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NHL playoff standings: Panthers-Stars a Cup Final preview?

ByTim Kavanagh ESPN logo

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

We are 37 days away from the end of the 2023-24 NHL regular season. Is it too early to start projecting the Stanley Cup Final matchups we'd like to witness? No!

One of those enticing matchups will take place Tuesday night, as the Florida Panthers visit the Dallas Stars (8 ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). The two teams are leading their respective divisions heading into Tuesday night's showdown, and each made smart moves leading up to the trade deadline; the Stars landed playoff-ready defensive defenseman Chris Tanev, while the Panthers nabbed scoring winger Vladimir Tarasenko and veteran forward Kyle Okposo.

The teams met on Dec. 6, with the Panthers sending their fans home happy with a 5-4 victory. Both teams enter this matchup on relatively hot streaks, as the Panthers are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games and the Stars are 6-3-1. The eyes of the hockey world will be on this one as the two juggernauts continue their path to the postseason.

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it's time to check in on all the playoff races -- along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2024 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:

Current playoff matchups

Today's schedule

Last night's scores

Expanded standings

Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC2 Detroit Red Wings

A2 Boston Bruins vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs

M1 New York Rangers vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning

M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC1 Nashville Predators

C2 Winnipeg Jets vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche

P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC2 Vegas Golden Knights

P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings

Tuesday's games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.

San Jose Sharks at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.

New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m.

Florida Panthers at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.

Arizona Coyotes at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.

Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.

Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.

Monday's scoreboard

St. Louis Blues 5, Boston Bruins 1

New York Rangers 3, New Jersey Devils 1

Winnipeg Jets 3, Washington Capitals 0

Los Angeles Kings 3, New York Islanders 0

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Florida Panthers

Points: 92

Regulation wins: 36

Playoff position: A1

Games left: 17

Points pace: 116

Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Boston Bruins

Points: 91

Regulation wins: 30

Playoff position: A2

Games left: 15

Points pace: 111

Next game: @ MTL (Thursday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 82

Regulation wins: 25

Playoff position: A3

Games left: 18

Points pace: 105

Next game: @ PHI (Thursday)

Playoff chances: 99.7%

Tragic number: N/A

Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 74

Regulation wins: 27

Playoff position: WC1

Games left: 17

Points pace: 93

Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)

Playoff chances: 90.1%

Tragic number: N/A

Detroit Red Wings

Points: 72

Regulation wins: 23

Playoff position: WC2

Games left: 18

Points pace: 92

Next game: @ BUF (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 32.6%

Tragic number: N/A

Buffalo Sabres

Points: 65

Regulation wins: 24

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 17

Points pace: 82

Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 5.4%

Tragic number: 27

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 58

Regulation wins: 14

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 18

Points pace: 74

Next game: vs. CBJ (Tuesday)

Playoff chances:0%

Tragic number: 22

Ottawa Senators

Points: 54

Regulation wins: 19

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 20

Points pace: 71

Next game: vs. PIT (Tuesday)

Playoff chances:0%

Tragic number: 22

Metropolitan Division

New York Rangers

Points: 88

Regulation wins: 34

Playoff position: M1

Games left: 18

Points pace: 113

Next game: @ CAR (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 84

Regulation wins: 33

Playoff position: M2

Games left: 18

Points pace: 108

Next game: vs. NYR (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 74

Regulation wins: 25

Playoff position: M3

Games left: 17

Points pace: 93

Next game: vs. SJ (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 57.2%

Tragic number: N/A

New York Islanders

Points: 72

Regulation wins: 21

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 18

Points pace: 92

Next game: @ BUF (Thursday)

Playoff chances: 74.8%

Tragic number: 36

Washington Capitals

Points: 69

Regulation wins: 24

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 19

Points pace: 90

Next game: @ EDM (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 29.6%

Tragic number: 35

New Jersey Devils

Points: 66

Regulation wins: 26

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 17

Points pace: 83

Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)

Playoff chances: 6.4%

Tragic number: 28

Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 64

Regulation wins: 23

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 19

Points pace: 83

Next game: @ OTT (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 4.2%

Tragic number: 30

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 54

Regulation wins: 17

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 18

Points pace: 69

Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)

Playoff chances:0%

Tragic number: 18

Central Division

Dallas Stars

Points: 89

Regulation wins: 29

Playoff position: C1

Games left: 16

Points pace: 111

Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Winnipeg Jets

Points: 87

Regulation wins: 36

Playoff position: C2

Games left: 18

Points pace: 112

Next game: vs. NSH (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Colorado Avalanche

Points: 85

Regulation wins: 35

Playoff position: C3

Games left: 17

Points pace: 107

Next game: @ CGY (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Nashville Predators

Points: 78

Regulation wins: 30

Playoff position: WC1

Games left: 16

Points pace: 97

Next game: @ WPG (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 88.1%

Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 69

Regulation wins: 25

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 17

Points pace: 87

Next game: vs. LA (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 1.4%

Tragic number: 28

Minnesota Wild

Points: 69

Regulation wins: 24

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 17

Points pace: 87

Next game: vs. ARI (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 12.7%

Tragic number: 28

Arizona Coyotes

Points: 57

Regulation wins: 21

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 17

Points pace: 72

Next game: @ MIN (Tuesday)

Playoff chances:0%

Tragic number: 16

e - Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 39

Regulation wins: 12

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 17

Points pace: 49

Next game: vs. ANA (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 0%

Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Vancouver Canucks

Points: 91

Regulation wins: 36

Playoff position: P1

Games left: 16

Points pace: 113

Next game: vs. COL (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Edmonton Oilers

Points: 81

Regulation wins: 31

Playoff position: P2

Games left: 19

Points pace: 105

Next game: vs. WSH (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 99.9%

Tragic number: N/A

Los Angeles Kings

Points: 77

Regulation wins: 28

Playoff position: P3

Games left: 18

Points pace: 99

Next game: @ STL (Wednesday)

Playoff chances: 91.4%

Tragic number: N/A

Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 75

Regulation wins: 27

Playoff position: WC2

Games left: 18

Points pace: 96

Next game: @ SEA (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 87.6%

Tragic number: N/A

Seattle Kraken

Points: 67

Regulation wins: 22

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 19

Points pace: 87

Next game: vs. VGK (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 12.0%

Tragic number: 30

Calgary Flames

Points: 67

Regulation wins: 26

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 18

Points pace: 86

Next game: vs. COL (Tuesday)

Playoff chances: 6.8%

Tragic number: 28

Anaheim Ducks

Points: 49

Regulation wins: 17

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 18

Points pace: 63

Next game: @ CHI (Tuesday)

Playoff chances:0%

Tragic number: 10

San Jose Sharks

Points: 39

Regulation wins: 12

Playoff position: N/A

Games left: 19

Points pace: 51

Next game: @ PHI (Tuesday)

Playoff chances:0%

Tragic number: 2

P -- Clinched Presidents' Trophy; Y -- Clinched division; X -- Clinched playoff berth; E -- Eliminated from playoff contention

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can 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. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Macklin Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University.