NHL Playoff Odds 2023: April 1st & 2nd, 2023

A Weekend Recap of Playoff-Bound NHL Clubs in Action

NHL WEEKEND IN REVIEW: April 1st & 2nd, 2023

The National Hockey League heads into the month of April with less than two weeks remaining in the Regular Season. With 22 games being played over Saturday & Sunday, most of the action revolved around the ten clubs that have already clinched postseason spots and the half-dozen others looking to stamp their trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin two weeks from today. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the action and NHL scores in review in this NHL Playoff Odds update.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Bruins(Record: 60-12-5, 125 points; Five Games Remaining. Clinched President’s Trophy, Top Seed in East and Atlantic Division title)

The Boston Bruins set two big franchise records over the weekend. First on Saturday afternoon, the B’s beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in regulation as short road favorites. Winger David Pastrnak recorded his 14th career Hat Trick, giving him 56 goals at that point.

He tied Bruins legend Cam Neely for second-most Hat Tricks in franchise history after scoring the game-winner with less than three minutes left in regulation. On Sunday, the Bruins headed to the Gateway City, where they beat the St. Louis Blues in the shootout by a final score of 4-3. Boston had a 3-0 lead midway through the second period before a pair of goals from Jordan Kyrou and former Bruin blue-liner Torry Krug sent the game into overtime.

After an offsides call on Pastrnak waived off a potential game-winning tally from defenseman Dimitri Orlov, the game went into a shootout where Charlie Coyle scored the only goal and gave the Bruins their 60th victory, setting an new club record to go with their 125 points, which was a new record after Saturday’s win. They have clinched everything possible and will now await the second Wild Card winner after they play out the last

Carolina Hurricanes(Record: 49-18-9, 107 points; Six Games Remaining. Clinched Playoff Berth)

The Carolina Hurricanes won both of their games this weekend to hold onto a three point lead in the Metropolitan Division race, with both the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers still on their trail.

On Saturday, it was a tidy 14-save shutout from Antti Raanta that carried the Canes to a 3-0 win on the road against the Montreal Canadiens. Forward Sebastian Aho scored his 34th goal of the season on the power-play in that contest. On Sunday, Carolina posted a 2-1 home decision against the New York Islanders, who are in their own Wild Card battle in the East.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Martinook scored goals while goaltender Frederik Andersen made 21 saves on 22 shots faced to nail down his 20th victory of the season. Carolina can clinch the Metro Division as early as Tuesday night with a win over the Ottawa Senators at home, and a loss from the New Jersey Devils, who host the Pittsburgh Penguins that same evening.

New York Rangers(Record: 45-21-11, 101 points; Five Games Remaining. Clinched Playoff Berth)

The New York Rangers had a successful weekend after losing a pivotal battle to the New Jersey Devils, which may have cost them a chance to not only attempt to catch the Carolina Hurricanes for the Metropolitan title, but also for a chance at home-ice advantage in the first round against the aforementioned Devils.

On Sunday afternoon, the Blueshirts headed to the Nation’s Capital where they blew out the Caps in a 5-2 battle that saw three assists from winger Artemi Panarin and goals from Mika Zibanejad and Vladimir Tarasenko. Netminder Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves on 28 shots faced for his 35th victory on the year.

The Rangers are 31-0-0 when scoring four or more goals this season. The Washington Capitals, who have now lost seven of their last eight games, are quickly falling out of the Wild Card race in the east and should be eliminated by week’s end. New York has five games left, including battles with playoff qualifying clubs such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the the season finale.

New Jersey Devils(Record: 48-21-8, 104 points; Five Games Remaining. Clinched Playoff Berth)

The New Jersey Devils did gain some ground on their rivals, the New York Rangers after their win at home Thursday night, but still remain three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division race after splitting a pair of contests over the weekend. Saturday night, the Devils doubled up the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 as big road favorites.

