There is one full month remaining in the NHL regular season, with the playoffs set to begin on May 2nd. That is not a lot of time for teams sitting below the playoff line to make a move that gets them into the thick of the postseason action. Every team has somewhere in the region of 15 games still to play this season, which is not a lot of time to make up the points needed to secure a playoff spot. We are beginning to see teams clinch and get officially eliminated, so we though that now would be the perfect time to take a closer look at the standings and talk about how things might play out, so let’s get into those NHL Odds..
Top 2022 NHL Week 22 Matches to Must Bet On the Weekend
Eastern Conference
No team has yet to officially clinch a playoff spot in the East, but it’s only a matter of time before that changes. The Florida Panthers are opening up a big lead atop the Atlantic Division and currently have 94 points. They will absolutely be in the playoffs, as will the Carolina Hurricanes, who have 93 points and the lead in the Metropolitan Division.
The Eastern Conference playoff teams actually looked to be pretty much locked up, as the top 8 teams in the conference have a sizeable lead over the teams sitting below the Wild Card spots. In the Atlantic, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs hold the automatic berths, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers are 2nd and 3rd, respectively in the Metropolitan.
The Wild Card spots are occupied by the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals, who are 15 points up on the chasing pack. We are likely to still see some changes in the standings, but the 8 teams mentioned all look like a good bet to be in.
The Montreal Canadiens are the only officially eliminated team in the East, but expect the Senators, Devils, and Flyers to join those ranks soon.
Western Conference
In terms of clear-cut playoff teams, you have to say that the Colorado Avalanche is the clear pick. They are almost certainly going to head into the postseason as the #1 seed in the West. They have a 14-point lead in the Central Division, with the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators rounding out the top 3.
The Calgary Flames look like a good bet to win the Pacific Division, with the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers rounding out the top 3 in that division.
Things are a good deal tighter when looking at the race for the 2 available Wild Card spots. The St. Louis Blues are 3 points up on the Vegas Golden Knights, who hold the final spot in the West. They have 3 teams – Stars, Jets, Canucks – within 3 points of the playoff line, so still plenty of teams in the hunt in this conference.
No team in the Western Conference have been officially eliminated as of yet, but there are a few on the brink. We can probably expect the Arizona Coyotes and the Seattle Kraken to be eliminated in the coming days.
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