NHL 2023 Playoff Races as of March 17, 2023

Welcome to a new series from Full Press Hockey. With NHL rumors slowing down until the summer draft, we will only cover them once a week on Sundays. To replace the Wednesday rumors article, we will present a daily analysis of the playoff races called NHL 2023 playoff races. The analysis will be done daily when games are scheduled with the article being published every morning games are played. We will cover trends in the standings, and which teams are hot and which teams are not. With less than 20 games remaining in the 2022-23 season, all NHL fans will be tracking their team’s progress to see where they will finish.

NHL 2023 Playoff Races – As of March 16

NHL Schedule For Thursday, March 16, 2023:

MATCHUP		TIME
Montreal	@  Florida	4:00 PM
Pittsburgh	@  New York	4:00 PM
Tampa Bay	@  New Jersey	4:00 PM
Colorado	@  Ottawa	4:00 PM
Chicago	@  Nashville	5:00 PM
Boston	@  Winnipeg	5:00 PM
Dallas	@  Edmonton	6:00 PM
Vancouver	@  Arizona	7:00 PM
Calgary	@  Vegas	7:00 PM
Columbus	@  Los Angeles	7:30 PM
Seattle	@  San Jose	7:30 PM

NHL Scores for March 16, 2023:

Chris Kreider tallied the go-ahead goal in the third period and added an empty-netter, and Igor Shesterkin made 30 saves as the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Thursday night. This loss doesn’t help the Pens playoff hopes with Florida just three points back. The two teams will clash again in New York on Saturday night. While it’s too early to say it’s a must-win for Pittsburgh, they really need to win this one.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils

This important Eastern Conference matchup saw Steven Stamkos score two goals, as the Devils newly acquired forward Timo Meier equalled that feat, causing a shootout. Both teams stayed in their position in the standings as before the game. The Lightning are starting to turn it on as the postseason approaches as they inch closer to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. Home ice will be crucial once that series begins.

Colorado Avalanche vs Ottawa Senators

The Avalanche are starting to show why they are the reigning Cup winners. They have won four straight games and are winning the close one-goal contests. This one was decided by a contested goalie interference call that the Senators lost. Colorado sits third in the Central with 84 points.

Chicago Blackhawks vs  Nashville Predators

While this was a meaningless game for the Blackhawks, it was quite pivotal for Nashville. The Predators trail Winnipeg by four points in the race for the Western Conference’s second wild-card berth. Nashville has played three fewer games than the Jets. The Preds are still in the hunt.

Boston Bruins vs Winnipeg Jets

The Jets couldn’t figure out Jeremy Swayman, and in reality, who can? Swayman made 36 saves and Boston was able to stymie the Jets power play which failed in five attempts. The loss didn’t hurt Winnipeg’s playoff spot, as they maintained their second-wild-card position.

Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers

The Stars loss put their precarious one-point lead in the Central at risk. The Wild have one less game played so Dallas has to be feeling the pressure. Speaking of pressure, it seems that it has become literally impossible to stop Connor McDavid. He now has 57 goals, and 131 points to add to his impressive resume.

Vancouver Canucks vs Arizona Coyotes

*NO PLAYOFF RAMIFICATIONS

Calgary Flames vs Vegas Golden Knights

This game certainly fortified the Flames chances for the playoffs. They are now five points behind the Jets who possess the final wild-card spot, with a game in hand. Vegas still holds the top spot in the Pacific, but only by one point due to the Kings win over the Blue Jackets. Vegas does have one game in hand.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Los Angeles Kings

Carl Grundstrom scored a goal and an assist in Los Angeles’ four-goal second period, Pheonix Copley made 30 saves and the Kings beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday night. The game moved the Kings to within a single point of the Golden Knights for first in the Pacific.

Seattle Kraken vs San Jose Sharks

The Kraken gave themselves some breathing room in the Western Conference wild-card race. The overtime win gives the newest NHL franchise a four-point lead over the Jets with an all-important game-in-hand. It also puts pressure on the Oilers for third place in the Pacific.

CLICK HERE For NHL Standings as of 3/17/23

That concludes this edition of NHL 2023 Playoff Races. Be sure to catch our next article to stay tuned in with the playoff races. Thanks for reading!