Four players, including forward Timo Meier and defenseman Dougie Hamilton, scored a goal and an assist while goalie Mackenzie Blackwood had a light night of work, making 14 saves on 17 shots faced for his tenth victory of the season. Sunday even was a different story, with New Jersey losing 6-1 at Winnipeg.

Starting goalie Vitek Vanecek had a off-game, allowing four goals on 21 shots before being replaced in the third period by Blackwood. Forward Nico Hischier scored the lone tally in the contest. New Jersey has five games remaining, including a massive showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday and at the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

More News and Notes from the Eastern Conference

  • Home-Ice in the First Round is up for grabs in the Atlantic Division between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning with one more head-to-head showdown taking place in Tampa a week from tomorrow. The Maple Leafs (100 points) are ahead of the Lightning (96 points) by four points with six games remaining for Toronto and five for Tampa Bay.
  • The two Wild Card spots in the East are rotating amongst three clubs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers. At press time, the Islanders hold the first spot with 87 points and four games remaining and the Penguins hold the second spot with 86 points and five games left on their slate. Pittsburgh lost in regulation 4-3 to the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, while New York lost 5-0 to Tampa Bay on Saturday and 2-1 to Carolina on Sunday in back-to-back road contests. The Florida Panthers are on the outside, one point behind the Penguins despite blowing out the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 7-0 rout on Saturday. The Panthers have 85 points with five games remaining.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Vegas Golden Knights(Record: 47-22-7, 101 points; Six Games Remaining. Clinched Playoff Berth)

The Vegas Golden Knights became the first Western Conference club to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday night in a 4-3 road overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.

On Saturday night, the Knights increased their Pacific Division lead by one point over the Los Angeles Kings and two points over the Edmonton Oilers with a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Backup netminder Laurent Brossoit made 29 saves over 30 shots faced for his first win of the season in four appearances. Forward Chandler Stephenson scored a goal and an assist along with two assists from Jack Eichel.

The Golden Knights have six games remaining, with five of them against playoff qualifying clubs, including a home showdown with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and a home-and-home series with the Seattle Kraken to wrap up the season.

Los Angeles Kings – (Record: 45-22-10, 100 points; Five Games Remaining. Clinched Playoff Berth)

The Los Angeles Kings swept the weekend and pulled themselves into second place in the Pacific Division, just one point behind the leading Vegas Golden Knights. On Saturday, the Kings posted a 3-1 win on the road against the Seattle Kraken. Forward Kevin Fiala scored his 23rd goal of the year, an empty net tally in the final minute of play along with an assist, while Alex Iafallo notched a pair of assists.

On Sunday, Iafallo continued his scoring prowess with a pair of goals in a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, officially clinching a playoff berth for the Kings.

Tuesday’s showdown at home against the Edmonton Oilers will be a massive battle that should ultimately decide who gets home-ice in the first round match-up between the clubs, assuming that Vegas can wrap up and win the Pacific Division. Los Angeles also has one more game with the Golden Knights on Thursday in Las Vegas.

More News and Notes from the Western Conference

  • The Central Division race is wide open between the leading Minnesota Wild, the second place Colorado Avalanche and the third place Dallas Stars, with just one point separating the trio of clubs with the Avalanche having seven games left to play while the Wild and Stars have six games remaining. Minnesota lost 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday evening, while Colorado beat Dallas 5-2 at home that same night to pull back into a tie for second place in the division. The Stars have the tiebreaker at the moment with 34 Regulation Wins, two more than the Avalanche.
  • Three teams remain fighting for two spots in the Wild Card race in the West. The Seattle Kraken hold the first spot with 90 points after losing 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, while the Winnipeg Jets, who beat down the New Jersey Devils 6-1 on Sunday evening, hold the second spot with 89 points. The Calgary Flames are outside of the picture with 87 points after a 5-4 win over Anaheim on Sunday, their fourth consecutive victory. The Flames have five games remaining with four of their opponents already eliminated from the playoff picture.

Check out all the updated National Hockey League NHL Player Stats, standings, lineups, future odds, team stats, recent news, picks and parlays and betting tips, right here at Point Spreads.
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