NHL playoff standings: Who will win the Presidents’ Trophy?

As noted in the March 23 episode of the playoff watch this season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy doesn’t guarantee a team will win the Stanley Cup (though it’s not a curse, as some still claim). One thing it does guarantee: home-ice advantage for as long as the winner continues playing, which is no small thing.

So where does the race stand heading into Wednesday’s action?

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The New York Rangers are atop the league, with 104 points and 39 regulation wins. They have a game forthcoming against the rival New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET, TNT), a continuation of a series of games that have been feisty affairs for the past few decades. The Rangers face just one more team currently in playoff position the rest of the way, but they have two more games against their other big rival, the New York Islanders, who are battling hard in an attempt to get back into a wild-card spot. Stathletes projects the Rangers to finish with 113.9 standings points, which is the most in the league.

Somewhat under the radar, the Dallas Stars are just a point behind the Rangers, but with three fewer regulation wins. The Stars have a theoretically more difficult opponent on Wednesday in the Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+), and also face the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets down the stretch. The projection for the Stars is 112.3 points, which is second most.

The Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks are on the Arizona State campus Wednesday for a matchup against the Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). The Canucks sit at 100 points, but they have 40 regulation wins, an important edge if there’s a tie atop the points column at season’s end. The Canucks have the most challenging remaining schedule of these three clubs, with showdowns against the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, Oilers and Jets coming in the season’s final weeks. Stathletes projects Vancouver to finish with 109.9 points, which is fifth most (also behind the…

Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39858915/nhl-playoffs-bracket-standings-2024-presidents-trophy-rangers-stars-canucks

Author : ESPN staff

Publish date : 2024-04-03 11:06:54

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