NHL Playoff Standings 2022: Latest Odds on Wild Card Races

John Locher/Associated Press

Most of the drama in the NHL playoff hunt resides in the Western Conference. 

Four teams are separated by eight points in the Western Conference wild-card race. The Nashville Predators are currently on top of that list with 86 points. 

The Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks are in the mix for a wild-card berth as well. 

A handful of head-to-head clashes between those three teams could go a long way in deciding which team is matched up with the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. 

The eight playoff qualifiers from the Eastern Conference are all but determined. The Washington Capitals have an 11-point edge over the New York Islanders for the final wild-card position going into Saturday. 

Updated NHL Standings

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan

1. Carolina (100 points)

2. New York Rangers (98 points)

3. Pittsburgh (92 points)

Atlantic

1. Florida (106 points)

2. Toronto (98 points)

3. Boston (95 points) 

Wild-Card Race

1. Tampa Bay (94 points)

2. Washington (86 points)

3. New York Islanders (75 points)

4. Columbus (72 points)

The Eastern Conference playoff field is basically set unless the Washington Capitals collapse down the stretch. 

Washington holds an 11-point edge over the New York Islanders for the second and final wild-card position. 

The Capitals should dedicate most of their focus in the next three weeks to chasing down the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Washington can close the six-point gap to third in the Metropolitan Division with a win in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. 

The Caps will get familiar with playing on the road to finish out April. They face a five-game swing in Canada and out west before ending the regular season with two clashes against the New York franchises. 

Washington should be locked into the postseason by the time it reaches its last two games against the New York Islanders on April 26 and 28.

The Islanders need a miracle at this point to track down the Capitals and become the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning could flip out of the wild-card spot and into third place in the Atlantic Division. 

The Lightning play six of their next eight games on home ice. That could help them overturn the one-point deficit against the Boston Bruins, who beat Tampa on Friday night. 

The difference between third place in the Atlantic and the first wild-card spot would be a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Whichever team loses out on the No. 3 spot in the division will likely take on the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Western Conference

Central

1. Colorado (108 points)

2. Minnesota (92 points)

3. St. Louis (92 points)

Pacific

1. Calgary (95 points)

2. Edmonton (89 points)

3. Los Angeles (86 points) 

Wild-Card Race

1. Nashville (86 points)

2. Dallas (84 points)

3. Vegas (82 points)

4. Vancouver (78 points)

Odds to Make Playoffs

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Nashville (-1200; bet $1200 to win $100)

Dallas (-750)

Vegas (+135) 

The Western Conference playoff race is much more contentious than the one back east. 

Nashville, Dallas and Vegas are separated by four points with three weeks left in the regular season.  

The Predators could concede some ground over the weekend since they face Florida and Pittsburgh in a back-to-back set of contests. 

Even if Nashville loses both games, it is expected to finish in a playoff spot because its schedule is backloaded with home games. Nashville plays eight of its last 12 games inside Bridgestone Arena.

Just like the Capitals, the Predators have a six-point deficit to make up for third place in their division. 

Nashville could make up the gap on the St. Louis Blues for the No. 3 spot in the Central Division because it holds a game in hand and it has the favorable remaining schedule. 

Dallas’ likely fate is in one of the two wild-card positions since it resides eight points adrift of the Blues for third place in the Central. 

The Stars play four of their next five games on home ice before heading out for a three-game Canadian road trip. 

Vegas goes on the same road trip to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton one week prior to the Stars. Vegas should pick up points against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday before going north of the border. 

The Golden Knights visit Dallas on April 26 in what could be a deciding game in the wild-card race. Each team plays twice after that showdown. 

Vancouver could make up some ground on Dallas and Vegas with head-to-head wins in the next few weeks. 

The Canucks needs those results to go in their favor to have a chance of making up the six-point gap to Dallas. 

Vancouver should get hot in the next 10 days since it hosts Arizona, San Jose and Ottawa in between its clashes with the Stars and Knights. 

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