The 2023-24 NHL regular season is winding down and the Western Conference playoff picture is way less hectic than the other side of the bracket. The West teams in the playoffs are pretty much set but seeding is what teams will be competing for to finish the season. Below we’re going to go over the playoff standings, wild card and remaining schedule breakdown.
2024 NHL Playoff Picture: Western Conference
Central Division
Pacific Division
Wild Card
*Note: Top two teams in WC standings advance to playoffs.
Schedule Breakdown
Central Division
Stars: 6 games — @ CHI, @ COL, vs. BUF, vs. WPG, vs. SEA, vs. STL
Avalanche: 6 games — @ EDM, vs. DAL, vs. MIN, vs. WPG, @ VGK, vs. EDM
Jets: 6 games — @ MIN, @ NSH, @ DAL, @ COL, vs. SEA, vs. VAN
Predators: 6 games — @ NYI, @ NJD, vs. WPG, @ CHI, vs. CBJ, @ PIT
Blues: 6 games — @ SJS, @ ANA, vs. CHI, vs. CAR, vs. SEA, @ DAL
Wild: 7 games — vs. WPG, @ CHI, @ COL, @ VGK, @ SJS, @ LAK, vs. SEA
It’s a long shot for the Blues to catch the Preds or Kings in the Wild Card. It’s even more farfetched for the Wild to get in. But neither is eliminated as of Friday morning. The Blues also have a pretty soft schedule. Carolina and Dallas may not be playing for much and their four other games are against bottom-feeders. The Jets have a brutal schedule, facing the other top teams in the Central as well as the Canucks to wrap things up. We should get a clearer picture of the Central and West seeding in the next handful of games. The Stars and Avalanche play one more game against each other, which could make first place in the division a bit more clear.
Pacific Division
Canucks: 6 games — @ LAK, vs. VGK, vs. ARI, @ EDM, vs. CGY, @ WPG
Oilers: 8 games — vs. COL, @ CGY, vs. VGK, vs. ARI, vs. VAN, vs. SJS, @ ARI, @ COL
Golden Knights: 7 games — @ ARI, @ VAN, @ EDM, vs. MIN, vs. COL, vs. CHI, vs. ANA
Kings: 6 games — vs. VAN, @ ANA, vs. CGY, vs. ANA, vs. MIN vs. CHI
We’ll start with the Oilers, who have the most games remaining of any NHL team. Edmonton has to play eight games in the span of just under two weeks to wrap the season. That feels like a lot. Maybe not anything that should have an impact on where they finish in the standings. But something to consider in the first round. There’s not much turnaround from the regular season to the playoffs. The Oilers could go into the first round gassed if they go all out trying to secure home ice. Plus, you have to play the reigning Stanley Cup champs in the first round most likely. Or a Kings team that took you to six games last season.
Because of the games in hand and another matchup, there’s an outside shot the Oilers catch the Canucks for the first seed. That may not matter all that much. You’re likely playing Vegas or Los Angeles anyway. Home ice isn’t all that important in the NHL playoffs. At least it’s not something teams worry about. Los Angeles has four games against teams out of the picture, so it’s hard to envision the Blues or Wild catching them (or Vegas) for the last Wild Card.
Western Conference Playoff bracket
Here’s what the bracket and matchups would look like if the season finished on Thursday, April 4.
CEN1 — Dallas Stars
WC2 — Los Angeles Kings
CEN2 — Colorado Avalanche
CEN3 — Winnipeg Jets
PAC1 — Vancouver Canucks
WC1 — Nashville Predators
PAC2 — Edmonton Oilers
PAC3 — Vegas Golden Knights
The matchups in the West are a bit lackluster compared to the East. At least in the first round. The most intriguing would be Oilers-Golden Knights. Rarely do you get a series of this caliber — the reigning Cup champs against the best hockey player in the universe. This is a rematch of last year’s second-round series. Vegas won that in six games with the two teams trading blows until a key Game 5. Down 2-1, Vegas stormed back with three straight goals to go up 3-2 in the series.
Avalanche-Jets could be a series that’s over fast. Winnipeg has been struggling to end the season and Colorado is a wagon. You’ve got to think the Avs come out hungry after the letdown in the first round vs. the Kraken last season. The Stars are the hottest team in the NHL as of this writing. Los Angeles will be a tough out, but Dallas should take care of business you’d think.
The series to circle is Preds-Canucks. It has the potential to be the most fun of all the first-round series. Vancouver was the best early-season team while Nashville has been among the top teams since February. You have two teams that should be hungry. The Canucks have just two playoff berths since 2013. The Preds haven’t had much success since advancing to the Cup Final back in 2017.
