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The draft lottery positioning is changing on a daily basis, with teams dropping in and out of playoff spots, and the league’s bottom teams jockeying for position over the final few weeks. Here are the the odds for the teams in contention for the first overall pick after last night’s action.
Today’s draft lottery odds
| Pos | Team | Record | Last night's result | GR | Points | Yesterday's odds* | Today's odds* | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Record | Last night's result | GR | Points | Yesterday's odds* | Today's odds* | Change |
| 1 | Buffalo Sabres | 24-40-12 | - | 6 | 60 | 18.5% | 18.5% | - |
| 2↑↑ | Ottawa Senators | 26-39-11 | L | 6 | 63 | 10.0% | 14.0% | +4.0% |
| 3↓ | Arizona Coyotes | 26-39-11 | - | 6 | 63 | 14.0% | 11.5% | -2.5% |
| 4↓ | Vancouver Canucks | 28-40-9 | W | 5 | 65 | 11.5% | 10.0% | -1.5% |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 28-38-11 | W | 5 | 67 | 8.5% | 8.5% | - |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 28-37-12 | - | 5 | 68 | 7.5% | 7.5% | - |
| 7 | Chicago Blackhawks | 31-36-10 | - | 5 | 72 | 6.5% | 6.5% | - |
| 8 | New York Islanders | 32-35-10 | W | 5 | 74 | 5.5% | 5.5% | - |
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | 34-37-6 | L | 5 | 74 | 4.5% | 4.5% | - |
| 10 | New York Rangers | 33-35-8 | - | 6 | 74 | 3.5% | 3.5% | - |
| 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | 34-32-11 | L | 5 | 79 | 3.0% | 3.0% | - |
| 12 | Calgary Flames (NYI) | 35-32-10 | - | 5 | 80 | 2.5% | 2.5% | - |
| 13↑ | Florida Panthers | 39-28-7 | - | 8 | 85 | 1.5% | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 14↓ | Dallas Stars | 39-30-8 | OTW | 5 | 86 | 2.0% | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 15↑ | Colorado Avalanche | 41-27-8 | - | 6 | 90 | 0.0% | 1.0% | +1.0% |
* Lottery odds are unofficial
The Ottawa Senators may not be very good. They jumped two spots in the rankings with a loss last night. Finishing last in the NHL to get the best odds at first overall is not out of the question.
The Senators’ rise means a fall for both the Arizona Coyotes (idle last night) and the Vancouver Canucks, who defeated the Anaheim Ducks to keep the Western Conference wild-card race highly entertaining. Vancouver has three wins in its last four games.
Connor McDavid had his team out to a 3-0 lead midway through the first period with his 40th goal and two assists to get him to 102 points, The Edmonton Oilers then gave up seven unanswered goals to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The St. Louis Blues pulled themselves out of the rankings and into a three-way tie with the Los Angeles Kings and Ducks at 91 points.
The Dallas Stars stopped a slide with a critical win that leaves the one thread connecting them to a playoff position intact.
Nathan MacKinnon’s Colorado Avalanche enter the rankings; a tough position to be in for a team that has turned things around and nearly doubled its points earned from last season.
Lowlight of the night
Today’s schedule: The Florida Panthers move to within one point of a playoff position with a victory over the Maple Leafs. A loss puts the New York Rangers above the Oilers. Arizona can reclaim its rightful place as bottom-two team. And the Avalanche can jump above all of those 91-point teams with a win.