NFL
By Jesse Rosales
As of this writing, there are 6 teams that have clinched playoff births for the 22-23 Stanely Cup Playoffs. There are still 14-15 teams in the hunt to clinch a playoff spot, which means the NHL wild card race is going to be very intriguing coming down the home stretch of the regular season. There is one more non-wildcard position open in the East and 5 in the West. The Boston Bruins have clinched home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, which is a surprise to absolutely no one.
With less than 8 games to go for most of the NHL franchises, I will take a look at some of the most impactful matches coming up in the next couple of weeks as well as give my predictions for which teams will solidify themselves as a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
How does the NHL Wild Card race work?
Each NHL Conference reverses 2 wild card spots which represent the 7th and 8th playoff positions for that respective conference. The 2 teams that end up in one of the two wildcard spots can come from any of the divisions. Each division is allotted 3 spots as well, outside of the wild card, which are reserved for the top 3 teams in the division standings at the end of the regular season.
NHL Wild Card Race In the Eastern Conference:
With the Eastern Conference already having 5 of the top 6 playoff spots already locked in, that only leaves 1 spot in the Atlantic Division and the 2 wild card spots left for the taking. The Tampa Bay Lightning have an 11-point lead on the Florida Panthers for the final spot in the Atlantic so let’s assume for now that they will retain that lead and claim the 3rd divisional playoff spot in that division.
There are 4 teams all within 8 points of each other that have a chance at one of the NHL Wild Card positions in the East. We have the New York Islanders at 87 points, Pittsburgh Penguins at 84 points, Florida Panthers at 83 points, and the Ottawa Senators at 79 points respectively. Let’s break down the schedule for each one of these teams and see where things might fall by the end of the regular season.
Ottawa Senators: 
The Sens have 7 games remaining. They play at home against Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Carolina, and play on the road against Columbus, Carolina, Florida, and Buffalo. For argument’s sake here let’s say they split games with Carolina and win either against Florida or Buffalo who are both very similar strengthened teams. I’m going to say they beat Columbus and lose to Toronto and Tampa Bay which would not surprise anyone. That would give the Sens a total of 6 additional regular season points, bringing their total to 85 points.
Florida Panthers: 
The Panthers only have 6 games remaining which when it comes to fighting for a wild card spot this late into the season, is definitely a disadvantage. The Panthers will play at home against Buffalo, Ottawa, Toronto, and Carolina. They will be on the road against Columbus and Washington. I’m going to split their road games and give them an estimated 4 total points against the combination of Buffalo, Ottawa, Toronto, and Carolina. That would give the Panthers 5 additional points, and bring their season total to 89 points. Not looking good for the Senators.
Pittsburgh Penguins: 
The Pens already sit in one of the two NHL Wild Card positions. Can they hold on? The Penguins have 7 games remaining. The breakdown for those games is 4 at home against Boston, Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Chicago. They also have 3 remaining road games against New Jersey, Detroit, and Columbus. It definitely is a mix of really good teams and teams will be hoping to be in the running for Connor Bedard. I’m going to give the Pens 4 points at home and 3 on the road. That would leave their end-of-season total at 91 points.
New York Islanders: 
The Isles were hoping to make a big push after acquiring Bo Horvat and others at the NHL Trade Deadline. Having won 5 of their last 7 they have certainly put themselves in a solid position to make the playoffs. The Islanders remaining schedule consists of 6 games including 3 home games against Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, and Montreal. The 3 away games will be against Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Washington.
With the Panthers only making it to 89 points in these projections, the Islanders would only need 3 points to secure one of the two NHL Wild Card positions in the Eastern Conference. I will say they absolutely crush that number and get 4 points at home and 2 points on the road, giving them 93 total points and a playoff birth.
Given all that of course anything is possible and that is why they still play the games. Florida’s biggest problem is the lack of remaining games compared to everyone else, and their lack of facing opponents they are battling directly against for a wild card position. The Senators have made an impressive second-half push, but I do believe they just have too much ground to cover in too short of a time period. I’m giving the 2 NHL Wild Card spots in the East to the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.
For more NHL news and updates, be sure to follow me on Twitter @5280Jesse and Team NBS Media
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