Hurricanes, Devils battle for Metro

It was a furious Saturday of action around the NHL, as 30 of 32 teams were in action. That included the two teams sitting atop the Metropolitan Division — the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils — a duo that will square off Sunday night (7 ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+) for the final time in the regular season.

Each club has one regulation win thus far, and the Canes took a shootout victory on New Year’s Day. Taking a quick gander at the Metro standings, the Canes are two points ahead leading into the game, with one game in hand and one extra regulation win this season.

Both teams are all but locks to reach the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. But their journeys will take quite different paths based on their respective finishes. The division leader will (likely) take on the East’s No. 1 wild card — potentially the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres or Washington Capitals — while the second-place team will earn a first-round series against the superstar-laden (and Igor Shesterkin-backstopped) New York Rangers.

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check in on 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 New York Islanders
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Pittsburgh Penguins
M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers

Western Conference

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

Sunday’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).

Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings, 1:30 p.m. (TNT)
New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 4 p.m. (TNT)
Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
Winnipeg Jets at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks, 9:30 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at Arizona Coyotes, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday’s scoreboard

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

Boston Bruins 3, Detroit Red Wings 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Philadelphia Flyers 1
New Jersey Devils 3, Montreal Canadiens 1
Dallas Stars 4, Seattle Kraken 3 (OT)
New York Rangers 2, Buffalo Sabres 1 (OT)
Colorado Avalanche 3, Arizona Coyotes 2 (OT)
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Carolina Hurricanes 0
St. Louis Blues 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Winnipeg Jets 5, Florida…