Tim Kavanagh, ESPN.comMar 19, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseTim Kavanagh is a senior editor for ESPN digital editorial. He’s a native of upstate New York.
Twenty-six of the NHL’s 32 teams will be in action tonight, including seven of eight in the Atlantic Division. The Florida Panthers are off until Thursday, but the results for everyone else will help the continued revealing of the final playoff standings.
Atop both the division and the Presidents’ Trophy standings are the Boston Bruins. They aren’t quite at their record-setting pace from a season ago, but they are close to locking up a playoff berth with 95 points through 69 games. Stathletes projects them to have 112 by season’s end (just behind the Panthers, projected for 112.6). Earning two points in games like tonight’s against the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+) will be critical if they’re going to get to that high total.
On the other end, the Senators are currently fifth on the draft lottery board, with the Columbus Blue Jackets three points and one regulation win behind their pace. Stathletes projects the Sens to finish with 76 points, the seventh-fewest in the league. Ottawa had mixed results with high draft picks in the early stages of their current franchise run, but they’ve done well recently: Captain Brady Tkachuk was their top pick in 2018 (No. 4 overall), while Tim Stutzle was selected third overall in 2020.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently third in the division, projected for 103.3 points, and have another game at the Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+) after defeating them 6-2 this past Thursday. The Leafs appear pretty well situated in the No. 3 spot, nine points and 11 regulation wins behind the Panthers (albeit with two games in hand), and seven points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. So who would the Leafs rather face in the first round? They were swept in the regular-season series against the Bruins, and have split the first two…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39759747/nhl-playoffs-bracket-standings-2024-bruins-panthers-leafs-lightning
Author : Tim Kavanagh
Publish date : 2024-03-19 11:20:42
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