Beyond the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames leading their respective divisions, the NHL Western Conference playoff races remain fairly open. Four weeks from today, we’ll have a lot more clarity on the first-round matchups, but hey, maybe tonight’s matchups will provide some clues as well.

Center stage is Friday night’s only game featuring two teams currently in playoff position, as the St. Louis Blues visit the Edmonton Oilers. The Blues are in an intense back-and-forth with the Nashville Predators between the No. 3 seed in the Central Division and the No. 1 wildcard spot in the West. The Oilers appear to have a solid hold on a berth in Game 2-3 in the Pacific, with home advantage against the Los Angeles Kings yet to be finalized. These two clubs met Nov. 14 in St. Louis, with the Oilers earning a 5-4 victory thanks to a last-minute goal from Kailer Yamamoto.

Elsewhere, the Predators visit the Buffalo Sabers looking to keep pace with the Blues, and the Vegas Golden Knights are hoping they can win a second straight game against the Seattle Kraken to stay in the mix for the league’s second wildcard position. ‘Where is.

As we enter the post-deadline period of the 2021-22 regular season, it’s time to check out all the playoff runs — as well as the teams vying for a spot in the 2022 NHL Draft lottery.

Note: Odds of making the playoffs go through FiveThirtyEight. The tragic numbers are courtesy of Damien Echevarrieta of the NHL.

Jump forward:
Current playoff matches
Today’s games
Last night’s scores
Expanded ranking
Race for the No. 1 pick

Current playoff matches

Eastern Conference

A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
M2 New York Rangers vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference

C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Dallas Stars
C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 St. Louis Blues
P1 Calgary Flames vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
Los Angeles P2 Kings vs. Edmonton P3 Oilers

Today’s games

Note: All times Eastern. All off-market games available on ESPN+

Nashville Predators at Buffalo Sabers, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Arizona Coyotes, 10:30 p.m.

Last night’s scoreboard

Watch “In The Crease” on ESPN+ for highlights from each game.

Boston Bruins 8, New Jersey Devils 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 7, Winnipeg Jets 3
Florida Panthers 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0
New York Islanders 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Montreal Canadiens 0
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Minnesota Wild 3 (OT)
Colorado Avalanche 4, San Jose Sharks 2
Los Angeles Kings 3, Calgary Flames 2 (SO)
Dallas Stars 3, Anaheim Ducks 2 (OT)

Expanded ranking

Atlantic Division

Points: 98
The settlement wins: 35
Position in Playoff: A1
Games remaining: 15
Next game: @ New Jersey (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 91
The settlement wins: 37
Position in Playoff: A3
Games remaining: 15
Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 90
The settlement wins: 31
Position in Playoff: A3
Games remaining: 16
Next game: vs. CHI (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 89
The settlement wins: 34
Position in Playoff: WC1
Games remaining: 15
Next game: vs. CBJ (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 61
The settlement wins: 15
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 15
Next game: vs. OTT (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 7

Points: 59
The settlement wins: 18
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 14
Next game: vs. NSH (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 4

Points: 52
The settlement wins: 19
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 16
Next game: @ DET (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 1

Points: 47
The settlement wins: 13
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 14
Next game: @ TB (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metropolitan Division

Points: 98
The settlement wins: 39
Position in Playoff: M1
Games remaining: 14
Next game: vs. MIN (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 93
The settlement wins: 36
Position in Playoff: M2
Games remaining: 14
Next game: vs. NYI (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 92
The settlement wins: 33
Position in Playoff: M3
Games remaining: 13
Next game: @ COL (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 84
The settlement wins: 28
Position in Playoff: WC2
Games remaining: 14
Next game: vs. MIN (Sunday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 69
The settlement wins: 28
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 16
Next game: @ NYR (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 17

Points: 69
The settlement wins: 22
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 14
Next game: @ BOS (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 13

Points: 53
The settlement wins: 17
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 15
Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 53
The settlement wins: 16
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 15
Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 102
The settlement wins: 40
Position in Playoff: C1
Games remaining: 14
Next game: vs. PIT (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 87
The settlement wins: 29
Position in Playoff: C2
Games remaining: 16
Next game: @ CAR (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 83
The settlement wins: 34
Position in Playoff: C3
Games remaining: 16
Next game: @EDM (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 98%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 82
The settlement wins: 32
Position in Playoff: WC1
Games remaining: 15
Next game: @BUF (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 94%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 79
The settlement wins: 24
Position in Playoff: WC2
Games remaining: 16
Next game: @SJ (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 85%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 76
The settlement wins: 26
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 13
Next game: vs. LA (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 6%
Tragic number: 23

Points: 58
The settlement wins: 15
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 14
Next game: @ TB (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 7

Points: 47
The settlement wins: 16
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 15
Next game: vs. ANA (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Department

Points: 89
The settlement wins: 35
Position in Playoff: P1
Games remaining: 15
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: >99%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 84
The settlement wins: 28
Position in Playoff: P2
Games remaining: 12
Next game: @ WPG (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 84%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 81
The settlement wins: 31
Position in Playoff: P3
Games remaining: 14
Next game: vs. STL (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 81%
Tragic number: N / A

Points: 78
The settlement wins: 29
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 13
Next game: @SEA (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 48%
Tragic number: 25

Points: 73
The settlement wins: 26
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 13
Next game: against VGK (Sunday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 4%
Tragic number: 20

Points: 66
The settlement wins: 20
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 15
Next game: against DAL (Saturday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 17

Points: 66
The settlement wins: 18
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 13
Next game: @ARI (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs:
Tragic number: 13

Points: 48
The settlement wins: 18
Position in Playoff: N / A
Games remaining: 15
Next game: against VGK (Friday)
Opportunities in the playoffs: 0%
Tragic number: E

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. Starting in 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 places if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick draw. Full details on the process can be found here.

Points: 47
The settlement wins: 13

Points: 47
The settlement wins: 16

Points: 48
The settlement wins: 18

Points: 52
The settlement wins: 19

Points: 53
The settlement wins: 16

Points: 53
The settlement wins: 17

Points: 58
The settlement wins: 15

Points: 59
The settlement wins: 18

Points: 61
The settlement wins: 15

Points: 66
The settlement wins: 18

Points: 66
The settlement wins: 20

Points: 69
The settlement wins: 22

Points: 69
The settlement wins: 28

Points: 73
The settlement wins: 26

Points: 76
The settlement wins: 26

Points: 78
The settlement wins: 29