The battles for the final two playoff positions in the NHL's Eastern and Western Conferences are expected to come down to the last week of the regular season.
In the East, four teams are in the mix for the two wild-card positions, while Carolina could be dragged into the race from its current third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Over in the West, Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona and Colorado are separated by three points with two wild-card positions up for grabs.
At some point during the final month of the regular season, a few teams will separate themselves from the pack with winning streaks, while some playoff contenders could be taken out of the mix because of brutal schedules down the stretch.