The NHL wild-card standings are constantly shifting.

There are a slew of teams competing for limited playoff spots, and the weeks leading up to April will be critical in deciding which ones will get to play in the postseason. Just because a team is in a playoff spot doesn't mean that will last for long. It could be on the outside looking in in only a matter of days.

No team has more than 14 regular-season games remaining, and we're heading into the final stretch with all but one team—the Detroit Red Wings—still in with a chance of making the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Eastern Conference Standings

Atlantic Division

1. Boston (100 points)

2. Tampa Bay (92)

3. Toronto (81)

Metropolitan Division

1. Washington (90)

2. Philadelphia (89)

3. Pittsburgh (86)

Wild-Card Race

1. Carolina (81)

2. Columbus (81)

3. N.Y. Islanders (80)

4. N.Y. Rangers (79)

5. Florida (78)

6. Montreal (71)

7. Buffalo (68)

8. New Jersey (68)

9. Ottawa (62)

Western Conference Standings

Central Division

1. St. Louis (94)

2. Colorado (92)

3. Dallas (82)

Pacific Division

1. Vegas (86)

2. Edmonton (83)

3. Calgary (79)

Wild-Card Race

1. Winnipeg (80)

2. Nashville (78)

3. Vancouver (78)

4. Minnesota (77)

5. Arizona (74)

6. Chicago (72)

7. Anaheim (67)

8. Los Angeles (64)

9. San Jose (63)

Wild-Card Odds

Let's start with a look at the latest playoff projections from The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn, which is based on 50,000 simulations of the remainder of the season.

Those projections suggest that it will be the Hurricanes and Islanders that secure the two wild-card berths in the Eastern Conference, while the Predators and Canucks would be the wild cards out West.

It's not a surprise that these simulations predict Carolina to reach the playoffs. The Hurricanes have won three straight games and hold the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Plus, they are only five points behind the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division, so they could still make a push for the No. 3 seed.

Carolina has the best Stanley Cup odds of any team in the wild-card race—28-1, according to Oddschecker. If it can continue its recent strong play and get into the playoffs, it could go one better than last season, when it was swept in the Eastern Conference Final by the Boston Bruins.

The Islanders need to get back on track if they are going to reach the postseason. They have lost seven consecutive games and 11 of their past 13. That has lengthened their odds of winning the Stanley Cup to 40-1, per Oddschecker. But there's still time for things to get better for New York.

In order to turn their momentum, the Islanders need to win some challenging road games. Their next three matchups are away contests at the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelers, all teams in playoff positions.

The Predators have been streaky of late, as over their past 14 games, they have three three-game winning streaks, a three-game losing streak and a two-game losing skid. However, they have won their past three, so perhaps this is the start of an improved run.

However, Nashville's next three games are tough road matchups against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. That stretch could be critical in determining the Predators' postseason fate.

The Canucks haven't won more than two straight games since Feb. 1 and have lost five of their past seven games. They play on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday in road matchups against the playoff-chasing Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche, so those contests—particularly the showdown with the Yotes—give them a chance to get back on track while denting the postseason hopes of their rivals.