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NHL playoff watch standings update: Torrid Tuesday includes Avalanche-Flames, Hurricanes-Lightning

ByTim Kavanagh ESPN logo

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

The final day of the 2021-22 NHL regular season is exactly one month from today. There are many games to be played and playoff races to be run between now and then, but tonight's slate is one of the best postseason appetizers we've experienced recently; 11 of the 16 teams currently in playoff position will be in action, including three of four division leaders.

Two of those division leaders will be facing off, as the Colorado Avalanche pay a visit to the Calgary Flames. The Avs are coming off an overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild,a contest that got especially nasty at times. Meanwhile, the Flames' previous game was a 9-5 drubbing of the rival Edmonton Oilers. These two teams needed OT to decide their March 5 contest (a 4-3 win for Calgary), while the Avs blanked the Flames 3-0 on March 13.

The ESPN+ national broadcast tonight sees the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, a week after a 3-2 win for Carolina that featured some extracurricular rough stuff between Nikita Kucherov and Sebastian Aho that eventually led to a meetup at center ice involving all playersat the end of the game. Should be a fun one -- especially since these two clubs could wind up matched up in the playoffs, too.

As we enter the post-deadline span of the 2021-22 regular season, it's time to check in on all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2022 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight. Tragic numbers are courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.

Jump ahead:br/>Current playoff matchupsbr/>Today's gamesbr/>Last night's scoresbr/>Expanded standingsbr/>Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Boston Bruins

>A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs

>M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Washington Capitals

>M2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. M3 New York Rangers

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Vegas Golden Knights

>C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 St. Louis Blues

>P1 Calgary Flames vs. WC1 Nashville Predators

>P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Today's games

Note: All times Eastern. All out-of-market games available on ESPN+

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.

>Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.

>Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.

>New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.

>New York Islanders at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.

>Ottawa Senators at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.

>Philadelphia Flyers at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.

>Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.

>Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.

Last night's scoreboard

Watch "In The Crease" on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.

Carolina Hurricanes 6, Washington Capitals 1

>St. Louis Blues 4, Vancouver Canucks 1

>Buffalo Sabres 6, Chicago Blackhawks 5

>Edmonton Oilers 6, Arizona Coyotes 1

>Seattle Kraken 6, Los Angeles Kings 1

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Florida Panthers

Points: 94

>Regulation wins: 33

>Playoff position: A1

>Games left: 17

>Next game: vs. MTL (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 88

>Regulation wins: 31

>Playoff position: A2

>Games left: 17

>Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 87

>Regulation wins: 35

>Playoff position: A3

>Games left: 17

>Next game: @ BOS (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Boston Bruins

Points: 87

>Regulation wins: 33

>Playoff position: WC1

>Games left: 17

>Next game: vs. TOR (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 60

>Regulation wins: 15

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: vs. NYR (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 8

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 58

>Regulation wins: 18

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 15

>Next game: vs. WPG (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 5

Ottawa Senators

Points: 52

>Regulation wins: 19

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 17

>Next game: @ NSH (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 3

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 47

>Regulation wins: 13

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: @ FLA (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: 0%

>Tragic number: E

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 95

>Regulation wins: 38

>Playoff position: M1

>Games left: 16

>Next game: @ TB (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 90

>Regulation wins: 33

>Playoff position: M2

>Games left: 15

>Next game: vs. NYR (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

New York Rangers

Points: 89

>Regulation wins: 35

>Playoff position: M3

>Games left: 16

>Next game: @ PIT (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Washington Capitals

Points: 84

>Regulation wins: 28

>Playoff position: WC2

>Games left: 14

>Next game: vs. MIN (Sunday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 69

>Regulation wins: 22

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 17

New York Islanders

Points: 65

>Regulation wins: 26

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 18

>Next game: @ CBJ (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 17

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 53

>Regulation wins: 17

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: @ MIN (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 2

New Jersey Devils

Points: 53

>Regulation wins: 16

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 2

Central Division

Colorado Avalanche

Points: 98

>Regulation wins: 38

>Playoff position: C1

>Games left: 16

>Next game: @ CGY (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 84

>Regulation wins: 28

>Playoff position: C2

>Games left: 18

>Next game: vs. PHI (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 81

>Regulation wins: 33

>Playoff position: C3

>Games left: 17

>Next game: @ VAN (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: 97%

>Tragic number: N/A

Nashville Predators

Points: 80

>Regulation wins: 31

>Playoff position: WC1

>Games left: 16

>Next game: vs. OTT (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: 93%

>Tragic number: N/A

Dallas Stars

Points: 75

>Regulation wins: 23

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 18

>Next game: @ ANA (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: 76%

>Tragic number: 35

Winnipeg Jets

Points: 74

>Regulation wins: 26

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 15

>Next game: @ BUF (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: 12%

>Tragic number: 28

Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 58

>Regulation wins: 15

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 15

>Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 12

Arizona Coyotes

Points: 45

>Regulation wins: 15

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 1

Pacific Division

Calgary Flames

Points: 88

strong>Regulation wins: 35

>Playoff position: P1

>Games left: 17

>Next game: vs. COL (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: >99%

>Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 81

>Regulation wins: 28

>Playoff position: P2

>Games left: 14

>Next game: @ EDM (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: 78%

>Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 79

>Regulation wins: 31

>Playoff position: P3

>Games left: 15

>Next game: vs. LA (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: 82%

>Tragic number: N/A

Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 76

>Regulation wins: 29

>Playoff position: WC2

>Games left: 14

>Next game: @ SEA (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: 49%

>Tragic number: N/A

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 73

>Regulation wins: 26

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 14

>Next game: vs. STL (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: 13%

>Tragic number: 25

San Jose Sharks

Points: 66

>Regulation wins: 20

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 17

>Next game: @ ARI (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 24

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 65

>Regulation wins: 18

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 15

>Next game: vs. DAL (Tuesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 19

Seattle Kraken

Points: 48

>Regulation wins: 18

>Playoff position: N/A

>Games left: 16

>Next game: vs. VGK (Wednesday)

>Playoff chances: <1%

>Tragic number: 4

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team may 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.