Saturday’s NHL schedule features a number of tantalizing matchups, whether it’s for playoff positioning — such as Edmonton Oilers–Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+) — or better odds in the draft lottery, as is the case with Chicago Blackhawks–San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).
But the game we’ve got circled as Saturday night’s main event is the Florida Panthers‘ visit to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers (8 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN+). Given that these are two of the league’s top four teams in the standings — and the other two, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, are in action as well — it’s time to take a look at the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.
The obvious caveat here: The Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the team with the most points in the standings in the regular season, is not necessarily a good-luck charm when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup that season (at least recently). Since the trophy was first awarded in 1985-86, only eight teams have won the regular-season points race and the Cup in the same campaign, the most recent being the Chicago Blackhawks in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. A recent trend is for a team to make its big run to the Cup one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy:
The Washington Capitals led the league in points in 2015-16 and 2016-17, then won the Cup in 2018.
The Tampa Bay Lightning dominated to the tune of 128 points in 2018-19, then won two Cups in a row (2020, 2021).
The Colorado Avalanche earned the Presidents’ Trophy in the wonky 2020-21 season, then won the Cup in 2022.
The Panthers raced out to 122 points in winning the regular-season points race in 2021-22, then made the Cup Final in 2023.
So is this the Bruins’ year after their first-round flameout last spring? The B’s come into Saturday’s action with the highest current point total (97), though their regulation wins total (32) lags behind the other top contenders. Currently projected for 112.6 points by Stathletes, their journey continues with a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, NHL Network). Seven of the B’s final 11 games are against teams currently in playoff position, and two of the others are against the Capitals, who are fighting for a wild-card spot.
The Panthers are Stathletes’ current projected pick for the Presidents’ Trophy, at 112.7 points; they are at 94 points heading into the showdown with the Rangers but have a regulation wins edge on Boston (37) and two games in hand. They have one game in hand on the Rangers and Canucks but are one regulation win behind those teams. Including Saturday’s game, seven of the Panthers’ final 13 games are against teams in current playoff position, but they also have two left against the Ottawa Senators and one apiece against the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets. (Now that projection makes sense, doesn’t it?)
New York had a statement victory against Boston on Thursday night, 5-2 at TD Garden, and it’ll hope to get a similar result against the Atlantic’s other power on Saturday. The Rangers are a point behind the Bruins (96) but have an edge in regulation wins (38). Just five of the Rangers’ 12 remaining games are against teams in playoff position, and two of those are against the recently wobbly Flyers. Stathletes’ model doesn’t like them quite as much as the other teams, however, as they are projected for 108.9 points.
The Canucks, who host the Calgary Flames in one of Saturday’s late games (10 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+), are…
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