NHL playoff watch: Are the Minnesota Wild in trouble?

As of Dec.

6, the Minnesota Wild were 18-4-4 and atop the NHL standings.

Fast-forward to Thursday, and they have a tenuous hold on a wild-card position in the Western Conference.

Is the Wild's playoff future in peril? Editor's Picks Hutson brothers, Leonard, Fink among top NHL prospects playing in the NCAA hockey tournament 17h Rachel Doerrie NHL Bubble Watch: Which teams emerge from wild-card race chaos? 2d Greg Wyshynski NHL Power Rankings: Capitals reign at No.

1, plus pickups for the fantasy playoffs 6d Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash Minnesota has 85 points and 32 regulation wins through 72 games, just ahead of the red-hot St.

Louis Blues (83 and 28 through 73 games), with the Vancouver Canucks (80 and 26 through 72 games) and Calgary Flames (79 and 26 through 70 games) still in the mix.

The Wild host the league-leading Washington Capitals on Thursday ( 7:30 p.m.

ET, ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+ ), followed by a home-and-home series against the New Jersey Devils .

Their road trip continues against the New York Rangers and New York Islanders , before a home date against the Dallas Stars .

Perhaps most notable on the remaining schedule are games at the Flames (April11) and Canucks (April 12), both of which are dreaded "four-point games," as a regulation win for one team will have an outsize impact.

Stress levels in the State of Hockey will surely rise if the standings are close as that pair of games approaches.

Despite trouble lurking for the Wild, Stathletes still likes their chances, giving them a 91.4% chance to make the playoffs.

There is less than a month left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we'll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch.

As we traverse the final stretch, we'll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead: Current playoff matchups Today's schedule Yesterday's scores Expanded standings Race for No.

1 pick Current playoff matchups Eastern Conference A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs.

WC1 Ottawa Senators A2 Florida Panthers vs.

A3 Tampa Bay Lightning M1 Washington Capitals vs.

WC2 Montreal Canadiens M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs.

M3 New Jersey Devils Western Conference C1 Winnipeg Jets vs.

WC2 St.

Louis Blues C2 Dallas Stars vs.

C3 Colorado Avalanche P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs.

WC1 Minnesota Wild P2 Los Angeles Kings vs.

P3 Edmonton Oilers Thursday's games Note: All times ET.

All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

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Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner.

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Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres , 7 p.m.

Ottawa Senators at Detroit Red Wings , 7 p.m.

Utah Hockey Club at Tampa Bay Lightning , 7 p.m.

Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers , 7 p.m.

Washington Capitals at Minnesota Wild , 7:30 p.m.

(ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+) St.

Louis Blues at Nashville Predators , 8 p.m.

Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames , 9 p.m.

Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche , 10 p.m.

(ESPN) Edmonton Oilers at Seattle Kraken , 10 p.m.

Toronto Maple Leafs at San Jose Sharks , 10:30 p.m.

Wednesday's scoreboard Vancouver Canucks 5, New York Islanders 2 New Jersey Devils 5, Chicago Blackhawks 3 Dallas Stars 4, Edmonton Oilers 3 Anaheim Ducks 6, Boston Bruins 2 Expanded standings Atlantic Division Playoff Hockey Challenge Pick the winners and crown your Stanley Cup champion! Create A Bracket Toronto Maple Leafs Points: 89 Regulation wins: 35 Playoff position: A1 Games left: 11 Points pace: 102.8 Next game: @ SJ (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Florida Panthers Points: 89 Regulation wins: 35 Playoff position: A2 Games left: 11 Points pace: 102.8 Next game: vs.

UTA (Friday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Tampa Bay Lightning Points: 87 Regulation wins: 35 Playoff position: A3 Games left: 11 Points pace: 100.5 Next game: vs.

UTA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Ottawa Senators Points: 79 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: WC1 Games left: 12 Points pace: 92.5 Next game: @ DET (Thursday) Playoff chances: 98.1% Tragic number: N/A Montreal Canadiens Points: 75 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: WC2 Games left: 12 Points pace: 87.9 Next game: @ PHI (Thursday) Playoff chances: 47.7% Tragic number: N/A Detroit Red Wings Points: 72 Regulation wins: 25 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 11 Points pace: 83.2 Next game: vs.

OTT (Thursday) Playoff chances: 5.2% Tragic number: 20 Boston Bruins Points: 69 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 9 Points pace: 77.5 Next game: @ DET (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0.1% Tragic number: 13 Buffalo Sabres Points: 64 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 12 Points pace: 75.0 Next game: vs.

MTL (Thursday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 14 Metro Division x - Washington Capitals Points: 103 Regulation wins: 40 Playoff position: M1 Games left: 11 Points pace: 119.0 Next game: @ MIN (Thursday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A Carolina Hurricanes Points: 90 Regulation wins: 38 Playoff position: M2 Games left: 11 Points pace: 103.9 Next game: vs.

