need help from either the Penguins, Islanders or Panthers to get in. Buffalo is the only team still in contention that has three games remaining. The Panthers can get in if the Penguins or Sabres lose in any fashion.
Central Division
*No. 1 Colorado Avalanche – 104 points
*No. 2 Dallas Stars – 102 points
*No. 3 Minnesota Wild – 100 points
Pacific Division
*No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights – 107 points
*No. 2 Edmonton Oilers – 105 points
*No. 3 Los Angeles Kings – 100 points
Wild Card
*WC1 Seattle Kraken – 98 points
WC2 Winnipeg Jets – 93 points
Nashville Predators – 90 points
The Predators would need to win out and hope the Jets lose out in the final two games. Interestingly enough, both teams final two opponents are the Wild and Avalanche, both teams also vying for position in the Central. The Kraken can catch the Kings with two games left but that means facing the Oilers or Golden Knights. Seattle could view that as a better scenario than facing the winner of the Central (Avalanche, Stars).