The NHL is in the home stretch of the 2023-24 regular season. That means playoff races are heating up atop divisions and on the wild card bubble.
Throughout the next week, every point will be crucial as teams battle for playoff positioning. Fans will have their eyes glued to the scoreboard and the standings for the next two weeks.
The playoff picture may change on a nightly basis, so CBS Sports has you covered with our NHL playoff race tracker. It’ll be updated daily to show where each playoff hopeful stands as the postseason gets closer and closer.
Reminder: Here’s how the NHL playoff seeding works
- The top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs.
- Each conference has two wild-card spots.
- The top division winner in each conference will play the second wild card team, and the other division winner will play the first wild card team.
- The second and third-place teams in each division will match up with one another in the first round.
*Regulation wins are the first tiebreaker, and regulation plus overtime wins are the second tiebreaker. Shootout wins are not counted in regulation plus overtime wins.
Eastern Conference playoff picture
Atlantic Division
1. Boston Bruins | 46-18-15 | 107 points
Points percentage: .677
Regulation wins: 35
Regulation plus overtime wins: 42
Current first-round matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning
The Bruins fell at the hands of the Hurricanes in an Eastern Conference tilt on Tuesday. Now Boston leads Florida by just one point for the Atlantic Division crown with less than a week left in the regular season.
2. Florida Panthers | 50-24-6 | 106 points
Points percentage: .663
Regulation wins: 41
Regulation plus overtime wins: 47
Current first-round matchup: Toronto Maple Leafs
The Panthers couldn’t buy a win in recent weeks, but now have won three out of their last four contests. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has registered shutouts in each of the team’s last two wins.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs | 46-24-9 | 101 points
Points percentage: .639
Regulation wins: 33
Regulation plus overtime wins: 41
Current first-round matchup: Florida Panthers
The Maple Leafs have been the third team in the Atlantic Division for most of the season, and look entrenched in that spot. Auston Matthews is on a seven-game goal streak, but Thursday’s loss to the Devils was a disappointing one.
Metropolitan Division
1. New York Rangers | 53-23-4 | 110 points
Points percentage: .688
Regulation wins: 42
Regulation plus overtime wins: 50
Current first-round matchup: Pittsburgh Penguins
Luckily, the Rangers didn’t surrender their Presidents’ Trophy lead with the Stars losing to the Jets and the Bruins and Hurricanes being idle. New York has now lost back-to-back games as the regular season comes to a close.
2. Carolina Hurricanes | 50-22-7 | 107 points
Points percentage: .677
Regulation wins: 42
Regulation plus overtime wins: 48
Current first-round matchup: New York Islanders
The Hurricanes have thrived since landing the likes of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov at the trade deadline. Carolina looks like a juggernaut in the East, and is making a push for the Metropolitan Division’s top spot late in the season.
3. New York Islanders | 37-27-15 | 89 points
Points percentage: .563
Regulation wins: 27
Regulation plus overtime wins: 36
Current first-round matchup: Carolina Hurricanes
The Islanders are absolutely on fire with a six-game winning streak, and are closing the season about as strong as humanly possible. It’s been a rough year for goaltender Ilya Sorokin, but the star netminder has surrendered just three goals over the team’s last two games.
Wild card
WC1. Tampa Bay Lightning | 44-27-8 | 96 points
Points percentage: .608
Regulation wins: 36
Regulation plus overtime wins: 41
Current first-round matchup: Boston Bruins
The Lightning are likely the team that no one wants to face in the opening round of the postseason. Tampa Bay did drop a shootout loss to Ottawa on Thursday, but is firmly in the top Wild Card spot.
WC2. Pittsburgh Penguins | 37-30-12 | 86 points
Points percentage: .544
Regulation wins: 31
Regulation plus overtime wins: 35
Current first-round matchup: New York Rangers
The Penguins are the team that just won’t go away despite the deck being stacked against them. Pittsburgh defeated Detroit 6-5 in overtime on Thursday in a pivotal matchup with both teams slugging it out in the Wild Card race.
Washington Capitals | 37-31-11 | 85 points
Points percentage: .538
Regulation wins: 29
Regulation plus overtime wins: 33
Current first-round matchup: N/A
The Capitals have lost seven of their last eight games, and recently fell at the hands of the Sabres. Washington has a tough stretch of Boston, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay to finish up the season.
