NHL 2023 Playoff Races as of March 19, 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 enough games affecting the playoffs are scheduled, with the article being published every morning after 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 19

NHL Schedule For March 17-18, 2023:

 

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Carolina	1	1	0	2
Toronto	3	1	1	5

Final	1	2	3	Tot
St. Louis	1	3	1	5
Washington	0	0	2	2

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Columbus	2	1	1	4
Anaheim	2	1	4	7

Buffalo Sabres vs Philadelphia Flyers

Owen Tippett had his first career hat trick, Carter Hart made 34 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Friday night. The Sabres continue to flounder away games they need to be involved in the postseason. The Buffalo club has 14 games left and trail by six points for a wild-card berth.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Zach Aston-Reese scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 Friday night to snap a two-game skid. Toronto advanced their lead over the Lightning to three points, with a game-in-hand. Both Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews chipped in a goal.

St. Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals

This loss really hurt the Caps playoffs hopes. They trail the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders by five points with 12 games left to play. Sammy Blais scored twice, Joel Hofer made 33 saves in his season debut and the St. Louis Blues dealt the Washington Capitals a significant blow in their long-shot bid for a playoff spot with a 5-2 victory Friday night.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Anaheim Ducks

*NO PLAYOFF RAMIFICATIONS

NHL Scores for March 18, 2023:

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Colorado	1	2	2	5
Detroit	1	0	0	1

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Boston	1	2	2	5
Minnesota	1	0	1	2

Final	1	2	3	OT	Tot
Winnipeg	0	0	2	1	3
Nashville	1	0	1	0	2

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Edmonton	2	2	2	6
Seattle	1	2	1	4

Final	1	2	3	OT	Tot
Carolina	2	1	1	1	5
Philadelphia	0	2	2	0	4

Final	1	2	3	Tot
New Jersey	0	2	0	2
Florida	0	0	4	4

Final	1	2	3	OT	SO	Tot
Toronto	1	2	1	0	1	5
Ottawa	1	1	2	0	0	4

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Montreal	1	2	0	3
Tampa Bay	1	1	3	5

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	0
NY Rangers	2	4	0	6

Final	1	2	3	OT	Tot
Dallas	3	1	1	1	6
Calgary	1	3	1	0	5

Final	1	2	3	OT	SO	Tot
Vancouver	1	0	1	0	1	3
Los Angeles	1	1	0	0	0	2

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Chicago	1	0	1	2
Arizona	0	1	3	4

Final	1	2	3	Tot
Chicago	1	0	1	2
Arizona	0	1	3	4

Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings

Nathan MacKinnon scored a tie-breaking goal with a burst of speed and a slick wrist shot midway through the second period to help the Colorado Avalanche pull away for a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. The Avs won their fifth straight game and moved to within three points of the Dallas Stars in the Central Division. The Stars game against the Flames proved important as to who leads the division.

Boston Bruins vs Minnesota Wild

David Pastrnak scored his 47th goal of the season and Linus Ullmark made 29 saves as the Boston Bruins beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Saturday. The top three teams in the Central are tightly bunched. The Wild lost their chance to leapfrog over the Avs.

Winnipeg Jets vs Nashville Predators

Neal Pionk scored 55 seconds into overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday. The Jets maintained their second wild-card spot with this win. They lead the Preds by five points with three games in hand for the Predators.

Edmonton Oilers vs Seattle Kraken

Evander Kane needed just three shots to show the Edmonton Oilers can be more than just Connor McDavid. And the timing couldn’t be better with the playoffs on the horizon. The battle for third place in the Pacific was at stake, and Edmonton prevailed.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Philadelphia Flyers

Sebastian Aho had a hat trick, including the winning goal 28 seconds into overtime after Martin Necas tied it with 0.3 seconds left in regulation, and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 on Saturday. The win moved the Hurricanes three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils, who lost.

New Jersey Devils vs Florida Panthers

Sam Reinhart scored two of Florida’s four third-period goals and the Panthers rallied to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday night. The Panthers have won seven of their last 10 games to put them right back into playoff contention.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators

Alexander Kerfoot scored the deciding goal in the ninth round of the shootout, and Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 5-4 on Saturday night. The win fortified the Leafs hold on second place in the Atlantic with a game-in-hand over the Lightning.

Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Brandon Hagel had his second NHL hat trick, Steven Stamkos reached the 30-goal mark for the eighth time and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied in the third period to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 on Saturday night. The win placed the Lightning three points behind the Leafs, with the Toronto club holding a one-game-in-hand advantage.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers

Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, Artemi Panarin scored twice and Igor Shesterkin made 34 saves as the New York Rangers routed Pittsburgh 6-0 on Saturday night for their second win over the Penguins in three days. The Pens third consecutive loss may be a substantial one if they intend to stay in postseason contention.

Dallas Stars vs Calgary Flames

Jason Robertson scored his second goal of the game at 4:47 of overtime to give the Dallas Stars a 6-5 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. In a key game with playoff ramifications, the Flames only earned one point. They are now four points behind the Jets who possess the last wild-card position. Both teams have just 12 remaining before the close of the season.

Vancouver Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings

Elias Pettersson had a power-play goal, Thatcher Demko made 38 saves and the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night. The Kings missed out on taking the Pacific Division lead with the shootout loss. They are now tied with Vegas who has the all important one game-in-hand. Things are certainly tightening up in the West.

Chicago Blackhawks vs Arizona Coyotes

*NO PLAYOFF RAMIFICATIONS

New York Islanders vs San Jose Sharks

Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a goal and an assist, Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 shots for his 25th win of the season, and the New York Islanders beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 Saturday night. The Isles gave themselves some space and still have the top wild-card berth, as of now. Pittsburgh’s slim lead for the remaining playoff spot is precarious. Florida is just one point back of the Pens as things are getting close.

CLICK HERE For NHL Standings as of 3/19/23

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!