NHL playoff standings update: The Bedard race intensifies

Tonight's NHL schedule is not one that will have an outsized influence on the playoff races -- the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Florida Panthers and the Anaheim Ducks head to Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames.

But all of these teams will play a role in the upcoming 2023 NHL draft lottery.

At this point, all four clubs are in the bottom 16, and eligible to move up in this summer's draft. As of 2021, teams can move up only 10 spots, so the Flames won't quite make it all the way to No. 1 should they win a drawing. As for the Panthers, their first-round pick belongs to the Montreal Canadiens as part of the trade for Ben Chiarot last season. For the Ducks and Blackhawks, however, a…