NHL playoff watch: Are the Avalanche going to win the Central?

After winning the 2022 Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche entered the 2022-23 NHL season ranked No. 1 in our preseason power rankings, and Caesars Sportsbook listed them at +400 to win it all again in 2023, the best odds in the league.

Unlike last season — when they continually ran over nearly all opponents en route to a 119-point season — things started off a bit slowly for the Avs this season. The departure of Nazem Kadri didn’t help, nor did the parade of players hitting injured reserve.

Nevertheless, with 13 games remaining, they are right in the thick of the race for both the Central Division and the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Heading into tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they have 88 points and 29 regulation wins in 69 games, just behind the Dallas Stars (90 and 31 in 71) and Minnesota Wild (90 and 29 in 71). The Pacific Division leaders are just ahead: the Vegas Golden Knights are at 94 points and 33 RW in 71 games, while the Los Angeles Kings are at 92 points and 31 RW in 71 games.

Of the Avs’ 12 remaining games after tonight, only five are against teams currently in playoff position. That’s about on par with the Wild (5 of 11) and Kings (6 of 11), and easier than the Knights (8 of 11); the Stars would appear to have the easiest path forward, as they’ll play only two playoff contenders in their final 11 contests.

It remains wide open, but it’s hard to argue against the case for the defending champs, given how strongly they proved their concept just last spring.

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2023 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s games
Last night’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 Florida Panthers
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 New York Islanders
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers

Western Conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC1 Seattle Kraken
C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC2 Winnipeg Jets
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

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Wednesday’s games

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

Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Arizona Coyotes at Edmonton Oilers, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)

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Tuesday’s scoreboard

Watch “In the Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.

Boston Bruins 2, Ottawa Senators 1
Nashville Predators 7, Buffalo Sabres 3
Montreal Canadiens 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Carolina Hurricanes 3, New York Rangers 2
Minnesota Wild 2, New Jersey Devils 1 (OT)
Philadelphia Flyers 6, Florida Panthers 3
Columbus Blue Jackets 7, Washington Capitals 6 (OT)
New York Islanders 7, Toronto Maple Leafs 2
Detroit Red Wings 3, St. Louis Blues 2 (SO)
Winnipeg Jets 2, Arizona Coyotes 1
Seattle Kraken 5, Dallas Stars 4 (OT)
Calgary Flames 5, Anaheim Ducks 1
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Vancouver Canucks 3

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Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 113
Regulation wins: 47
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 12
Points pace: 132
Next game: vs. MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 12
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 10
Points pace: 103
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. TOR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 65%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 84
Next game: vs. TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 16

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 84
Next game: vs. NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 17

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 16

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 72
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 5

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Metropolitan Division

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 13
Points pace: 119
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 113
Next game: @ BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 106
Next game: @ CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 93
Next game: @ CBJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 82%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 91
Next game: @ COL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 48%
Tragic number: 23

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 84
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 15

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 75
Next game: vs. MIN (Thursday
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 9

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 60
Next game: vs. NYI (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

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Central Division

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 11
Points pace: 104
Next game: s. PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 104
Next game: @ PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 13
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. PIT (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 95
Next game: @ ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 68%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Points pace: 93
Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 21%
Tragic number: 21

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 80
Next game: @ DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 9

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 75
Next game: @ EDM (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 63
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

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Pacific Division

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 11
Points pace: 109
Next game: @ CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 106
Next game: vs. WPG (Saturday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 102
Next game: vs. ARI (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 12
Points pace: 100
Next game: @ NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 94%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 90
Next game: vs. VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 18%
Tragic number: 16

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 12
Points pace: 79
Next game: vs. SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1%
Tragic number: 8

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 65
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 53
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 61
Next game: @ VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

X — Clinched playoff berth; E — Eliminated from playoff contention

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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 might 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 Connor Bedard, who has been lauded as a generational talent.

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 53
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 16

Points: 56
Regulation wins: 13

Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 67
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 26