MTL (Friday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A New Jersey Devils Points: 83 Regulation wins: 34 Playoff position: M3 Games left: 9 Points pace: 93.2 Next game: @ WPG (Friday) Playoff chances: 94.6% Tragic number: N/A New York Islanders Points: 74 Regulation wins: 25 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 11 Points pace: 85.5 Next game: @ TB (Saturday) Playoff chances: 24.5% Tragic number: 22 New York Rangers Points: 74 Regulation wins: 31 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 10 Points pace: 84.3 Next game: @ ANA (Friday) Playoff chances: 16.5% Tragic number: 20 Columbus Blue Jackets Points: 73 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 12 Points pace: 85.5 Next game: vs.

VAN (Friday) Playoff chances: 13.1% Tragic number: 23 Pittsburgh Penguins Points: 69 Regulation wins: 20 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 9 Points pace: 77.5 Next game: @ BUF (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0.1% Tragic number: 13 Philadelphia Flyers Points: 65 Regulation wins: 17 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 9 Points pace: 73.0 Next game: vs.

MTL (Thursday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 9 Central Division x - Winnipeg Jets Points: 102 Regulation wins: 38 Playoff position: C1 Games left: 10 Points pace: 116.2 Next game: vs.

NJ (Friday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A Dallas Stars Points: 96 Regulation wins: 37 Playoff position: C2 Games left: 11 Points pace: 110.9 Next game: @ CGY (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Colorado Avalanche Points: 91 Regulation wins: 37 Playoff position: C3 Games left: 10 Points pace: 103.6 Next game: vs.

LA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Minnesota Wild Points: 85 Regulation wins: 32 Playoff position: WC1 Games left: 10 Points pace: 96.8 Next game: vs.

WSH (Thursday) Playoff chances: 96.8% Tragic number: N/A St.

Louis Blues Points: 83 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: WC2 Games left: 9 Points pace: 93.2 Next game: @ NSH (Thursday) Playoff chances: 77.6% Tragic number: N/A Utah Hockey Club Points: 75 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 11 Points pace: 86.6 Next game: @ TB (Thursday) Playoff chances: 6.2% Tragic number: 15 Nashville Predators Points: 62 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 11 Points pace: 71.6 Next game: vs.

STL (Thursday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 2 e - Chicago Blackhawks Points: 51 Regulation wins: 18 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 10 Points pace: 58.1 Next game: Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E Pacific Division Vegas Golden Knights Points: 94 Regulation wins: 40 Playoff position: P1 Games left: 11 Points pace: 108.6 Next game: @ CHI (Friday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Los Angeles Kings Points: 89 Regulation wins: 35 Playoff position: P3 Games left: 12 Points pace: 104.3 Next game: @ COL (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A Edmonton Oilers Points: 87 Regulation wins: 30 Playoff position: P2 Games left: 11 Points pace: 100.5 Next game: @ SEA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.5% Tragic number: N/A Vancouver Canucks Points: 80 Regulation wins: 26 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 10 Points pace: 91.1 Next game: @ CBJ (Friday) Playoff chances: 8.2% Tragic number: 18 Calgary Flames Points: 79 Regulation wins: 26 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 12 Points pace: 92.5 Next game: vs.

DAL (Thursday) Playoff chances: 11.8% Tragic number: 21 Anaheim Ducks Points: 70 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 11 Points pace: 80.9 Next game: vs.

NYR (Friday) Playoff chances: 0.1% Tragic number: 10 Seattle Kraken Points: 66 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 10 Points pace: 75.2 Next game: vs.

EDM (Thursday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 4 e - San Jose Sharks Points: 47 Regulation wins: 14 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 12 Points pace: 55.1 Next game: vs.

TOR (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E Note: An "x" means that the team has clinched a playoff berth.

An "e" means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No.

1 pick Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles a year from top writers.

NBA breakout stars: Who'd we get right? Free agency class rankings for 32 NFL teams Top NHL prospects in NCAA tourney are...

More ESPN+ content The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No.

1 selection.

As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No.

1 pick.

Full details on the process are here .

Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL's Erie Otters, is No.

1 on the draft board .

1.

San Jose Sharks Points: 47 Regulation wins: 14 2.

Chicago Blackhawks Points: 51 Regulation wins: 18 3.

Nashville Predators Points: 62 Regulation wins: 23 4.

Buffalo Sabres Points: 64 Regulation wins: 23 5.

Philadelphia Flyers Points: 65 Regulation wins: 17 6.

Seattle Kraken Points: 66 Regulation wins: 24 7.

Pittsburgh Penguins Points: 69 Regulation wins: 20 8.

Boston Bruins Points: 69 Regulation wins: 23 9.

Anaheim Ducks Points: 70 Regulation wins: 23 10.

Detroit Red Wings Points: 72 Regulation wins: 25 11.

Columbus Blue Jackets Points: 73 Regulation wins: 23 12.

New York Rangers Points: 74 Regulation wins: 31 13.

New York Islanders Points: 74 Regulation wins: 25 14.

Utah Hockey Club Points: 75 Regulation wins: 24 15.

Calgary Flames Points: 79 Regulation wins: 26 16.

Vancouver Canucks Points: 80 Regulation wins: 26.

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