NHL Playoff Standings 2023: Latest Stanley Cup Odds and Wild-Card Predictions

The 2022-23 NHL season is getting down to the nitty gritty with the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs just over two weeks away.

Teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences are battling for a place in the top eight and a playoff spot, and while several teams have clinched already, there remain plenty of squads still in the hunt.

The East has been the dominant conference with three teams already eclipsing 100 points, and while no team has reached that goal yet in the Western Conference, there is a great deal of parity with very little separating the top teams.

As much of the league continues to battle it out for playoff positioning, here is a look at the current NHL standings and Stanley Cup odds, as well as predictions for which teams will secure the wild-card spots in each conference.

NHL Playoff Standings

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division

1. Carolina Hurricanes - 103 points

2. New Jersey Devils - 100 points

3. New York Rangers - 96 points

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Bruins - 119 points

2. Toronto Maple Leafs - 97 points

3. Tampa Bay Lightning - 90 points

Wild Card

1. New York Islanders - 85 points

2. Pittsburgh Penguins - 82 points

3. Florida Panthers - 79 points

4. Buffalo Sabres - 77 points

5. Ottawa Senators - 77 points

6. Washington Capitals - 76 points

Western Conference

Central Division

Minnesota Wild - 95 points

Colorado Avalanche - 94 points

Dallas Stars - 92 points

Pacific Division

1. Vegas Golden Knights - 98 points

2. Los Angeles Kings - 96 points

3. Edmonton Oilers - 93 points

Wild Card

1. Seattle Kraken - 88 points

2. Winnipeg Jets - 85 points

3. Calgary Flames - 81 points

4. Nashville Predators - 80 points

1. Boston Bruins: +380 (bet $100 to win $380)

2. Colorado Avalanche: +650

3. Carolina Hurricanes: +850

4. Toronto Maple Leafs: +900

5. New Jersey Devils: +1200

6. Edmonton Oilers: +1300

7. Tampa Bay Lightning: +1400

8. New York Rangers: +1400

9. Vegas Golden Knights: +1400

10. Dallas Stars: +1500

11. Los Angeles Kings: +2200

12. Minnesota Wild: +2200

13. Seattle Kraken: +3000

14. Pittsburgh Penguins: +4500

15. New York Islanders: +5000

16. Winnipeg Jets: +5500

17. Calgary Flames: +5500

18. Florida Panthers: +7000

*All others +20000 or above

NHL Wild-Card Predictions

Eastern Conference

The defensively responsible New York Islanders find themselves in an ideal position when it comes to the Eastern Conference wild-card race, as they are at the top with 85 points, three points ahead of the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh does have two games in hand on the Isles, and every other team in pursuit has at least one game in hand on the wild-card leaders as well, but New York has earned its spot.

Among teams that aren't in the top three in their divisions within the Eastern Conference, the Islanders have the best goal differential at plus-18. The Florida Panthers (plus-1) and Washington Capitals (plus-5) are the only other wild-card race teams in the positives.

The Islanders have gotten where they are thanks to strong team defense and excellent goaltending from Ilya Sorokin, who has a 2.39 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

Assuming the Islanders remain in the top wild-card spot, the second place will come down to the Penguins and any number of teams chasing them.

Pittsburgh has a three-point lead over Florida with one game in hand, plus it has playoff experience in spades thanks to the presence of multi-time Stanley Cup winners in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

However, it is difficult to ignore what the Panthers bring to the table, as they are tied for third in the Eastern Conference with 257 goals.

Matthew Tkachuk is just three points shy of 100 in his first season in Florida, plus the likes of Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov and Brandon Montour all have at least 60 points, giving Florida a strong core of point producers.

The Panthers have put themselves in a precarious position by dropping four games in a row, but they will find a way to make up the difference against Pittsburgh and seize the second and final wild-card spot.

Western Conference

Things are perhaps a bit more straightforward in the Western Conference wild-card race with both the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets in prime position to reach the postseason.

In only their second season as an NHL franchise, it would now be a huge upset if the Kraken miss the playoffs, as they have 88 points with a game in hand over the Jets, who occupy the second wild-card spot with 85 points. Seattle is also up by seven points on the next closest team in the Calgary Flames.

Seattle is somewhat lacking in terms of star power, but the Kraken are tough to play against as a collective unit and are third in the Western Conference in scoring with 254 goals.

A remarkable 13 players have scored at least 10 goals for the Kraken this season, including team leader Jared McCann with 35, plus rookie sensation Matty Beniers with 20.

At this point, it would take an epic collapse for the upstart Kraken to be denied playoff hockey in what is still their infancy as an NHL team.

The second wild-card spot could get a bit trickier, as the Jets lead the Flames by only four points and the Nashville Predators by only five points with the Preds, who have two games in hand.

Winnipeg has had its ups and downs this season, but it seemingly has a better mix on its roster than both the Flames and Predators.

Five Jets players have reached the 50-point mark this season, including team leader Kyle Connor with 75 points, and Mark Scheifele, who leads the squad with 38 goals.

What truly sets the Jets apart, however, is their goaltending with Connor Hellebuyck leading the way.

The American is 32-23-2 on the season with a 2.59 GAA, .918 save percentage and three shutouts.

Hellebuyck has enjoyed a strong bounce back from an off year last season, and given that he is as good as any goalie in the NHL when he is on his game, he should find a way to elevate himself and his team into the playoffs.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).

21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.