Detroit Red Wings | 38-32-9 | 85 points
Points percentage: .538
Regulation wins: 27
Regulation plus overtime wins: 36
Current first-round matchup: N/A
The Red Wings have been one of the most peculiar stories of the second half of the 2023-24 season. After looking like a shoe-in for the playoffs, the Red Wings have dropped back-to-back games to Wild Card contenders in the Capitals and Penguins, and could miss the postseason.
Philadelphia Flyers | 37-32-11 | 85 points
Points percentage: .531
Regulation wins: 29
Regulation plus overtime wins: 33
Current first-round matchup: N/A
The Flyers finally brought an end to their eight-game losing streak with a massive win against the Rangers. Philadelphia needed a victory in the worst way since they still are only one point out of the second Wild Card spot in the East despite all of their struggles.
Western Conference playoff picture
Central Division
1. Dallas Stars | 50-21-9 | 109 points
Points percentage: .681
Regulation wins: 39
Regulation plus overtime wins: 47
Current first-round matchup: Vegas Golden Knights
The Stars had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the Presidents’ Trophy race with the Rangers loss. However, Dallas was shut out by Winnipeg in a 3-0 defeat.
2. Winnipeg Jets | 49-24-6 | 104 points
Points percentage: .658
Regulation wins: 43
Regulation plus overtime wins: 49
Current first-round matchup: Colorado Avalanche
All of the sudden, the Jets have racked up five consecutive victories, and leapfrogged the Avalanche for second place in the Central Division. Mark Scheifele has scored goals in back-to-back games to pace the Jets offense.
3. Colorado Avalanche | 49-24-6 | 104 points
Points percentage: .658
Regulation wins: 41
Regulation plus overtime wins: 47
Current first-round matchup: Winnipeg Jets
Nathan MacKinnon continues to make a Hart Trophy push with his sensational season. After looking unbeatable in recent weeks, the Avalanche have dropped five of their last eight games, and saw the Jets take over second place with a win on Thursday.
Pacific Division
1. Vancouver Canucks | 48-22-9 | 105 points
Points percentage: .665
Regulation wins: 42
Regulation plus overtime wins: 48
Current first-round matchup: Nashville Predators
The Canucks hold a sizable lead in the Pacific Division, and recently got a huge win against the Golden Knights. It’s likely that the Canucks win the division, but the Oilers aren’t out of it just yet.
2. Edmonton Oilers | 48-24-5 | 101 points
Points percentage: .656
Regulation wins: 38
Regulation plus overtime wins: 46
Current first-round matchup: Los Angeles Kings
Connor McDavid and the Oilers look to be locked into second place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have won three consecutive games, including a 5-1 dismantling of the Golden Knights without McDavid in the lineup.
3. Los Angeles Kings | 42-26-11 | 95 points
Points percentage: .601
Regulation wins: 36
Regulation plus overtime wins: 40
Current first-round matchup: Edmonton Oilers
The Kings were recently able to reclaim the No. 3 spot in the Pacific Division, and have won four of their last five games. All of the sudden, Los Angeles looks like a lot more dangerous as the postseason approaches.
Wild card
WC1. Nashville Predators | 45-29-5 | 95 points
Points percentage: .601
Regulation wins: 36
Regulation plus overtime wins: 42
Current first-round matchup: Vancouver Canucks
The Predators were one of the hottest teams in the NHL, but have lost four of their last seven games. Still, Nashville remains the top Wild Card team in the West for the time being.
WC2. Vegas Golden Knights | 42-28-8 | 92 points
Points percentage: .590
Regulation wins: 32
Regulation plus overtime wins: 38
Current first-round matchup: Dallas Stars
The Golden Knights have fallen out of the No. 3 spot in the Pacific Division after suffering three straight losses. Still, trade deadline acquisition Tomas Hertl looked strong in his Vegas debut on Monday, so there are still plenty of reasons for optimism as the regular season winds down.
St. Louis Blues | 42-32-5 | 89 points
Points percentage: .563
Regulation wins: 30
Regulation plus overtime wins: 37
Current first-round matchup: N/A
The Blues certainly aren’t out of the playoff picture as they’re only three points behind the Golden Knights for the No. 2 Wild Card spot. However, facing the Stars and Hurricanes over the final three games isn’t exactly an ideal situation.
