NHL playoff watch standings update - Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes take center stage

With a short slate on Wednesday night, there wasn't much movement in the playoff races (or the «race» for the draft lottery). But Thursday night promises to be quite different.

A 10-game schedule on Thursday night will require the need for multiple screens again, given that seven of those 10 will go off at 7, 7:30 or 8 p.m. ET. But one of those contests has particularly piqued our interest: the Dallas Stars visiting the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dallas has a tenuous hold on the second wild-card position in the West, one point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights (with four games in hand); three ahead of the Winnipeg Jets (with two games in hand); and three ahead of the Vancouver Canucks (with three games in hand). Thursday's game isn't a must-win — given the games advantage — but anything to boost that cushion would be helpful. On the other side, the Hurricanes are atop the Metropolitan Division, with a two-point and two-game edge on the Pittsburgh Penguins; they're knotted at 90 points with the Florida Panthers for the No. 1 overall seed in the East, and have four additional regulation wins for that tiebreaker.

As interconference foes, the two teams played just once previously this season, a 4-1 victory for the Stars in Dallas behind a hat trick from Roope Hintz. The Canes come in losing four of their past five, while the Stars have won three of their past four.

As we enter the post-deadline stretch of the 2021-22 regular season, it's time to check in on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2022 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight. Tragic numbers are courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.

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