NHL Playoff Picture 2022: Updated Standings After Maple Leafs, Rangers Clinch Berths

Toronto is headed back to the playoffs for the sixth straight season, while New York is headed back to the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign after missing the cut last season.

The Maple Leafs currently sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 47-19-6 record, while the Rangers are second in the Metropolitan Division with a 47-20-6 record.

Here’s a look at the updated Eastern Conference standings:

Atlantic Division

1. Florida Panthers: 51-15-6, 108 points
2. Toronto Maple Leafs: 47-19-6, 100 points
3. Boston Bruins: 45-21-5, 95 points

Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes: 46-18-8, 100 points
2. New York Rangers: 47-20-6, 100 points
3. Pittsburgh Penguins: 41-22-10, 92 points

Wild Card

1. Tampa Bay Lightning: 43-20-8, 94 points
2. Washington Capitals: 39-22-10, 88 points

The Maple Leafs have spent most of the 2021-22 season in one of the top three spots in the Atlantic Division. Powered by Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and William Nylander, the team looks unstoppable offensively.

Matthews recently became the franchise’s single-season scoring leader after notching his 55th goal of the year. He entered Saturday’s game with 56 goals and 41 assists for 97 points in 66 games and is on pace to win his first Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer.

Marner is also in the midst of the best season of his career, entering Saturday’s game with a career-high 31 goals in addition to 58 assists for 89 points in 62 games. In addition, Nylander entered with 28 goals and 40 assists for 68 points in 70 games.

Toronto has also received solid performances defensively from Morgan Rielly and TJ Brodie, but the team’s goaltending has struggled all season. The combination of Petr Mrazek, Jack Campbell and Erik Kallgren has a 3.07 goals-against average and .904 save percentage, which rank toward the bottom of the league.

As for the Rangers, they are in the midst of an impressive bounce-back season thanks to Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Kreider, in particular, is in the midst of an incredibly impressive year. The veteran entered Saturday with a career-high 47 goals, in addition to 21 assists for 68 points in 72 games. Zibanejad, meanwhile, entered with 27 goals and 46 assists for 73 points, while Panarin had 20 goals and 65 assists for 85 points.

Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba have also carried the team defensively, while Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev have anchored the team in goal.

Despite clinching a spot in the postseason, both the Maple Leafs and Rangers could face an uphill battle with teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins slated to make deep runs.