NHL Playoff Picture 2023: Breaking Down Standings and Current Postseason Bracket (2024)

The NHL has an abundance of fascinating playoff races with one week left in the regular season.

Three division titles and three wild-card places still have to be determined between Saturday and next Friday.

The wild-card races remained tight after Thursday's games. The Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres all won in the Eastern Conference, while the Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators were victorious in the Western Conference.

Seattle became the 13th team to clinch a postseason berth with its Thursday win. The Kraken have a seven-point gap to the Winnipeg Jets in the West wild-card race, and they should cruise to the finish line now.

Some of the teams that have clinched playoff berths will play with plenty on the line in the next week.

The Central, Metropolitan and Pacific Divisions are still up for grabs. Every team in those races should go all out for first place because of the home-ice advantage those spots carry. The Metropolitan Division teams are fighting for two rounds of home ice, while the Central and Pacific squads are in the fight for the West's No. 1 overall seed.

Atlantic Division

1. Boston - 127 points

2. Toronto - 103

3. Tampa Bay - 96

Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina - 109

2. New Jersey - 108

3. New York Rangers - 104

Wild-Card Race

1. Florida - 89

2. New York Islanders - 89

3. Pittsburgh - 88

4. Buffalo - 83

5. Ottawa - 81

Current Postseason Bracket

New York Islanders vs. Boston

Tampa Bay vs. Toronto

Florida vs. Carolina

New York Rangers vs. New Jersey

The East wild-card race received zero clarity on Thursday.

The Panthers, Islanders, Penguins and Sabres all came away with victories to keep the status quo going into Saturday.

Florida, New York and Pittsburgh all turned in multi-goal wins, while Buffalo had to beat the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout.

Two of the Panthers, Islanders and Penguins should get into the postseason field.

Buffalo holds two games in hand on the three teams in front of it, but the next three contests come against the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division, who are fighting for the No. 2 overall seed in the East.

The Carolina Hurricanes should be expected to win out with four games left against teams outside the top three in their respective divisions.

The New Jersey Devils' visit to Boston on Saturday night could cost them some ground in the Metropolitan Division race. If they lose, the Devils would potentially be down three points with one fewer game to play than the Hurricanes.

Boston is on top of the Atlantic Division, and it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs are safe in the second spot in the Atlantic.

Toronto's first-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning might be the most anticipated matchup because of all the star power on both rosters. The Leafs' losing streak of six straight playoff series will also be front and center in the playoff conversation.

Toronto may not get further than the second round, if it is matched up with Boston, but just getting to the second round would feel like a massive accomplishment.

Boston would play the second wild-card team, which could be any one of Florida, New York and Pittsburgh.

The top three wild-card contenders should all win on Saturday. The Islanders host the Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins visit the Detroit Red Wings and the Panthers are on the road against the Washington Capitals.

It is possible for Florida, New York and Pittsburgh to all win out, which would keep the Penguins on the outside.

Florida has the toughest remaining schedule of the trio, as it hosts Toronto and Carolina next week. The Islanders and Penguins have three games left versus teams outside the playoff positions.

Central Division

1. Colorado - 100

2. Dallas - 100

3. Minnesota - 98

Pacific Division

1. Vegas - 106

2. Edmonton - 103

3. Los Angeles - 100

Wild-Card Race

1. Seattle - 96

2. Winnipeg - 89

3. Calgary - 89

4. Nashville - 88

Current Postseason Bracket

Winnipeg vs. Vegas

Los Angeles vs. Edmonton

Seattle vs. Colorado

Minnesota vs. Dallas

Seven of the eight playoff teams in the West are set, but the order of those squads is still up in the air.

The Colorado Avalanche have five games left to secure the Central Division title.

Colorado has played one fewer game than the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild, the two other Central contenders, and two fewer than the Vegas Golden Knights, who have the most points in the West.

If the Avs win all of their remaining games, they could make a push to land home ice throughout the West playoffs.

The next week could serve as a playoff test for Colorado since it faces the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators. The Anaheim Ducks are the only non-playoff team the Avs face.

Colorado could be the deciding force in the Pacific Division seeding race and the wild-card hunt because of its upcoming opponents.

The Kings may not have a shot of catching the Oilers for second place in the Pacific because Edmonton has two games left against the San Jose Sharks.

The four points earned from the two matchups with San Jose should be enough to give the Oilers home ice in the first round against the Kings.

Edmonton could make a push for the top spot in the Pacific, and in the West, if Vegas slips up in Dallas on Saturday. The Golden Knights finish the season with two games versus Seattle.

The Kraken will not have anything on the line in those games because they are safely in the playoff field.

Calgary, Nashville and Winnipeg are locked in a three-team fight for the final wild-card position.

The Jets can put Nashville in a difficult spot if they beat the Preds on home ice on Saturday.

Winnipeg could be the favorite to land the second wild-card position because it plays one more game than Calgary and hosts Nashville.

Calgary needs to win out against the Vancouver Canucks, Nashville and San Jose and for the Jets to slip up against the Wild and Avalanche to finish the regular season.

Thursday's Winnipeg-Colorado game could have the No. 1 overall seed in the West and the final wild-card spot on the line if everything aligns perfectly.